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Why Loyalty Had Become More About Love Than Logic
Consumers aren’t loyal to brands - they’re loyal to what works for them.
Loyalty used to be seen as something deep and emotional. Stickers on laptops. Slogans we’d finish in our sleep. That stuff hasn’t vanished entirely, but here’s the problem: many marketers still operate like “brand love” is the driving force behind loyalty.
It’s not. Loyalty today is getting colder, quicker, and far more practical - especially in a year defined by economic pressure, skyrocketing prices and every click being weighed for its payoff.
New research from Razorfish and GWI shows the shift with unsettling clarity. Brands think loyalty means connection.
For most shoppers, it’s just basic calculus.
From Heartfelt Loyalty to Self-Interest Mode
According to the study, only 5% of marketers think convenience plays a key role in customer loyalty. In the real world, it’s consistently among the top decision-makers. Same goes for affordability, usefulness, or finding any better offer one scroll away.
Today’s consumer behavior isn’t emotional distancing. It’s highly responsive strategising. Tariffs, cost-of-living shocks, disappearing purchasing power - it’s no surprise over 60% of shoppers are planning to cut or reroute spending.
Put simply: “How does this help me right now?” is the modern version of brand loyalty. Emotional loyalty doesn’t disappear, but practicality will win every single time it's easier, faster, or just offers more.
Soft Benefits, Real Moments
Now, the picture’s not completely transaction-first. Done right, loyalty doesn’t just mean points and coupons. Some features that matter to modern shoppers lean on how brands support their personal context - and it turns out that timing matters just as much as exclusivity.
About 30% want early access to limited products or collections, and nearly one in three value experiences or rewards others can’t access - so exclusivity hasn’t disappeared; it’s just personal now.
Real-life empathy carries weight too. Two-thirds of people surveyed say they'd rather get early hotel check-in after a red-eye flight than get special treatment during a honeymoon.
People remember help during minor chaos, not always perfect-picture moments.
Old Models Don’t Account for Brand Promiscuity
Loyalty programs and branding playbooks weren’t built for today’s swipe-first, deal-second economy. Platforms shift weekly, customer channels are multiplying fast, and switching tools - be it on Amazon, through TikTok shops or Shopify plugs - have made loyalty extremely replaceable.
That replacement window shortens drastically the more AI shows up in branded touchpoints. AI-powered campaigns and chatbot-first experiences might offer marketing efficiency, but over one-third of consumers now see it reducing trust, not improving it. That’s no small thing if you rely on "brand affinity" as the fuel.
In other words: keep pushing content through tools, but don’t forget that if the human relevance drops even slightly, someone else just made switching feel easier.
From Romance to Return on Value
As budgets tighten and content becomes more AI-mediated, consumer relationships are reshaping in real-time. That means two important adjustments for marketers and brands:
- Stop framing loyalty as affection.
- Start building for immediate usefulness.
Loyalty hasn’t died, it’s just moved a little closer to practicality, pricing logic, and personal context. So if your campaign doesn’t help users feel smart, lucky or seen - today - then expect even your biggest fans to test other doors.
Being a great brand isn’t about people choosing you forever. It’s about giving them enough good reasons not to leave this time.