Last Saturday, as I watched my treasured football team (Watford) lose at home after an appalling 90 minutes in the cold, I turned to the bloke next to me with a resigned look on my face.  ‘Dire’, I said.  ‘Dreadful’, he agreed.  ‘Coming back next week?’ I rhetorically asked.  ‘Yup’, he said.  ‘See you Tuesday’.

This man and I have sat in the same seats at the same football ground for 26 years.  We have a type of loyalty that goes unquestioned, year after year, match after match, defeat after defeat.  Whatever happens on the pitch, however poor the entertainment and however much the prices go up, we remain committed.

Could this type of commitment be described as ‘Absolute Loyalty’?  Unchallenged, unquestioned, unrivaled.  No matter what happens, we’ll be there. 

We see Absolute Loyalty in sport, and also in religion.  I’m keen to know if it can be achieved in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Why is it that certain brands have achieved a customer base who would not consider any other options?  My father would not entertain anywhere but John Lewis when buying electrical equipment.  We all know people who believe Apple is the new religion.  Many customers will get their coffee from the same shop on the way to work without questioning other options.

So what is it that some brands have done to create Absolute Loyalty?  Despite the common trend of mass-discounting, nobody has ever gone to John Lewis believing that is offers the lowest prices on the high street.  Coffee shops certainly don’t pretend that a £2.50 skinny latte is a bargain.  And who would dare imagine Apple offering iPads as a two-for-one deal?

So if price is not a key factor of Absolute Loyalty, then what is?  Clearly, there’s a lot more going on in the heads of our customers.  I believe that the in-store experience has a far greater impact on creating Absolute Loyalty than most of us have given it credit for.  We shy away from it because a) we are not very good at creating memorable experiences and b) it requires time, commitment and some clever thinking.

We can easily implement large-scale discounts for some quick-wins.  However, understanding and improving the customer experience presents a far greater challenge.   In my eyes, and in the eyes of those aiming to achieve Absolute Loyalty, this is a challenge that cannot be ignored.