Ask most shoppers in the UK if they’re loyal to a brand and many will say yes. They feel good about it. They trust it. They’ve bought from it for years.
But scratch the surface and that loyalty is far less secure than it looks.
New research from SAP Emarsys shows a widening gap between what customers say about loyalty and how they actually behave when money, convenience, or experience come into play.
On paper, loyalty is alive. In practice, it’s on a short leash.
What people say vs what they do
The 2025 Customer Loyalty Index paints a familiar picture for UK consumers.
Around two thirds say they “love and trust” a favourite brand. That sounds reassuring. Until you look at the behaviour underneath.
Six in ten will move for a better price. Nearly half walk away after a poor experience. More than a quarter quit following a controversy or over sustainability concerns.
None of this points to fickle customers. It points to customers who are under pressure themselves. Household budgets are tighter. Expectations are higher. Tolerance for friction is low.
Loyalty still exists, but it’s conditional.
B2B loyalty is no safer
If consumer loyalty looks fragile, B2B loyalty is often misleading.
The Buyer Loyalty Index shows most business buyers claim they’re loyal to suppliers. But dig deeper and the reality is more uncomfortable. Over 70 per cent of that loyalty is classed as “default”.
They stay put because switching systems, contracts, or integrations feels like a headache. Not because the relationship delivers clear value.
That’s not loyalty. That’s inertia.
And the moment switching becomes easier, or a better offer lands at the right time, those buyers are far more open to change than many suppliers expect.
Loyalty that looks fine, until it doesn’t
Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys, describes this shift bluntly.
She compares it to quiet quitting. Customers haven’t left. They’re still buying. But emotionally, they’ve checked out.
It’s easy for brands to miss this stage because revenue still ticks along. There’s no obvious warning light. Until suddenly there is.
A price rise tips the balance. A clumsy service interaction finishes the job. A competitor makes the move easier.
The data brands already have but don’t use
What’s striking is that most brands already hold the signals that predict this behaviour.
They can see browsing patterns soften. Email engagement drop. Complaints rise. Orders space out. Support tickets repeat.
The problem isn’t data collection. It’s connection.
That information sits scattered across marketing tools, commerce platforms, service desks, and finance systems. It exists, but it doesn’t talk to itself. By the time a human spots the pattern, the customer has already decided to leave.
This is what many teams now refer to as dark data. Not hidden. Not secret. Just unusable when it matters.
Why this matters now, not later
UK businesses are operating in a tougher environment than they were even a few years ago.
Marketing budgets face scrutiny. Customers expect recognition across channels. Journeys stretch from shop floor to mobile to customer service, often in a single day.
Despite this, many organisations still can’t act on customer signals in real time. Data is messy. Systems don’t align. Decisions lag behind behaviour.
The result is loyalty based on habit rather than engagement built on understanding.
A different approach in practice
Some brands are already proving there’s another way.
Molton Brown has invested in bringing its customer data into one connected view, linking commerce, marketing, and engagement rather than treating them as separate worlds.
That shift has translated into tangible results. Repeat purchases are up. Email has become a serious revenue channel again. Sales growth has followed, supported by a smoother experience across online and offline touchpoints.
It’s not about clever messaging. It’s about relevance, timing, and consistency.
Loyalty hasn’t gone. It’s just earned differently now.
The takeaway is simple.
Customers haven’t fallen out of love with brands. They’ve become more selective about what they put up with. Loyalty now lives or dies in the everyday details. Price fairness. Joined-up service. Feeling recognised rather than processed.
Brands that still rely on sentiment surveys and historical spend will keep being surprised when customers leave.
Those that pay attention to behaviour, and act on it quickly, won’t be.