How to build a loyalty engine that brings innovative, personalized rewards to market

Summary: Consumer brands use embedded finance to deepen customer engagement by offering personalized rewards based on real spending data, embedding branded cards directly into their apps and websites, providing flexible payment credentials (debit, credit, BNPL) on a single card, and expanding value beyond core retail offerings. These strategies increase loyalty, retention, and revenue by meeting shoppers however they want to pay.

Building loyalty and retention into your business model is no longer a "nice-to-have" incremental driver of growth. Why's that? Because as consumer expectations shift, the stakes get higher and higher, and retailers need to be ready, willing, and able to meet the demands of their shoppers to be well positioned for a shifting market.

Here's why consumer acquisition and loyalty, and the rewards and incentives that drive it, matter more today than ever before. The numbers below come from Marqeta's 2026 State of Credit Report, based on a survey of 4,000 consumers and 1,000 SMBs across the US and UK:

The card is the front door: One-third of consumers who hold more than one product with their primary provider started with a credit card, a figure that rises to 60% among those under 35. Win the card, and you're positioned to win the relationship.

• Shoppers switch by transaction: 85% of consumers weigh multiple factors before choosing how to pay, and 59% used both debit and credit in the past 90 days. They aren't disloyal, they're deciding purchase by purchase.
• The right offer still moves them: 71% of consumers aged 18 to 44 say the right incentive could influence their choice.
• Static programs are falling behind: 48% of consumers aged 18 to 44 want a single card that can switch between debit, credit, and BNPL at checkout, a demand a traditional one-product program can't meet.

Together these say something simple: your shopper isn't loyal to one way of paying, and the retailers that win are the ones whose programs recognize and reward that behavior.

So if consumer loyalty is now this important, how do you find a competitive edge to foster it? One that empowers you to create stickier experiences that keep your existing customers inside your own ecosystem and native app, all while attracting new ones? Let's drill down into three ways you can increase customer loyalty, gain more customers, and drive growth for your business.

1. Unlock the power of personalized rewards

The goal seems simple: attract new shoppers, and retain existing ones, by offering the types of incentives that speak to their needs and motivations. Yet to do that, you need to use your own consumer insights to drive more frequent and meaningful interactions. By engaging with the right embedded finance partner, you can build an infrastructure that lets you tap into dynamic, in-depth consumer insights tailored to shoppers based on interest, spend levels, and location.

And with the help of branded cards and digital accounts, you can bring innovative, personalized rewards to market with functionality that includes end-to-end rewards management, rewards accrual, rewards ledger, and rewards redemption, all based on real consumer data. You can even create new or enhanced offerings within hours.

What's the benefit of offering personalized rewards?

• Greater revenue through increased loyalty and retention
• Larger ticket sizes
• More frequent customer interactions

Learn more about Marqeta's incentives and rewards solutions.

2. Put your brand front and center with every card interaction

To grow your brand, you need to reinforce your financial incentives at every touchpoint you have with your shoppers. This means embedding your brand's card, and its benefits, directly into your website and mobile app.

What is a branded consumer credit card? A branded consumer credit card is a payment card issued under a retailer's brand that integrates directly into the brand's digital ecosystem. With access to over 100 APIs (or prebuilt UI and UX templates), brands can embed the card experience into their app and website.

What's the benefit of embedding financial solutions into your existing platform?

• Greater revenue through more brand interactions
• Greater cross-selling opportunities
• Accelerated brand growth

Ready to help your customers do more with a brand they know and trust, and give them a personalized experience from someone that truly knows them?

Learn more about how Marqeta can help put your brand's financial incentives front and center.

3. Meet your shoppers however they want to pay

Here's the piece a traditional loyalty program misses. Even a perfectly personalized rewards program is usually built on a single, static product: one card, one set of rules. But that's not how your shoppers think about paying anymore.

The 2026 State of Credit Report found that 71% of consumers aged 18 to 44 want the ability to switch between different credit products on a single card, and that static, single-product programs no longer match how consumers actually manage their finances. The appetite for more from a single provider is already there, too: 39% of credit card holders already hold additional products from the same provider.

What are flexible credentials? Flexible credentials are a single payment card that can function as debit, credit, or BNPL, switching based on the transaction or the shopper's preference at checkout.

For a retailer, that's a retention strategy. Instead of losing the transaction when a customer wants to split a payment or pay from debit, your card flexes to fit, so the purchase, and the data, stay with you. And it doubles as an acquisition channel, since for younger shoppers the card is the entry point to a broader relationship with your brand.

Personalized rewards tell your shopper you know them. A flexible credential proves it, by meeting them however they choose to pay, on a single card that carries your brand.

4. Deepen relationships with your shoppers beyond your core business

Beyond delivering the "here and now" offerings, your business can drive new acquisition and loyalty by expanding your brand's value outside of your core offerings. You can be more to your shoppers by leveraging your key strengths to deliver new value through tailored payment solutions embedded right into your brand's experiences. Here's how.

Deliver a truly differentiated experience. Stand out from the competition with a brand experience that goes beyond the expected, offering curated recommendations, personalized partnerships, and predictive insights, all by leveraging the consumer data gathered through embedded financial products.

Go beyond your core business. Provide more value to your customers using customizable features, fine-tuned controls, and the ability to instantly adjust your card program, all of which help deepen your customer relationships.

What's the benefit of deepening relationships through embedded finance?

• Greater revenue through happier and more-engaged customers
• Additional banking capabilities within one app or website
• Expanded offerings beyond your core business model
• Clear differentiation from competitors

Ready to build upon your core offering with seamlessly embedded financial solutions that let you provide more value to your shoppers and expand your relationship with them?

Learn more about how to go beyond "business as usual" with Marqeta's consumer solutions.

Bringing it together

By unlocking the power of personalized rewards, putting your brand front and center with every card interaction, meeting shoppers however they want to pay, and deepening relationships beyond your core business, you'll be able to see what life looks like next for your business, all from the power of embedded finance bolstering your consumer acquisition and loyalty strategy.

Ready to build your loyalty engine?

The businesses winning today are the ones whose card programs meet shoppers however they choose to pay, reward them in real time, and turn everyday purchases into lasting relationships. Marqeta can help you build that, from personalized rewards to flexible credentials, all embedded in the brand your customers already know.

Let's talk about what a modern card program could look like for your business.

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