How To Make Consumers Become Repeat Customers: Brand And Quality Are Always The Key

Satisfied consumers will become repeat customers. How do you ensure that your products are consistent everywhere?

　　 Consumer problems

She has a favorite brand and favorite classic style, which has become her faithful and reliable partner. Unfortunately, she has "made the best use of everything", and it is time to replace this style that she has been so satisfied and recognized for many years.

She began to look for alternatives, thinking that it should be easy. She decided to try online shopping first. She received the goods, but something seems wrong. She thought it was the same style description, the same brand and similar color name, but it was different after receiving it. She could not find the reason immediately.

She tried to recall where she bought it for the first time. When she returned to the store, she saw a table full of similar goods, but there was nothing wrong with it. What happened to her old love? It feels different. The shape has also changed. There are some changes, but she thinks there is no value added.

She looked at the label on the style and found that the same product had multiple countries of origin. She pondered whether the quality of different countries was different. She began to think about why the quality of different countries was different. She speculated that there was a clue on the label of the country of origin that could solve the mystery.

She wants to know why brands buy from so many different places? She wants to know why her favorite brand complicates things? She hopes that her favorite brand will continue to win her favor, because that is her first true love. In the past they understood her needs. How can we let her down now? Her only thought was to find another perfect substitute.

She began to pay attention to the news, thinking about the uncertainty in many countries that produced her favorite styles. She read all kinds of information, such as retaliatory tariffs of a country, civil strife in some countries, terrible weather and working conditions.

She began to think about how her favorite brand could control this crazy world and maintain supply.

She wanted to know why they could not reproduce her favorite style and supply it specially for her. Why can't this be achieved in this era of technology?

　 She is determined to find the answer!

She is not ready to give up. She talked about this problem with her friends. Her friends had the same experience and began to help her find more clues.

They soon found that the country of origin on the label represents only the country of production of the style, not the source of raw materials.

She learned that there are specifications for her favorite style, which are the same in every country.

She wondered why they were different?

She thought of the recipe of her favorite dish and immediately understood. She can copy the recipe completely, but the quality of the ingredients will greatly affect the final taste.

She wants to know where the raw materials of her favorite style come from. No way to start. She wrote to the customer service department of the brand and got a reply that they had no relevant information. How come there is no such information?

She checked the label of her favorite style again and found that the fabric column said: 100% cotton. How could it be so complicated? Isn't all cotton the same?

　 　 Smart brand solutions

If she asks a smart brand buyer, she will find that "the secret is very simple".

Smart brands focus on the smallest common denominator that contributes the most to the overall prospects of products, standardize it and ensure traceability.

The best brands attach great importance to understanding the source and quality of all raw materials. They realize that not all manufacturing is the same. Moreover, even 100% cotton is planted in different ways around the world.

Fabric accounts for 60-70% of the value of the style itself. This is the most worthwhile place for them to invest time and energy in standardizing products. It has the greatest impact on ensuring consistent quality. Reducing the variability of this part can significantly reduce the difference in the final product.

The best partner to ensure consistent product quality is a large vertically integrated supplier, who produces yarn and fabric, dyes and finishes the fabric, and sends the fabric to all parts of the world. They have internal consistency metrics that can be replicated, including their material origin.

Many suppliers stipulate to use American cotton in their products. They believe that the cotton planted in the United States adopts the precision agriculture model, reaching the world's highest standards. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has the most advanced cotton grading system. This is the system they can trust.

First, American cotton is used. At the same time, fabrics are produced by vertically integrated partners. They will use the same machines and manufacturing materials to produce yarns and fabrics and dye fabrics. Then smart brands can transport fabrics to various countries for product production. This level of control can best ensure that the products displayed in consumers' favorite brand stores are consistent in appearance, feel and durability, although they come from different countries of origin.

About the author:

Courtney Okeefe is the founder of Courtney Okeefe Consulting. She is a senior person in the textile and clothing industry, providing professional support for global lifestyle brands in product management, global procurement and supply chain operations. Her expertise covers all clothing categories - sourced from more than 45 countries. Courtney directly cooperates with more than 20 world-class brands, and now she also cooperates with them through her own consulting company