In the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space, brand loyalty is the ultimate prize, and one of the greatest challenges. Shoppers are staring at crowded shelves, infinite online options, and a steady stream of deals. Many choices come down to convenience, price, and customer reviews.
Loyalty is what keeps your brand from becoming just another “grab whatever is on sale” option.
In CPG, true customer loyalty shows up as habitual purchases and shoppers insisting on their preferred product, even when substitutes are cheaper, closer, or highlighted on promotion.
To measure that kind of loyalty, brands need to go beyond straightforward sales data. That’s why consumer goods market research that digs into behaviors and attitudes is essential if you want to understand why people keep choosing your brand and what might cause them to switch.
For every CPG brand, loyalty is a fundamental driver that will lead to success. Here are the key implications of customer loyalty:
Recommended Reading: Why Customer Loyalty Is So Important
There are several key metrics that can be used to understand loyalty to a CPG brand. In practice, we recommend using a combination instead of relying on a single number.
NPS is a core metric for understanding customer advocacy. It is based on a likelihood-to-recommend question, with responses grouped into:
A high NPS translates to a strong word-of-mouth reputation, which is especially valuable in categories where shoppers ask friends or family for recommendations.
Here is a great recap video of NPS by Tim Gell, Senior Researcher at Drive Research.
CSAT is more focused on immediate satisfaction, but it provides important context for loyalty and advocacy.
These metrics typically measure happiness at specific touchpoints. Things like after using the product, contacting customer service, or interacting with the brand online.
Consistently high CSAT scores build a foundation for loyalty, but on their own, they do not guarantee repeat purchase.
Effective loyalty research pulls in multiple attitudinal and behavioral indicators, such as:
A comprehensive study connects these pieces into a holistic view of customer loyalty, what is driving it, and where the risks are.
Recommended Reading: 8 Customer Satisfaction Metrics to Measure & Track
Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are related, but they are not the same thing. Both are critical in the CPG space, and both need to be measured.
For example, a customer might be satisfied with a snack they purchased today, but still be willing to buy a cheaper snack tomorrow if they see a deal. With high loyalty, that same customer keeps buying the same brand, even when other options are available, cheaper, or more prominently displayed.
In our conversations with CPG brands over the years, a few recurring pitfalls come up when teams try to measure loyalty.
I love this example customer segment of a grocery shopper created from a survey we conducted with 1,000 consumers.
Effective loyalty measurement is critical to secure long-term growth, especially for CPG brands where switching can happen quickly and quietly.
Research helps you understand which product attributes, packaging choices, messages, and price points convince consumers to choose your brand again and again.
Below are several approaches, from direct surveys to advanced choice models, that we commonly use to generate actionable loyalty insights for our clients.
Customer loyalty surveys allow brands to explore both the rational and emotional sides of loyalty:
Any brand looking to grow should conduct consumer surveys to keep a pulse on loyalty, satisfaction, and intentions.
Survey findings help:
Advanced analytics go beyond simple metrics like top-two-box satisfaction scores. They help brands understand who their best customers are, what they value most, and how to prioritize investments.
Segmentation
This type of advanced analysis divides a customer base into distinct groups based on demographics, behaviors, and psychological profiles. Segmentation is crucial for tailoring product innovations and marketing efforts to specific high-value groups.
MaxDiff
MaxDiff is a choice-based approach that identifies the true order of importance for product features, brand attributes, or messages.
It forces consumers to pick the “best” and “worst” options in each set, which results in:
For instance, here is a MaxDiff example question.
Conjoint Analysis
Conjoint analysis measures the value consumers place on different product attributes (such as ingredients, flavors, pack size, or price).
By developing a survey that simulates real-world options, the results can tell you which overall attributes are most critical to consumer decision-making and specifically what consumers want to see offered.
An outcome of conjoint analysis is defining the optimal product configuration and pricing strategy required to build deep customer loyalty.
Here is a great example of what that survey question would look like.
Qualitative research, such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, or mobile ethnography, provides the rich context needed to interpret quantitative findings.
Qualitative methods help you:
In loyalty measurement, qualitative research can explain why certain segments are loyal, what creates emotional connection, and which experiences feel most memorable or disappointing.
The ideal frequency depends on your category and business context, but many CPG brands benefit from quarterly tracking. This cadence provides visibility into:
That said, the right frequency should reflect your strategic goals, your specific product, and your position in the product life cycle.
| Quarterly | A strong fit for many CPG categories. Quarterly tracking supports ongoing, actionable data that aligns with core business and marketing cycles. |
| More Frequent (Monthly or Ongoing) | Best for fast-moving categories or new product launches. Pulse surveys capture immediate shifts in perceptions and allow brands to make quick adjustments or pivots. |
| Less Frequent (Semi-Annually or Annually) | Appropriate for more established brands in relatively stable categories, where change is slower and tracking can be lighter. |
Regardless of the tracking cadence, CPG brands should plan a deeper loyalty study at least once per year.
These more comprehensive projects often blend a hybrid of quantitative and qualitative components to uncover new insights and refine strategy for the year ahead.
The most often recommended sample size for obtaining statistically significant results is 400 completed surveys.
This sample size typically provides:
With this, it’s important to clarify that 400 is ultimately the goal sample size for the audience segment you’ll be focusing on when analyzing the results.
⚠️ Please keep in mind, if your organization wants to analyze distinct subgroups – such as non-customers, customers of competitor brands, specific demographics – it’s important to obtain 400 responses for those specific segments. This ensures statistically reliable results.
Insights only create value if they lead to decisions and change. Based on our consulting and research work with CPG clients, here are a few ways to make sure your loyalty research translates into action.
Secure executive buy-in
When leadership is involved early, the results are more likely to drive decisions. Align upfront on objectives, key questions, and how the organization plans to use the findings.
Ask “What? So what? Now what?”
At Drive Research, we like to frame results through three questions:
This lens ensures each data point serves a purpose and ties to a clear recommendation.
Focus on the drivers
The most actionable insights often come from understanding what factors are driving certain behaviors among customers.
For survey research, this could be as simple as examining stated decision-making factors. Or, involve regression analysis to understand the unstated factors (and what may truly be driving purchases, preferences, and other behaviors).
Use segmentation and personas
Segmentation and persona work allows organizations to move beyond “average customer” thinking.
It forces brands to move away from treating all customers the same, and take action by developing a tailored approach for each customer segment.
It also has the added benefit of strongly resonating with stakeholders who enjoy story-based insights.
Ultimately, the true value of CPG loyalty research lies in its impact, not just the metrics.
By combining surveys, advanced analytics, and qualitative insight, CPG brands gain a deeper understanding of customer commitment and the levers that strengthen it.
Those insights fuel better marketing campaigns, smarter channel strategies, and more confident, data-backed decisions that improve market position and build stronger customer relationships over time.
Drive Research helps CPG brands move beyond sales data to truly understand who their most loyal customers are, why they stay, and what might cause them to leave.
Our team designs custom loyalty studies that combine surveys, advanced analytics, and qualitative insights so your decisions about pricing, packaging, and promotions are grounded in real consumer behavior.
If you are ready to build or strengthen a customer loyalty measurement program, we can walk you through objectives, methodology, and next steps.
