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LEVERAGING
LOYALTY
How retail incentives will evolve in 2026.
By Sam Panzer
Loyalty is moving up the C-suite agenda, and the momentum behind it has never been stronger. Engagement with loyalty schemes was already surging in 2025, with the UK seeing a sharp increase in program participation as 80 percent of consumers actively engaged in at least one scheme. This was particularly apparent over Black Friday, when retailers using Talon. One’ s platform saw loyalty program enrolments double compared to 2024.
As 2026 unfolds, loyalty schemes are becoming an even greater mechanism for ongoing customer engagement. Here are three key ways I expect retailers’ approach to loyalty and incentives to evolve in the coming year.
Loyalty and promotions converge into a single strategy
As competition for consumer spend intensifies, retailers are reassessing how they attract and engage customers in a sustainable way. Rather than treating promotions and loyalty as separate tools with different objectives, more retailers are bringing them together to create joined-up, personalized incentives that reward consumers and deliver return on investment.
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