19 Ways to Connect With Customers and Build Loyalty in 2026

TL;DR Summary Customer loyalty in e-commerce has declined from 77% in 2022 to 69% in 2024, making retention the highest-ROI growth lever for brands in 2026. Acquiring a new e-commerce customer costs $45–$250+, making churn rates of 70–75% annually a direct threat to profitability. Emotionally connected customers are 5.7x more likely to trust a brand, resulting in significantly higher lifetime value than transactionally loyal buyers.