- Rise in Agentic AI usage: 7 out of 10 marketers feel comfortable using AI-powered agents, an emerging form of AI
- Loyalty ROI achieving new heights: 83.0% of loyalty programme owners reported a positive ROI, with an average 5.2x ROI
- Companies invest more than ever into customer loyalty: 31% of marketing budgets dedicated to customer loyalty and CRM
- Untapped market potential for reward customisation, gamification, and point pooling through account sharing: 7 out of 10 companies said that giving customers more freedom, like choosing from multiple rewards, has a positive effect on engagement; 7 out of 10 companies think that when enhancing data collection with gamification, the benefits are bigger than the cost – the same applied for account sharing
January 15, 2025 04:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Antavo, the AI-powered Loyalty Platform, announces today the launch of its Global Customer Loyalty Report 2025, the most comprehensive report in the market examining perspectives on the current landscape of customer loyalty programmes, upcoming trends and opportunities, including customer preferences, budget allocation and ROI benchmarks.
“This year’s Global Customer Loyalty Report is much anticipated and more important than ever. AI is moving beyond the hype and into practical use. The focus is moving from ‘what’ to ‘how’, allowing brands to better enable hyper-personalisation, contextual engagement, and perceived value management for each and every member.”Post this
Antavo’s annual Global Customer Loyalty Report surveyed over 2,600 CMOs, Marketing, IT and Loyalty experts and 10.000 consumers from all over the world and analysed more than 230 millioncustomer interactions, to help guide brands and retailers with data-driven investments in the age of AI. EPAM was the key partner in the development of the report, providing expert insights and sponsoring the research with 10,000+ consumers worldwide. This effort was further enriched by additional insights from VML (formerly Wunderman Thomspon), Capgemini, Deloitte, Havas CX helia, Acxiom, stratLX and Miltton Insights.
Key findings include:
- AI is here to stay:37% of loyalty programmes use some form of AI, and 50% plan to use it – so when added up, over 9 out of 10 programme owners will use AI in the future. Also, nearly 7 out of 10 programme owners (67%) feel comfortable using AI-powered agents to support in the management of their loyalty programme
- Almost 30% of programme managers still need to learn how to use AI, risking being left behind and losing customers to competition.
- More than half of respondents see AI as an essential tool for handling consumer inquiries and providing support, enhancing and optimising loyalty programmes, and providing deeper insights into the performance of their loyalty programmes.
- Most programme owners agree that AI will allow them to save time by enhancing team productivity, programme performance, and saving money through increased efficiency.
- Loyalty marketing investment reached a new peak, with 31% of marketing budgets being dedicated to customer loyalty and CRM to improve their customers’ experience in 2024 (22.8% in 2022). The highest spend is coming from Belgium (39%), followed by Brazil (36%), and the US and UK catching up with 30% and 26% respectively.
- Given market inflation and rise in cost of living, this also aligns with Forrester’s 2025 predictions that even though brand loyalty will decline, usage of loyalty programmes will increase and investment to unify data for the loyalty and marketing tech stacks will triple.
- 83% of loyalty programme owners reported a positive ROI, with an average 5.2x ROI.Germany saw the highest ROI with 6.2X, followed by Canada (5.4X) and the US (5.3X).
- Ease of management is the #1 priority for companieswhen choosing a loyalty technology – coupled with innovative features, show that companies prioritise long-term value from technologies, as opposed to quick implementation, and highly value ease of use and independence from IT.
- Poor integration was identified as a major challenge for 71% globally: 100% for the US, 75% for Germany, followed by the UK (70%) and Canada 66%.
- A booming 69% of companies are satisfied with their loyalty programme, rising from 56% in the past 3 years. The leading cause of dissatisfaction is loyalty programmes not aligning seamlessly with the brand’s overall customer experience, presenting many opportunities for loyalty managers to invest in programmes that prioritise the customer experience to drive satisfaction and beat the competition.
- Reward customisation impacts customer engagement: 82% of loyalty programme owners who offer reward customisation features report a positive impact on customer engagement. Businesses need to act quickly because the competition already plans to tap into this opportunity, with almost 80% of businesses planning to launch a loyalty programme in the next two years with reward customisation.
- Opportunity to invest in rewards and family benefits: 85% of programme owners let members select rewards, but only 44% of loyalty programme owners reported offering point pooling and family accounts; 7 out of 10 loyalty programme owners who offer account sharing believe that the benefits of this feature outweigh the costs.
- Gamified data collection gaining traction: When done right, gamified data collection delivers ROI; 7 out of 10 loyalty professionals think the benefits of gamified data collection outweigh the costs, and 76% plan to implement gamification for data collection or enrollment in the next 2 years.
Attila Kecsmar, CEO and Co-founder, at Antavo, said: “Our report explores the best investment opportunities for loyalty programmes and how AI can be used to improve the experience not just for the consumer but also for the brand. Brands are doubling down on loyalty spend as a significant part of their growth and there is a clear focus on retention and offering consumers more personalised rewards, easier access to benefits and a seamless experience across brands. The time is ripe to capitalise on the massive promise of AI to save on resources, and drive hyper-personalised loyalty programmes at scale, profitability, and stay ahead of the competition.”
Andrew Doyle, Managing Principal & Practice Head at EPAM, said: “This year’s Global Customer Loyalty Report is much anticipated and more important than ever. AI is moving beyond the hype and into practical use. The focus is moving from ‘what’ to ‘how’, allowing brands to better enable hyper-personalisation, contextual engagement, and perceived value management for each and every member.”
Antavo powers the loyalty programmes for brands including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Benefit Cosmetics, Whittard of Chelsea, Yeo Valley and Flying Tiger Copenhagen. The company recently launched Timi AI, the world’s first AI assistant for loyalty programmes modelled after a real human employee, to give brands and retailers across industries their own loyalty assistant. Antavo’s full Global Customer Loyalty Report 2025 is available here.
About Antavo
Antavo is revolutionising the customer loyalty landscape with its cutting-edge AI Loyalty Cloud. As the market’s most powerful pure-play loyalty technology, Antavo’s platform seamlessly combines advanced AI capabilities with effortless integration, setting a new standard in the industry.
Antavo’s innovative Loyalty Planner speeds up implementation by making program planning up to 10 times faster, while the flexible Loyalty Engine, featuring an intuitive Workflows editor, brings any loyalty concept to life. At the heart of the solution is Timi AI, a groundbreaking agentic AI that guides and enhances your work at every step.
This excellence has not gone unnoticed. Antavo is recognised by industry leaders such as Forrester, Gartner, and IDC, and it’s the preferred choice for global brands, loyalty consultants, and system integrators worldwide. Antavo’s diverse client portfolio, including household names like KFC, C&A, Flying Tiger, Notino, Scandic Hotels, Kathmandu, and Benefit Cosmetics, spans industries from fashion, beauty, retail, travel, and hospitality, showcasing the versatility and effectiveness of the platform.
Experience the future of customer loyalty with Antavo. Visit antavo.com to learn more.
Contacts
YourStory PR for Antavo
antavo@yourstorypr.com
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