Dairy Queen expands drive-thru voice AI test

Franchisees will now have access to Presto’s technology after a pilot yielded positive results at company-owned stores.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 16, 2026

Starbucks lets customers discover drinks, start orders in ChatGPT

The app, in beta, takes the prompt-driven inspiration of ChatGPT and pushes customers into the Starbucks ecosystem to complete their orders.

By Bryan Wassel • April 15, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Dollar General’s media network rolls out AI store audio program

The discount retailer is bringing the in-store media offering to about 6,000 locations through a new partnership with QSIC.

By Dani James • April 15, 2026

Rent the Runway plans discovery experience revamp to increase conversions

The clothing rental company plans to present entire curated outfits on product display pages and introduce conversation search, CEO Jennifer Hyman said.

By Bryan Wassel • April 14, 2026

The future of loyalty is personalized, not universal, perks

AI will enable loyalty personalization on a massive scale by helping brands dig through behavioral data and other relevant information for targeted offers, Gartner predicts.

By Bryan Wassel • April 10, 2026

Shake Shack will overhaul its tech with focus on AI, loyalty

The fast casual burger brand hopes a new rewards system, modernized point-of-sale platform and AI-backed operational analytics will aid its growth.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 7, 2026

Human-driven service expected to be a luxury in 10 years, survey finds

More than two-thirds of consumers believe that AI- or machine-driven service will provide basic services, with people at the heart of premium experiences, according to Medallia.

By Michael Brady • April 3, 2026

Macy’s introduces AI-powered shopping assistant

After an initial dark launch, Ask Macy’s helps users discover brands and receive personalized product recommendations. 

By Kaarin Moore • April 1, 2026

Bank customers, while embracing AI, call for human customer support

Consumer comfort with AI tools has reached an "inflection point," TD Bank's Ted Paris said, but they still want human agents to keep an eye on AI recommendations.

By Kristen Doerer • March 31, 2026

Field service turns to AI to give technicians more time with customers

AAA Roadside Assistance sped up its response time to customers by 5 minutes after deploying Salesforce’s field service management software.

By Michael Brady • March 30, 2026

Chewy’s customer care AI tools reduce handle times, lower costs

CEO Sumit Singh said AI tools “improve on the ability for us to self-serve customers that then drives reduced contact rates, which then directly leads to lowering of costs.”

By Kristen Doerer • March 27, 2026

Booking.com points to human support as its ‘differentiator’

The online travel agency is using AI to route customers to the best channel on first contact and to contextualize customers’ inquiries for service representatives.

By Kristen Doerer • March 27, 2026

Agentic AI is finally starting to pay off for customer support

Nearly two-thirds of service leaders reported higher agent productivity, with 39% reporting lower cost per contact, according to Deloitte Digital.

By Michael Brady • March 27, 2026

How Gap Inc. is ‘leaning in’ to AI to elevate online shopping

The apparel retailer is accelerating its digital experience with two new partnerships, CTO Sven Gerjets told an audience at Shoptalk.

By Kaarin Moore • March 25, 2026

Scaling support without scaling headcount: What Canva’s AI strategy reveals

How Canva grew 30% with zero new support agents (and what we learned building it together).

By John Wang, Co-Founder & CTO, Assembled • March 23, 2026

Williams-Sonoma aims to infuse its product authority in AI experiences

The technology is improving customer service, product discovery and the last mile — and it may soon land in the hands of store associates, executives said on an earnings call.

By Bryan Wassel • March 18, 2026

Half of consumers prefer brands that don’t use generative AI, Gartner finds

Consumers who are ambivalent or distrust the technology may walk away if they feel forced to use AI, one analyst said.

By Bryan Wassel • March 17, 2026

E-commerce retailers plan hefty investments in agentic commerce, study finds

Top applications include Al-powered product discovery, Al chatbots and personalized recommendations.

By Kristen Doerer • March 16, 2026

Ulta sees AI as a personalization tool — and its loyalty program as the fuel

AI “will enable us to deliver relevance, inspiration and expertise seamlessly across the guest beauty journey,” CEO Kecia Steelman said.

By Bryan Wassel • March 13, 2026

Hilton launches generative AI agent to help customers plan trips

Users of the beta AI concierge can ask such questions as, “Where can I stay during peak cherry blossom season?”

By Kristen Doerer • March 10, 2026

The new CX mandate: Driving revenue, managing risk and scaling AI responsibly

Operationalize AI in CX: drive efficiency, control risk, scale with discipline.

By Ian Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Qualfon • March 9, 2026

How agentic AI is shifting the digital shopping landscape

Agentic AI is throwing a wrench into the brand-customer relationship, as customers increasingly seek out third-party AI tools to research brands and services and shop.

By Kristen Doerer • March 6, 2026

Best Buy wants to be at the forefront of agentic AI discovery

“As agentic commerce matures, we want to serve our customers in new ways, both on and off of platforms,” CEO Corie Barry said.

By Bryan Wassel • March 4, 2026

What’s essential for AI shopping assistant success

The biggest risk isn’t falling behind on deployment — it’s deploying before the organization is ready, experts say.

By Michael Brady • Updated March 12, 2026

Gartner challenges assumption that AI will be cheaper than human support

AI is supposed to cut customer service costs, but Gartner predicts that by 2030, costs per resolution for generative AI will exceed $3 — more than many offshore agents.

By Kristen Doerer • March 2, 2026