Apple's iPad may have captivated Madison Avenue, but it is a distant also-ran when it comes to consumer brand loyalty in the burgeoning marketplace of electronic readers, according to the 2011 edition
of Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. Amazon.com's Kindle dominates the market, according to the highly regarded brand research.
The study, which draws its insights and the drivers
that influence brands directly from the consumers who use them, ranks Kindle No. 1, followed by Barnes & Noble's Nook, and Sony's and Kobo's eBook readers, with the iPad ranking last.
"It may be
that there aren't enough of them out there," Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, said of the iPad's ranking -- or it could be that the Apple devices are too much of an "in-between"
product to be considered in the e-reader category by consumers.
"As a matter of their own applications and selections, Kindle ranked highest among consumers," he said.
Top
E-Readers
1 Kindle
2 Nook
3 Sony
4 Kobo
5 iPad
Source: Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index 2011