Millennials – those born between 1982 and 2004 – are often perceived as being one of the less loyal generations when it comes to businesses. Rather, they are often seen as a generation of shifting loyalties and harder to retain as customers.
In some sectors, this may be true. They live in an era of never-before-seen consumer choice, and a high level of web literacy means they are often prepared to shop around for the cheapest price when buying online or find new deals when utility contracts end. However, things are a lot more complicated than that, and a new study shows that when it comes to restaurants and coffee shops, they are actually the most loyal generation. This is often determined by how comfortable they feel and how aesthetically pleasing an environment is. For example Reception Chairs that are carefully selected and placed in a great place in the business will have millennials wanting to come back to the environment as where a misplaced or ill thought out Reception chair will take away some of the positive experience. This is just one example of many where the interior, exterior and customer service will all come together to either encourgae or discourage brand loyalty.
The Study
The research was carried out by Aimia, a specialist analytics company. 2,011 UK residents were surveyed in September and asked to rate their level of brand loyalty on a scale of one to ten.
When it came to restaurants, coffee shops, and other food outlets, 62 per cent of those in the millennial age bracket said that they were loyal to specific businesses. This compares with just 39 per cent of those in the 45-54 age bracket.
Younger people are also more likely to belong to loyalty schemes with specific brands. In total, 31 per cent of those aged 18-25 belonged to a loyalty scheme offered by a restaurant or coffee shop. This is more than double the 15 per cent figure of the 45-54 age bracket. Costa, Subway, and Nandos offered the most popular loyalty schemes.