In Customer Success, the authors breakdown two types of customer loyalty:
Attitudinal loyalty—Customers that are loyal because they love a particular brand.
Behavioral loyalty—Customers that are only loyal because they’re trapped.
If you only have one grocery store in your town, you’re going to exhibit behavioral loyalty. You’re a repeat customer because you don’t have any other choice.
On the flip side, if you drive past three grocery stores just to get to the nearest Publix, you’re exhibiting attitudinal loyalty. You have many options, but you’re picking Publix because of what they stand for, how you’re treated, etc.
Companies like Apple have the best of both worlds. As you buy more iDevices and become more dependent on iCloud, switching to Android becomes harder (behavioral). At the same time, they have millions of raving fans exhibiting attitudinal loyalty.
Attitudinal loyalty is built on amazing experiences. It has strong ties into customer support. Every interaction is a chance to reinforce attitudinal loyalty by exceeding expectations, removing roadblocks, and delivering delight.