Customer loyalty is widely accepted by marketers as being something that's worth nurturing, with many renowned analysts and researchers repeatedly showing the value of loyalty programmes in terms of greater spending and satisfaction, more profitable customer behaviour, reduced defection levels, and unique competitive advantages. But what are the main business factors that directly influence the loyalty of your customers?
According to Peter Clark, co-editor of The Wise Marketer and co-author of The Loyalty Guide report series, there are six major factors that play key roles in influencing the loyalty and commitment of customers:

In this article, we've drawn guidance from many of the 36 chapters of The Loyalty Guide Volume II, to offer practical insights into the workings of customer loyalty programmes and the ways in which they can positively influence shoppers' behaviour toward the company. The result is that customer retention is not only increased but customer lifetime value and profitability are also likely to increase significantly thanks to longer-lasting and more relevant customer relationships. This article is copyright 2007 TheWiseMarketer.com).
Factors influencing loyalty
Looking in more detail at the major factors that influence consumers' loyalty - not only to retailers but also to suppliers in all sectors, including business to business (B2B) - the six key areas of focus identified in the report can be summarised as follows: 1. Core offering
The companies that boast the highest levels of fiercely loyal customers have built that loyalty not on card programmes or gimmicks, but on a solid, dependable, core offering that appeals to their customers. These companies have focused intently on what they know appeals to the type of customers they want to attract, and have determinedly concentrated on delivering what is expected every time. North American