A new report, ‘Trend Loyalty,’ has revealed that ‘True Loyalty’ is in decline in Australia. In its place, an emotionally charged, fast-moving allegiance driven by viral moments rather than long-term trust, the Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) from SAP Emarsys has found.
Many (36 per cent) Gen Z shoppers admit to buying a product purely because it was trending on social media – almost double the rate of the general population. The same proportion says they’re loyal to brands that trend, while 26 per cent will be less loyal if a trending product disappoints.
Lifelong brand devotion has been replaced by viral moments with 14 per cent more likely to trust a product if it goes viral, 13 per cent trusting TikTok and social media trends more than ads or brand websites, 16 per cent bought products promoted by influencers, – almost double the overall average of 21 per cent – and 51 per cent say they’re loyal to products, not brands.
“Trend Loyalty is simultaneously a risk and an opportunity for brands. It’s driven by hype, not history. If marketers want to turn the emotional rush of a trending moment into something more meaningful and lasting, they need to move fast – and understand each customer on a personal level. What sparked their interest? What emotional need did the trend tap into?” Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys said.
AI-powered personalisation at scale is key. It empowers brands to respond with relevance and speed, transforming one-off moments into repeat engagement and long-term loyalty.”
Trend Loyalty represents a powerful opportunity for brands that understand their customers in real-time. In a world shaped by shifting values and fast-moving trends, success depends on connected data and real-time personalisation.
Cult classic, sportswear brand PUMA is already putting this strategy into action. Behind the scenes, the brand leverages AI and automation against its rich vertical first-party data, SAP Emarsys allows brands to generate greater insights into consumer behaviours, create more consistent, personalised journeys, and deliver them across all our consumers’ different touchpoints, whether online or offline, within one single platform.
Alongside the CLI, SAP Emarsys has launched the first-ever B2B Buyer Loyalty Index (BLI): a new study exploring how business buyers form loyalty and make decisions. Together, the CLI and BLI offer a comprehensive view of how loyalty is evolving across both consumer and enterprise audiences.
“Loyalty means giving customers a reason to repeat, expand and refer,” said Fred Reichheld, Bain Fellow, and creator of the Net Promoter Score.
“Every interaction – whether with your brand, your people, or your systems – should deliver value that customers and partners would genuinely miss if it disappeared.”
Forward-thinking brands are embedding loyalty into the core of their business, using AI to personalise at scale, connecting engagement with operational systems to deliver unified experiences.
