43% of U.S. consumers more likely to join a loyalty program than last year
Despite a surge of interest in loyalty programs, more than a quarter of U.S. consumers aren’t spending their points, losing out on an estimated $10 billion in savings a year, according to research published by Antavo.
The London-based firm, which provides cloud-based technology for managing loyalty programs, surveyed more than 1,000 American shoppers to produce its Antavo Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026.
Antavo’s data made a strong business case for launching or developing a loyalty program. A majority of close to 82 per cent said they use such programs at least a few times a year, and close to 42 per cent take advantage of promotions every time they drop.
From a retention perspective, 31 per cent of consumers said they are more likely to continue doing business with a brand that offers a loyalty program. While saving money and the potential for free items were the biggest incentives, 41 per cent said they also want personalized rewards.
Consumers also want flexibility in how they access and manage loyalty programs. There was an almost even split among those who said they prefer using a mobile app, a digital card and even plastic cards.
Brands are seeing the value, the report suggested, with 65 per cent of 3,000 marketing professionals saying loyalty programs help foster greater customer engagement.
Stimulating greater utilization should be a priority for brands that want to take their loyalty programs to the next level, Antavo argued.
“Unused loyalty points are not a technical issue: they are a signal of disengagement,” the report’s authors wrote. When points sit unused,
members miss out on rewards or benefits, which weakens their engagement with the program.”
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While Antavo said its research pointed to a new “golden age” of loyalty programs, the report shows there’s still considerable work to be done for those at the coalface.
For example, nearly 44 per cent of program owners say investing heavily without seeing a strong financial return is a big red flag. Gaining that visibility is an even greater challenge: only one out of 10 program owners said they had no challenges analyzing loyalty program data.
There’s also work to be done in enhancing the day-to-day experience of being a loyalty program member. Nearly half of consumers say it takes too long to redeem rewards, and 41 per cent their rewards expire before they can be used. A significant proportion (39 per cent) also said the rewards on offer aren’t attractive.
Perhaps as a result, nearly three quarters of consumers (74 per cent) quit a loyalty program after just two months last year. Antavo likened this to quiet quitting, where only 3.4 per cent of consumers actively cancel their membership.
The complete, gated 33-page Antavo report is well worth downloading, with lots of additional data about the rising impact of AI on loyalty program management, case studies and more.
