The digital landscape is undergoing a profound shift, as AI is becoming more prominent in every aspect of our lives. In the online world, this has manifested in a fundamental change in consumer behaviour and how people engage with brands. Once the cornerstone of customer interaction, the website is no longer the primary gateway to a brand – with the rise of smartphones and social media, online behaviour changed. Now, only 14% of people visit a website as their first point of contact, according to our new The Death of the Traditional Website report.
With tools like Google’s AI Overview and ChatGPT becoming embedded in daily life, the customer journey has become more fragmented and more fluid than ever before. Today’s consumer expects brands to meet them where they are, whether that’s in-store or in the flow of their digital routines. The rise of AI, subscriptions, micropayments, and community–driven platforms has redefined what it means to engage. To remain relevant, brands must create experiences that span this omnichannel ecosystem – seamlessly, intelligently, and with purpose.
AI Powering the CX Evolution
When it comes to designing customer experiences (CX), AI goes much further than the automation of tasks – it informs the whole strategy: modern algorithms can process vast data sets to reveal customer insights and behaviour patterns, while natural language learning processing (NLP) enables conversational, customer-centric, and helpful AI interactions. Even offline, AI is helping to shape CX frameworks. AI-backed in-store technologies are used to optimise product placement, advertising plans and help to seamlessly integrate offline data into omnichannel strategies.
Many of these AI solutions are now accessible to brands of all sizes, enabling personal, contextual, and predictive interactions at scale.
We can already see this tangible impact of AI on CX in the widespread adaptation of customer service chatbots across all industries, from professional services to fashion retailers investing heavily in recommendation engines that provide customers with personalised suggestions, and AI-driven feedback collection across businesses, big and small alike.
The New Rules of Engagement
Alongside these transformations lies a new kind of value exchange. Customers are more aware and more protective of the data they share, and they demand privacy and transparency. Brands must use AI responsibly, communicate clearly how data is used and protected, and offer personalised privacy controls.
In return for sharing their information, customers now expect something meaningful: not just discounts, but relevance, recognition, and reciprocity. The shift demands that brands move beyond transactional thinking and embrace dynamic, ongoing engagement. From grocery to beauty and fashion, we are seeing a shift from generic promotional offers to meaningful perks: early access for fashion sales to concert tickets, exclusive invites and events, or discounts on frequently purchased items.
But building these experiences isn’t just for the big players. Brands of all sizes can – and should – embrace AI-supported customer experience management (CXM). The key is to start small, with scalable strategies that evolve alongside the business.
Scaling CXM with Intent- and AI
For emerging brands, loyalty programs offer a powerful entry point which can grow in sophistication over time. The next step is AI-enabled personalisation – moving beyond generic offers to rewards that reflect individual preferences and behaviours. For grocery stores, this could mean offering discounts on a customer’s most frequently purchased items. Connecting data across touchpoints, both online and offline, is essential to making this work.
As CXM matures, the focus shifts to aligning every customer interaction, from packaging to point-of-sale to digital channels, into a coherent, cross-channel experience. Gamified engagement, such as rewarding reviews or referrals, can deepen loyalty and foster community. Real-time data integration becomes a strategic asset, enabling smarter decisions and more agile operations.
For established players, the frontier lies in predictive, AI-driven CXM. This means building unified customer profiles, leveraging advanced segmentation, and delivering hyper-personalised experiences that evolve with the customer. It also means that brands need to ensure that every touchpoint – physical or digital – feels connected, consistent, and responsive while remaining centred around the individual.
Designing for the Future, Designing for Connection
We’re at the dawn of a new era in customer experience, one where the traditional website is losing its status as the main customer touchpoint, and AI is democratising CX.
From start-ups to global enterprises, engagement, loyalty, and data analysis tools have never been so readily accessible. But while the tools and technologies are evolving rapidly, the core principle remains the same: value must flow both ways. Implementing CXM at any scale comes with challenges, from resource constraints to organisational buy-in. But the brands with the best chances of success will be those that keep their focus on outcomes – on creating experiences that are not only efficient and scalable, but also meaningful and human.
Brands need to blend AI with human intelligence and emotion to create CX strategies that connect with and retain the customer.
Because in the end, great CX isn’t about technology. It’s about meaningful exchange.
Disclaimer
This article contains forward-looking statements, industry statistics, and case studies based on current research, third-party reports, and client experiences. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the information provided should not be interpreted as a guarantee of performance or outcomes. AI technologies and data-driven approaches are subject to limitations, including the potential for errors, bias, and the need for human oversight. All statements regarding compliance, ethical use, and performance are made in the context of ongoing efforts and should be supported by appropriate internal policies and governance.
