Factors influencing brand loyalty amongst buyers of Bata shoe company products in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Manufacturing companies can achieve greater competitive advantage by building and developing their own brand. A well known brand gives a company greater visibility in the market and potential customers are more willing to accept new products from a brand they are already familiar with. Understanding brand loyalty and the factors influencing brand loyalty is therefore a key element in the process of growth and profitability for any organization and especially manufacturing companies. Developing and maintaining brand loyalty becomes a must for the organization in the midst of a market where there are new entrants offering the same product. The purpose of the study was to determine the factors influencing brand loyalty amongst buyers of Bata shoe company products within the Nairobi central business district. The study adopted a descriptive research design in which questionnaires were used to collect data while descriptive statistics and content analysis was used in analyzing data. The findings show that majority of the customers of Bata shoe stores were satisfied with the wide variety of shoe products available. They indicated that there needed to be improvement in the quality of material used in manufacturing the shoes. Customers also agreed that Bata shoe products were available in different sizes that the customers required. It was established that product quality, quality of service and store layout were key considerations when deciding whether to be legal to a brand or not. It was also established that although price of shoes was a key consideration in maintaining brand loyalty, it was not enough reason for the customers to switch to other brands when price of shoes increased.