42% of consumers are loyal to their favorite restaurants and will go to them regardless of whether or not they have a promotion, details The NPD Group in a new report. Even so, about one-quarter describe themselves as switching around based on promotions, while another 9% go where it’s cheapest. The findings come soon after separate results from the researchers showing that restaurant visits are becoming less deal-driven. That study suggested that restaurants introduce new deals, but also focus on customer loyalty.
While the latest report from The NPD Group shows that many consumers are bargain-hunters when choosing which restaurant to go to, it also cautions that even these deal-hungry visitors want quality for the price. Indeed, quality emerges as a key factor for loyal consumers, and is the most important value driver for consumers when deciding on a restaurant.
A potential way to engender loyalty is through a rewards program, according to data from a recent Loyalogy study. Results from that study indicate that consumers with household income of at least $75,000 estimate that a rewards program would result in them increasing their visit rate to a restaurant by an average of 35%.
