The Latest
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Dani James/CX Dive
Target cuts 500 roles, invests in store payroll and customer experience
The mass retailer, which cut about 1,000 corporate positions last year, is now putting "significantly" more investment into store labor and hours.
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Customers reward ‘relevance, not repetition’
Just over half of consumers say they have switched to a competitor because they’ve been bombarded with too many messages, according to an Optimove survey.
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What Lowe’s has learned from the Mylow AI assistant
A year since launching Mylow, the retailer is improving how it uses AI to connect online and in-store experiences, fine tune personalization and instill trust.
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Courtesy of RaceTrac
RaceTrac joins wave of loyalty updates
The retailer is revamping its existing tiered rewards setup through a partnership with AI-powered loyalty solutions company Capillary Technologies.
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How the IOC’s data platform engages Olympics fans from flame to flame
The International Olympic Committee uses its customer data platform to engage fans with personalized, relevant content from one Olympics to the next.
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Courtesy of Albertsons
Albertsons unveils one-stop digital shop for party planning
The new platform, Celebrations, is equipped with the grocer’s new AI shopping assistant and gives customers access to a wide range of hosting and decorating necessities.
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Amazon CEO says retailers have upper hand in agentic AI shopping
Andy Jassy believes third-party agents are good at aggregation, but retailers still hold the advantage in customer trust and data.
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Google plans new checkout experience inside AI mode
Executives see agentic AI as a driver for growth and are working to improve the experience through its Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard for agentic commerce.
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Courtesy of Lowe's
Lowe’s adds kids workshops to its loyalty program
The home improvement retailer is building out its MyLowe’s Rewards program with “great member-only moments,” SVP of Digital Commerce Joe Cano said.
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Courtesy of Fogo de Chao
Fogo de Chão deploys AI phone system
The full-service chain has been leaning heavily on AI to manage various elements of its operations to enhance the guest experience.
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Courtesy of Sonos
With reliability restored, Sonos focuses on customer advocacy
Having spent the past year working to win back customer trust, the sound company is ready to build on that, rolling out new products and previewing its AI ambitions.
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Humana rolls out AI support tool for call centers
Agent Assist, developed with Google Cloud, summarizes conversations between workers and beneficiaries while highlighting relevant information, like enrollees’ benefit and eligibility details.
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Courtesy of Chipotle/Photograph by Media Wisdom Photography Ltd
Chipotle plans to relaunch its loyalty program in the spring, CEO says
The updated loyalty program will target in-restaurant customers and remove friction from the checkout experience, CEO Scott Boatwright said.
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AI is saving customer support teams time, survey finds
Other benefits include scaling support without growing headcount and reduced cost to serve, according to an Intercom survey.
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Permission granted by Qualtrics
Qualtrics appoints former Oracle executive CEO
Jason Maynard takes the helm of the experience management company as AI’s role in customer experience grows.
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Courtesy of The Vitamin Shoppe
The Vitamin Shoppe opens AI-enabled store in NYC
The location debuts the company’s Shoppe Advisor, an AI-powered discovery tool that focuses on in-store education, engagement and personalization.
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Does upselling boost sales or lead to customer regret and distrust?
“Upselling only helps the business when it helps the customer maintain confidence and control,” EY’s Patricia Camden said.
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FedEx launches AI tools to answer customers’ last-mile questions
The tools automatically answer common queries such as “Where is my order?” and “Where is my refund?”
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Courtesy of Just Salad
Just Salad launches ‘instant gratification’ rewards system
While many restaurant chains are shifting to points-based programs, the salad brand is leaning into gamified mystery rewards on every order above $12.
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What CX leaders need to consider as the AI regulatory landscape evolves
Despite the prospect of a more unified regulatory framework following the Trump administration’s executive order on AI, experts warn against treating the directive as a signal to relax AI oversight.
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Peyton Bigora/CX Dive
How Sprouts gamifies employee training
Swapping out longer learning modules for “bite-sized” games has improved associate performance, the grocer shared at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show.
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Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Verizon plans to fight churn with better end-to-end experience
CEO Dan Schulman said the company will deploy AI at scale to help it reduce complexity, anticipate customer pain points and personalize interactions.
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Retrieved from PhotoMIX Company from Pexels.
The customer experience outlook for 2026
Inflation and economic uncertainty are leading companies to court wealthy customers with premium experiences, while AI could upend digital customer journeys.
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Southwest expects loyalty program benefits from switch to assigned seating
The airline completed its shift from open to assigned seating Tuesday, which creates the opportunity to offer loyalty members extra benefits, such as choosing a seat or checking bags for free.
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Courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks Rewards moves to a tiered structure
The chain is not changing the core points-for-dollar mechanism behind its Rewards system, but some consumers will earn points more quickly.
