PwC Consumer Loyalty Outlook: Loyalty Enters a New Era

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 02. 20. 11:38

🎧 Hallgasd a cikket: Nyelv: Sebesség: 1.05×

Loyalty has become one of the most stable sources of growth, but most companies do not exploit the full potential of loyal customers. PwC Hungary is conducting extensive research on consumer loyalty for the first time to explore the business opportunities behind loyalty. In addition to comprehensive analysis, the PwC Consumer Loyalty Outlook, which will be published in spring 2026, serves as a data-driven, practical guide for brands to rethink and improve their loyalty programs. Those who order the report will also receive a tool that will help companies take their customer retention strategy to the next level.

While the costs of customer acquisition continue to rise, retaining existing customers results in more predictable revenue and higher customer value. Only one-third of online shoppers can be considered regular customers, yet they account for around 76% of total turnover, which clearly shows the business importance of a loyal customer base. If you look closely at your data, you can also find a narrower group of customers who generate a significant portion of your turnover. While in their case the goal is retention, in the case of less frequent buyers it is to increase frequency. All this requires different tools that must be present in a well-composed loyalty program.

Loyalty program as a business strategy

“Loyalty is no longer simply a marketing tool, but a business strategy. The real question for companies is not whether to deal with it, but when and to what depth they do so “
– said Virág Kiss, manager of PwC Hungary, head of the research.

“With the Consumer Loyalty Landscape, we want to support our clients in understanding the nature of loyalty and making the best possible decisions in the field of customer retention, as their sustainable business success depends on it,” the expert added.

The new, data-driven era of loyalty is rapidly reshaping the market balance of power: those who act now can determine their position relative to their competitors for years to come.

“The key to the success of loyalty programs today is not how many points we give, but how well we know our own customer base and understand the real motivations of our consumers. The Consumer Loyalty Panorama helps companies use data at a strategic level, building on their customers’ feedback, to develop lasting customer relationships”
– added Ildikó Cserjés-Kopándi, Head of the Digital Commerce Team at PwC Hungary manager.

PwC’s analysis closely aligns with the findings of Antavo AI Loyalty Cloud’s recently released Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026, which examines the current state of loyalty on a global scale. According to the study, 83% of loyalty program owners are satisfied with the performance of their program, while 93% report a positive return on investment, with an average ROI of 5.3x. The research also shows that 43.2% of consumers are more likely to join a loyalty program than a year ago.

“We have entered a new era of loyalty, where the real value is the intelligent use of data and personalized experiences,” emphasized Zsuzsa Kecsmár, co-founder and Chief Strategy Office of Antavo. “Those brands that are able to transform consumer data into relevant decisions in real time will be successful,” the expert pointed out.

PwC and Antavo will collaborate in the future to support their clients in the design, implementation and continuous development of their loyalty programs, building on their joint professional and technological knowledge. The parties work together to ensure that companies develop long-term, sustainable, value-based relationships with their consumers