Locking in Loyalty: How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships

Every brand dreams of building a loyal customer base, but many fail to achieve it. Why? Because genuine loyalty is built on meaningful, lasting connections—not fleeting interactions. To succeed, marketers need to understand each customer, personalize engagement, and deliver value at every touchpoint.

We know that’s a tall order. So to help you out, we looked at two brands that are getting it right. In our recent webinar, Ishan Sharma, Senior Creative Strategist at Braze, sat down with Pawel Luberadzki, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at KFC Western Europe, and Austin Hed, Product Manager at CVS Health, to find out what strategies and tools have worked for them.

Our conversation revolved around the Braze loyalty formula: Earn, Deepen, Spread. It's a simple, practical way to foster long-term relationships. We’ll also explore:

• How retention differs from long-term loyalty
• The role data plays in nurturing customer relationships
• Actionable ways to build loyalty from the first interaction

Earning Loyalty

First, you need to know the difference between retention and loyalty. In a nutshell, retention is about keeping customers, while loyalty is about making emotional connections. Like Pawel said, “Loyalty isn’t something you buy or design. It’s something you earn.”

So how do brands earn loyalty? The first step is to understand your audience and figure out what makes you different. That means asking yourself: Who do you want to connect with and what tone will resonate? Once you have those foundations in place, you can build custom channels and lifecycle programs to engage with customers.

Austin recommends starting with a robust onboarding process and relevant incentives that help customers see value right away. You’ll build trust through consistent, transparent communication that reinforces your commitment to meeting their needs. Data can also help you enhance experiences through personalization and deliver the right message at the right time. “Understanding data and using it to refine your messages is crucial," Austin noted.

To earn loyalty, focus on small, meaningful interactions over time rather than relying on grand gestures. Loyalty grows through consistent, thoughtful actions that demonstrate care and commitment.

As Austin puts it, “Loyalty is a journey. And starting early is key to long-term success.”

Deepening loyalty

Deepening loyalty means moving beyond the basics to deliver personalized experiences that make customers feel genuinely understood and valued. You have to adapt your approach to customer expectations and preferences in order to encourage ongoing engagement.

“A points-based program is not the only way,” Pawel added. “The market has been flooded by points that nobody understands or redeems.”

KFC’s approach involves creating localized strategies tailored to specific markets. “Our team in Spain has developed a unique, light-hearted, sometimes sarcastic language across platforms,” Pawel explained. “By using that tone in push notifications, they create snappy, engaging content that strengthens relationships without relying solely on discounts or promotions.”

For CVS Health, deepening loyalty means prioritizing personalization. “Push and in-app messages are incredibly impactful because they allow for personalized, timely, and contextually relevant interactions,” Austin said.

To deepen loyalty, brands must first understand customer behaviors and use those insights to personalize their engagement strategies. Leveraging customer data allows brands to deliver timely, relevant messages that truly resonate. When executed effectively, personalized and contextually relevant experiences build stronger connections, transforming casual customers into loyal advocates.

Spreading loyalty

Once a brand has earned and deepened loyalty, the next step is to spread it. By turning loyal customers into advocates, brands can amplify their reach and drive long-term growth.

KFC spreads loyalty through creative engagement strategies. “Our regional teams design locally relevant messaging consistent with our brand language,” Pawel told viewers. “For example, using assets like our iconic buckets in culturally specific ways allows us to build an emotional connection while staying true to our identity.”

“It’s important to not disappear into a sea of sameness,” Pawel continued. “Too many brands want to ‘have’ a loyalty program because others have it.”

For CVS Health, brand advocacy begins with outreach through owned channels. “Push notifications are ideal for real-time updates, like reminding customers about an offer that's expiring," Austin says. “In-app messages are perfect for guiding users once they’re already in the app, highlighting promotions, or showcasing savings.”

To spread loyalty, brands should focus on creating moments worth sharing. This might include celebrating customer milestones, offering exclusive experiences, or introducing referral incentives. By empowering customers to advocate for your brand, you deepen their loyalty and attract new customers.

Final thoughts

Building loyalty isn’t about a single program or strategy. It’s about consistently understanding your customers and delivering meaningful value.

Start by deeply knowing your audience. Use data to uncover their behaviors, preferences, and pain points, then translate those insights into actionable personas and segments to guide your outreach.

From there, focus on providing value at every stage of the customer journey. Highlight how your brand meets immediate needs while enhancing long-term experiences. Reinforce this value through personalized, relevant content that truly resonates.

Remember, loyalty begins with the first interaction—whether during onboarding or after a purchase—and strengthens through consistent, timely engagement that keeps your brand top of mind. Engaging early and often is the key to building lasting relationships.

Forward-Looking Statements

This blog post contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the performance of and expected benefits from Braze and its products. These forward-looking statements are based on the current assumptions, expectations and beliefs of Braze, and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Further information on potential factors that could affect Braze results are included in the Braze Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2024, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on December 10, 2024, and the other public filings of Braze with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this blog post represent the views of Braze only as of the date of this blog post, and Braze assumes no obligation, and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.