A new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) reveals that when it comes to customer loyalty, Android users have iOS customers beat.
According to TechCrunch, the research firm found that when it comes to U.S. customers who remain with their operating system when upgrading their smartphones, Android’s brand loyalty has remained consistently high since early 2016. In 2017, Android had a 91 percent loyalty rate, compared with 86 percent for iOS.
“With only two mobile operating systems at this point, it appears users now pick one, learn it, invest in apps and storage, and stick with it,” said Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP. “Now, Apple and Google need to figure out how to sell products and services to these loyal customer bases.”
While Apple enjoyed record revenue in November due to growth in services such as Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, AppleCare and App Store, much of Android’s brand loyalty could be attributed to a customer’s ability to switch to different styles of phones without having to leave the operating system.
“We know Android has a larger base of users than iOS, and because of that larger base, the absolute number of users that switch to iOS from Android is as large or larger than the absolute number of users that switch to Android from iOS,” said Levin. “Looking at absolute number of users in this way tends to support claims that iOS gains more former Android users, than Android does former iOS users.”
Samsung is looking to keep its customer base loyal to Android with the upcoming launch of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The new phones will feature Samsung’s “most elaborate camera ever,” as well as Bixby, Samsung’s intelligence platform.
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