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The Science of Loyalty

Customer Loyalty Isn't Rational... It's Primal

Gain insights into the psychology of customer loyalty, explore loyalty's evolutionary roots, and develop science-backed strategies to help differentiate your brand from competitors.

  • Reward

    The brain's reward system, fueled by dopamine, lays the groundwork for essential habit formation. Behavioral elements of reward include reciprocity, pleasure, and recognition.

  • Memory

    Memory is a pivotal force in decision-making, shaping people’s perceptions through associations with past experiences. Behavioral elements of memory include familiarity, consistency, and ease.

  • Emotion

    Emotion influences both memory and social interactions that foster lasting connections between brands and customers. Behavioral elements of emotion include feeling and identity.

  • Social Interaction

    Social dynamics and interactions reshape our brains and behaviors, significantly influencing consumer decision-making. Behavioral elements of social interaction include social proof and social identification.

“A basic understanding of the fundamental drivers of behavior and decision-making will outlast any cultural trend.”

Dr. Cyrus McCandless, neuroethologist studying goal-directed behavior and decision-making
Cover of the Strategic Loyalty Playbook by Maichimp in partnership with Canvas8

When you download, you also receive the Strategic Loyalty Playbook

Turn the Science of Loyalty into action with tactical approaches that can help marketers improve their loyalty strategies. Uncover myth-busting insights and plot your customers on our Commitment Spectrum. Plus, learn about prompts and how they can be used to drive customer motivation and ability.

Explore The Shopping Mindset

We surveyed 4,000 consumers across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia to uncover The Shopping Mindset. Learn more about what drives customer purchases and gain insights into how your marketing can increase the odds of them buying again.

Reasons consumers repeatedly purchase from the same brand:

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"All statistics from a Canvas8 conducted panel-sample online survey on behalf of Intuit Mailchimp February 17–27, 2024 consisting of 4,000 respondents (1000 from each of the US, UK, Australia, Canada ages 18 to 65). The margin of error is +/- 5.5 percent, as reported at a 95 percent confidence level."