Personalized Uniforms Boost Customer Loyalty

Aug 14, 2008

UniFirst Corp., a provider of personalized work apparel located in Wilmington, Mass., knows just how important personalized employee uniforms are in generating repeat business.

“It’s what some social scientists have described as ‘cognitive lock-in,’” says Robert Isaacson, director of marketing for UniFirst, according to a release from prnewswire.com. “Customers have a natural tendency to link satisfying purchasing decisions with visual cues like easily identifiable company uniforms. And when those uniforms are personalized with logos, corporate colors and wearer names, those links become more deeply embedded and foster repeat business.”

Isaacson’s conviction is backed up by a 2007 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. “Explaining Cognitive Lock-In: The Role of Skill-Based Habits of Use in Consumer Choice” is the title of the study, and researchers involved in it found that cognitive lock-in will cause customers to repeatedly ignore objectively better products and services in favor of those they’ve previously purchased and found satisfying. According to the study, such locked-in behavior also plays a central role behind many customer loyalty and rewards programs.

Isaacson adds that UniFirst produced nearly 12 million personalized, embroidered emblems for its uniform programs in 2007, reflecting a 7% increase over 2006.

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