Kobie 2026 Heart of Loyalty Report Reveals Growing Gap Between Consumer Expectations and Brand Loyalty Strategies

Global study finds consumers are more ready for AI, more willing to share data, and more motivated by recognition and shared values than many brands realize

Kobie, a global leader in loyalty technology and services, today released its 2026 Heart of Loyalty Report, which surveyed both consumers and practitioners, revealing significant gaps between consumer expectations and brand loyalty strategies across AI adoption, data sharing, recognition, advocacy, and community engagement.

Kobie's 2026 Heart of Loyalty Report found that:

• 57% of consumers are willing to engage with AI-powered brand experiences, yet 56% of loyalty practitioners believe customers are not ready for AI.
• 77% of consumers want recognition from brands, but only 55% feel seen as individuals.
• 72% of consumers say they would refer a brand without an incentive, yet many referral strategies remain heavily dependent on rewards.
• Rewards are the strongest driver of willingness to share personal data, yet only 65% of practitioners reward customers for sharing.
• Consumer expectations around loyalty are broadly consistent globally, but the factors that build trust, recognition and advocacy vary significantly across markets like Spain, France, Germany and UK.

The findings suggest many brands are underestimating consumer readiness for emerging technologies while overlooking emotional drivers that influence loyalty, advocacy, and long-term customer relationships.

"Many brands are still operating based on assumptions that no longer reflect consumer behavior," said Dr. J.R. Slubowski, Associate VP, Strategic Consulting at Kobie and lead of the Heart of Loyalty Consumer Research Report. "Consumers are more ready for AI, more willing to share data when value is clear, and more motivated by recognition and values alignment than brands realize. Kobie has been helping our clients close gaps like these long before the research existed, so they’re better positioned to drive retention, advocacy, and customer lifetime value."

Consumers Are More Ready for AI Than Brands Think

The report found that consumer readiness for AI exceeds practitioner perceptions. While 57% of consumers say they are willing to adopt AI-powered experiences, 56% of loyalty practitioners believe customers are not ready.

The research also found that familiarity with AI is a stronger predictor of adoption than trust alone. Consumers are most likely to embrace AI when it is useful, easy to understand and clearly disclosed.

Value Exchange Drives Data Sharing

Consumers continue to value trust and transparency, but the strongest driver of data sharing is receiving meaningful value in return.

Rewards emerged as the most influential factor in a consumer's willingness to share information. Meanwhile, 81% of consumers said they are unlikely to share data if they feel they are being asked for too much at once, highlighting the importance of progressive data collection and clear value exchanges.

Recognition and Shared Values Strengthen Emotional Loyalty

The report found that recognition and values alignment play an increasingly important role in building emotional loyalty.

While 77% of consumers want some form of recognition, only 55% feel seen as individuals by the loyalty programs they participate in. Consumers overwhelmingly prefer subtle, personalized recognition, with surprise rewards, birthdays and loyalty anniversaries ranking among the most memorable experiences.

The research also found that consumers who believe a brand reflects their personal values are significantly more likely to advocate for that brand, refer others and participate in brand communities.

Regional Differences Shape Loyalty Expectations

While several loyalty drivers remained consistent across markets, the research uncovered notable differences across Europe.

• Spain: Consumers demonstrated the highest familiarity with AI and the strongest willingness to adopt AI-powered experiences, while also showing higher levels of advocacy and community engagement.
• France: Consumers placed greater emphasis on data control and personalized recognition, including the ability to delete personal data and receive recognition for milestones.
• Germany: Consumers were less likely than in other markets to actively advocate for brands, but were more likely to expect tangible rewards alongside recognition efforts. They were also more likely to adopt AI-powered experiences when recommendations came from peers, friends or other trusted sources.
• U.K.: Consumers generally favored practical, low-friction loyalty experiences and were less likely to expect rewards as part of recognition efforts.

Key Takeaways for Loyalty Leaders

The report identifies four priorities for brands seeking to strengthen customer relationships:

• Accelerate customer-facing AI initiatives.
• Make recognition a core component of loyalty strategy.
• Create clear value exchanges to encourage data sharing.
• Build advocacy and community by understanding and reinforcing the values customers already associate with the brand, such as honesty, responsibility, creativity and trust.

The findings point to a broader conclusion: consumers are evolving faster than many loyalty programs. Across AI adoption, data sharing, recognition and advocacy, brands consistently underestimated consumer readiness and engagement. Brands that align their strategies with these changing expectations will be better positioned to drive engagement, retention and long-term growth.

Research Methodology

The 2026 Heart of Loyalty Report surveyed thousands of consumers and loyalty practitioners across North America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. The study examined attitudes and behaviors related to AI adoption, data sharing, recognition, advocacy, referrals, community engagement and emotional loyalty.

About the 2026 Heart of Loyalty Report

Kobie's Heart of Loyalty Report is an annual research study examining the psychological, emotional and behavioral factors that drive customer loyalty. The 2026 report includes responses from thousands of consumers and loyalty practitioners across North America and Europe and explores topics including AI adoption, data sharing, recognition, advocacy, community engagement and loyalty perceptions across global markets.

The full report is available here.

About Kobie

Kobie delivers market-leading, end-to-end loyalty solutions for the world’s most successful brands. With strategy-led technology, Kobie is consistently named an industry leader by Forrester with a mission of growing value through loyalty.

We turn complex customer data into actionable insights, leveraging human-guided AI and strategic services to enable loyalty outcomes across industries. Kobie Alchemy® Loyalty Cloud delivers and measures loyalty experiences that set brands apart. To learn more about partnering with Kobie and how we have been driving loyalty for more than three decades, visit www.kobie.com.

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