Survey: U.S. consumers more brand-loyal than global peers

Compared to the global average, U.S. consumers are more brand loyal.  They're also more demanding.

Seventy-eight percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more to shop with the brands they’re loyal, an increase of 8% compared to last year’s report, according to Marketing technology firm Marigold’s 2024 United States Consumer Trends Index Report. This figure is notably higher than the 63% reported among global consumers.

Half of U.S. consumers are more likely to engage in a loyalty program this year than last, 25% higher than global consumers. A vast majority (84%) of U.S. consumers say they will likely engage with a personalized offer tailored to their interests, compared to 78% globally.

Despite increased brand loyalty, U.S. consumers also hold brands to a higher standard. Nine-in-10 (91%) consumers in the U.S. say brands need to make efforts to treat them like an individual to become a favorite or preferred brand. This figure is 7% higher than global consumers who say the same.

More than 80% of U.S. consumers surveyed cite the following as either important or critically important services brands must offer to maintain their loyalty: customer service/support, data privacy policies, product/service quality, options and availability.

“Establishing customer loyalty is a goal brands worldwide must pursue, but the path to doing so naturally differs between regions,” said Trent Lanning, senior researcher at Marigold. “While U.S. consumers demonstrate the highest levels of loyalty, they demand the most from brands in return. The 2024 United States Consumer Trends Index puts a spotlight on this and other important realities, providing brands with the specific insights needed to deliver on these expectations and build hard-earned, long-term loyalty with their U.S. customers.”

Other findings from the Marigold report include: 

• Half (50%) of U.S. consumers said they are optimistic about the economic outlook – an increase from 42% last year. This optimism is largely being driven by Millennials, for whom 65% say they’re optimistic. 
• Like the global data, email continues to drive the highest purchase frequency among U.S. consumers. Both social media ads and posts are trailing closely behind.
• Brand purpose resonates better with younger consumers, with 77% of Gen Z and 81% of Millennials citing a greater likelihood to engage with messages about brand purpose-related activities, compared to 62% of Gen X and 53% of Baby Boomers.
• More than two-thirds of Gen Z (67%) and nearly three-quarters of Millennials (73%) find brand purpose to be important or critically important to maintaining brand loyalty. This figure falls to 55% for Gen X and 46% for Baby Boomers.