Mark Sage

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𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 ‘𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿’ 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

That sounds like good UX.

But loyalty isn’t a checkout flow.

When everything is effortless, nothing feels earned.

So customers stop keeping score.

Progress disappears.

And the programme quietly becomes a discount.

Here’s the mechanism most teams miss: effort isn’t the enemy. Confusion is. If the customer knows what to do, and can see the progress, a little friction can actually increase commitment. It’s the moment where the customer decides it’s ‘worth it’. and that decision is emotional, even when the programme is rational.

This shows up everywhere.

In coffee stamps, where the sixth drink matters more than the first.

In airline tiers, where ‘nearly there’ is a psychological trapdoor.

In retail challenges, where a goal converts price-chasing into completion.

Most programmes accidentally train people to chase ‘value’.

fewer steps

instant rewards

always-on vouchers

And then they wonder why engagement decays.

If everything is ‘frictionless’, nothing feels earned.

Not because people love effort — but because they love evidence of progress.

📈 Progress beats discounts.

🧠 Memory beats ‘value’.

🧱 Friction can be the feature.

where the effort actually sits

when drop-off really happens

and whether your ‘best customers’ are just the last survivors

If your loyalty programme is getting ‘simpler’ every quarter, check what you’re really optimising ⚠️

It’s not punishment.

It’s progress.

https://lnkd.in/exampleLink

👉 𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗸𝘀.

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