Loyalty is personal, emotional – and social

In today’s attention economy, loyalty can’t be earned with points alone. Every brand is competing not just on product, but on connection. Loyalty is no longer a standalone programme – it’s an end-to-end experience, designed to resonate emotionally and reward interaction at every touchpoint.

The data backs this up. According to McKinsey, 76% of consumers say personalised communications are a key factor in their decision to buy from a brand. Meanwhile, Forrester reports that emotionally connected customers have a 306% higher lifetime value.

In this landscape, loyalty is no longer transactional. It’s relational.

Creating loyalty through emotional and connected brand experiences

Brands today build loyalty by knowing who their customers are, telling stories they see themselves in, and turning each interaction into a moment of affirmation. It’s about designing connected experiences that are meaningful, memorable, and, most importantly, human.

At Merkle, we help brands blend data, creativity, and technology to deliver these enriching moments across every channel. The result? Enduring, high-value relationships that drive ROI and grow customer lifetime value (CLV).

Introducing "What’s Your Shopper Sign?" – a loyalty concept developed by Merkle and Braze’s 427° Innovation Lab

To explore the future of emotional loyalty, Merkle teamed up with Braze’s 427° Innovation Lab – their experimental team focused on bringing bold ideas to life through creativity and technology. We worked together to develop our concept “What’s Your Shopper Sign?” - an idea that brings together customer data, personalisation, and social engagement to drive loyalty in a new way: 

What if a retail brand could help each customer discover their fashion identity – and share it with pride?

Using data-driven personas, “What’s Your Shopper Sign?” lets customers find their style alter-ego. Whether they’re a ‘Sunlit Styler’ or a ‘Viral Hits Superstar’, the experience taps into people’s desire for identity, fun and connection – while fuelling a cycle of engagement, social sharing and brand discovery.

How it works: data-driven personalisation, powered by Braze

At the heart of the idea is the smart use of data. Retailers can map browsing behaviour, purchase history, content engagement, and more to shopper personas with distinct characteristics and style affinities. This is made possible through Braze’s powerful data capabilities.

Here’s what that data mix might include:

• First-party data: purchase history, on-site browsing behaviour, location, device, time of day

• Custom events: video views, wishlists, cart abandonment

• Custom attributes: loyalty tier, preferred channels, sign-up source

By enriching these profiles with real-time data on cultural trends, influencers and music, brands can build dynamic, socially relevant personas that evolve with the customer.

Braze’s composable architecture makes it easy to integrate diverse data sources – through APIs, SDKs, CDP partners like Segment and mParticle, and Customer Data Ingestion (CDI) syncs – to power seamless, cross-channel personalisation. 

From insight to activation: sharing your shopper sign

Once the persona is identified, the real fun begins. CRM channels like email, in-app messaging, push, and SMS bring the experience to life with tailored content and creative storytelling. Think beautifully designed cards that reveal your persona, with prompts to “Share your sign” on social.

Braze’s Connected Content and AI Recommendations ensure every message feels unique. The former pulls in live data like name, persona traits or recent purchases, while the latter suggests products that match the customer’s style and preferences. Together, they make each interaction feel handcrafted.

And with Audience Sync, brands can continue the conversation across social platforms – reinforcing the shopper identity and inviting customers into a like-minded community.

Our role at Merkle? To show how brands can turn this idea into reality using data, technology, and real-time customer experiences.

Gamification meets social media: the loyalty flywheel

Gamification turns engagement into entertainment. It rewards curiosity, builds status, and creates moments worth sharing. When layered with social mechanics, these dynamics create a powerful loyalty flywheel: customers engage, share, attract new audiences, and re-engage – all while reinforcing their personal connection with the brand.

Loyalty today isn’t just earned. It’s expressed, shared, and celebrated.

Why this matters for modern loyalty

The best loyalty strategies now help customers say something about themselves. “What’s Your Shopper Sign?” transforms passive behavioural data into a meaningful identity moment – one that’s fun, social, and inherently personal.

With Braze, brands can bring this idea to life, moving from insight to execution in a way that feels seamless to the customer and powerful to the business.

After all, true loyalty isn’t locked in with points; it’s built through experiences that make people feel seen, understood, and valued.

Want to build stronger customer connections?

If you’re ready to explore how Merkle can help you reimagine loyalty using personalisation, data-driven storytelling and CRM innovation with Braze, get in touch with us today. We’d love to help you bring ideas like “What’s Your Shopper Sign?” to life – and turn every interaction into a moment of connection.

Frequently asked questions

What is Braze’s 427° Innovation Lab?

The 427° Innovation Lab is Braze’s in-house innovation team, focused on pushing the boundaries of customer engagement through experimental ideas and creative collaborations.

What is modern customer loyalty?

Modern customer loyalty goes beyond rewards schemes and discounts. It’s built through emotionally resonant, personalised experiences across all brand touchpoints. Today’s loyalty is rooted in understanding, engagement, and ongoing value exchange.

How can personalisation improve loyalty?

Personalisation helps brands speak to customers as individuals, making experiences feel more relevant, helpful, and rewarding. When customers feel seen and understood, they’re more likely to stay loyal and increase their lifetime value.

What are shopper personas and how are they created?

Shopper personas are data-driven profiles based on a customer’s shopping behaviour, preferences, and engagement patterns. They can be created by combining first-party data, CRM attributes, custom events and real-time cultural insights to build a rich, personalised view of each customer.

How does Braze help with loyalty marketing?

Braze enables brands to deliver personalised, cross-channel customer experiences in real time. With features like AI Recommendations, Connected Content, and Audience Sync, marketers can activate data at scale to power CRM journeys that feel relevant and human.

What role does social sharing play in loyalty?

Social sharing adds a powerful layer to loyalty. It turns personalised experiences into moments of expression and celebration, allowing customers to showcase their identity – and helping brands grow reach organically through peer-to-peer engagement.