Levi's, Macy's, Dick's, Dollar Tree among leaders in brand loyalty survey
The results of the 28th annual Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI) reveal which retailers in various categories have the greatest support from consumers.
The New York-based brand loyalty and engagement research firm's latest loyalty survey spanned several retail categories, with major players such as Walmart, Home Depot, Levi's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods and Dollar Tree coming out on top.
“The impact of loyalty on brand profitability has increased so significantly since we released those very first calculations in 1997,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys. “We introduced gold, silver, and bronze levels to this year’s CLEI to specify brand loyalty hierarchies in the companies consumers evaluated.”
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2025 Brand Loyalty Award winners in the Retail sector include:
Apparel: Athletic, Shoes, Department Stores
Gold: Levi Strauss, Nike, Macy’s
Silver: Zara, Adidas, TJ Maxx
Bronze: Old Navy, Ralph Lauren, New Balance, Kohl’s
Dollar, Discount,Firearms
Gold: Dollar Tree, Walmart, Smith & Wesson
Silver: Dollar General, Target, Glock
Bronze: Family Dollar, Best Buy, Ruger
Home Improvement, Natural Markets, Online Payments
Gold: Home Depot, Trader Joe’s, PayPal
Silver: Lowe’s, Whole Foods, Apple Pay
Bronze: Ace, The Fresh Market, Google Pay/Venmo
Online Shoes, Online, Pharmacy
Gold: Zappos, Amazon, Walgreen’s
Silver: Amazon, Walmart, CVS
Bronze: Footlocker/Nike, Etsy, Rite Aid
Price Clubs, Shipping, Sporting Goods
Gold: Costco, UPS, Dick’s
Silver: Sam’s, FedEx, Academy
Bronze: BJ’s, USPS, Big 5
“The loyalty paradigm has changed dramatically over the past decade,” added Passikoff. “Happily, consumer loyalty can be measured, achieved and leveraged. But it isn’t something that just shows up one day. It isn’t awareness or satisfaction no matter how much you think you have. And it absolutely isn’t something one can find on a 10-point scale. Loyalty is more complex today just as the consumer, the marketplace and marketing have become more complex."
Brand Keys surveyed more than 81,000 consumers aged 16 to 65, examining their attitudes toward and their relationships with 1,100 brands in 104 categories. The yearly study is designed to determine the drivers of brand loyalty, including how the consumer views the category, compares offerings and ultimately buys the product.