The rise of ecommerce and mobile has given retailers a new roster of tools to win customer loyalty, but should they go back to basics?

Millennial shoppers are a fickle bunch.

Addicted to their smartphones, they are ready to follow any short-lived meme on social media.

So what’s a retailer or brand to do? How are you supposed to win a quixotic battle for the loyalty of this most capricious of all age groups?

“When asked about the reasons for why the respondents would turn on their favourite brands, a surprising picture emerged”

The stereotypical image of millennials as non-committal digital natives has driven many retailers and brands to double down on investments in web stores, mobile apps and a pervasive social media presence.

But what impact do these efforts actually have on the brand loyalty of millennials?

A study conducted by YouGov and the Cloud Supply Chain Platform GT Nexus confirms a lack of brand loyalty among 18 to 34 year-olds.

The majority of them admit to having switched one of their favourite brands in the last 12 months.

But when asked about the reasons for why the respondents would turn on their favourite brands, a surprising picture emerged.

Instead of being drawn to cool and flashy, Millennials actually value product quality, product availability, fair treatment of workers and the environment.

In short, availability trumps apps and ethics beats edgy.

Behind the scenes factors

That’s encouraging news.

It points to the levers that companies can pull to increase the stickiness of their brands.

Interestingly, every single one of those levers can be found behind the scenes of the enterprise, in operations, logistics and the supply chain.

The recent flurry of high-profile product recalls have already reminded us how quickly quality issues can hurt the reputation of a brand.

No amount of marketing spend will offset the reputational damage caused by a product that explodes on you.

But even for brands that meet their high standards of quality, millennials appear to have little appetite for delayed gratification.

“The fair and ethical treatment of workers along the extended supply chain ranks surprisingly high on the priority scale of millennials”

According to the research, stock-outs are a no-go.

They can kill repeat business, not just a single sale.

The same holds true for scandals in the supply chain.

The fair and ethical treatment of workers along the extended supply chain ranks surprisingly high on the priority scale of millennials.

The risks and opportunities for brands and retailers are clear.

Overemphasising glitzy front-ends at the expense of the fundamentals on the backend can be a deadly mistake.

The battle for the brand loyalty of Millennials is largely won behind the scenes in operations, logistics and the supply chain.

Only companies that get this can win the hearts and minds of millennials.