I am an electronics enthusiast. I love sleek gadgets, especially love high-tech smartphones with ground-breaking technologies, specifically iPhones and Mac computers. Apple is a well-known company in America that has been around for years. Every product they have brought to the market to meet customer expectations, and when there is a problem, they guarantee to solve the problem for the clients. I love them because of the spectacular after-sales services. iPhones are among the most trusted brands in America and around the world (Molinillo et al., 2017). I also have confidence in iPhones because they are high-quality smartphones, guaranteeing my information's safety and security.
Like customers love to associate with the most trustworthy companies, companies also love to have loyal customers. Loyal customers to a company love the products, customers who do not hesitate to share and recommend the products to their friends and family. Loyal customers are always willing to spend an extra dollar to have themselves the best quality and services their company offers. For example, in Apple, loyal customers love upgrading their phones every time a new iPhone is released. However, loyal customers are not easy to win over; they are not easy to come by. Companies must, therefore, have a set of carefully crafted benefits and policies offered to consumers. Thus, for companies to build trust, firms need to work on consumer needs from loyalty, attitudinal loyalty, and behavioral loyalty. The companies need to study and understand what makes a customer loyal and what they can do to influence that behavior that prompts them to be reliable. Other methods to build trust is to reward loyal consumers and be responsive to customer needs and demands.
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What are the ethical issues and obligations that come with trust once it is built?
Once a company builds its reputation, brand name, and image in its industry, it must honor its promises to the customers by continually offering premium services (Tatar et al., 2016).
Customer Satisfaction : a company needs to respect its consumers, especially those loyal to the brand for years. Loyal customer complaints are most likely to be genuine, and as such, there is a need to raise tickets instantly and give a prompt solution. Giving customers satisfaction needs to be a significant ethical factor that companies must sort out.
Warranty and promise : Some companies ignore guarantees and promises after delivery of goods or services. There are several scenarios where a customer claims for a guarantee, and the companies avoid them, stating that the claims are not under warranty or part of the promise. Instead of rejecting customer promises, it is ideal for solving every genuine case. Mass rejection of guarantees and promises raises ethical concerns.
Protecting the data : The company must protect the customer data safely. This data must not be sold to third parties or disclosed to unauthorized parties. Additionally, any information stored on the internet must be adequately protected because data hacking or leaks will hurt the company's reputation.
Should consumers' trust companies? Why or why not?
Consumers cannot trust companies fully. Consumers need to have proof of quality, ethics, and trust before entirely relying on a company. For a consumer to transact business with a company, they must provide critical personal information like credit cards. Trusting a company that is not reputable, a company that does not have a track record of quality and service, would be detrimental.
Do you think some consumers are just more prone to be loyal to companies and other consumers are not? Why or why not?
Yes, some consumers are prone to be loyal, while others are not. Every customer has their specific needs, and one company cannot satisfy the needs of every customer. Besides, every company provides a niche service to consumers; they cannot offer everything to all consumers. Therefore, consumers choose based on their tastes and preferences (Al Abdulrazak and Ayantunji, 2017). One customer will find a company to be the best; another customer will find it the worst. Experiences are, therefore, different for every customer with the companies, and since there are several companies in a market, the customer chooses their best options.
Reference
Al Abdulrazak, Rula M, and Ayantunji Gbadamosi. "Trust, Religiosity, and Relationship
Marketing: a Conceptual Overview of Consumer Brand Loyalty." Society and business review12.3(2017):320339.Web. https://apus.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_journals_1957729548&context=PC&vid=01APUS_INST:01APUS&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,brand%20%20marketing%20%20trust%20%20loyalty&offset=0
Molinillo, Sebastian et al. "Responsible Brands Vs. Active Brands? An Examination of Brand
Personality on Brand Awareness, Brand Trust, and Brand Loyalty." Marketing intelligence&planning35.2(2017):166179.Web. https://apus.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_journals_1868932785&context=PC&vid=01APUS_INST:01APUS&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,brand%20%20marketing%20%20trust%20%20loyalty&offset=0
Tatar, Şahika Burçin et al. "The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Brand Trust and Brand
Loyalty for Hotels." Information Technology & Tourism 16.3 (2016): 249–263. Web. https://apus.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_journals_2419940491&context=PC&vid=01APUS_INST:01APUS&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,brand%20%20marketing%20%20trust%20%20loyalty&offset=0
