Customer switching

In marketing and microeconomics, customer switching or consumer switching describes "customers/consumers abandoning a product or service in favor of a competitor". Assuming constant price, product or service quality, counteracting this behaviour in order to achieve maximal customer retention is the business of marketing, public relations and advertising. Brand switching - as opposed to brand loyalty is the outcome of customer switching behaviour.

Variability in quality or market price fluctuations - especially a rise in prices - may lead customers to consult price comparison services where alternative suppliers may be offered. Declining customer satisfaction may be due to poor service quality but also - to a lesser degree - be a symptom of boredom with the brand of choice. Brand loyalty can be very strong, however, and the longer a commitment to a brand lasts, the stronger the ties will usually be.

According to 2013 Nielsen study on customer loyalty, brand switching can happen for 5 main reasons, but mainly based on price considerations. The overall global averages are:

Because of the dominant role of pricing, market tactics like penetration pricing have evolved to offer a convincing incentive for switching. Another approach is the advertisement of vaporware that seemingly will offer newer or better features than established products without actually possessing any innovation.

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