For years, the MarTech Predictions Insights Series has been my favorite season.
Why?
I get an opportunity to interact with Marketing Technology leaders and technology innovators. We discuss practically everything a marketing team should know. For example, my conversations with leaders include data management, audience segmentation, account-based marketing, automation, agentic AI, security, programmatic advertising, and 1500+ other core MarTech categories and marketing functions.
My objective:
To save marketing teams from wasting their dollars on non-productive activities. In my season’s first predictions series leading to 2026, I am focusing on the role of AI-powered personalization and its impact on customer loyalty.
Why did I choose to start our MarTech predictions series with this topic?
Here’s why: In 2025, customer loyalty is no longer what it used to be…PRAC
According to the Customer Loyalty Index 2025 report, published by SAP Emarsys, “twenty-three percent of consumers say batch-and-blast marketing actively damages their loyalty.” Today, marketing teams should be aware of a new cohort of consumers referred to as the “Trend Loyals.”
In 2025, SAP Emarsys declared the dawn of the Engagement Era: a time when customer loyalty is no longer a given, but a reward for brands that truly understand, respect, and respond to individual needs. So, what’s next in 2026?
Clearly, loyalty is no longer just a transactional relationship—it’s an ecosystem of belonging, intelligence, and emotional engagement.
As we step into 2026, the next evolution of loyalty will be defined not by points or perks, but by personalization, omnichannel fluidity, and the seamless interplay between data, AI, and human experience.
This sentiment was echoed across the 2025 Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference hosted by the Australian Loyalty Association, where marketing technologists, brand leaders, and loyalty innovators gathered to debate one defining question: What’s next for loyalty?
I spoke to seven MarTech experts to discuss the future of customer loyalty, pivoting on the idea of gamified engagement, AI-based personalization, omnichannel experience, and marketing automation tactics.
My guests are:
- Chris Johnston, Director of Regional Partnerships at Braze
- Jonathan Reeve, ANZ Regional Sales Director for Eagle Eye
- Susan Walsh, former Director of Operations (Loyalty) at Loyalty & Reward Co.
- Kim Walsh, Managing Director of TLC Worldwide
- Nik Laming, CEO of Loyalty ConnectOS
- Adam Posner, CEO of The Point of Loyalty
- Karl Deitz, Head of Customer Strategy at Tall Bob
From AI-driven personalization engines to gamified engagement models, the message was clear—brands must evolve from offering “belongings” to creating genuine belonging.
AI-Powered Personalization: The Foundation of Future Loyalty
Personalization at scale is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s the strategic core of loyalty transformation. Yet, executing true one-to-one experiences remains one of the most complex challenges in marketing operations.
According to Chris Johnston, Director of Regional Partnerships at Braze, the ability to activate real-time data is what differentiates loyalty leaders from laggards:
“The challenge is making sure you’ve got all the data in real-time available to understand customers and what their needs might be,” Johnston explained.
“Then it’s about connecting with that customer across every channel to deliver moments of true relevance.”
Braze recently demonstrated this with Foxtel, leveraging the OfferFit decisioning engine (now part of Braze) to create millions of unique message variations per customer. The result: individualized engagement loops that keep subscribers active far beyond initial acquisition.
The Martech takeaway:
Decisioning engines and AI-augmented personalization platforms are redefining lifecycle engagement.
Modern loyalty programs are moving away from static segmentation toward dynamic identity graphs that adapt in real time to behavior and context.
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Hyperpersonalization at Scale: When AI Does the Heavy Lifting
For many brands, the cost and complexity of personalization have historically been prohibitive. That’s changing fast.
Jonathan Reeve, ANZ Regional Sales Director for Eagle Eye, describes how AI is transforming personalization economics:
“AI can now do the heavy lifting of analysis to deliver truly hyperpersonalized offers—where the product, the reward, and even the required action are all personalized to the individual,” Reeve noted.
Martech implication: As loyalty technology becomes more intelligent, brands will compete not on data volume but on decision velocity—how quickly insights can translate into contextual experiences.
The Omnichannel Imperative: Connecting Physical and Digital Realities
We’re entering an era where customer loyalty will be driven by emotion, speed, and social validation, overtaking legacy brand affinity. Inherited Loyalty, once passed down through generations, is dissolving as expectations evolve and switching costs disappear.
What’s driving this disruption? A widening personalization gap.
Not in messaging, but in the data and execution engines behind it. Many brands have the insights but lack the orchestration needed to act on them in real time.
To close this gap, brands need more than loyalty campaigns—they need intelligent engagement systems that unify data, predict intent, and deliver relevance instantly across every channel.
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While personalization captures the “what,” omnichannel strategy defines the “where” and “how.”
According to Susan Walsh, former Director of Operations (Loyalty) at Loyalty & Reward Co., seamless omnichannel experiences depend on intelligent recognition and frictionless identity resolution:
“It could be card-linking, a mobile number—whatever identifies the customer must do so across all channels without friction,” Walsh said. “And that means your in-store team must be fully integrated into the loyalty experience, not just the customer.”
Reeve agrees that the next frontier is connecting digital engagement with in-store behavior:
“Online connection is easy.
The magic happens when you connect digitally with customers as they shop your physical store,” he said.
With customers actively engaging with mobile offers in aisles and at checkout, the omnichannel loop is finally closing.
Martech takeaway:
In 2026, the most advanced loyalty architectures will be API-driven ecosystems—synchronizing CRM, POS, and customer data platforms (CDPs) to create unified profiles across touchpoints.
Gamification: Turning Transactions into Emotional Engagement
Gamification is rapidly reshaping how customers perceive loyalty. Instead of viewing rewards as mere rebates, brands are using game mechanics to generate anticipation, joy, and emotional connection.
Reeve highlighted Asda’s success with game-based loyalty experiences powered by Eagle Eye, which significantly boosted participation rates.
“It’s turning loyalty programs from being transactional into something emotionally engaging,” he said. “People just love games.”
Strategic insight:
Gamification works because it combines dopamine-driven engagement loops with behavioral personalization.
Martech teams that integrate gamified journeys into loyalty programs can achieve stronger retention metrics and higher engagement depth, especially when integrated with real-time analytics.
The “Joyalty” Mindset: Designing Loyalty Moments of Magic
If 2025 was about operational transformation, 2026 will be about emotional orchestration. The new loyalty paradigm, as coined by Adam Posner, CEO of The Point of Loyalty, is “joyalty”—the creation of memorable, magic-filled customer moments that transcend transactions.
Johnston from Braze echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that true loyalty is achieved when technology enables brands to “deliver magic at every engagement, on the customer’s terms.”
Meanwhile, Kim Walsh, Managing Director of TLC Worldwide, urges brands to rethink the meaning of value:
“The future of loyalty is harnessing data to create memories, not just discounts. Avoid the sea of sameness. Differentiate.”
Martech implication:
The competitive edge lies in experience design—integrating marketing automation, behavioral data, and creative storytelling to craft emotionally resonant brand interactions.
Karl Deitz, Head of Customer Strategy for SMS and MMS messaging platform Tall Bob, confirms that hyperpersonalization is a major trend in mobile messaging, with brands now going deeper into smaller, more targeted segments. This approach of sending “less but better” messages leads to higher conversion rates because the communication is more relevant and personal.
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“It’s going deeper and deeper into the history of buying patterns,” he said, explaining that hyperpersonalization goes well beyond just a first name, factoring in things like recent product purchases or behavior from the last year.
The Road Ahead: Real-Time, Sustainable, and Data-Driven
Nik Laming, Founder and CEO of outsourcing and consulting firm Loyalty ConnectOS, said he could see the influence of AI “all over” the industry, from the ability to deliver hyperpersonalisation to speeding up campaign execution. He notes that while AI could potentially be a “double-edged sword” for his resourcing business, he is generally optimistic about its impact.
When experts describe the next phase of loyalty, a few consistent themes emerge:
- Real-time responsiveness: AI will power in-the-moment experiences that adapt as customers browse or shop.
- Sustainable engagement: Programs will evolve toward mutual value creation—benefiting both brand and consumer.
- Differentiated belonging: Loyalty will center on purpose and personalization, not points.
As Nik Laming, CEO of Loyalty ConnectOS, summed up: “The future of loyalty is bright—most definitely.”
MarTech Insights: Ready to Embrace New Loyalty Trends in the Engagement Era
Loyalty has never been more critical or more complex.
Traditional “earned once, kept forever” loyalty is fading fast. Today’s customers remain loyal only to brands that make them feel seen, valued, and understood.
New-age MarTech solutions will be redefining what this looks like: transforming data into action through real-time insights, predictive AI, and omnichannel engagement that helps brands move from transactional loyalty to trusted belonging.
In the Engagement Era, loyalty is not won through discounts or gimmicks.
It’s earned through relevance, consistency, and care—every message, every interaction, and every moment of connection.
From Loyalty Platforms to Loyalty Intelligence Systems
Loyalty technology is evolving into a real-time marketing operating system, combining CDP data, personalization AI, and omnichannel delivery frameworks. The shift from static loyalty databases to intelligent engagement ecosystems represents one of the most significant transformations in Martech today.
As brands gear up for 2026, the loyalty leaders will be those who integrate data, AI, creativity, and emotion into a single, seamless experience—where technology doesn’t just drive transactions but fosters enduring human connection.
FAQs: The New Rules of Customer Loyalty
Why is customer loyalty harder to earn today?
Because customers have endless choices and instant access to alternatives. Loyalty today is a response to relevance—if a brand doesn’t understand or anticipate customer needs, switching is just a swipe away.
How would brands define loyalty with personalization solutions?
Brands will look to build loyalty through long-term commitment driven by trust and value alignment. Loyalty could be short-term and emotionally charged, where customers engage because it feels current, convenient, or socially validated. Therefore, brands must bridge both to sustain growth.
What’s causing the personalization gap?
The gap stems from fragmented data systems, legacy martech stacks, and manual execution processes. Brands collect vast amounts of data but struggle to activate it in real time to create truly personalized experiences.
How can brands close the personalization gap?
By integrating customer data platforms (CDPs), AI-powered decisioning, and automation into a unified engagement framework. Unified MarTech solutions help operationalize personalization, turning insights into actions that happen at the speed of customer intent.
What does “Engagement Era” really mean for marketers?
It’s a shift from communication to connection. The Engagement Era rewards brands that build reciprocal relationships, where every interaction feels relevant, contextual, and human.
What’s the next evolution of loyalty?
Loyalty 2026 will be predictive, emotional, and real-time—where AI anticipates needs, experiences feel effortless, and every interaction strengthens the sense of belonging between brand and customer.
Each touchpoint is now a chance to inspire, innovate, and build relationships that outlast the next click.
For media inquiries, you can write to our MarTech Newsroom at sudipto@intentamplify.com
