The Loyalty Illusion: What American Consumers Reveal About the Gap Between Being a Member and Being Committed
Welcome to the Loyally Illusion where 98% of consumers say they've a degree of loyalty to brands but only 1 in every 3 actually mean it.
March 05, 2026
1:00 PM EST
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About The Event
Join Bill Hanifin as he sits down with Aaron Dauphinee to unpack WMG's latest Wiser Research U.S. consumer study — insights from 2,000+ shoppers active in loyalty and rewards programs across Home Improvement and Convenience & Fuel retail. Together, they'll explore why membership numbers can be misleading, what's driving customer defection, and the strategies separating programs people ignore from programs people love.
They will discuss:
- The Perception Gap — Why high enrollment doesn't equal true loyalty, and how to measure what actually matters
- Sector Playbooks — Tailored strategies for Home Improvement's project-based paradox and Convenience & Fuel's high-frequency, low-loyalty challenge
- The 90-Day Cliff — Why early engagement is make-or-break, and the interventions that prevent costly member disengagement
Presented in partnership with
Featuring
Bill Hanifin is CEO of Wise Marketer Group (WMG), home to The Wise Marketer — the Global Voice of Customer Loyalty — and The Loyalty Academy™, the world's only professional certification body for loyalty marketers. More than 1,200 professionals across 57 countries have earned the Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ (CLMP™) designation through the Academy's programs.
Active in the customer loyalty and payments industry for over two decades, Hanifin has designed, implemented and managed customer growth strategies and loyalty programs for globally recognized brands — including American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Shell, PepsiCo, Panera Bread, 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Scotiabank — across more than 20 countries and virtually every customer-facing vertical market.
A specialist in consumer purchase behavior, Hanifin has developed proprietary models for loyalty ROI modeling and customer lifetime value, turning complex loyalty economics into frameworks audiences can act on immediately. In addition, Bill has pioneered linkages between behavioral science and data driven marketing / customer loyalty.
A seasoned keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at industry events worldwide, he finds inspiration through participation in endurance sports over the past twenty years.
Aaron Dauphinee is CMO and Partner at Wise Marketer Group (WMG) — home to The Wise Marketer™, the global voice of customer loyalty reaching 15,000+ professionals worldwide, and The Loyalty Academy™, the world's only professional certification body for loyalty marketers. More than 1,300 professionals across 55 countries have earned the Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ (CLMP™) designation through the Academy's programs.
With 25+ years in consumer-centric and data-driven marketing, Aaron is an award-winning B2B marketer and recognized thought leader in customer loyalty strategy, loyalty program design, and using data intelligently to drive brand value. His career spans senior roles at Bond Brand Loyalty — where he led the development of The Loyalty Report™ — as well as Rubikloud (CMO), Aimia, Gartner CEB, Alliance Data, and Shell Canada. He also taught Marketing for five years at Toronto Metropolitan University.
At WMG, Aaron drives the research, education, and content initiatives that equip loyalty professionals at every level — from emerging practitioners to senior executives — to build deeper customer commitment and measurable business results.