Mobile loyalty challenge

People are less loyal to mobile handsets than to OS.

Just 41% of users stay loyal to a specific brand when they change device compared with 68% who stay loyal to their existing OS. And it's a particular challenge for Android carrying brands to convince customers to stick with the brand rather than switching to another device.

Persuading customers to buy into the brand rather than the OS has been a key focus for Samsung over the past two years, with the results clear in their rising figures. HTC, Sony and LG are now investing in helping consumers connect with the brand rather than just products - success in this area will be crucial to their long-term success.

Apple is, of course, unaffected by this - iOS is Apple, Apple is iOS. If consumers want to jump ship to Android or Windows they must re-buy apps, copy across previous content and learn a new OS. These barriers, combined with a compelling product, mean few Apple users are ready to leave the brand.

There are three key things Android carrying brands need to think about:

1. The on-going user experience, as brands tend to focus on satisfaction in the early stages of ownership, but the whole two years (and particularly the last six months) is crucial.
2. Brands need to think about making emotional connections, rather than just focusing on rational factors.
3. The more people who buy products from the same brand, the less likely they are to look to competitors, so for Android carrying brands the popularity of the iPad is an immediate threat.

This issue of loyalty is just one of a number of key insights for 2014 in Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's new report: "Mobile trends that matter tomorrow", which can be downloaded by clicking the link on the right side of this page.