A life‐stage analysis of consumer loyalty profile: comparing Generation X and Millennial consumers

Purpose This article aims to provide a comparison between the patterns of brand loyalty of five consumer groups – three groups of Millennials and two groups of Generation X consumers. To avoid reductionist generalizations, the study takes into account several market‐related situations – considering three types of products and two types of services, and investigates also the differences between the customer loyalty profile in two European Union countries with a different level of economic development: France and Romania. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected and analyzed in three main phases: first, secondary data have been analyzed to identify and formulate the research framework; second, a series of focus groups have been conducted with French and Romanian consumers; and third, 500 questionnaires have been applied in each of the two investigated countries. Findings The findings demonstrate the significant effect of the life‐stage model, the Millennials and Generation X consumers included in similar life‐stage groups displaying a highly similar pattern of brand loyalty behavior, and close preferences regarding the elements used for brand evaluation. On the other hand, the findings show important variations induced by the market‐related situations, and by the different level of economic development of the two investigated countries. Practical implications The findings of this study demonstrate the complexity of the brand loyalty effect and provide valuable insights into the brand loyalty behavior of five consumer groups both for academics and marketers. Originality/value This study demonstrates that the effect of consumer life‐stage on the brand loyalty behavior of various consumer groups is stronger than the inter‐generational effect. This effect is demonstrated both for product and service brands, considering several market situations.