Loyalty schemes are leaving Brits cold, HyperFinity study finds
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
A HyperFinity survey of 2,000 UK consumers finds most feel loyalty schemes treat them no differently from anyone else, and over half are less loyal to retailers than three years ago — with personalisation, including AI-driven offers, cited as the fix.
What the study found
Retail AI firm HyperFinity polled 2,000 UK consumers and found 61% have joined loyalty schemes but felt treated identically to non-members, while 55% cite irrelevant offers as their main frustration. A striking 52% say they are less loyal to retailers than three years ago, and 36% have quit a retailer over poor savings.
The appetite for a better deal is clear: 79% want personalised offers and 69% are comfortable with AI-powered personalisation, according to commentary from HyperFinity co-founder Thomas Hill.
The loyalty paradox
The findings puncture the loyalty-scheme arms race. Retailers have poured investment into points, tiers and apps, yet most shoppers feel no more valued for joining — a gap between the promise of loyalty and the lived experience.
The problem isn't loyalty schemes as a concept; it's generic execution. A programme that treats a member exactly like a stranger delivers the cost of loyalty without the benefit.
Personalisation is the unlock
With 79% wanting personalised offers and most comfortable with AI doing it, the message is that relevance, not more points, is what earns loyalty now. Shoppers will happily trade data for genuinely useful, tailored offers.
That reframes loyalty spend: the winning move isn't a richer points table, it's using the data a scheme already collects to make every offer feel like it was chosen for that individual. The technology to do this at scale finally exists.
Our read for marketers
The takeaway is to audit your loyalty programme against one test: does a member's experience actually feel different from a non-member's? If not, you're paying for loyalty you're not delivering.
And invest in relevance over generosity. In a world where shoppers are less loyal and more offer-fatigued, the retailer that makes each customer feel individually understood wins the loyalty everyone else is buying with blunt discounts.
Quick FAQ
What did the HyperFinity loyalty study find?
In a poll of 2,000 UK consumers, 61% felt loyalty schemes treated them identically to non-members, 55% cited irrelevant offers, 52% are less loyal than three years ago, and 36% have quit a retailer over poor savings.
What do shoppers want instead?
Relevance: 79% want personalised offers and 69% are comfortable with AI-powered personalisation — suggesting tailored offers, not more points, earn loyalty now.
What should retailers do about it?
Audit whether a member's experience genuinely differs from a non-member's, and invest in relevance over generosity — using existing loyalty data to personalise every offer.
— Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
Loyalty is now won on relevance, not generosity — audit whether members genuinely feel different from strangers, and invest in personalisation over more points.
Does being a member of your loyalty scheme actually feel different from not being one?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Decision Marketing, Retail Technology Innovation Hub.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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