Don’t Equate Loyalty with Repeat Purchase
Ahmed Khairy, CEO of Gameball talks about why true loyalty goes beyond transactions—brands must build emotional connections, personalise experiences, and leverage AI to stay ahead.
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Loyalty programs have evolved far beyond traditional “earn & burn” models. Today’s customers expect more than just transactional rewards—they seek personalised experiences, emotional connections, and engaging interactions with the brands they love. Discussing this and more was the CEO of Gameball, Ahmed Khairy.
“The moment you add gamification to a loyalty program, you see a shift in how customers interact. Suddenly, shopping feels more like a game, and customers enjoy the journey instead of just focusing on the rewards. Engagement skyrockets and spending habits change too.”
Gameball is a customer engagement platform specialising in gamification, loyalty management, and omnichannel personalisation. Ahmed oversees the development and implementation of solutions that help businesses enhance customer retention and engagement. Under his tenure, Gameball has expanded to serve over 22,000 businesses globally, facilitating more than $2 billion in transactions and delivering over 100 million personalised messages annually.
Talking to Martechvibe, Ahmed discusses how businesses are leveraging AI, gamification, and data-driven personalisation to create loyalty programs that not only retain customers but also drive deeper engagement and higher spending.
Excerpts from the interview:
What trends are you seeing in loyalty programs that are driving deeper customer engagement?
I think people have caught on to the fact that simple ‘earn & burn’ programs simply don’t cut it anymore. Loyalty programs are becoming increasingly more personalised and gamified – whatever they can do to stand out. Brands need to humanise themselves, and personalisation is the best way to do that.
How do you balance offering appealing rewards while ensuring profitability for businesses using Gameball’s solutions?
We give brands full autonomy over their loyalty programs. They decide what it takes to earn rewards and what form these rewards take on: points, discounts, free shipping or free products. This way, they are in complete control of their finances and what they are comfortable offering as incentives without hurting their profit margins. To optimise this and leave no room for error, we’ve invested heavily in AI to help manage profitability. The idea is to lend you a helping hand and do the heavy lifting for you. It continuously checks business performance and adjusts configurations automatically for maximised profitability.
How can personalised rewards based on individual customer behaviour impact long-term loyalty?
When people feel they are being personally spoken to on a human level, when they feel seen and heard, they instantly become more receptive to your messaging. That’s the first step in creating a meaningful connection with your customers. And without a relationship, there can be no loyalty. And if you reach out consistently with the right message at the right time, you start to become part of their lives. You become their go-to, their trusty companion. If you show them you’re always thinking of them, they will always think of you.
ALSO READ: How will Travel Loyalty Programmes Evolve in 2025?
What are some common mistakes companies make when building a loyalty or rewards program, and how can they avoid them?
A common mistake I’ve seen across brands is a lack of originality. You have to consider your customer base and use the tools at your disposal like segmentation and analytics and use these insights to build an effective program. In other words, the biggest mistake is not considering that not all consumers are motivated by the same things. Another major pitfall is equating loyalty with repeat purchases only, when a big part of it is driven by emotions. While transactions are important, true customer loyalty is emotional, not just transactional.
How do you measure the effectiveness of a loyalty program in terms of customer retention and lifetime value?
You can’t just guess if your loyalty program is working. You need hard numbers to back it up. The customer retention rate is a great starting point. If loyalty members aren’t shopping more often than non-members, that’s a sign your program isn’t compelling enough.
Another key metric is customer lifetime value (CLV). A strong loyalty program should increase how much a customer spends over time. If CLV isn’t improving, it’s worth re-evaluating how valuable your rewards actually are.
And don’t overlook redemption rates. If customers aren’t redeeming their points, something’s wrong; either the process is too confusing, or the rewards just aren’t exciting enough. The best programs make it ridiculously easy to earn and redeem so customers stay engaged.
Lastly, keep an eye on repeat purchase rates. If loyalty members aren’t shopping more frequently than non-members, then the program isn’t doing its job. The goal isn’t just to sign people up; it’s to keep them coming back.
What changes in customer behaviour have you observed as a result of introducing gamification into loyalty programs?
The moment you add gamification to a loyalty program, you see a shift in how customers interact. Suddenly, shopping feels more like a game, and customers enjoy the journey instead of just focusing on the rewards.
For one, engagement skyrockets. When customers can unlock milestones, earn surprise bonuses, or compete in challenges, they check in more often and interact with the brand in ways they wouldn’t have before. Instead of shopping just when they need something, they come back to see what’s new, what challenges they can complete, or what level they can reach next.
Spending habits change, too. Customers spend more per transaction when there’s an incentive to hit the next reward tier or unlock an exclusive perk. It’s basic psychology—people love progress bars, achievements, and a sense of accomplishment.
What emerging tech excites you and why?
The world of loyalty and retention is evolving fast, and some of the emerging tech is completely changing the game.
AI-powered personalisation is a big one. Imagine a loyalty program that predicts what you want before you even know you want it. AI-driven insights can analyse a customer’s shopping behaviour and automatically send them the perfect reward at the perfect time—without the brand needing to lift a finger. No more generic one-size-fits-all discounts—just hyper-personalised engagement that actually feels relevant.
ALSO READ: We Need Loyalty Strategies that Evolve in Real-Time
