Brands urged to act to ensure loyal shoppers feel valued

Brand owners must overhaul their practices or risk alienating their most loyal shoppers, who are increasingly miffed that new customers appear to be getting better deals, despite most companies spending the same on both acquisition and retention.

So says a new study by email, automation and AI marketing platform GetResponse, which quizzed 2,400 health/beauty/wellness shoppers and 600 direct to consumer/ecommerce brands across the UK, US, Germany, Spain, Italy and Romania.

It reveals that over two-thirds (67%) of loyal shoppers believe brands prioritise new customers, a figure that rises to over 70% among the highest-value cohort of monthly repurchasers.

However, with 69% of brands reporting their budget is evenly split, the report warns that while spend may be real, it is not visible, meaning perception becomes a risk to loyalty.

Interestingly, brands say loyalty is important almost universally, with 99% insisting loyalty will be even more important over the next two to three years. Retention also ranks ahead of acquisition as a growth priority, meaning the penny has already dropped with leadership; the task now is to convert intent into execution.

When it comes to the reasons why customers remain loyal, the quality of the product (35%) is way out in front, followed by discounts and promotions (21%), and great experience (19%). Crucially, given the obsession with personalisation, only 11% of customers rate personalised offers as important, while exclusive access is even further down the list (1%).

The report states: “Brands must make benefits for existing customers clear. Many shoppers still feel new customers get better treatment. Therefore visible perks, early access, member pricing, and letting customers know they are close to their next reward will help correct that perception and make loyalty feel concrete.

“Brands should also remove friction from their programmes. People are most frustrated by slow earning, points expiring, generic offers, and too many promotions. You should shorten the time to the first reward, simplify redemption, remind customers before points expire.”

Another key issue, the report claims, is that many brands still believe social media drives loyalty best, while consumers prefer to hear from brands through email.

The report quotes Łukasz Linczewski, CEO at digital agency Alekseon which runs loyalty schemes for a number of luxury brands.

He said: “We approach loyalty as a relationship, not a points-based mechanism. Not as a discount programme, but as a genuine recognition of the customer throughout the entire shopping journey.

“What matters to us is that ecommerce systems know whether a customer is returning, how much they have already invested in the brand, and what their history looks like even before they reach checkout, customer service, or order fulfilment.

“We treat loyal customers differently: they receive tailored communication, a more personalised experience, and an element of surprise that builds an emotional connection with the brand. In the luxury segment, it is precisely this feeling of being recognised and not yet another promotion, that drives repeat purchases.

“In a world increasingly dominated by marketplaces, loyalty becomes a competitive advantage that must be deliberately designed both technologically and operationally.”