Loyalty has become a crowded and engineered element of retail. Most major retailers now offer some form of rewards ecosystem, yet many consumers remain underwhelmed, unconvinced, or simply disengaged. The assumption has often been that the answer lies in building richer programmes, adding more perks, or increasing personalisation. But our latest research at The Harris Poll UK suggests something different.

In fact, we are already seeing leading retailers move in this direction. The April 2026 relaunch of Sparks by Marks & Spencer is a timely example. The revamped proposition shifts toward ‘pounds, not points’, introduces a digital Sparks wallet, places greater emphasis on simpler monetary rewards, and aims to improve relevance and timeliness. Notably, the redesign appears to respond to several of the same themes our research surfaces: consumers want loyalty to feel simpler, more rewarding and easier to use. Whether Sparks succeeds remains to be seen, but strategically, it reinforces the broader shift underway.

Our data reveals a clear set of commercial principles for cutting through in today’s market, and they challenge some long-held assumptions about what drives loyalty success.

The everyday journey is no longer routine

Have you noticed fewer cars on the roads lately? It’s not your imagination. For many of us, it’s now something we think twice about. Rising fuel costs are reshaping how, when and why people travel.

Our latest research shows that 59% of UK drivers have used their vehicle less in the past three months. This is not just about driving less. Even routine journeys are now being questioned.

At a Market Research Society event in London this week, a deceptively simple question was posed: ‘Will researchers need to understand research in the future?’

It is tempting to assume the answer is ‘No’. As AI becomes more capable, surely the need for deep expertise fades. But that line of thinking assumes the challenge is simply operating the technology, and that is not where the real risk lies.

Since 2020, we have tracked UK consumer sentiment and behaviour as the cost-of-living crisis has unfolded through multiple phases. 

Our latest Q2 2026 data points to a clear shift: underlying pressures have not disappeared, but the drivers are changing. External factors are reasserting themselves, adding a new layer of volatility just as households were beginning to adjust. 

In our recent article, Spending with care: the current reality of big-ticket purchases in the UK, we explored how consumers are continuing to engage with major purchases, but with a more considered mindset. Spending has not stopped, but expectations around what feels manageable and worthwhile have shifted.

Automotive brings that mindset into sharper focus. It is a category where the financial commitment is high, the decision is rarely impulsive, and the consequences of getting it wrong feel more significant. As a result, it shows more clearly what consumers need to move from consideration to action.

Our data demonstrates what car finance providers need to be thinking about when shaping their propositions and customer conversations in 2026 and beyond.

Subscriptions are built on the promise of convenience. Increasingly, however, that promise is being tested not at the point of sign-up, but at the point of exit. From streaming and gaming to fitness and food delivery, they have reshaped how people access products and services, offering flexibility and ongoing access that has quickly become part of everyday life. As subscriptions evolve, that promise is increasingly judged by how straightforward it is to leave.

As the Advertising Standards Authority increases its focus on misleading imagery, and platforms like TikTok continue to favour raw, unfiltered content, brands are facing a different kind of creative pressure. At the same time, categories like food are already under scrutiny through HFSS regulation, with higher expectations around realism and representation. This is the environment AI-generated advertising is entering. 

AI offers clear advantages in speed, scale and cost. But our latest research at The Harris Poll UK suggests a more complicated picture. While AI may make it easier to produce advertising, it may also make it harder to earn belief. 

Whether it’s a family day out, a visit to a heritage site, or a spontaneous trip to a theme park, the British public increasingly turns to weather apps as their decision-making compass. For operators of outdoor attractions, these forecasts have become a critical, and sometimes frustrating, part of the visitor economy. Some attraction owners report that a single rain symbol can cost them up to £137,000 in a day, and our research supports the impact of rain in the forecast, with an increase from 20% to 40% for the chance of rain driving an incremental third of consumers to change their plans. 

Based on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 UK adults, our latest research highlights a clear behavioural shift: weather apps are not just influencing decisions, they are actively reshaping them. 

From Next’s acquisition strategy to the growing concession model trend, the UK retail landscape is being reshaped. The high street is undergoing a structural shift as large retailers acquire struggling brands and expand concession models, redefining how consumers experience retail.

But this is not simply a change in format. It signals a broader rebalancing in what consumers expect from retail. Shoppers are open to greater convenience and consolidation, but not at the expense of brand identity, discovery or experience.

For brands and retailers, this creates a new challenge. Growth may come from scale and efficiency, but long-term value will still depend on how well these fundamentals are protected and delivered.

Recent geopolitical tensions and disruption to international aviation routes have created uncertainty around how UK travellers may respond in their holiday planning. In partnership with Travel Weekly, The Harris Poll UK surveyed a nationally representative sample of UK adults in mid-March 2026 to understand initial consumer reaction. 

The research explored near-term travel intentions, recent shifts in booking behaviour, destination preferences, and confidence in travelling to or via Gulf destinations. It also examined how willingness to travel abroad varies across different time horizons over the coming year. 

The findings offer an early indication of how global instability is shaping travel decision-making. They highlight the extent to which consumers are delaying commitments, reassessing risk and adapting plans rather than stepping away from overseas travel altogether. 

Our latest research at The Harris Poll UK highlights a growing expectation that future leadership will be shaped not only by knowledge and experience, but by human understanding, ethical judgment and the confidence to navigate uncertainty.

It reflects something I’ve increasingly recognised in my own work. In the insights industry, we are often asked to provide certainty. Clients want clarity, leaders want confidence, and organisations want to know what happens next.

The longer I spend in research, leading teams and partnering with organisations through rapid change, the more I have come to value something I once tried hard to avoid: ‘not knowing’.

With an estimated 1.6 million people already using GLP-1 drugs in the UK, and our research indicating that one in four adults would consider trying them in the future, we may be approaching an important societal inflection point in how people think about food. This raises the question of whether a broader wave of dietary behaviour change could reshape eating habits now, and in the years ahead. ….

In this article, we explore current food trends and the ways GLP-1 weight loss drugs may already be influencing behaviour, helping brands anticipate what could be coming next.

Financial confidence in the UK remains fragile. Our latest Cost-of-Living data for Q1 2026 shows sentiment has deteriorated for three consecutive waves, with 62% now believing the economy is heading in the wrong direction. 

Household finances are under pressure too. 56% say their financial position is unchanged versus last year and 25% say it has worsened, leaving just 19% feeling better off. Energy bills have risen again, food and drink prices are up 4.5%, and headline inflation reached 3.4% in December. 

Brand experience has entered a new phase. What people think, feel and do with your product or services no longer stays between them and their immediate circle. It travels. 

Social platforms have turned everyday customer moments into public narratives, reshaping how brands are discovered, judged and recommended. At the same time, influence is fragmenting. Smaller creators, peer voices and dedicated communities are gaining ground over traditional brand-led communications. 

The implication is straightforward. Brands are no longer the sole authors of their story. The organisations that thrive will be those that design experiences, partnerships and spaces with participation in mind, not just promotion. 

A popular fix that may not fix anything

Politicians love a simple solution. Few proposals feel as satisfyingly clear cut as banning under 16s from social media. It sounds bold. It sounds decisive. And it resonates with a public that is understandably anxious about the impact of online platforms on young people.

With 78% of UK adults supporting such a ban, it is easy to see why the idea is gaining traction.

But here is the uncomfortable truth. Bans make headlines, not safe children.

Romance has always reflected the times we live in. From handwritten letters to text messages, candlelit dinners to app-booked experiences, each generation finds new ways to say the same old thing: you matter to me.

So as artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, it’s natural to wonder whether something meaningful might be lost along the way. Are algorithms and automation quietly cooling the emotional warmth of love?

In the light of Valentine’s Day this weekend, we look at new data from The Harris Poll UK, which suggests the opposite may be true.

A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting in the back of a fully driverless Waymo in Los Angeles. A friendly welcome from a calm, automated voice, a smooth pull-away from the curb, and the slightly surreal moment when your brain catches up with what your eyes are seeing… the steering wheel is moving, but no one is driving.

I won’t pretend it felt normal straight away. I trusted the technology intellectually; emotionally, that took longer. And with the announcement last week that driverless taxis will roll out in London later this year, it’s that exact tension that our latest research here in the UK brings into sharp focus.

For decades, “free returns” has been treated like a hygiene factor in online retail: a frictionless promise that keeps conversion rates healthy. But that model is now under increasing pressure from rising operational costs and could even become an historical anomaly.

Retailers are paying closer attention to returns behaviour, and customers who consistently push the system too far are beginning to feel the consequences. ASOS, H&M and Pretty Little Thing have all reviewed their returns policies or have actively closed accounts of serial returners.

This past Monday was “Blue Monday”. Aside from sounding like a New Order song, it is often cited as the most depressing day of the year. The good news is that we made it through unscathed. The less good news is that the weather does not appear to have improved much since.

With Blue Monday falling this week, it feels like a timely moment to check in on our Optimism tracking and look at how positive UK consumers were feeling as we closed out December.

In her Autumn Budget, the Chancellor made her intentions clear. She wants UK consumers to invest more. From April 2027, future cash ISA limits will be reduced to £12,000, while financial services providers are being encouraged to proactively reach out to customers with investment options and products. 

The logic is straightforward. Shifting consumers from saving to investing should help unlock capital, fuelling growth and giving businesses the funding they need to expand and innovate. 

The challenge is that the UK currently has the lowest investment rate of all G7 countries. So why are UK consumers so reluctant to move beyond savings accounts and into investments? And what is really holding them back from swapping safe piggy banks for higher risk but potentially higher return options? 

Our latest data helps explain why this shift may be harder than policymakers hope.