Why Quality Is the Most Important Thing to Your Customers

The ultimate objective for any business is to make money. If you have a product that people will buy, then you’ve got a business. However, the businesses that make the most don’t focus on the profits alone. They also consider the quality of the products and services they offer because they know how important it is to their customers. But why does quality hold so much weight?

To answer that question, it’s important to look at the definition of quality as it pertains to customers. The standard definition of the word is “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.” For customers, those requirements include the following:

• Longevity – how long the product performs its function
• Needs Fulfillment – whether or not the product fulfills a specific need or solves a specific problem for the customer
• Cost vs. Need – how much the product costs compared with how much the client wants or needs it
• Security – the safety level of the product, i.e. whether or not the customer feels comfortable using it
• Usability – the ease of use associated with the product
• Efficiency – the product’s ability to save the customer money, help the environment, or streamline a process

These are just a few of the many requirements that customers expect from any given product. Companies that fulfill this list often experience a multitude of benefits, but first they have to put in the effort.

Here are some of the reasons why creating a standard of quality with your products is so important for keeping customers:

Competition

In niche-specific companies, using quality products to beat the competition is essential. Because they’re focused on selling just a few products, they need something that can set their products apart from the competition. Overall, quality always sells better than other factors, like low pricing.

For example, EarthLite, a company that sells massage-related products, has built their company on a foundation of high quality products, marketing them as handmade with eco-friendly materials that are superior to what you might find elsewhere. As a result, they’ve managed to claim the number one spot in massage-related retail.

Customer Expectations

At first, your customers will appreciate quality. Then, as they tell more people about it and continue shopping, they’ll begin to expect such. After expectation comes a demand for quality products. And if you don’t deliver, your customer will leave. 

When your company offers quality products every time, you can create a standard of satisfying customers in the retail spectrum. In return, you’ll receive loyalty and continued lead generation that allows your company to grow.

Business Reputation

Quality and your company’s reputation are more closely linked than many businesses realize. When your products don’t match the standard of quality that was promised, people will hear about it on social media, through review sites, on forums, and from their friends.

Nike is a great example of a company that links its brand reputation with the quality of their products. They’ve built their company on great marketing and products that stand the test of time. People know they can trust Nike and are willing to pay more because their products provide the quality they’ve come to expect.

Customer Loyalty

Customers always come back when a product is good, even if the price is high. A quality product creates unshakeable customer loyalty that generates increased leads. When customers find a product they trust, they return, make repeat purchases, and recommend the product or service to others.

Consider Apple’s success in selling more than 800 million devices to more than 130 million users in the last year alone. Those numbers show that customers have bought multiple products from the retailer, and they wouldn’t have that kind of success if people didn’t love the quality, even though their products are considerably more expensive than other options. 

In the end, product quality is something companies should always emphasize. Creating quality products will continue to be the most important thing to customers. In a world where it’s hard to predict the demands of customers, this is an important concept to master.