The Product Loyalty Landscape

One-Night Stands

Products used once and quickly forgotten; novelty apps, impulse buys, trendy micro-tools. Loyalty? Non-existent. Retention? Nearly zero.

Flings

Brief and exciting but temporary; subscriptions dropped after the hype fades or tools replaced as soon as something fresher arrives. Enjoyable, yet unsustainable.

Relationships

Committed, but only for a season. Think the current wave of AI tools, hopped between as new features get released, or fitness apps that get switched out as goals evolve. These products feel dependable but are vulnerable to tempting alternatives.

Marriages

Products deeply embedded in daily life: Spotify bangers at the gym, your go-to Starbucks order, Slack, or Duolingo. These products become extensions of your identity, some due to switching costs or company mandates, others due to exceptionalism. These offer unwavering loyalty and unmatched retention.

Why the Boom in One-Night Stands? AI and vibe-coding tools (Bolt, Lovable, Cursor, V0) are empowering builders to flood the market with rapid, disposable creations, leading to consumer promiscuity.

Consumers swipe through products, reducing some established brands to mere options among endless choices.

Consumers Playing the Field Choice overload breeds restlessness.
Consumers are testing a higher volume of apps per year, fueled by Gen Z’s pursuit of novelty. TikTok-driven virality and shifting algorithms accelerate product churn, up 15% since 2019 (Bain). Trust is scarce, and the new dynamic has become sampling widely and committing rarely.

Navigating AI Relationships I experience this daily: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Grok - I bounce between them without a thought. ChatGPT’s context and conversation history gives it a slight edge, but truthfully, I’m not a die-hard advocate for any.

I'm just riding feature waves and novelty tides, and for specific use cases, finding the 'tool' that works best.

The risk for these AI products is clear: they're stuck playing an endless game of feature ping-pong. Users chase flash rather than trust brands deeply enough to give them the space and patience needed for true innovation. Can a brand break through this noise and build lasting loyalty in an era dominated by fleeting relationships?

Designing Products for Loyalty: Moving from Flings to Marriages

To build lasting loyalty, brands must foster emotional connections that solidify identity. Two key pathways to achieve this:

1. Cultivate Community
   Passionate communities turn casual users into lifelong advocates. Fanatics Live transformed card breaking from a niche hobby into a thriving community and professional passtime, driving nine-figure GMV in just a few short years (we were fortunate enough to work with them and design their brand and MVP). Rapha elevated cycling from a sport into a community-driven lifestyle through rides and exclusive clubs. Similarly, Notion and Figma nurture communities through a product that empowers it's users, giving them a sense of mission and belonging, then stacking IRL conferences and ritualized viral moments that bring people together.
2. Purpose-Built with Intentional Design
   Great design is design that deeply resonates with your audience. Family Wallet captivates users with whimsical characters, immersive motion design, and meticulous attention to detail. It's not for the Crypto investor, it's for the web3 creative. Mymind's elegant interface transforms the concept of a "second brain" into something users genuinely vibe with. Robinhood and Telegram set the bar high with their thoughtful onboarding experiences - each interaction deliberately crafted to welcome and excite new users, making them feel seen and valued.

Emotional connection isn’t optional - it’s foundational. Products that achieve this deliver significantly higher value, with emotionally connected customers generating much greater LTV than ones that are simply 'satisfied'.

The Marriage Mindset: Identity as Ultimate Loyalty

The strongest products aren't just tools, they reflect and shape identity. Your phone is more than technology; it's your lifeline. Your playlist is more than music; it's a 'Spotify Playlist' that demonstrates who you are. Your new language skill made possible by DuoLingo is something you're proud of and talk about with friends, family, and total strangers.

Retention is gold, but it must be earned through trust, community, and design so intentional it becomes personal.

In a market overflowing with transient thrills, build something indispensable, something your customers wake up to daily. In the age of AI-driven abundance, the greatest competitive advantage isn't just 'the newest feature', it's becoming an irreplaceable part of someone's identity.