Loyalty
I couldn't help but think about the differences in the way my husband and I shop when I was reading the "Relationship marketing strategy" article, so that makes me wonder if there are gender differences when it comes to certain product loyalty. When I go to the grocery store I have a method - I buy most things brand name, or after much deliberation (sometimes it's debilitating how much time I take to make decisions) regardless of price (cereal and soda) which makes me a deliberative loyalist. Other times I could care less about certain items and will go with the one that saves me $0.50 such as box pasta or sandwich bags, or go with coupons which makes me inertial at times. (That could be a whole other post - do coupons turn consumers into inertial loyalists?) My husband will go with the name brands regardless everytime because he just wants to get in and go home, leading to his trips being more expensive and making him a definiate loyalist, although I'm not sure it's deliberative or just out of watching me buy stuff. But I am certain his consumer habits would have clear deliberative characteristics outside the grocery store on items that I really couldn't care less about (motor oil, fishing line, golf balls etc). So I guess my question is what influence does gender have on product loyalty?
posted by cfriedman22 @ 2:33 PM
3 Comments:
At 5:05 PM, February 04, 2008,
Anonymous said…
Im not sure of product loyalty but my qualitative study is What gender roles do individuals portray in their relationship? My site being grocery stores. So I can tell you in May.
At 10:26 PM, February 04, 2008,
Jessica said…
The relationship between gender and brand/product loyalty is very interesting, and I tried looking at it using my boyfriend and I as examples. When I go to the grocery its about 50/50 that my items will be brand name. I tend to buy based on taste: if a brand tastes better than an off brand, I will buy the brand. If they both taste the same, I will buy the off brand. When it comes to other items, however, I will always stick with the same brand, having loyalty to nothing else. Clothes, makeup and shoes, are all examples. When it comes to electronics, it’s the same way: I usually go for the same brands because I have had experience with them before, and I know what to expect from the prices. But with items like tools, lightbulbs, batteries, I would be fine just buying them at the dollar store. This might be stereotypically female, but this is how my brand loyalty works.
My boyfriend on the other hand will also buys brand name foods, regardless. He doesn’t care where his clothes are from, as long as they are soft, and doesn’t care where his shampoo comes from as long as it doesn’t smell like fruits and flowers. As far as electronics and household items are concerned, he tends to buy “quality” instead of brand. But much of the time, in consumers’ eyes, a popular brand means good quality. So I can see for some, going to the store to buy something without doing prior research on which product is better, someone would purchase one because the brand is more popular, not because the product is necessarily better. There are more or less observations that an answer to the question about the relationship between gender and brand.
I can also see how brand loyalty can be connected with non profits. People might just lump all non profits, regardless of type, into the same category. When approached to donate or volunteer for one, they might decline because they usually help another non profit that they are more familiar with or have previously worked with before. I can see how this can be a big problem for non profits because people seem to be less likely to branch out to a non profit that they are not loyal to than a consumer product they are not loyal to.
At 11:41 PM, February 04, 2008,
Jon Pharr said…
After reading this article I have rationalized that I do have an emotional attachment to the products I buy. As a young male I would not have previously considered my shopping emotionally inclined in the slightest. It is not brand names that necessarily draw me to a product but rather repetition of use. Shopping is one of the activities that I like the least, whether it is picking up groceries or going to the mall, I just want to get out of there. In thinking about my shopping preferences and tendencies, I will buy something based on whether I have had it before and liked it. I am not saying that I won’t try anything new, but the first hook plays a large role in the products I consume. This has continued for the nonprofit groups and organizations that I have supported and followed since working with them in High School and College. It is so important for Nonprofits to have successful hooks or pitches to grab as many contributors as they can.
Post a Comment
<< Home