Customer surveys are conducted every couple months by various firms to see where technology companies stand in relation to each other, and Apple has historically fared very well. This most recent study does not break that trend.
UBS analysts conduced a survey of 515 customers with a focus on international high-end consumers to determine what percentage of customers would continue to buy smartphones manufactured by the same company as their current device, and what percentage would switch to a different company.
Not surprisingly, a disproportionately large number of Apple customers – 89% – say they will stick with the company when the time comes to upgrade their device.
The closest competitor, HTC, doesn’t even come close to that number (it scored a 39% retention rate). RIM, the company behind the Blackberry line, didn’t preform quite as well as anyone would have liked, dropping from 62 percent to 33 percent in the last 18 months. Samsung wasn’t far behind HTC, with 28% retention, followed by Motorola, which earned 25%.
That’s not to say the study was a complete Apple blowout, however. When asked specifically about software, Android came out on top with 55% of customers loyal to Google’s mobile operating system. Though, that number might not stay that high for long. The study points out that,
“an additional 31 percent of Android users also indicated they are likely to switch to an iPhone for their next handset, leaving Apple a sizable chunk of Android users.”
In my experience, Apple is definitely a company that instills a sort of loyalty in its customers, more so than other tech giants. I’ve personally been using an iPhone since ’08, and a Mac since ’07.
And, contrary to what many of you may believe, I don’t chose Apple over other products solely because its Apple, I continue to purchase Apple-branded devices because repeated experience with them has led me to believe that they honestly are the best option out there.
What is your opinion on all this? Are you loyal to Apple (or another brand) and, if so, why? Weigh in down below in the comments
