Marketing is more complex than ever. We’ve entered what many marketers are calling the Engagement Era, where loyalty is won or lost between campaigns and customer experiences across the entire business. Consumers have endless choices, high expectations, and little patience. Personalization has become a business imperative. That means being relevant, respectful, and trustworthy (especially with consumer data). And all of this is happening in a time of economic pressure, shifting models, and tech overload.
To put it bluntly, the rules have changed. What worked to capture loyalty last year won’t cut it today. You need a data-informed strategy that sees loyalty as a relationship, not a short-term tactic.
The Six Types of Customer Loyalty in 2025
SAP Emarsys has spent the last five years tracking loyalty trends and helping brands stay ahead with our annual Customer Loyalty Index. The Customer Loyalty Index is more than data—used effectively, it’s a strategic compass.
The 2025 Customer Loyalty Index reveals six ways customers demonstrate loyalty:
- True Loyalty: The holy grail – deep, enduring, emotional bonds.
- Incentivized Loyalty: Driven by discounts, perks, and rewards.
- Inherited Loyalty: Based on heritage, legacy, or tradition.
- Silent Loyalty: Ongoing loyalty without visible advocacy.
- Ethical Loyalty: Alignment with values such as sustainability or fairness.
- Trend Loyalty (NEW): Hype-driven, fast-moving loyalty fueled by social buzz.
Most brands will see their customers spread across more than one type. That’s why successful companies stay current with shifting trends and dynamics.
Five Customer Loyalty Themes to Shape Your 2026 Strategy
Our research reveals that the human dynamics behind loyalty are reshaping customer relationships. If you’re a marketer looking to build lasting relationships, these five themes will challenge your assumptions and reshape your strategy for the year ahead.
1) True Loyalty Is Declining (and Fast)
Loyalty isn’t what it used to be. Consumers still form strong attachments to the brands they love, but those bonds are more fragile and fleeting than ever before. For the first time in five years, True Loyalty dropped by 5%. This decline signals a growing fragility in consumer-brand relationships. Loyalty is no longer earned through legacy or brand recognition alone.
Strategy Shift: True customer loyalty is built through consistent, personalized experiences. This is something that can’t be achieved solely through marketing. Break down silos and collaborate across commerce, customer service, operations, and finance to achieve relevance at scale. By sharing data and insights, you can create unified customer profiles that fuel emotionally intelligent interactions across every touchpoint. This cross-functional approach fosters trust and transforms every engagement into an opportunity to strengthen the relationship.
2) Consumers Are Now Trend Loyal
Viral content, TikTok buzz, and cultural momentum have created a new form of loyalty that is short-lived but emotionally intense. In 2025, 14% of consumers fall into this category, and 29% admit they quickly lose interest once a product stops trending (even if they were obsessed with it previously).
Strategy Shift: Use AI-powered personalization to respond at the speed of trends and nurture your customers toward long-lasting loyalty. SAP Emarsys transforms unified profile and behavior data into personalized, omnichannel journeys with prebuilt tactics to guide buyers from a “viral try” to repeat purchase and ultimately, advocacy. Take inspiration from Bioré, who launched an omnichannel campaign using TikTok creators, geo-targeting, and CRM precision to drive record-breaking digital engagement and in-store sales in their loyalty masterclass session.
3) Consumers Ignore Brand Names When Shopping
Brand recognition alone no longer guarantees loyalty. A staggering 64% of consumers say they ignore brand names entirely when buying consumer products. Instead, they prioritize value, relevance, and emotional connection.
Strategy Shift: Discounts and incentives aren’t enough to keep your customers loyal. Use SAP Emarsys to create microsegments by combining wallet possession, app behavior, store visits, and purchase recency. With this data and intelligence, you automate what matters most to your customer. Think big and expand these customer benefits beyond marketing. For example, consider offering early access to a new product based on a previous similar purchase. Creating member-only pricing. Or offer service entitlements such as priority support and express returns.
4) Batch-and-Blast Marketing Damages Loyalty
Mass marketing tactics are officially out. 23% of consumers say batch-and-blast emails actively damage their loyalty.
Strategy Shift: In the Engagement Era, relevance is everything. SAP Emarsys can help you personalize omnichannel customer engagement and automate follow-up across channels with 100+ prebuilt tactics. Take inspiration from companies like Cupshe, who fit personalization into every customer journey. By doing so, they saw a 46% increase in revenue and improved customer retention.
5) Gen Z Loyalty Is Earned, Not Assumed
Gen Z is rewriting the loyalty playbook. 70% say they’re loyal to brands they love and trust, but 39% have switched brands due to poor sustainability practices. They expect real-time relevance, emotional intelligence, and authenticity, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Strategy Shift: Segment loyalty journeys by generation. A single message won’t work for everyone. You can use SAP Emarsys to track which channels each generation prefers and leverage AI to build personalized campaigns accordingly. Loyalty is expressed differently across each age group, but it always begins with feeling understood.
The data this year tells a clear story: loyalty is earned through meaningful engagement, not incentives. These changes aren’t threats. Marketers must adopt AI, omnichannel personalization, and emotional resonance to foster lasting connections in 2026 and beyond.
The Golden Rule: Design a Customer-Centric Strategy
According to Bain & Company, a 5% increase in customer retention can drive profit growth of 25 to 95%. That’s a massive return. To unlock that growth, customers need to be at the center of every department and decision.
Being customer-obsessed means understanding which channels your customers engage with, which emails they ignore, what they complain about, and how they interact with your brand. This obsession fuels better engagement, stronger relationships, and business growth. I encourage you to act quickly with connected data to turn fleeting attention into lasting relationships. Make customer loyalty a company-wide priority that informs strategic decisions and fuels long-term success.
About the author
Sara has more than 15 years of experience in senior global marketing roles at high-growth martech organizations including Clicktale, IBM Tealeaf, Acquia, & Unica. Her passion is for building marketing teams that act as a trusted partner to the sales organization. Sara excels in strategy and communications which deliver measurable pipeline and revenue. Sara holds a BA from the University of California in Los Angeles.
