Research Identifies Customer Loyalty Personas

Marketing platform Vesta has released research based on a study of 14,000 consumers, which revealed five audience segments requiring different approaches for engagement. 

The five personas were deemed to be: 

• The “Energetic One” at 33% of respondents, representing those favouring social incentives like having content featured or public recognition 
• The “Opinionated One” (32%), who responds to material incentives and is attracted to self-expression 
• The “Exclusive Access One” (15%) who prefers unique and interesting experiences 
• The “Proud VIP” (12%) who is competitive and enjoys status-related incentives 
• The “Tangible Rewards One” (9%), which favours free items in exchange for engagement 

Among the top three most represented groups, “Energetic” community members skew lower in age, and tend to join online communities based on subject matter. Meanwhile, “Opinionated” community members prefer to try new products and experiences and “Exclusive Access” individuals desire material incentives to open the door for further engagement. 

The study also revealed a majority of consumers are more motivated to engage with a brand that offers incentives beyond discounts or free products, such as exclusive communities. 

“All brands have a community they can mobilize, but the challenge is keeping consumers engaged and fostering participation. Too many brands think discounts or rewards are the only way to keep a consumer’s attention,” said Susan Frech, CEO of Vesta. “We’ve identified five key personas as a shortcut for marketers to fuel personalised engagement and drive loyalty and advocacy.” 

The research was conducted via a 22-questions online survey of peer influencer community Smiley 360. 14,114 US-based respondents completed the survey between 12 January and 13 February 2021. 

Identifying other key takeaways, Vesta said that long-term engagement required identifying intrinsic motivators of consumers and allowing that to inform messaging and engagement opportunities.