Visualized: Why Some Brands Keep Their Customers Forever

By Sukh Dhaliwal

On: July 21, 2026 6:40 AM

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Which Brand Has Highest Customer Loyalty , Why Some Brands Keep Their Customers Forever

Why Some Brands Keep Their Customers Forever

Why Some Brands Keep Their Customers Forever · MacroDiscovery

MacroDiscovery

Business & Brands · 5 min read · Brand Keys · Costco SEC · J.D. Power · 2025

Business & Consumer Behaviour

Why Some Brands Keep Their
Customers Forever

Costco has a 92.9% membership renewal rate — confirmed in its own SEC filings. Apple retains 89% of iPhone users when they upgrade. Amazon holds 90% of its e-commerce customers year on year. These numbers are not accidents. They are the result of deliberate strategies that the data now allows us to map and understand.

By MacroDiscovery · Sources: Brand Keys CLEI 2025 · Costco SEC 8-K · J.D. Power 2025 · CustomerGauge · CIRP · Data: 2024–2025

92.9% Costco US/Canada membership renewal — confirmed in SEC filing FY2024

89% Apple iPhone retention rate — users who buy Apple again when upgrading · CIRP 2025

5–7× more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one

+76 spots Coca-Cola jumped in the 2025 Brand Keys loyalty rankings — from #81 to #5

What brands have the highest customer loyalty? No single global ranking exists — loyalty is measured differently across sectors. The most reliable primary data points are: Costco’s membership renewal rate of 92.9% (US/Canada, FY2024, SEC filing); Apple’s iPhone retention of ~89% (CIRP 2025); Amazon’s e-commerce retention of ~90%; and Toyota’s 62% repurchase rate (J.D. Power 2025). In the Brand Keys 2025 US loyalty engagement index of 1,485 brands, the top five were Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Coca-Cola.

Key Takeaways

Costco’s 92.9% US/Canada membership renewal rate — confirmed in the company’s own SEC filings — is one of the highest verified loyalty figures for any major retailer in the world. It raised its membership fee in September 2024 for the first time in seven years. Renewal rates barely changed.
Brand loyalty is economically transformative. A 5% increase in customer retention increases profits by 25–95%, according to research cited by Harvard Business Review. Loyal customers spend 67% more in their third year of patronage than in their first six months.
In the 2025 Brand Keys US loyalty rankings (77,608 assessments, 1,485 brands, 145 categories), Amazon reclaimed the top spot from Apple. The most dramatic move was Coca-Cola — from #81 to #5 in a single year, the biggest gain in the survey’s 17-year history.
ChatGPT debuted in the Brand Keys top 10 in 2025 at #8 — up from #40 the previous year. It is the first AI tool to achieve top-10 loyalty status, compressing the years-to-loyalty timeline that previously applied only to established consumer brands.
Loyalty is not universal across categories. The same brand can lead in one category and fall sharply in another. Amazon ranks #1 for Online Retail and #31 for Video Streaming. Apple ranks #4 for Smartphones and #93 for Tablets (down 63 spots in one year). Loyalty is earned product by product.

How to read the loyalty data: Brand loyalty is measured in several incompatible ways. This article uses four distinct metrics — each clearly labeled. Renewal/retention rates measure whether customers repurchase or renew (Costco SEC filings, CIRP iPhone data, J.D. Power automotive). NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures how likely customers are to recommend a brand; scores above 70 are world-class, above 50 are excellent. Brand loyalty engagement index (Brand Keys CLEI) measures how well each brand meets consumer expectations within its specific category — this is US-only and category-specific. Self-reported loyalty surveys ask consumers directly. None of these metrics can be directly compared — each appears in its own clearly labeled section below.

Verified Brand Loyalty Metrics · 2024–2025 · Multiple Sources

Brand	Loyalty Metric	Score / Rate	Source Type	Source
🏪 Costco	Membership renewal (US/Canada)	92.9%	SEC Filing	Costco 8-K FY2024 Q4 (Sept 2024). Raised fee same month — renewals held steady.
🏪 Costco	Membership renewal (worldwide)	90.5%	SEC Filing	Costco 8-K FY2024 Q4. 76.2M paid memberships globally.
🍎 Apple	iPhone repurchase retention	~89%	CIRP Study	Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, 12 months ending mid-2025. Down from ~94% pre-2024.
🛒 Amazon	E-commerce retention rate	~90%	Research Est.	Capital One Shopping composite research. 200M+ Prime members globally.
🚗 Toyota	Automotive repurchase loyalty	62.0%	J.D. Power	J.D. Power 2025 US Auto Brand Loyalty Study. Mass market cars, #1 for 4th consecutive year.
🏎 Porsche	Automotive repurchase loyalty	58.2%	J.D. Power	J.D. Power 2025. Premium cars, #1 for 4th consecutive year.
⚡ Tesla	Net Promoter Score (NPS)	70–80	NPS Range	CustomerGauge benchmark database. World-class range. Varies by product/region/year.
🏪 Costco	Net Promoter Score (NPS)	70–80	NPS Range	CustomerGauge benchmark database. World-class range — among highest for any retailer.
🛒 Amazon	Net Promoter Score (NPS)	60–70	NPS Range	CustomerGauge benchmark database. Excellent range.
🍎 Apple	Net Promoter Score (NPS)	~61	NPS Est.	CustomerGauge 2024–25. Peak was 72 in 2022. Tech industry avg: ~59.
👟 Nike	Net Promoter Score (NPS)	~60s	NPS Range	CustomerGauge benchmark. Strong loyalty particularly in direct-to-consumer segment.

Sources: Costco Wholesale Corporation Form 8-K, Q4 FY2024 Supplemental Information (SEC EDGAR, September 2024) — primary · J.D. Power 2025 US Automotive Brand Loyalty Study (October 2025) — primary · CIRP iPhone loyalty data (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, 2025) · CustomerGauge NPS Benchmark Database (2025) — largest independently tracked NPS database · Capital One Shopping research composite. NPS figures are ranges/estimates from CustomerGauge’s aggregated database, not exact proprietary company scores. Click column headers to sort.

Brand Keys 2025 Loyalty Leaders Top 10 · US Consumers · August 2025

#	Brand	Category Measured	2024 Rank	Change	Why It Moved
1	🛒 Amazon	Online Retail	#2	↑ 1	Reclaimed top spot for Online Retail. Prime ecosystem, convenience, price. Led list for 5 years before Apple’s 3-year run.
2	🔍 Google	Search Engines	#25	↑ 23	Surged as its traditional search is threatened by AI — consumers doubled down on the familiar.
3	🖥 Microsoft	Computers	#32	↑ 29	Copilot AI integration into Office ecosystem accelerated engagement and loyalty.
4	🍎 Apple	Smartphones	#1	↓ 3	Fell from 3-year reign at #1. Still #4 overall. Apple Tablets fell 63 spots to #93 separately.
5	🥤 Coca-Cola	Beverages	#81	↑ 76	Biggest gain in survey history. Digital personalization (Memory Maker) + nostalgia rediscovery among younger consumers.
6	📱 Samsung	Consumer Electronics	—	—	Android ecosystem leader. Consistent quality across devices maintains solid loyalty position.
7	📺 Paramount+	Video Streaming	Outside top 50	↑ 67	Second-biggest gain in 2025. Streaming loyalty is highly volatile — consumers switch services frequently.
8	🤖 ChatGPT	AI Tools	#40	↑ 32	First AI tool ever in the top 10. Debuted faster than any brand in survey history — including social media platforms.
9	🎵 TikTok	Social Media	#3	↓ 6	Fell from #3. Potential US ban uncertainty may have affected consumer confidence in the platform.
10	👖 Levi Strauss	Apparel	Outside top 10	↑	Heritage brand benefiting from denim revival and brand authenticity perception among younger shoppers.

Source: Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI) 2025 — 17th annual. Conducted August 2025 · 77,608 consumer assessments · 1,485 brands · 145 product/service categories · US consumers aged 16–65 who self-selected the categories in which they are actual buyers. Brands are ranked by how well they meet or exceed the consumer’s “ideal” for their specific category. A brand can appear in multiple categories with different ranks. This is a US-only survey. Sources: Brand Keys press release (October 6, 2025) · MediaPost · HomePageNews · RetailCustomerExperience.

What Brand Loyalty Does to Business Outcomes · Research Composite

5–7× More expensive to acquire new customer vs retain existing one SurveyMonkey / industry research composite

+25–95% Profit increase from just 5% increase in customer retention Capital One Shopping citing Harvard Business Review research

+67% More loyal customers spend in year 3 vs their first 6 months Capital One Shopping research composite (2026)

2.5× More revenue brand-loyal customers generate vs new customers Capital One Shopping research composite

65% Of all retail business comes from existing loyal customers Capital One Shopping composite

68% Of consumers globally claim loyalty to at least one brand Capital One Shopping composite (2026)

Source: Capital One Shopping — “Brand Loyalty Statistics 2026” (composite of multiple research studies, published June 2026). These are aggregate figures from multiple studies — individual studies may show different results depending on category, methodology, and geography.

The Six Drivers of Brand Loyalty

🔗

Ecosystem Lock-In

When a brand controls multiple connected products, switching costs multiply. 79% of iOS users stay in the Apple ecosystem — not because they love every product, but because leaving costs them apps, data, and convenience.

Examples: Apple · Microsoft Office · Google Workspace

💳

The Membership Commitment

Customers who pay to be members are pre-committed to finding value. Costco charges $65–$130/year. Over 76 million households pay it annually and renew at 90.5%. The fee isn’t a barrier — it’s a loyalty mechanism.

Examples: Costco · Amazon Prime · Peloton

🏆

Consistent Quality

Toyota has ranked #1 for automotive repurchase loyalty for four consecutive years. Not because of advertising — because it builds cars that start reliably and hold their value. Quality is the slowest loyalty builder and the most durable.

Examples: Toyota · Rolex · Dyson

🧬

Identity and Community

Some brands become part of who customers are, not just what they own. Harley-Davidson owners tattoo the logo on their bodies. Nike is worn by people who see themselves as athletes — or want to. These brands don’t sell products; they sell belonging.

Examples: Nike · Harley-Davidson · LEGO · Apple

💚

Values Alignment

89% of US consumers favour brands that share their values, according to research cited by Capital One Shopping. Patagonia’s environmental commitments, REI’s co-op model, and Ben & Jerry’s activism all generate loyalty that price competition struggles to erode.

Examples: Patagonia · REI · Ben & Jerry’s

⚡

Speed and Personalisation

Coca-Cola jumped 76 spots in the Brand Keys 2025 rankings — not by changing its recipe, but by personalising digital touchpoints faster and creating emotional resonance with younger consumers who had never experienced the brand’s heritage.

Examples: Coca-Cola Memory Maker · Amazon recommendations · Spotify Wrapped

Why Is Costco’s Renewal Rate the Most Reliable Loyalty Figure in Business?

Most brand loyalty statistics come from consumer surveys — self-reported, potentially biased, and methodologically inconsistent. Costco’s membership renewal rate is different: it is disclosed in the company’s own quarterly SEC filings, audited, and expressed as a simple percentage of members who renew their paid membership. There is no room for methodology disputes.

In its Q4 FY2024 filing, Costco reported a worldwide membership renewal rate of 90.5% and a US/Canada renewal rate of 92.9%. In the same quarter, it announced a membership fee increase — the first in seven years — effective September 1, 2024. By Q1 FY2025, the worldwide rate had moved to 90.4% and US/Canada to 92.8%. More than 77 million households paid to shop at Costco, then paid again when the fee went up, and kept renewing. The renewal rate did not materially change.

What makes Costco’s loyalty so durable? The answer is structural, not emotional. Members who pay an annual fee are motivated to find enough value to justify it — which means they shop more frequently and more deliberately than non-members. Each visit reinforces the value of membership. The fee is not a barrier; it is a commitment device that filters for the most engaged customers and then keeps them engaged. It is one of the most elegant loyalty systems in retail.

How Does Apple Retain 89% of iPhone Users Despite Higher Prices?

Apple’s iPhone retention rate of approximately 89% — measured by CIRP for the 12 months ending mid-2025 — is remarkable given that premium Android devices now match or exceed iPhone specifications at lower prices in many markets. The retention is not primarily about hardware. It is about the cost of leaving.

When an iPhone user switches to Android, they lose: their iMessage conversations, their iCloud photos and storage, their App Store purchases, their Apple Watch compatibility, their AirPods full functionality, their Continuity features with Mac, and the intuitive switching between devices they have spent years learning. 79% of iOS users report staying in the Apple ecosystem because of its seamless integration — not because any individual product is irreplaceable, but because the system as a whole is. This is ecosystem lock-in operating at its most effective.

Apple’s NPS of approximately 61 (CustomerGauge, 2024–25) sits above the technology industry average of 59 — but it has fallen from a peak of 72 in 2022. The loyalty is real and durable, but not immune to pressure. The EU’s Digital Markets Act is forcing Apple to open its App Store and allow third-party payment systems — reducing some switching costs. The American Customer Satisfaction Index scores Apple and Samsung tied at 81 in 2025. The loyalty moat is narrowing, even if it remains formidable.

Why Did Coca-Cola Jump 76 Places in the Loyalty Rankings?

The most striking finding in the Brand Keys 2025 Loyalty Leaders survey was not that Amazon returned to the top or that ChatGPT broke into the top 10. It was that Coca-Cola — a 139-year-old beverage brand — jumped from #81 to #5 in a single year. Brand Keys founder Robert Passikoff identified two causes.

First, nostalgia rediscovery. For younger consumers who have grown up in the social media era, Coca-Cola’s “Have a Coke and smile” heritage is not tired advertising — it is something they have never seen before. Legacy brand assets become fresh again for new generations who encounter them without the baggage of overexposure. Second, and more importantly, digital personalization. Coca-Cola’s “Memory Maker” campaign allowed consumers to personalise Coke cans and create personalised video content — making them feel seen and included rather than marketed at. “Personalization deepens emotional connection,” Passikoff said, “and in a socially networked world, it amplifies attachment.”

The Coca-Cola case is instructive because it demonstrates that brand loyalty is not fixed. A brand ranked 81st in consumer loyalty engagement can move to 5th in twelve months — not by changing its product, but by changing its relationship with consumers. Loyalty is a moving target, and the brands that treat it as dynamic rather than static are the ones that move fastest.

How Did ChatGPT Build Top-10 Loyalty Faster Than Any Brand in History?

ChatGPT debuted in the Brand Keys top 10 at #8 in 2025 — up from #40 the previous year. To understand how remarkable this is, consider that Coca-Cola took 139 years to reach #5. Amazon took years of Prime investment to dominate the top of the list. Most social media platforms — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube — took years to build deep loyalty. ChatGPT entered the top 10 in approximately two years of consumer availability.

The speed is explained by the nature of the product. AI tools that become a person’s thinking partner — helping them write, research, code, and plan — embed themselves in daily cognitive routines in a way that few other products do. The relationship is intimate and habitual in a way that streaming services or retail platforms are not. Brand Keys president Passikoff described this as AI brands “compressing the years-to-loyalty timeline” — and predicted that AI platforms that learn a user’s preferences, context, and history will generate loyalty not just for a season but potentially for a generation.

The entry of ChatGPT into the loyalty rankings alongside Coca-Cola and Levi Strauss is, in microcosm, the story of the current moment in brand strategy: heritage and algorithm are competing for the same customer attention with remarkably similar loyalty outcomes — when both get the fundamentals right.

Why Is Toyota the Most Loyal Automotive Brand — Four Years Running?

In the J.D. Power 2025 US Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, Toyota ranked #1 for mass-market car loyalty for the fourth consecutive year at 62.0% repurchase rate. Honda ranked #1 for mass-market SUVs at the same 62.0% rate. The study measures actual transaction data — whether customers who traded in a vehicle bought the same brand again — across September 2024 to August 2025.

2025 was a particularly revealing year because tariff volatility introduced by US trade policy created significant disruption in new-vehicle shopping behaviour. Prices moved. Model availability changed. Incentive structures shifted. J.D. Power’s analysis was direct: “Brands with strong reputations — such as Toyota and Honda — continue to retain loyal customers” even in conditions of market stress. Overall automotive loyalty fell to 49% in 2025, below the 50% threshold for the first time in two years. Toyota and Honda bucked that trend.

The automotive loyalty lesson is straightforward but slow to execute: reliability over decades builds a reputation that survives disruption. Toyota’s quality record, its reliability data in consumer reports, and its residual value retention create a rational case for repurchase that emotional branding alone cannot replicate. Loyalty earned through consistent product performance is the most durable form — and the hardest to build.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which brand has the highest customer loyalty in the world?

No single global ranking exists because loyalty is measured differently across sectors. The most reliable primary data: Costco has a 92.9% US/Canada membership renewal rate (confirmed in its SEC filings, FY2024) — one of the highest verified loyalty figures for any major retailer. In the Brand Keys 2025 US loyalty engagement index, the top five brands were Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Coca-Cola. Source: Costco 8-K (SEC, 2024) · Brand Keys CLEI 2025.

What is Costco’s membership renewal rate?

Costco’s worldwide membership renewal rate is 90.5%, with US and Canada at 92.9%, according to its Q4 FY2024 Form 8-K filed with the SEC in September 2024. The company has 76.2 million paid memberships globally and 136.8 million total cardholders. These figures held steady even after Costco raised its annual membership fee in September 2024 for the first time in seven years. Source: Costco Wholesale 8-K, Q4 FY2024 Supplemental Information (SEC primary).

What is Apple’s customer retention rate?

Apple’s iPhone retention rate is approximately 89% for the 12 months ending mid-2025, according to CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners). When iPhone users keep the same mobile carrier during an upgrade, retention rises to 92%; when they switch carriers, it falls to 79%. Apple has over 2.2 billion active devices globally. Its NPS is approximately 61 (CustomerGauge, 2024–25), above the tech industry average of ~59. Source: CIRP 2025 · CustomerGauge.

Why did Coca-Cola jump so much in the 2025 loyalty rankings?

Coca-Cola jumped from #81 to #5 in the Brand Keys 2025 Loyalty Leaders ranking — the biggest single-year gain in the survey’s 17-year history (+76 spots). Brand Keys president Robert Passikoff attributed this to two factors: nostalgia rediscovery among younger consumers encountering the brand’s heritage for the first time, and Coca-Cola’s digital personalisation campaigns — particularly “Memory Maker,” which let consumers personalise Coke cans and create videos. Source: Brand Keys press release (October 2025) · MediaPost.

What is NPS and what score is considered good?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures how likely customers are to recommend a brand, on a scale from -100 to +100. Scores above 50 are excellent; above 70 are world-class. Tesla and Costco typically score 70–80 (world-class). Apple scores approximately 61, Amazon 60–70, and Nike in the 60s. The top quartile of consumer companies have NPS scores of 65 or higher. NPS varies significantly by product, region, and year — ranges are more reliable than single-point estimates. Source: CustomerGauge NPS Benchmark Database 2025.

Which car brand has the highest customer loyalty?

Toyota ranked #1 for mass-market car loyalty for the fourth consecutive year in the J.D. Power 2025 US Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, with a 62.0% repurchase rate — meaning 62% of Toyota owners bought another Toyota when they traded in. Honda also ranked #1 for mass-market SUVs at 62.0%. Porsche led premium car loyalty at 58.2%, also for the fourth consecutive year. Overall US automotive loyalty averaged 49% in 2025. Source: J.D. Power 2025 US Automotive Brand Loyalty Study (primary).

How much more profitable are loyal customers than new ones?

Research suggests loyal customers generate substantially more value: a 5% increase in customer retention increases profits by 25–95% (citing Harvard Business Review research). Loyal customers spend 67% more in their third year of patronage than in their first six months. Loyal customers are worth approximately 2.5 times more revenue than new or prospective customers. Acquiring a new customer costs 5–7 times more than retaining an existing one. Source: Capital One Shopping research composite (June 2026).

Why did ChatGPT enter the top 10 brand loyalty rankings so quickly?

ChatGPT debuted at #8 in the Brand Keys 2025 Loyalty Leaders list — up from #40 the previous year — making it the first AI tool ever to reach the top 10. Brand Keys president Robert Passikoff said AI tools are “compressing the years-to-loyalty timeline” because they embed into daily cognitive routines faster than traditional products. ChatGPT achieved top-10 loyalty in approximately two years of consumer availability. Source: Brand Keys CLEI 2025 · MediaPost (October 2025).

What are the main drivers of brand loyalty?

Research and brand data point to six primary loyalty drivers: ecosystem lock-in (Apple’s interconnected devices); membership commitment (Costco’s paid membership model); consistent quality (Toyota’s reliability record); identity and community (Nike, Harley-Davidson); values alignment (89% of US consumers favour brands sharing their values); and personalisation and speed (Coca-Cola’s digital personalisation driving its record jump). Source: Brand Keys 2025 · J.D. Power 2025 · Capital One Shopping.

Is brand loyalty declining globally?

The evidence is mixed. Overall US automotive loyalty fell to 49% in 2025 (below 50% for the first time in two years), per J.D. Power. Apple’s iPhone retention fell from ~94% to ~89% between 2023 and 2025. However, 68% of global consumers still claim loyalty to at least one brand, and loyalty programme participation is rising — 79% of consumers participated in at least one paid loyalty programme in 2024. Brand Keys noted consumer expectations rose 30% in 2025 while brands only met 9–11% of that growth — the “expectation gap” is where loyalty erodes. Source: J.D. Power 2025 · CIRP 2025 · Capital One Shopping · Brand Keys 2025.

Sources