NEWS
The death of brand loyalty? Gen Z drives a loyalty‘ recession’
The age of lifelong brand devotion is over. For the first time,
‘ true loyalty’ has stalled in the UK, according to the fifth annual Customer Loyalty Index( CLI) from SAP Emarsys.
In its place, a new phenomenon is emerging:‘ trend loyalty’ – an emotionally charged, fast-moving allegiance driven by viral moments rather than long-term trust: 45 % are more likely to trust a product if it goes viral; 33 % trust TikTok and social media trends more than ads or brand websites; 41 % have bought products promoted by influencers – almost double the overall average of 21 % and 64 % say they’ re loyal to products, not brands.
This is particularly true of younger generations, with 43 % of Gen Z shoppers admitting to buying a product purely because it was trending on social media – almost double the rate of the general population. In fact, 20 % of Gen Z say they’ re loyal to brands because they trend, while 25 % will be less loyal if a trending product disappoints.
“ Trend loyalty is both a risk and an opportunity for brands,” said Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys.“ 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.”
“ 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.”
Workplace mentoring and coaching essential to boosting performance, retention and wellbeing
Workplace mentoring and coaching are now essential drivers of business performance, staff retention and employee wellbeing in the UK, according to a major new report from the Association of Business Mentors( ABM). The findings show that over two-thirds of businesses have seen a positive impact on overall business performance from their mentoring and coaching programmes, and a further 60 % attributed an improvement in employee wellbeing to their programmes.
The survey of HR and People Directors from medium and large businesses across the UK, reveals the substantial impact that mentoring and coaching programmes are already having inside organisations, whilst also highlighting the challenges around access, resources and measurement that must be addressed to unlock their full potential.
Additional key findings from the report include:
• Alongside improved business performance and employee wellbeing, 66 % of businesses also reported that mentoring and coaching programmes have boosted employee retention and talent attraction
• Businesses are rapidly adapting to the growth of AI, with 77 % now using AI to support their mentoring and coaching programmes
• However, there are challenges to the benefits of workplace mentoring and coaching being more widely felt with lack of time and availability( 47 %), difficulty matching mentors and mentees( 39 %) and limited budget and resources( 38 %) being the most commonly cited challenges
In addition to these findings, the research found that nearly all HR leaders( 98 %) believe that accreditation of workplace mentoring and coaching programmes would add value and help improve standards. x
12 www. intelligentcxo. com