Earlier this month, I joined our team in Dubai for the SAP Emarsys Festival, sponsored by our partners at Infosys. It was an incredible day packed with insights, energy, and conversations with marketing leaders and CX innovators from across the UAE.
I also sat down with Martechvibe to talk about the major evolution in customer engagement and loyalty. Here are my top takeaways:
1. Personalization Is Changing—Fast
For years, we’ve talked about “the right message to the right person at the right time.” In 2026, that’s no longer enough. Personalization now means having the right consent, the right identity, and the right context.
Automated, machine-only personalization is giving way to something smarter: AI speed combined with human understanding. Why? Because recommendations need to be explainable, and when customers need help, the handoff should feel personal, not robotic.
This matters in the UAE, where 68% of consumers say AI improves their retail experience, but 37% of AI sceptics believe a human understands them better.
What this means for brands:
Authentic personalization must be consent-led, transparent, and culturally attuned—think Ramadan, Eid, and other key moments that matter to your customers.
2. Channels Are Converging
Growth leaders know that sustainable growth comes from unified experiences—not siloed channels. And in the UAE, consumers are increasingly “channel-less.” They shop wherever it suits them:
- 51% use online marketplaces
- 43% visit physical stores
- 27% buy from brand websites
What this means for brands:
Add a WhatsApp-first culture, and it’s clear: channels aren’t competing—they’re complementary. For brands, that means continuity across WhatsApp, apps, and stores. Customers don’t care what channel they’re in—they just want to feel understood wherever they engage.
3. Loyalty Is Fragmenting
Our Customer Loyalty Index 2025 revealed something big: True Loyalty, which describes when devoted customers who return time after time, has declined globally for the first time in five years. Meanwhile, Trend Loyalty is on the rise. It’s fast, hype-driven, and unpredictable. It appears overnight and disappears just as quickly. In the UAE, this trend is amplified by social-driven shopping and gift-giving spikes.
What this means for brands:
To turn short-lived Trend Loyalty into real customer lifetime value, brands need to go beyond discounts. Offer clear benefits, culturally relevant experiences, and reasons to stay engaged long after the trend fades.
🎥 Watch my full interview:
You can also read the article from Martechvibe.
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About the author
As the SVP Revenue & Managing Director for EMEA at Emarsys, Daniel leads the Revenue Team and oversees all go-to-market strategies and revenue operations across the region. His experience covers similar roles and responsibilities across MEE (DACH) and Asia Pacific.
