Retailers bet on AI for customer experience, ‘smart’ shopping

Large retailers are using AI to enhance supply chain operations and tailor customer offerings, the companies said on Q2 earnings calls.

By Paige Gross • Sept. 2, 2026

Customer service AI implementations have a knowledge problem

Only about one-third of organizations retain the customer context between systems AI needs to drive true customer service resolutions, a Talkdesk survey found.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 31, 2026

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Top 5 stories from CX Dive

The top stories from CX Dive look at customer experience trends, generative AI use cases and the components of a good tech stack.

By CX Dive staff

The customer experience stack was built for humans. AI changes everything.

AI is changing who does the work in CX. The architecture underneath it needs to change, too.

By Andy Lee, CEO of Crescendo • Aug. 31, 2026

Best Buy emphasizes expert support with AI shopping assistant

Rolling out in phases, Ask Blue can answer shopping questions or guide users to customer support as needed.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 27, 2026

Williams-Sonoma AI assistants drive customer engagement — and conversions

Customers who use Olive, Williams Sonoma’s AI agent, convert at three times a higher rate than those who do not.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 27, 2026

From AI ambition to CX results: Watch Genesys Xperience 2026 live

See how CX leaders are moving agentic AI from vision to measurable results at Xperience 2026.

Aug. 26, 2026

Customers still want access to a human in customer service

While half of customers say their customer service interactions are easier when companies use generative AI, 9 in 10 want the option to speak to a human, Gartner finds.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 25, 2026

AI agent headcount triples in 15 months: Salesforce

The software vendor’s research finds organizations are deploying agents in under two days, even as ROI remains elusive.

By Nidhi Sharma • Aug. 21, 2026

Only one-quarter of AI customer service use cases produce ROI

Customer service teams are increasing investments in the technology even as economic value remains elusive, Gartner finds. 

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 17, 2026

Beyond the bot: How AI-powered workforce engagement is redefining the contact center

AI turns contact centers from bot deflectors into resolution machines — smarter agents, better outcomes.

Aug. 17, 2026

AI adoption in CX is accelerating, but few projects produce value

While 70% of CX practitioners say their organization has adopted AI in CX, only a fraction are seeing a return on investment, Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk’s Antoine Nasr said.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 14, 2026

Schnucks beefs up its digital tools for shoppers

The grocer’s customers can now use an AI tool on the app and website as well clip digital coupons directly from its revamped, interactive weekly ad.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Aug. 14, 2026

Etsy pins growth hopes on personalization following mixed quarter

The marketplace, which reported a net income loss and plans for layoffs, is still struggling with user growth and purchase frequency.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 12, 2026

Target taps Lowe’s executive as first chief AI officer

For Chandhu Nair, collaboration will be essential as the retailer focuses on how technology can elevate user experience.

By Nicole Laskowski • Aug. 12, 2026

Allstate preps Allie platform to drive agentic strategy, enhance customer service

Earlier this year, the company said AI was helping take customer service tasks off agents’ desks.

By Roberto Torres • Aug. 11, 2026

Employers may not be training workers well enough for widespread AI disruption

Advanced skills, such as managing AI agents, do not tend to be the focus of employer training, The Conference Board said in a report.

By Kathryn Moody • Aug. 10, 2026

Airbnb reaches another service milestone with its AI assistant

The company’s AI assistant can resolve nearly 45% of issues brought to it without a human agent, while delivering much faster resolution times, according to CEO Brian Chesky.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 7, 2026

Uber CEO expects AI investments to provide incremental CX gains, conversions

While Uber is early in its AI journey, “all of these either drive conversion or improve the fundamental experience of the consumer,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 6, 2026

Booking Holdings’ connected trip strategy boosts loyalty

The parent company of Booking.com, Agoda and Priceline wants travelers to book multiple travel verticals with the company for the same trip.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 5, 2026

How to make customer service agentic AI live up to its potential

Businesses see success when they have clean, accessible data and understand where agentic AI can replace live support and where it can’t.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 4, 2026

The EU AI Act requires AI transparency. What does it mean for CX?

Companies that want to do business in the European Union will now have to disclose when customers interact with AI and when content is AI generated. It’s as much of a CX issue as a compliance challenge.

By Kristen Doerer • July 31, 2026

Amazon customers are embracing Alexa for Shopping

The number of active users of Alexa for Shopping nearly doubled in the second quarter, with interactions up five times year over year, CEO Andy Jassy said.

By Bryan Wassel • Updated Aug. 3, 2026

AT&T’s customer service now offers callers a record of their discussion

“It may seem like a simple feature, but its purpose is powerful: to help customers leave the conversation with confidence and clarity,” SVP of Customer Care Cristy Swink said. 

By Bryan Wassel • July 29, 2026

Travelers are looking for AI-assisted planning, 24/7 customer support

A recent report from Allianz Partners found that 37% of U.S. travelers use AI to plan travel and expect “fast, intuitive, and mobile-first interactions” during trips.

By Noor Adatia • July 29, 2026

How AI virtual agents are changing the resolution standard in the contact center

AI virtual agents can now resolve issues end-to-end in the contact center — not just deflect them. Here's what resolution-first AI can mean for CX leaders.

July 27, 2026