Krishna Mohan appointed Loyalty Director to lead the company’s expansion
The Dubai office marks the expansion of the company’s global network, which includes New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, and Melbourne, and will support clients across the region as loyalty strategies increasingly shift towards payments, digital ecosystems, and customer data, according to press information available.
The Middle East loyalty market is forecast to grow from US$ 3.4bn in 2026 to US$ 5.6bn by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 12.8 per cent, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. Over the same period the UAE market is forecast to reach US$ 592.4mn and Saudi Arabia US$ 1.27bn.
Customer retention
As investment in customer retention and personalization accelerates, several trends are reshaping loyalty across the region, creating a growing need for specialist expertise:
Loyalty program design continues to evolve: Competition across the region is focusing on owning everyday customer journeys, with rewards tied to fuel, grocery, mobility, and bill payment.
AI is driving rapid change: The application of AI across loyalty ecosystems is delivering personalization of communications, offers and experiences at scale across physical and digital channels. Knowing how to use the technology is key.
Loyalty is being embedded in payments and digital wallets: Programs are increasingly being designed as a layer inside national wallets and payment apps. Loyalty programs combined with digital wallets, co-brand credit cards, and payment apps are expected to become the dominant model across the region, and programs without payment integration risk losing relevance.
Retail groups are building multi-brand ecosystems: Large regional groups are consolidating loyalty across diversified portfolios so members can earn and redeem across grocery, malls, fashion, dining, and entertainment. Strategic partnerships are a critical element to enable bespoke experiences and support brand differentiation
Ecommerce and quick-commerce platforms are building their own loyalty layers: Margin pressure and high churn are pushing platforms to reduce their reliance on discounting, using efficient rewards, subscriptions, and delivery benefits to stimulate repeat behaviour instead.
Loyalty & Reward Co’s Dubai office will support brands across retail, financial services, hospitality, travel, healthcare, telecommunications, quick service restaurants, and other high-frequency consumer sectors.
“Loyalty & Reward Co bring proven design frameworks and commercial modelling from more than 160 projects globally, without a proprietary technology platform of their own to sell. That independence is critical when boards are making significant investment decisions around loyalty,” commented Mohan.
“Krishna is the right person to lead our expansion in the region. The Middle East is one of the few markets where loyalty is being rebuilt around payments and ecosystems at the same time, and that is the work we do best,” asserted Philip Shelper, CEO, Loyalty & Reward Co.
