As financial pressures pile up, Canadians are favouring affordability over familiar brands, with many opting for private-label products. It's one of the various coping strategies people are adopting, pushing brands to get creative to build trust and encourage loyalty amid economic turbulence.

Airlines are slashing rewards programs, making it harder to earn elite status, and cutting benefits to create exclusivity. As the cost of living crisis makes travel harder, it remains to be seen whether consumers will remain loyal to airlines as their hard-won status becomes less valuable.

Amid high rates of inflation and a cost of living crisis, grocery shoppers are increasingly prioritizing affordability over brand loyalty. However, with a 93% membership renewal rate, Costco is demonstrating how supermarket chains can maintain and attract budget-seeking customers.

In many sectors, customer loyalty is believed to be a make-or-break factor in the success of a business. But what differentiates loyalty from habitual purchases? We spoke to neuroscientist Cyrus McCandless to understand the spectrum of loyalty and habit when it comes to consumer-brand engagement.