I found it very timely earlier this week, when I read that the news that Dunkin’ Donuts has been recognized for the sixth straight year by the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index as the number one in customer loyalty in the coffee category.
I say that this is timely as I made a rare trip to Dunkin Donuts over the weekend to get my husband coffee and a donut for his birthday…to be honest, I usually don’t go to Dunkin Donuts for the simple fact that it is further away from our house than a competing purveyor of coffee and baked goods. Their donuts are indeed delicious (as is their coffee), however it is a five-minute drive to the local Dunkin Donuts store vs a two-minute drive to the nearby competitor (I hate to admit that yes, I drive to a coffee shop just about a mile from my house. In my defense, I live in the suburbs. You get used to driving everywhere out here and it becomes second nature to do so, even to destinations within walking distance.)
The Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index is an annual national survey conducted by brand loyalty and engagement consultancy Brand Keys. This survey identifies brands that are best able to engage consumers by meeting or exceeding their expectations, thus creating loyal customers. The brands that are recognized are those that receive the highest loyalty and engagement assessments and surpass competitors for “delighting” customers. In the coffee category, consumer preferences were based on consistently meeting customer expectations for taste, quality, service, and brand value.
“The search for delight by the consumer comes down to a simple equation: understanding customer expectations, their desire for brand value, and packaging the two via the brand and product experience offered to customers. It’s that last part that’s difficult, and Dunkin’ has continued to manage the brand, and the experience to meet customer desires – six years in a row. That the customer is delighted with the brand shows up in both the Brand Keys loyalty metrics and Dunkin’s bottom line,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president, Brand Keys.
Something interesting that I noticed when I visited Dunkin Donuts this past weekend was that the store was packed…at 8am on a Sunday. There were more cars in the parking lot than I saw on the road on my way there, which was surprising. Clearly Dunkin Donuts has quite a few fans. Something else that stood out is that even though the place was packed, there wasn’t much of a wait to order, or to get my coffee and donuts after ordering.
I will admit that when I got home, I realized that my order wasn’t 100% correct, but it came quickly and easily nonetheless. Seeing as I am used to devoting 15 minutes of my day to the ordering-and-actually-getting-my-coffee process at the local competitor, this was a very pleasant surprise. In fact, the time saved in-store makes it worth driving an extra 3 minutes out of my way, as I will still come out ahead at the end.
It makes sense why Dunkin Donuts is both keeping America running and maintaining a loyal customer base.
