Nowadays, almost all the consumers are extremely brand conscious and the more your brand name is the more it will effectively boost your sales. Your product is the instrumental tool towards building your brand reputation, and once a consumer gets hooked to your product, then it becomes obvious that the product was able achieve the sole goal of promoting the brand. A successful product, translates into customer satisfaction, and once a customer is satisfied, then your product and the brand name by which it goes starts to be distributed in a variety of ways. You can even think of it as 'advertising through consumers'. A successful product leads to a successful brand, that in turn leads to an edge over your competition. Your consumers have the power to bring your brand name to the heights of success or to the depth or oblivion, just by the 'word of mouth' publicity.

Long gone are those a days, when star studded commercial on television or entire page advertisement in the morning papers would have wooed a consumer and compelled him to try your products. As technology has evolved, as has the consumer. Since the advent of online advertising, it has become extremely difficult to please a customer and more so to retain him with your brand. Consumers like and prefer those companies, who pay attention to their consumers' like & dislikes and change themselves according to time and trends. Customer loyalty has always been one of the most critical factors that have affected every company and firms have always tried their best to retain as many consumers as possible, so that they can be in business and post more profits.

According the business marketing legend, Philip Kotler, at any given time, there are four types of consumers, that define and shape a company:

1. The Hard Core loyalists: These consumers are such, who stick to one brand, due to several reasons and do budge from their decision, i.e they do not switch brands, no matter what.
2. Soft Core Loyalists: The kind of consumers who although are very much brand conscious, still they prefer to shuffle between two to four brands at a time.
3. Shifting loyalists: These are the sort of consumers, who inspite of being loyal brand, prefer the change in their shopping carts and after going through a few other brands, return back to their original brand. 
4. Switchers: These are the consumers that are in a habit of frequently changing brands. Such practice is quite prevalent, because with either these consumers do not wish to stick to a brand name or because they are explorers by nature, who like to try different things, including brands. 

Below are some of the factors that establish Brand Loyalty:

1. Expand Your Brand Line: Brand line expansion, through which you can keep you customers interested and provide them with a sort of a variety, even when your products are under same name.
2. Producer-Consumer Relationship: As soon as the customers use your products, you should take proactive steps to establish communications with the consumers to maintain a cordial relationship with the customers. You accomplish this step by sending emails, direct mails or via  telephonic feedback.