Brand loyalty:
The starting point in understanding brand equity is the extent to which a brand enjoys customer loyalty. It is important to discriminate between habitual buying and brand loyalty. For example, a housewife who repeatedly buy brand X of detergent powder may not necessarily be loyal to it. She might be buying either because competitor brands are not available or she does not find parity between brand X and competition or she may be buying just because of a habit. Many a time such repeat purchases are mistaken for brand loyalty. The real issue in the brand loyalty is whether the customer is a committed one and the test is if he or she will walk that extra mile to get it. In other words, will the customer go to another shop and ask for it or will he or she leave with the substitute long being offered to by the shopkeeper or the vendor? If the customer is indifferent to the brand buys for the features, price or convince, there is little equity in the brand. In the toy's market where no brand can distinctively claim differentiation on the features (as all use, by and large, the same technology and inputs) and invariably all brands are available in the market even if the remotest areas of north east price becomes the reason to buy. And that's where price was beginning. It is important for the firm to assess its committed customer base. Customer can be grouped under five categories depending on the attitude towards the brand.