Loyalty Pulse France 2026 - The Customer Engagement Barometer

French consumers and loyalty programmes: between pragmatism, opportunism and unmet expectations

The loyalty landscape is undergoing a metamorphosis. This first Loyalty Pulse gives you the keys to mastering its new codes.

Drawing on data and behavioural observation, we wanted to take a fresh look at loyalty. Expect to discover a complex landscape, where traditional strategies collide with a more mature, more demanding consumer, deeply transformed by the economic and technological context.

At VML, we are convinced that the loyalty programme is no longer a simple tactical retention tool – it is a basic contract, a tacit agreement for value creation. In a saturated market where attention is a scarce commodity, we observe that transactional mechanics and data transparency have become the non-negotiable foundations of any relationship. It is this clear-eyed approach – where technology must serve real utility without ever erasing the need for human reassurance – that has guided our thinking.

The study highlights a fine-grained segmentation of consumers, with profiles ranging from "Deal hunters" to "Loyalty skeptics," and very different expectations across age groups. These dynamics outline a significant challenge for brands: designing loyalty strategies that resonate with diverse usage patterns, beyond mere gimmicks, in order to create authentic, transparent and tailored perceived value.

Why launch this study today?

Offering a thorough and up-to-date vision of the relationship between French consumers and loyalty programmes, across 16 brand categories.

Providing quantified, concrete and actionable answers to the challenges we regularly encounter in our assignments: what is the true perceived value of a loyalty programme? What are the engagement drivers? What are the real expectations?

Formalising a reliable benchmark that reflects the behaviours and expectations of French people in 2026, a solid foundation for shaping the loyalty strategies of tomorrow.