Research shows Apple's smartphones and tablets drive highest customer loyalty

By Jon Martindale Published January 26, 2017

Apple has been declared the most customer-pleasing company in almost all markets that it operates in. In a study that looks at customer loyalty and engagement, Apple topped a number of important categories, including smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers.

The 2017 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index is a report put together by research consultancy firm, Brand Keys that attempts to rank companies as “category drivers that engage customers, engender loyalty and drive real profits.” It covers the whole gamut of industries, from soft drinks, to wireless phone service, to mutual funds and insurance. But it’s in the technology fields that Apple is so dominant.

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It was recognized as the best representative of customer loyalty and enjoyment in laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and online music, and its subsidiary, Beats by Dr. Dre, came in joint first with LG in the headphone category.

Although a force to be reckoned with in all of those industries, it’s impressive to see Apple win all of them, especially considering its products do have a tendency to be a little on the expensive side.

Brand Keys also pointed out (via CNet) that customer expectations of products are rising dramatically, which makes it even more impressive that Apple was able to secure wins in multiple categories. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain that when next year’s report rolls around.

Other big winners in tech fields include Google for its search engine, Facebook took social networking and instant messaging apps, while Canon was named the top brand for printers. Netflix was given the top spot in the online video streaming category, PayPal won through among the payment service providers and AT&T was voted the best wireless phone service.

Do you guys have a favorite brand for any of the categories listed above? Are there any that you find yourself going to time and again?

Former Evergreen writer

Jon Martindale covers how to guides, best-of lists, and explainers to help everyone understand the hottest new hardware and…

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