Dive Brief:
- Customer loyalty is becoming more polarized, according to a survey released last week by Sogolytics. The share of shoppers who say they are “very loyal” grew to 35% in the Q2 2026, and the share of shoppers who are at least “somewhat disloyal” rose to 33% in the same period.
- The cohort of shoppers who describe themselves as “somewhat loyal” to brands shrunk, falling from 43% in the first quarter of the year to 32% in the second quarter, according to the survey of more than 1,000 consumers.
- Proper data governance could improve loyalty. Two in five customers say protecting customer data is the area companies should focus on over the next decade to improve CX, making it consumers’ No. 1 pick, ahead of reducing costs for consumers at 37%.
Dive Insight:
Customers care about price, but strong data governance can build trust as well. That approach works best with transparent communication that avoids interrupting the overall flow of the experience.
Just under half of customers trust companies to protect their personal information. Another two-thirds say they would stop doing business with a company that sold their data without consent.
Brands looking to build trust may want to consider how they communicate their data practices with customers as well.
Two-thirds of consumers say companies should be more transparent about how personal data is used, and 62% say they are more loyal to brands that clearly explain their privacy practices.
Customers don’t care about how companies have set up their data architecture, according to Julie Geller, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. Disclosures should be clear about how data requests connect to the experience and should feel like a natural part of the customer journey.
“Transparency doesn’t have to feel rigid or interrupt the experience,” Geller said in an email. “It can be part of the brand’s personality and part of the brand promise. The most trusted digital experiences don’t separate transparency from the conversation but weave it into the way they interact with customers.”
Brands should practice “just-in-time” transparency rather than just rely on generic disclosures, according to Geller. This means explaining why the company needs a piece of information and how it will help.
“For example, ‘Share your location so I can show what’s available nearby,’ or ‘I’ll remember this preference so you don’t have to repeat it next time,’” Geller said. “The explanation becomes part of the experience.”
