The 20 brands that consumers are most loyal to are…

9/11/2018
When it comes to brand loyalty, tech brands lead the pack.

Nine of the top 10 brands in the 22nd annual Brand Keys 2018 Top 100 Loyalty Leaders ranking are digital brands, with Amazon taking the No. 1 spot. The only traditional retail brands to make the top 20 are Trader Joe’s, at No. 10, and Nike, at No. 18. Two fast-casual brands also cracked the Top 20 — Domino’s Pizza, No.12, and Dunkin’ Donuts, No.19 (See end of article for a list of the top 20 companies).

The ranking is based on a survey by brand consultancy Brand Keys of 84 product categories and 761 brands. The survey included more than 50,500 consumers ages 18 to 65. Respondents self-selected the categories in which they are consumers and assessed the brands for which they are customers.

But while digital and tech brands dominated the top rankings, non-digital brands moved up the list, an average of 11 positions, with a few making major leaps.

“That’s an incredible accomplishment in today’s marketplace where consumers are hot-wired to the Internet,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president. Brand Keys. “Traditional brands have worked harder to create the emotional value connections necessary to bolster the loyalty bonds necessary for keeping current customers, developing new ones, and making profits.”

The retail brands that showed the greatest loyalty leadership gains in 2018 were T.J. Maxx (+38 to No. 35, currently with net sales up 12%) and Zara (+32 to No. 57, with same-store sales +2%).

2018 Top 20 Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders
(Numbers in parentheses indicate last year’s loyalty ranking)

1. Amazon: online retail (No. 1)
2. Google: search engines (No. 2)
3. Apple: smartphones (No. 5)
4. Netflix: video streaming (No. 4)
5. Amazon: video streaming (No. 6)
6. Samsung: smartphones (No. 7)
7. Apple: tablets (No. 3)
8. Facebook: social networking (No. 8)
9. Amazon: tablets (No. 9)
10. Trader Joe’s: natural foods (No. 13)
11. WhatsApp: instant messaging (No. 14)
12. Domino’s Pizza (No. 20)
13. YouTube: social networking (No. 10)
14. Hyundai: automotive (No. 16)
15. Ford: automotive (No. 18)
16. Instagram: social networking (No. 21)
17. iTunes: video streaming (No. 15)
18. Nike: athletic footwear (No. 12)
19. Dunkin’ Donuts: coffee (No. 11)
20. Apple: computers (No. 22)

For the complete 2018 Top 100 Loyalty Leaders List, click here.
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