Three loyalty trends that will define 2026

For enterprise brands, this shift reflects a broader realization. Discounts alone are no longer a sustainable growth lever. As a result, businesses are elevating loyalty from a tactical marketing tool to a core capability within enterprise loyalty management.

Over the past 12 months, major brands such as Joe & The Juice and Fanatics have revamped their programs, while others have launched new ones. Lush, for example, recently unveiled a new loyalty program built with Talon.One.

What is changing is not just the presence of loyalty programs, but how they are designed and executed. Brands are rethinking offer management and execution, moving away from blanket incentives toward more structured, data-driven approaches that balance engagement with profitability. Personalized promotions are becoming central to this shift, allowing brands to reward customers more intelligently while maintaining control over margin and performance.

This strategic focus is set to intensify in 2026, with research Talon.One conducted with Harvard Business Review showing that 66 percent of enterprise brands are actively planning to improve the profitability of their loyalty programs. With this in mind, let's take a look at the top trends shaping customer loyalty in the year ahead.

As competition for consumer spend intensifies, brands are increasingly realizing the potential of connecting loyalty and promotions to unlock personalization, drive greater engagement and deliver Return on Investment.

Sephora, Adidas and ASOS are all best-in-class loyalty program case studies of brands doing this effectively, by “firewalling” discounts behind their loyalty programs.

In 2026, we expect to see this sort of holistic approach to loyalty and promotions become commonplace. Our research shows that 60% of enterprise brands plan to strengthen that integration in the year ahead. This is a no-brainer - consumers rarely see the difference between loyalty and promotions, meaning joining them up won’t disrupt the customer experience. 

The future of consumer loyalty will be played, not earned. As brands vie for attention, gamified engagement is redefining how brands build relationships and drive loyalty, creating interactive experiences that customers want to return to again and again. 

But gamification shouldn’t be rolled out for its own sake. The most successful gamification examples, such as McDonald’s Monopoly or Sephora’s Beauty Insider Challenges, are those built strategically, and delivered in a way that’s authentic to the brand. The best gamified experiences ultimately go beyond a purchase - they generate non-transactional touchpoints with customers that deepen brand relationships and create a sense of belonging. 

The days of the mass promotional email are numbered. With average click-through rates (CTR) for promotional emails generally falling around 2–3% across industries, brands are beginning to realize that volume does not equal value.

In 2026, we can expect marketers to shift away from this, as they acknowledge that newsletters and blanket offers are not retention strategies on their own. Today’s consumers expect more thoughtful, personalized communications. So the focus must move from frequency to relevance – and ensuring every touchpoint serves a clear purpose and adds value to the customer experience. 

The enterprises that leave generic promotional blasts behind will be the ones building genuine, lasting connections – and increasing Return on Investment.

What’s clear is that enterprises can’t take loyalty for granted. In 2026, we expect even more companies to rethink their approach to loyalty - as they increasingly realize the rewards of smart, highly personalized loyalty programs for both their brand and the bottom line. 

This article first appeared in The Retail Bulletin in November 2025.

In 2026, enterprise loyalty strategies will be shaped by three major trends: tighter integration between loyalty and promotions, more gamified customer experiences, and a move away from generic promotional messaging toward relevance-driven engagement. Brands are increasingly treating loyalty as a core growth lever, not a tactical add-on, using enterprise loyalty management platforms to drive profitability, personalization, and long-term retention.

Leading enterprise brands are bringing loyalty and promotions together into a single incentive strategy. Instead of running discounts in isolation, they are using loyalty programs to control access to offers, personalize incentives, and protect margins. This approach relies on strong offer management and execution capabilities that allow teams to design, test, and optimize promotions in real time, while keeping the customer experience seamless across channels.

Personalized promotions are becoming central because customers expect relevance, not volume. In 2026, successful loyalty programs will focus on delivering the right incentive to the right customer at the right moment, rather than relying on mass emails or blanket discounts. Personalized promotions help brands increase engagement, improve return on investment, and build stronger emotional connections, especially at enterprise scale where one-size-fits-all approaches quickly lose impact.