About this keynote
Customer retention is often treated as a numbers game, but in reality, it’s a deeply human issue. In this fresh and challenging talk, I wanted to uncover why so many brands struggle to hold onto their customers despite flashy loyalty schemes and constant “engagement” efforts.
We look at the difference between transactional loyalty (discounts, points, incentives) and emotional loyalty (connection, trust, and belonging), and argue that true loyalty can’t be bought, it must be earned.
Using insights from anthropology, human psychology, and real-world behaviour I’ll show how brands often focus on the wrong signals, measuring superficial metrics while missing deeper emotional needs.
Through practical examples and real-life case studies, I’ll give pointers about how to move beyond short-term tactics to foster genuine, lasting customer relationships.
The idea is to challenge audiences to rethink how they see loyalty; not as a reward system, but as a two-way, human-centric relationship built on respect, understanding, and value.
This talk will leave you questioning whether you’re truly serving your customers or just assuming you are.
Key Themes
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Emotional Loyalty vs. Transactional Loyalty
True loyalty stems from emotional connection, not discounts or incentives. -
Misunderstanding Customer Needs
Brands often measure the wrong things and miss what really matters to users. -
Retention is Relational, Not Just Tactical
Building loyalty is about long-term human relationships, not short-term tactics. -
The Power of Anthropology and Human Behaviour
Understanding human emotional drivers is key to fostering deeper brand loyalty. -
Breaking the Myth of “Engagement”
Engagement alone doesn’t mean loyalty; brands must look deeper. -
Respect and Authenticity Matter
Customers stay loyal when they feel genuinely valued, heard, and respected. -
Practical Observation Over Guesswork
Watching real behaviour reveals more about loyalty than relying on assumptions or surveys alone. -
The Invisible Cost of Ignored Emotions
Brands that fail to connect emotionally risk silent customer churn.
Ton Wesseling
Founder of Conversion Hotel, Experimentation island, Experimentation Culture Awards.
Abi is a fit for any audience that wants to get a wake up call on anything User Experience. Powerful storytelling, strong knowledge, British humour and many years of experience. The attendees of your conference will adore her.
Find out about Conversion Hotel, Experimentation Island or the Experimentation Culture Awards
Ole Gregersen
Conversionboost founder and host
As founder of the Conversionboost Conference in Copenhagen I have had the pleasure of presenting Abi Hough to 200 attendees from the picky danish optimization community – and they loved it. With a sincere personal touch she proved to us all, that she has the master skills and extensive experience to support a keynote talk at a conference like ours. I would recommend Abi to anyone doing an event like ours.
Find out about the ConversionBoost conference.
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