Reports and Guides

We’ve reached a breaking point. Every day, the average person is bombarded by up to 10,000 commercial messages, yet our biological capacity to process information hasn't changed in millennia. For senior leaders, the challenge is clear: The more we try to reach the customer, the more we risk pushing them away. In an era of digital abundance, volume is no longer a virtue—it’s a source of friction. This report is a response to that friction. Cowry and Braze brought together the precision of AI and the insights of behavioral science to redefine the relationship between brand and consumer. In this report, we explore: 1. The shift from persuasion to partnership: Why marketing needs to support decisions, not just drive persuasion. 2. The psychology of personalization: Why AI-enabled personalization works, and when it may backfire, through a behavioral science lens. 3. Designing human-centered AI: Resolving the tension: How human-centered AI scales personalization without eroding performance or trust.

As competitive and economic pressures increase, earning customer loyalty can be harder than ever for brands. Many consumers regularly switch brands despite loyalty program membership or trade down to lower-priced products. But many brands are in denial about this reality with the majority of brand executives believing customers have grown more loyal in recent years compared to just 39% of customers. This disconnect and erosion of loyalty is forcing brands back into costly acquisition strategies when retention efforts have failed, silently undermining margins. AI can stop the drop. But only if it's used in the right way. In this guide we cover: Top trends and data insights. Five high-impact AI levers that “frontier firms” can use to create and compound customer loyalty in a highly competitive landscape. Case studies of impactful AI in action, with the results they achieved.

To more fully understand the potential return on investment (ROI) and business impact that a customer engagement platform can have, Braze commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impactᵀᴹ (TEI) study. Forrester found that Braze customers achieved a 457% return on investment over three years, with a net present value of $23.5 million and payback in less than six months. The study examined the combined business impact of the Braze platform and BrazeAI Decisioning Studio™ on a composite organization representative of interviewed Braze customers. This research, which explored the benefits, costs, and risks associated with investing in the use of Braze as a customer engagement platform, included interviews with six decision makers with an average of more than five years experience using the Braze platform in connection with their marketing efforts. The Total Economic Impact™ Of Braze, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Braze, April 2026.

We’ve reached a breaking point. Every day, the average person is bombarded by up to 10,000 commercial messages, yet our biological capacity to process information hasn't changed in millennia. For senior leaders, the challenge is clear: The more we try to reach the customer, the more we risk pushing them away. In an era of digital abundance, volume is no longer a virtue—it’s a source of friction. This report is a response to that friction. Cowry and Braze brought together the precision of AI and the insights of behavioral science to redefine the relationship between brand and consumer. In this report, we explore: 1. The shift from persuasion to partnership: Why marketing needs to support decisions, not just drive persuasion. 2. The psychology of personalization: Why AI-enabled personalization works, and when it may backfire, through a behavioral science lens. 3. Designing human-centered AI: Resolving the tension: How human-centered AI scales personalization without eroding performance or trust.