Transforming Loyalty from Goodwill to Growth

As consumers seek more value for the price paid, loyalty programs could prove to be the differentiator. Today’s consumers expect relevance, recognition, and seamless experiences, and loyalty can shift in an instant. Traditionally, loyalty programmes have focused on recognising and rewarding customer behaviour after they have occurred. Increasingly, organisations are looking to loyalty to influence what customers do next: where they go, how often they return, and what they buy.

For Nordic brands competing in some of Europe’s most digitally mature consumer markets, the stakes are particularly high. It is time to transform loyalty from goodwill to growth. 

From “nice-to-have” to strategic lever for growth

The loyalty landscape is shifting fast. Household cost pressures squeeze discretionary spending, media attention is fragmented, AI is changing how customers interact with brands, and spontaneous store visits continue to decline. At the same time, organisations have more opportunities than ever to build direct relationships with customers. Digital channels, connected experiences, and ecosystems mean that engagement increasingly happens beyond the point of purchase, creating new opportunities to strengthen relationships and influence future behaviour.

As a result, loyalty is evolving from a set-and-forget programme into a continuously optimised engagement platform. What was once a mechanism for delivering campaigns and rewards is increasingly becoming a commercial capability that influences customer behaviour, strengthens relationships, and drives growth. In this reality, loyalty is increasingly expected to support customer engagement, strengthen relationships, and create value across the customer lifecycle.

This shift requires a broader view of loyalty. Rather than starting with programme mechanics, benefits, or rewards, organisations should begin with a clear understanding of the customer behaviours they want to encourage and the value those behaviours create.

Based on our experience, five beliefs underpin effective loyalty strategies.

Five loyalty beliefs that will accelerate growth

Loyalty programmes differ across industries and customer contexts, but the strongest programmes share a common characteristic: they are designed around behaviours that create value for both customers and the organisation.

At Deloitte, our approach to loyalty is guided by five core beliefs.

Loyalty in an age of AI

As customer expectations rise, relevance, convenience, and recognition are increasingly important. Customers expect brands to understand their preferences and respond in ways that feel timely and personalised. AI enables organisations to understand behaviour in real time, identify moments of opportunity, and deliver more relevant experiences across channels. This creates new opportunities to influence behaviour between transactions and strengthen customer relationships.

As AI-enabled assistants and agentic commerce begin to influence purchasing decisions, strong customer relationships will become even more important. Brands that maintain direct and trusted relationships with customers will be better positioned to remain part of those decisions.

How we can help build loyalty for the future

Building loyalty requires a clear understanding of customer behaviour, a compelling value proposition, the right technology foundation, and the capabilities to deliver consistently over time. Deloitte helps organisations design, build, and evolve loyalty strategies that create measurable value for both customers and the business. Combining expertise across strategy, technology, operations, data, and design, we help clients turn loyalty ambitions into capabilities that drive engagement, growth, and long-term customer value. Our recommendations are informed by extensive loyalty research and benchmarks across more than 150 global loyalty programmes, helping organisations identify the behaviours, capabilities, and experiences that drive long-term value.