New research reveals loyalty crisis as only 15% of consumers say brand marketing feels relevant - Dotdigital launches AI-powered loyalty platform to help marketers fight back

LONDON, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- New global research of 4,000 consumers finds loyalty programmes now rank among the biggest drivers of repeat purchases, while personalisation remains a major blind spot for brands.

Consumers are becoming increasingly selective about the brands they stay loyal to, yet most marketers are still failing to deliver personalised experiences that build lasting relationships, according to new research by Dotdigital.

The company's new Customer Trends Index report, partnered with Censuswide to survey 4,000 consumers across the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore. 53% of consumers surveyed said loyalty programmes are important to their future relationship with a brand, but just 15% believe the marketing messages they receive are "very relevant."

The findings come as Dotdigital launches Dotdigital Loyalty, a native loyalty solution designed to help marketers build, manage and optimise loyalty programmes directly within the Dotdigital platform. This new addition connects customer behaviour, rewards and marketing automation in a single ecosystem.

The research suggests marketers have a significant opportunity to strengthen customer retention through more intelligent, personalisedloyalty strategies.

Among the findings:

• 62% of consumers want points-based loyalty programmes, making them the most popular reward model
• 53% want free shipping as a reward, followed closely by cashback (52%) and free gifts or samples (45%)
• 43% want brands to recognise birthdays and anniversaries through exclusive rewards
• Only 15% of consumers believe the marketing they receive from brands is highly relevant

The data also highlights significant generational and regional differences that marketers can't ignore.

Millennials are the generation most motivated by loyalty programmes, with 59% saying they are important or extremely important when deciding whether to remain loyal to a brand. Meanwhile, 62% of Gen Z consumers prefer free gifts and samples, and 54% of Gen X shoppers prioritise free shipping and returns.

Regional preferences are equally distinct. 47% of Singaporean consumers want personalised discounts, 72% of Australian shoppers cite product quality as their biggest driver of loyalty, and 43% of UK shoppers place free shipping and returns at the top of their loyalty wish list. In the US, 46% of consumers admit they have actively increased their spending simply to reach the next loyalty reward.

The commercial opportunity for brands is significant.

Industry research continues to show that acquiring a new customer can cost up to 25 times more than retaining an existing one. Dotdigital's research reinforces that loyalty programmes are influencing customer behaviour in measurable ways, with 45% of global consumers saying they have increased their spending over the past year to reach the next reward tier.

Milan Patel, CEO of Dotdigital, said:

"Customer acquisition has dominated marketing investment for years, but retention has become one of the biggest growth opportunities available to brands today. Our research shows consumers are willing to increase spend, stay longer and engage more deeply when brands reward loyalty in meaningful, personalised ways.

With Dotdigital Loyalty now live, marketers can connect loyalty data directly with customer communications across every touchpoint. Combined with the platform's Agents and our MCP server, we're helping marketers use AI to strengthen acquisition, retention and advocacy."

Dotdigital Loyalty enables brands to build and manage loyalty programmes natively within the Dotdigital platform, combining transactional and behavioural rewards with customer data, marketing automation and AI-powered personalisation. 

Features include flexible points earning, tiered loyalty programmes, rewards management, analytics and native integrations with Dotdigital and Shopify, with further ecosystem integrations planned.

The launch completes Dotdigital's connected customer lifecycle proposition, spanning acquisition, retention and advocacy. 

Following the acquisitions of Alia, an AI-powered ecommerce pop-up platform, and Social Snowball, an affiliate and influencer marketing platform for Shopify brands, businesses can now acquire customers, nurture long-term loyalty and turn their most engaged customers into advocates through a single connected ecosystem. 

Early customer adoption is already delivering results.

Sabi Brar, Managing Director at Pacific Packaging Australia, said:

"A dedicated loyalty offering had been missing from Pacific Packaging Australia for several years. After reviewing a number of options, we chose Dotdigital's Loyalty solution. Launching PackPoints has been a significant step forward in creating a more engaging customer experience. The implementation was straightforward, the collaboration with the team was excellent, and the programme is already helping us encourage repeat purchases and strengthen customer loyalty."

Notes to editors

Research methodology

The findings are taken from Dotdigital's Customer Trends Index 2026/27. Research was Commissioned by Dotdigital and conducted by Censuswide among 4,000 consumers across the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Singapore.

About Dotdigital

Dotdigital is a customer experience and data platform that helps brands acquire, engage, convert and retain customers through connected customer journeys, powered by first-party data, AI and marketing automation.
Read the full Customer Trends Index here
Find out more about Dotdigital loyalty here 

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SOURCE Dotdigital Group