Latest news with #brandloyalty
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump Tariffs Create Customer Experience Opportunities for Business
With President Trump's tariff policies evolving by the day, economic uncertainty is persisting among the U.S. buying public. Brand loyalty is at risk. During these unsettled times, businesses might be tempted to focus less on customer experience in the quest to keep customers spending at all. Don't. In fact, use it as an opportunity to emphasize experience even more – to keep your existing customers, gain new ones, and reinforce loyalty to your brand. Because loyalty goes both ways. As we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, the human condition desires the knowledge that someone will have our back, especially during difficult times. Back then, that meant brands that were there for us when we did business with them. Today, retailers should continue to reward their loyal customers – even if current conditions leave them struggling or spending less – by giving them the best experience possible. It's like how you pay your insurance premium every month – and hope that when you have a claim, they cover it. Sometimes that loyalty is rewarded; all too often, it is not. Reward it – with a mixture of COVID-style empathy, transparency, and a re-dedication to the core principles of serving the customer. Customers will reward you back with loyalty of their own, which will then extend beyond troubled times. As I have often written and said in keynote presentations, competing on price is a losing game because the competitor down the street will match you dollar for dollar. Competing on product is increasingly difficult – if Uber can be copied as quickly as Lyft emerged, anything can be duplicated. So what's left as a way of standing out? Customer experience. Especially in moments like today, when your customers may not be experiencing their best of times. Many of those customers are growing anxious, recent data shows. According to a Gartner survey of 212 U.S. consumers conducted in March, 42 percent said they had decided to wait to make a major purchase. That's up from 28 percent in 2024. By third quarter, Gartner is predicting, 60 percent of consumers will have elected to delay a major purchase, with 60 percent buying on secondhand and peer-to-peer marketplaces by the end of the year. 'The current wave of economic uncertainty is reshaping consumer behavior in profound ways,' Kate Muhl, VP analyst in the Gartner marketing practice, said when the report was released. 'There is a clear shift towards more deliberate purchasing decisions and budget-conscious shopping strategies, as individuals prioritize financial stability over immediate gratification.' In response to economic uncertainty, telecommunications giant Verizon has taken a smart, nuanced approach: Re-focusing on customer experience while doing what needs to be done for the bottom line. Executives acknowledged during a 2025 first quarter earnings call in April that the Trump administration's tariffs could lead to price increases. If tariffs increase the cost of manufacturing or importing phones, CEO Hans Vestberg explained, Verizon would be unable to cover the majority of the costs. "That's just not going to be possible," he said. But executives also said they are determined to offer more promotions and deals to customers, continuing a customer experience focus that began in 2023. It has included revamping the loyalty program to offer more personalized discounts to customers, along with exclusive access to events such as concerts and movie premieres. Verizon is also planning to launch customer experience initiatives driven by artificial intelligence later this year, executives said. 'We are doubling down on our customer-first strategies with an increased focus on customer retention,' Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said on the call. While many companies ranging from Walmart to Nike have also announced that they will pass along tariff costs to customers, others have reacted in different ways. Dow, for example, is delaying construction of a new plant, while other firms have paused travel, slowed hiring, or cut other costs. While these companies are understandably prioritizing their business stability, the initial result means a better experience for customers if only because they won't pay more. But saving elsewhere in the business may also allow those companies to continue to invest in customer experience. Here are a few things corporate America should be doing to maintain and enhance customer experience: In an era where tariffs and economic anxiety are reshaping consumer behavior, businesses face a critical choice: cut corners on customer experience to preserve margins, or double down on the very thing that differentiates them from competitors. The companies that will emerge stronger from this period of uncertainty are those that recognize customer experience as both a competitive advantage and a loyalty insurance policy. By showing empathy, maintaining transparency, and remembering the lessons learned during the pandemic, businesses can transform economic challenges into opportunities to deepen customer relationships. When the economic storm eventually passes, the brands that stood by their customers during times of uncertainty will find those customers standing by them, creating a foundation for sustained growth that no competitor can easily replicate. After all, loyalty goes both ways.
Phone Arena
3 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Top 5 phones to cure us of the awful Samsung, Apple brand loyalty
Brand loyalty is something I see no use of, so today's proclamation goes like this: "Smartphone users of the world, free yourselves!" Since I'm not born in Prussia in 1818 (hint: google Karl Marx's year and place of birth), I guess I should cut it out before this thing turns into an anti-corporate is, however, a use of talking about brand loyalty. Everybody knows (in theory, at least) how brand loyalty pays accustomed to it, one gets to know their phone in-depth and knows what to expect of the next model from the same brand. The transfer between the new and old phones is seamless, the interface is familiar, as are the features that are there to be relied upon year after there are cons to brand loyalty and I want to drag them into the light… and then, I will present to you several phones to cure you of your Samsung or Apple attachment. That's the OnePlus 13. | Image by PhoneArena As of 2025, brand loyalty numbers tell a really fascinating story – Apple's once-dominant grip on customer loyalty has shown signs of weakening. In 2023, an impressive 94% of iPhone owners stuck with Apple. That's to say virtually all iPhone users replaced their devices with another iPhone. This coincided with the launch of the iPhone 15 this loyalty rate dropped to 89% and has remained there, likely due to growing dissatisfaction and a perceived lack of innovation. Apple's AI efforts, including its Apple Intelligence initiative and delayed improvements to Siri, have faced criticism and underwhelmed users, to put it mildly. Meanwhile, Samsung's loyalty rate has improved, climbing from 68% in 2021 to 76% in 2025, (minus a slight dip in 2024, but it's insignificant). Its Galaxy AI features have generally been better received than Apple's recent offerings. Samsung still competes with brands like Google, Motorola, and low-cost Android manufacturers. This shift paints a rather juicy picture: more folks are ditching their usual dance partners and flirting with something new – particularly hopping from iOS over to many are probably ditching Apple for Samsung, as their phones are extremely popular, well-marketed and often capable. But… there's a whole galaxy of multicolored, buzzing, sizzling phones from the Far East that one should check before going down the same old beaten path of sticking with either Sammy or Cupertino. Come on, people, what happened to your adventurous spirit?! That's the OnePlus 13T. | Image by OnePlus These are not in any particular order, but are all worth checking closely – and if you happen to choose one of them, you won't regret it. Sure, some may not be sold in your local brick and mortar, some might even require you dealing with customs and overseas shipment. Customer service may not be available 24/7, but so what – the Internet is full of horror stories about Samsung and Apple not providing adequate services as without further ado: OnePlus 13: it's got a 6.8-inch magnificent OLED screen with a 1-120Hz local high refresh rate. Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset under the hood (the best Qualcomm you could get on a phone right now) and the option for 24 GB of RAM. Simply amazing, given its $900 price tag. OnePlus 13T (a.k.a OnePlus 13s): it's the same phone as the aforementioned, just smaller. If you're a fan of compact phones and big batteries, you'll be happy to learn that this 6.3-inch beast packs a 6,260 mAh capacity battery. Realme GT7 – Launching globally on May 27, this is a true flagship killer. It features MediaTek's new Dimensity 9400e processor, delivering high performance with a 2.45 million+ AnTuTu score and support for 120 FPS gaming. It also packs a large 7,000 mAh battery (!) and 120W fast charging. Samsung's 45W charging speeds should go kick rocks. Xiaomi 15 Ultra or Oppo Find X8 Ultra: if mobile photography is your thing, you should definitely check those monsters that both pack an 1-inch sensor for their main cameras. They both pack two separate zoom cameras (with periscope-type lens in Oppo's case), have large cameras, large batteries and top-shelf chipsets. Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design – does anyone else in your friend circle rock a TRI-folding phone? No? I thought so. Well, tri-foldables are not merely an illusion, but a reality. The price is high, but you get what you pay for: a 10-inch screen that fits in your pocket and a 3.6mm thinness. True mobile innovation. Of course, this list is way longer than that, but I wanted to give you a little taste of what's out there and beyond the Apple, Samsung realm. That's the Huawei Mate XT. | Image by PhoneArena Consumers are beginning to realize that sticking with a familiar name often means paying more for marginal benefits. In many cases, these exotic brands from China deliver comparable (and better) camera systems, high-refresh-rate OLED displays, powerful chipsets, and jaw-dropping battery capacity up with your go-to phone brand isn't disloyal – it's smart. When consumers explore new options, it forces the big names to stop coasting and start innovating. Maybe that's why Samsung is offering 45W charging speeds for the Galaxy S25, instead of the 25W of the Galaxy S24. I know, it's still miles behind the Chinese 100W that are offered, but, hey, it's something. So skip the overpriced, uninspiring year-to-year updates and try something bold – you might be pleasantly surprised.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Tag Americas' CEO Uses People And Product To Build Profit
The economic uncertainty of the last few months has been difficult on brands of all kinds, but consumer products—food, beverages and personal care items—have faced the challenges faster than other industries. Consumer packaged goods (CPGs) have relatively short shelf lives, tend to be purchased by a large proportion of consumers, and face steep competition. The fast consumer cycle makes CPGs among the first products that need to raise their prices, the first to experience new tariffs (especially because some products must be imported), and the first to fight for sales among financially squeezed consumers. EY released a report this month looking at the state of consumer products and found that, above all else right now, CPGs need to build their brands through disruptive optimism—simplifying their portfolios and experimenting with different kinds of engagement with consumers and retailers in order to rebuild loyalty. The future for CPG brands appears pretty grim to those who work with them. Nearly four out of five retailers told EY they believe that in the long run, only one mass-market brand will remain on their shelves. The rest of the shelf space will go to private label products, premium items and niche brands. About two-thirds of CPG companies also see this future, but the retailers are the ones who control what goes on the shelves. Most consumers still want to be brand loyal, but they're looking for greater benefits. Several attempts to keep customers loyal have been unsuccessful: 78% of consumers said they've noticed package sizes getting smaller and prices staying the same, and 42% believe that product 'improvements' is just code for cost-cutting measures. Currently, over half of consumers only buy branded products when they're on sale. The product side of these companies can help fight the negative perception drift by digging into consumer interests and needs, and looking for ways to innovate in those areas. CMOs will play an important role by telling the brand's story in an authentic way. One of the best methods for doing that, EY suggests, is employing technology like AI to create sharper consumer targeting, bring more personalized messages to customers, and create loyalty programs that meet their needs and create new repeat buyers. Discovering what consumers want out of products and making sure that message is delivered can help keep products on shelves, even as people are becoming more careful with their money. Tag Americas has been using technology to bring innovative marketing solutions to brands, and its new CEO Stephen Kiely has plans to continue moving forward through uniting people and new innovations. I talked to him about his first few months heading the agency. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter. VINCENT FEURAY/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Ever since companies began to use enterprise AI, advocates have continually said that the technology wasn't out to replace jobs, and that humans would always be a necessary part of the equation. But in practice, some companies have moved toward automating everything. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a future like this for digital advertising in an interview earlier this month with the Stratechery podcast. Zuckerberg suggests that Meta will be able to use AI so that companies can come to them with just a link to their bank account and a list of the business outcomes they want to achieve. The AI system that Zuckerberg wants to see at Meta could produce the creative, target the correct users and produce measurable outcomes. 'I think it is a redefinition of the category of advertising,' Zuckerberg said on the podcast. Forbes contributor Kiri Masters writes that Meta isn't the only player that's considering giving the keys of advertising systems to AI. Google has been moving in that direction with PMAX campaigns, which consolidate advertising across its platforms into a single algorithm-managed campaign type—though advertisers still need to provide some creative basics. Amazon is working toward making its advertising arm a standalone business, and while it has the internal data that could provide a robust all-AI advertising platform, analysts say the company's history indicates it is more likely to pursue a more transparent approach of people working with AI. A Target store in Jersey City, New Jersey. Target continues to face challenges brought on by a downturn of its brand image, which comes on top of declining consumer confidence during an unpredictable economic situation. In its earnings report last week, the retailer saw its sales drop 2.8% year-over-year, with total transactions down 2.4%, basket sizes dropping 1.4%, and traffic down 4.8%, according to Part of the reason is that Target has been singled out for rolling back its DEI program at the beginning of the year, and a group of Black faith leaders called for a boycott of the retailer during the 40-day Lent period leading up to Easter. In their earnings call, Target leaders didn't mention the boycott as a reason for the decline in store traffic and sales, and instead highlighted their strategy for brand-building, pricing and value going into the rest of the year. Last Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant called for another one-day boycott of Target, writes Forbes senior contributor Pamela Danziger. Sunday was the five-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, which kicked off the recent racial reckoning movement—and at the time had moved Target CEO Brian Cornell to increase the company's support for the Black community. Players can speak with AI Darth Vader in Fortnite. AI is being used in many places, but not everywhere. One industry that has mostly stayed away: video games, writes Forbes senior contributor Paul Tassi. With the exception of the much-hyped introduction of AI Darth Vader in Fortnite—which came through a voice rights deal with late actor James Earl Jones' estate—many publishers have steered clear of using the technology. Game developers Take-Two, EA and CDPR have all said generative AI might infringe on copyright issues, but it also could bring about 'reputational harm.' Tassi writes that the gamer community is very defensive of the actual people who make video games: artists, writers, developers, musicians and voice actors. If AI-generated options are added to games, they run the risk of being roasted on social media as 'slop.' As AI video, music and storytelling improve, these opinions could change. But for now, gamers aren't necessarily giving the AI that is being used reverential treatment. Tassi writes that social media is full of videos of gamers making AI Darth Vader do and say silly things. Tag Americas CEO Stephen Kiely. Last October, Stephen Kiely was named the new CEO of Tag Americas, the full-service digital production and sourcing firm owned by international advertising powerhouse dentsu. Kiely, a marketing veteran who has worked with dentsu companies since 2016, started his time at Tag Americas with renewed strategies and commitment to technology. I talked to him about his first few months and what he sees in the future. This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity. When you became CEO of Tag Americas, what did you see as the priorities and the challenges? Kiely: There's three priorities for me: People first [and] foremost, our product, and then there's profit—the actual business behind what we do. Our people [includes] a great collection of folks across the Americas, Brazil, United States, Canada. There was some unifying that was required, and some culture that we needed to build amongst folks. Over the last five months, we've put an emphasis on re-engineering how we get together every single month. We've branded it a Tag Up, and it's not a one-way conversation. It's us having a conversation and bringing in all aspects of the business so we can learn from each other. We've got a lot of regularly scheduled programming, including something called a Tag Spotlight, where we're bringing in stellar partners from inside and outside of our industry so we can learn as a collective. We have launched 'Meet the Humans of dentsu.' Dentsu acquired Tag two years ago, and our strength exists in how we leverage all the best parts of dentsu along with Tag. I would say we've built a lot of community and trust amongst one another, which I think is the basis for good work. From a product standpoint, we are on fire in all the best ways. Over the last couple years, we've invested about $50 million in really innovative technology to help our clients get to content automation at scale without sacrificing craft. We've built a tool. It will launch in the summer and it is unlike anything the world has ever seen. It's fully built [starting with] AI up. We are winning new business left, right and center. My estimation is this year we'll grow 12% through the product that we're delivering on behalf of clients versus last year. And that's huge in this economy. We're publishing work that I think is getting noticed in the world in ways that maybe it hadn't before. We deeply believe in the spirit of co-creation with our product and that no one partner can do it alone. It's about: How do you bring in partners from media? How do you bring in partners from creative? How do you underpin all of that with data to get to communication that offers utility? Modern communication should be two-way with the audience you're looking to reach. I look at a project for tentree, we built that and we detected [more than 200] wildfires [before they became problems in] the Canadian marketplace. That's something to be proud of. It's good commerce, good brand work and being a force for good. From a profit standpoint, we are growing in a very challenging economy. We're helping our clients figure out ways to be more efficient. We are in challenging economic times. What does that do for Tag Americas, and what is your plan to get through it? Tag is uniquely positioned, particularly in challenging economic times, because we are the only production partner that offers a true end-to-end solution, both content production and the sourcing part. We can blend the physical and digital worlds, and oftentimes we can realize on the sourcing side savings for our clients that can then actually fund the content side. Clients are nervous about spending money. They don't know where business is heading, and the ability to offer value without sacrificing quality is very attractive, and that is Tag's sweet spot. Where do you see Tag Americas in five years? Great question. We should ask AI. (laughs) I think the marketing industry needs companies like Tag on steroids. I think production needs to be the great neutralizing force in marketing so that media agendas don't go too far on one extreme, or creative agendas don't go too far off on [another] extreme. Production and being an intellectual blood bank for clients from a production standpoint keep that pendulum right in the middle. And that's got to be the goal of production. Oftentimes, production partners have been thought of for the last mile, and it's kind of been like an Easy-Bake Oven. A brief goes in and, ding: Three weeks later, there's content and assets and they're trafficked out. That's kind of to me [something from] yesteryear, and where it's going in five years is to be the equalizing force so that no agenda runs wild and every dollar is in check. And then I would say that in five years, we need to be guaranteeing outcomes for the clients that we're paid to represent. We need to deeply understand what is going to change their business, what their KPIs are, and then we need to be able to model using technology work that's going to win in the world. Creators are a big part of today's marketing strategies, but using AI in conjunction with them can make influencers' work more impactful. Here's how to take advantage of creator data to elevate your influencers' work. When you're looking for examples of successful companies, it's tempting to look at tech firms in Silicon Valley. While they have done well in terms of profits and products, many have a 'bro culture' that may not be worth emulating. Here's how to use the best parts of Silicon Valley's growth playbook—and still value diverse viewpoints. Which reality TV show franchise just named the cast for its 50th season in 2026? A. The Bachelor B. Big Brother C. Survivor D. Real Housewives See if you got the answer right here.
Entrepreneur
4 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How &pizza's CEO Is Staging a Comeback for the Brand
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When Mike Burns became CEO of &pizza, he arrived on his first day ready to get to work. There was just one problem: No one told him there wasn't an office. "I show up in D.C. and I'm like, Where do I go?" he recalls. "They send me to an address. It's just a restaurant." But Burns wouldn't want it any other way. "Kind of the beauty of &pizza [is] it's all about the restaurant," he says. "The people. The vibe. You can't get that in an office." But what he walked into wasn't a thriving brand in need of just a few tweaks. Operations were inconsistent, culture had slipped and a once-passionate customer base had drifted. So he did what any rational new CEO would do. He got a tattoo. Years earlier, &pizza had launched a promotion offering free pizza for a year to the first 100 people willing to tattoo the brand's signature ampersand on their body. What once seemed like a one-off publicity stunt became something else when Burns brought it back. The first day, 2,700 people signed up. "And that's when I knew," he says. "The brand still had it. People weren't just customers. They were believers." Burns rolled up his sleeve and got the tattoo himself on his forearm, which is hard to miss. The loyalty went beyond ink. Some fans had even tied the knot at &pizza shops — literally. On Pi Day (March 14), the brand hosted weddings where couples tied dough knots and enjoyed pizza. "People have met at &pizza, gotten engaged at &pizza and gotten married at &pizza," Burns says. "It's more than food. It's a culture." Related: This Chef Lost His Restaurant the Week Michelin Called. Now He's Made a Comeback By Perfecting One Recipe. Rebuilding from the inside Of course, no number of tattoos or weddings could fix slow ticket times or a fading sense of purpose. Burns focused on two things: culture and performance. The first step? Clearing out much of the upper management and promoting from within. "I don't care about resumes," he says. "I care if you know how to run a line at midnight." He hired a VP of operations with sleeve tattoos to match the brand's vibe and elevated district managers who had started as pizza-makers. Suddenly, the leadership wasn't observing the frontline; it was the frontline. The team brought back the loud music, sharpened food quality and leaned into the company's most irreverent instincts. Exhibit A: the Dickle, a dill pickle pizza named when a supply chain manager misspoke in a meeting. "We had mascots running around D.C. handing out free Dickle pizza," Burns says. "Abe Lincoln with a Mohawk. Ben Franklin with a neck tattoo. It was chaos. But the right kind." Burns structured his executive team like a modern basketball lineup: no rigid positions. Titles existed, but the HR leader also ran marketing stunts. The IT head pitched in at ops conferences. Burns himself stuck to T-shirts and backwards hats, signaling to franchisees that &pizza wasn't returning to corporate formality anytime soon. Their first leadership meeting turned into a tense argument. Burns took it as a good sign. "In basketball, until a fight breaks out in practice, you're not ready to play," he says. "Same goes here." The moment that convinced Burns to take the job wasn't a boardroom pitch. It was a conversation with a bartender who noticed his &pizza shirt. "Best f***ing pizza in D.C.," she told him. "But it's lost its edge." That was the truth. And honesty, Burns believes, is the most valuable currency in hospitality. "We lost our way before Covid-19," he says. "And during Covid? Forget it. But when almost 3,000 people signed up to tattoo your brand on their bodies? That's not nostalgia. That's a second chance." The second chance is paying off. Customer traffic is climbing. The team's back-of-house fixes, from food quality to ticket times, are holding strong. And the energy that built &pizza's cult following in the first place has returned. "We're not trying to be safe," Burns says. "Safe pizza doesn't get tattoos. Or host weddings." Related: How a Spot on 'The Montel Williams Show' Sparked a Restaurant Power Brand for This Miami Chef About Restaurant Influencers Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast. Related: A Loyal Customer Asked Him to Cater One Event. Now, He Runs More Than 1,000 a Year.
GSM Arena
22-05-2025
- Business
- GSM Arena
Apple brand loyalty remains strong in the United States despite small decline
Recent data on brand loyalty in the United States showed that 89% of Apple users purchased another iPhone when upgrading. Although this share has decreased by five percentage points since 2023, such a loyalty rate remains unmatched in the smartphone industry. For comparison, Samsung loyalty increased by 8pp, rising from 68% to 76% between 2021 and 2025. However, the report lacks specific data such as sample size or margin of error. According to CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners), owner loyalty for Apple and Samsung is not comparable in market terms, as fans of the Korean brand are considerably fewer. Analysts also pointed out that while Apple easily retains users in its ecosystem, Android diversity poses a significant challenge for Samsung to achieve a higher rate. This report only includes users in the United States, where the iPhone leads with a 52% market share. Samsung follows in second place with just 24%. Motorola comes in third with a 12% market share. Source
