Antavo Published the Global Customer Loyalty 2024 Report
January 17, 2024
Twice as many organizations plan to increase their spend on customer retention over the next 12 months compared with customer acquisition. As a result, marketers are urged to shift focus as brands recognize the importance of engaging customers in the face of ongoing challenging economic conditions.
The research was carried out by loyalty technology provider Antavo as part of the Global Customer Loyalty Report 2024, which surveyed over 600 business respondents with a connection to their company’s loyalty approach, analyzed more than 30.5 million customer interactions performed on its platform during 2023, and conducted qualitative interviews with 50 experts. The report was written with additional insight from VML (formerly Wunderman Thomspon), EPAM and Frog / Capgemini.
The report also indicates that:
- 8 in 10 (81%) of organizations with a loyalty program felt they have proved helpful throughout the financial crisis
- 9 out of 10 reported a positive ROI, averaging over 40%
- The average annual spend of members who redeem personalized rewards is 4.3 times higher than those who redeem non-personalized rewards
- Only around half of the rewards offered in a loyalty program are redeemed.
Zsuzsa Kecsmar, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Antavo, said: “Sometimes marketers make the mistake of assuming that once a new customer has converted, their job is over. However, as businesses across all sectors continue to fight for market share, marketing and loyalty experts are increasingly recognizing the importance of continued engagement and impressing existing customers.
“Retention plays a major part in overall growth and, in a cost-of-living crisis, the battle for customers is fierce. As we enter 2024, brands are fighting hard to keep their market share and finding new ways to increase customer lifetime value is a priority.”
According to the survey, micro-targeting and diverse reward options are the most noteworthy loyalty trends, while premium programs are a rising trend that causes a lot of discussion. A quarter (26%) of businesses said that they planned to introduce a premium element to their loyalty program in the next two years.
The report also examines what businesses need in loyalty technology, with the ease of technology integration seen as the most important factor for them.
James Baker, Head of Strategy at VML, said: “This compelling research from Antavo shows that companies increasingly recognize the value of investing in retention over acquisition, as loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and refer others to your business. This report reframes the need for loyalty propositions to become the single connected ecosystem for the users of loyalty programs.”
Zsuzsa continued: “Being relevant for customers is critical. We know that consumers expect brands to deliver interactions that resonate with them and are getting increasingly frustrated when this doesn’t happen. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to customer engagement, and if retention is the objective, then ensuring that offers are personalized and informed by data is key.”
The full report is available to download now.
What is Antavo?
Antavo is the AI loyalty and incentives platform that brings together loyalty, promotions, and agentic AI to turn customers into regulars: the customers who come back on their own, buy more often, and bring others with them. For more than a decade, Antavo has powered identity-led loyalty strategies for brands including SKIMS, Paul Smith, KFC, Flying Tiger, and Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection. Marketers build, change, and launch programs and promotions themselves, without waiting on engineering. Learn more at antavo.com.
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Eva Bacsi, Marketing Director
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Frequently asked questions about Antavo
What can brands build with Antavo?
Brands use Antavo to run the whole loyalty and incentives program on one platform: points, tiers, challenges, streaks, referrals, clubs, and rewards beyond discounts; promotions and incentives for members and non-members alike, from bonus points and promo codes to bundles and cart-level offers; and agentic AI built in. Everything runs online, in store, on mobile, and in wallet, and marketers launch it themselves.
Who uses Antavo?
Antavo works with mid-market and upper-mid-market brands across fashion, retail, beauty, travel, hospitality, restaurants, and sports in North America and Europe: multi-market, omnichannel brands with a strong identity and customers worth keeping, including Paul Smith, KFC, SKIMS, Rip Curl, Benefit Cosmetics, and Hyatt's Inclusive Collection.
How long has Antavo been around?
Antavo was founded in 2012 and has been building loyalty programs for more than a decade, with teams across Europe and North America serving brands worldwide.
Why do brands switch to Antavo?
Most loyalty programs get stuck: reduced to a discount engine, generic to customers, or too rigid to evolve. Antavo removes those compromises. Brands get a program that feels unmistakably their own, loyalty and incentives on one platform, and the depth to handle tiers, expirations, refunds, and many markets at scale. Their own marketers run it: a tier change in an afternoon, live when they press the button.
How does Antavo use AI?
Antavo's agentic AI is built in, not bolted on. Two named agents do the work: the AI Loyalty Expert, which turns your ideas into a build-ready program, and the AI Analyst, which turns your data into clear answers and reports. Both work inside Antavo or connect to Claude and ChatGPT, and every answer is grounded in your own program and data.
What does Antavo integrate with?
Antavo is API-first with real-time webhooks and deep pre-built integrations, from Shopify, Klaviyo, Braze, and Bloomreach to the CRMs, CDPs, ESPs, and POS systems you already use. Antavo plugs into the stack you already run rather than replacing it.
