Samsung, Amazon Best Apple In New Customer Loyalty Survey

Samsung has beaten Apple in BrandKey’s Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI) survey. The Korean company beat Cupertino where it probably counts the most: in smartphones. The 17th annual survey is the first that has Samsung beating Apple in smartphones, according to Robert Passikoft, Brand Keys president. He stated:

When Apple was number one, everyone said, ‘Well sure, it’s Apple.’ But the fact is that Samsung always had a larger share of the marketplace.

In terms of tablets, Amazon is now No. 1 in customer loyalty. In 2012, that title belonged to Apple. Cupertino and Samsung tied for No. 2 in this year’s survey, followed by Barnes & Noble. The e-reader leader remains Amazon with the company’s Kindle devices. This is followed by Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and then by Apple’s iPad. Finally, Samsung and Apple are now tied for first in customer loyalty for laptops. Last year, Apple held this spot alone. First introduced in 1997, the Brand Keys’s CLEI looks at how companies have “sustained their brands, and continue to create meaningful differentiation and emotional engagement.” Other findings include:

• Hyundai and Ford (tied for #1 in Automotive, with Ford moving up in a big way),
• Dunkin’ Donuts (in both Packaged and Out-of-Home Coffee Categories),
• Whole Foods (for Natural Food Stores, a whole new category this year),
• Clinique (for Luxury Cosmetics. See comment below headed “11 Categories No Longer are ‘Brands’” to find out what happened to Mass Merchandiser Cosmetics. And 10 other categories.),
• Subway (in Quick Serve, who served up enough emotional engagement to unseat McDonald’s (now #3), and
• Discover Card and Avis (#1 again this year).

While this survey suggests that customer support for Apple products has waned, Cupertino still ranks quite well in all categories. My only question: how did Amazon best Samsung and Apple with tablets? Source: BrandKeys Via: Venture Beat