Customer Loyalty stories

AI-driven personalisation and shifting notions of value will set the pace for hospitality guest engagement in 2026, Paytronix predicts.

UK startup Distil.ai links its forecasting engine with OpenTable data to help multi-site restaurant groups predict demand and lift revenue.

Revolut launches RevPoints in New Zealand, offering uncapped rewards on everyday spending redeemable for travel, airline miles and gift cards.

Google launches a Universal Commerce Protocol and Business Agent tools as it bets on AI agents to drive the next era of online shopping.

AI agents will reshape how shoppers discover brands, forcing retailers to rethink visibility as SaaS vendors and ad budgets come under strain.

Zendesk warns APAC brands that rising CX expectations demand transparent, context-rich AI that resolves issues instantly or risks churn.

AI-powered loyalty schemes promise a USD $2 trillion revenue windfall in Southeast Asia as retailers race to master personalisation.

Loop Returns warns UK brands that neglected international returns risk eroding margins and loyalty as global eCommerce hits USD $6.3 trillion.

Brands are ditching fragmented martech stacks for centralised platforms as AI, richer messaging and costs expose the limits of siloed channels.

Younger shoppers embrace digital wallets and self-checkouts as older customers stick with cards and staff, widening a payments generation gap.

Customers profess loyalty but quietly walk away over price, experience or ethics, exposing how fragile many brand relationships have become.

Exactly.com predicts AI agents, social commerce and omnichannel retail will redefine trust, convenience and control in 2026 shopping.

iGoDirect enters New Zealand with instant web‑to‑wallet Visa rewards, aiming to replace plastic gift cards in corporate loyalty schemes.

Value for money drives online customer sentiment three times more than price, delivery speed or product quality, a study of reviews finds.

Shoppers in the UK and US now value reliable, transparent deliveries and returns over speed alone, new research from Locus suggests.

Cyber Monday online orders in the UK surged, running about 70% higher than Black Friday as shoppers held out for last-minute deals.

Rising costs and tighter conditions are exposing six avoidable mistakes that could sink Australia’s newest start-ups within their first year.

AI is transforming loyalty from points to real-time, personalised journeys as super apps and agentic engagement engines rapidly take hold.

Bad data is quietly wrecking Asia’s eCommerce, fuelling failed deliveries, higher costs and eroding customer trust from click to doorstep.

UK retailers brace for a GBP £1.05bn blow from 52 million post-Christmas gift returns, as hybrid shopping and fashion fit issues drive costs.