An evaluation into what factors affect consumer brand loyalty within the high street retail sector in the United Kingdom.

The aim of this research study is to identify what factors affect consumer brand loyalty in the high street retail sector within the United Kingdom. The main objective of this research project is to find out from a consumer's perspective what key factors influence brand loyalty and what factors prevent it. With reference to the recent economic recession and if it has had a major impact on consumer's buying behaviour. Secondary research was conducted in the form on a literature review to identify the connection between brand loyalty and consumer buying behaviour. A number of brand concepts were examined; as well as, the impact the recession has on consumer purchasing behaviour and the retailer industry. The research method that was used within the study was a quantitative approach. Questionnaires were administered through purposive sampling, among one hundred male and female Queen Margaret University Students. The research approach was appropriate to this study as it allowed a larger sample group to participant and this allowed the findings to be a lot more generalizable to the population. The research findings discovered that consumers that are loyal to brands within the retail sector are fundamentally influenced by strong brand name and brand image. As well as driven by four key aspects quality, price, promotion and service quality. The economic recession had not affected consumer's loyalty towards high street retail brands to an extent; however it had made consumers a lot more cautious of their spending habits and are driven by discounts, sales and promotions. The limitations of the research study involved the gender and age demographics as the majority of the participants were the same gender and of the same age group.Nonetheless, the findings of this research study provide a starting point for further research. From these limitations, recommendations were made for future research on the topic of consumer brand loyalty with reference to the high street retail sector.ba_conunpub1384_ethesesunpu