When invited on a vlogcast about customer loyalty, what could I say?
Because, embarrassingly, I don’t really believe in it.
At least, not in the way most people mean.
I define loyalty as a conscious dedication to a brand – choosing it even when objectively better options exist.
In other words, being willing to sacrifice something to stay.
And I don’t think most customers do that.
What we often call “loyalty” is usually inertia.
Habit. Convenience. Contentment.
And that’s not a bad thing.
In fact, it’s what businesses should design for: Make it easier to stay than to leave.
👉 But let’s not confuse affective loyalty, which is emotional, with effective loyalty which is behavioural.
Chasing emotional attachment is tenuous.
Designing a behavioural connection is…strategy.
You can watch the whole interview with the very gracious Adam Posner from The Point of Loyalty on his YouTube channel, here.
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P.S. This is my final daily post for 2025.
You may receive an occasional email from me over the summer break, but otherwise I wish you well for the rest of this year and the next.
My sincere and enduring thanks for your inertia ;)
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