[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/10\/25\/why-consumers-end-it-with-brands\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/10\/25\/why-consumers-end-it-with-brands\/","headline":"Breaking up is hard to do: Why consumers end it with brands, and what brands can do about it","name":"Breaking up is hard to do: Why consumers end it with brands, and what brands can do about it","description":"The customer-brand relationship is a modern dilemma for businesses. Here are the top reasons consumers call it off with brands, and what brands can do to prevent it.","datePublished":"2017-10-25","dateModified":"2023-01-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rich-thomaselli\/#Person","name":"Rich Thomaselli","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rich-thomaselli\/","identifier":249,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb569186bb37374e12de54d239b6a851f8930ac410bcaf7b94adebcd79afb239?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb569186bb37374e12de54d239b6a851f8930ac410bcaf7b94adebcd79afb239?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/thumbnail-a85e57cb71df78229971898d17dccbb0.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/thumbnail-a85e57cb71df78229971898d17dccbb0.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/10\/25\/why-consumers-end-it-with-brands\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/customer-engagement-marketing\/","name":"Customer Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q5196451"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]}],"wordCount":510,"keywords":["Brands","Customer Engagement","Customer Experience | CX","Customer Service","Marketing","Omnichannel","Personalization","Retail"],"articleBody":"In a previous post we discussed\u00a0the uncanny relationship similarities of love between two people, and love between businesses and customers in the digital age.We called it a modern courtship with the same principles, and noted that while falling in love might be easy, staying in love was the challenge.It’s not you, it’s \u2026well, yeah, it IS youBut what happens when customers fall out of love with a brand? What happens when The Break-Up occurs and, more importantly, why?The customer-brand relationship is a modern dilemma for businesses. When couples split up, there are recurring themes for the primary reason that they end their relationships. Infidelity certainly comes to mind. Indifference, of course. Being smothered gratuitously. Not learning from previous issues.The similarities to the brand-consumer dynamic is eerily similar, as the 2017 SAP Hybris Global Consumer Insights Report found.As with personal relationships ending, customer relationships end for nearly the same reasons:Used consumers\u2019 data without their knowledge = Trust issues, infidelity.Unresponsive customer service = Neglect, indifference.Spammed unnecessarily = Smothered gratuitously.Made mistake more than twice = A failure to learn and grow from previous issues.Image mattersIt’s not just obvious problems that brands face, either. Businesses can\u2019t afford to treat any customer peculiarities and preferences with indifference. For example, a survey by the British-based e-cigarette company Vapour.com found some interesting consumer attitudes when it comes to littering, a big problem in the United Kingdom.Vapour.com spoke to 1,203 consumers to ask them their opinions on branded litter, what they most commonly see on the streets, and their feelings about these brands.According to the survey, 76% of participants looked upon a business negatively when seeing their brand amongst waste on the streets; more than a third would be less likely to buy from a brand they see as litter. That included some of the biggest names in global business \u2013 89% of survey participants listed McDonalds as the brand they most associate with litter, and the list also included Coca-Cola, KFC, Cadbury, Starbucks and more.The upshot? Companies like Coca-Cola European Partners earlier this year agreed to join a government \u201cexpert group\u201d to explore ways to better recover plastic drink containers and reduce litter in Great Britain.Show you careBeing proactive in response to a break-up, and using even more of the modern digital tools available, will help save the relationship, as the Global Consumer Insights Report learned.\u201cArtificial intelligence, machine learning and big data are offering an evolving service for businesses. Employing cloud-based systems that can store and analyze will be the differentiator for brands in the marketplace. Performance is based on providing prompt and personalized experiences that reward consumers, and a delivery model that equates to one that services rather than just sells products.\u201dAnd one other salient point. Like any break-up that leaves one single and free to date, other businesses \u2013 competitors \u2013 are ready to pounce on a brand\u2019s misfortune.During uncertain times, what makes great CX?Learn how to adapt your commerce strategy to meet your customers\u2019 needs now."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2017","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"25","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/10\/\/25\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Breaking up is hard to do: Why consumers end it with brands, and what brands can do about it","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/10\/25\/why-consumers-end-it-with-brands\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]