The Latest

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  How Sam’s Club sees fresh food, digital tools fueling its ambitious growth plans

  Walmart-owned club retailer is enhancing the shopping experience with sushi, automated receipt checks and a new app platform, its CFO said at a conference.

  Strategy

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  Opinion

  How to align brand and customer experience

  While brand experience is about crafting a compelling image, CX focuses on understanding and fulfilling customer needs. Both are crucial for delivering cohesive experiences.

  Strategy

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  US customer experience quality hits an all-time low, Forrester finds

  While the decline is considered mild, experts warn that leaders still need to act now or risk getting left behind.

  Strategy

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  Customers value 24/7 self-service less than you think

  The perception gap around AI-powered self-service may have more to do with poor execution than “a lack of interest,” Five9 research found.

  AI & Automation

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  Verizon creates dedicated role for handling customer inquiries from start to finish

  Customer Champions will work on the issues behind the scenes, providing the customer updates through the channel of their choosing.

  Customer Service

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  How hotels can attract and retain loyalty members

  Choice Hotels’ Nandika Suri shared why experiences are important to today’s travelers and how brand partnerships can enhance a loyalty program’s value.

  Loyalty

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  Customer satisfaction with bank, credit card digital experience is ‘plateauing’

  Bank of America, Capital One and American Express were among the top performers and excelled in providing intuitive navigation and strong security features, according to J.D. Power.

  Technology

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  Walmart’s latest AI feature aims to help associates overcome language barriers

  The retailer is updating its associate app to include real-time translation in 44 languages, alongside AI-driven task management.

  Technology

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  Hyatt lays off 30% of US guest services and support teams

  The shift comes “in response to the evolving nature of guest inquiries,” a Hyatt spokesperson said.

  Customer Service

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  Lowe’s loyalty program’s core objective? Drive one more trip

  The home improvement retailer’s dual loyalty programs are centered around driving frequency by meeting customers' needs at every stage of their journey, Lowe’s Amanda Bailey said.

  Loyalty

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  How ditching Pride now could hurt brands later

  Some retailers that once wholeheartedly celebrated and supported the LGBTQ+ community have pulled away. What if they want to rejoin the party?

  Strategy

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  For travel loyalty program success, customers want lower costs, discounts

  Younger consumers, driving loyalty and travel trends, are asking for better value and more options, an arrivia survey found. 

  Loyalty

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  Millennials drive rising expectations for digital banking

  A majority of consumers say they “can’t live without” banking apps, a Chase Bank survey found.

  Technology

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  How Sprouts’ focus on its target customers fuels growth

  On the cusp of launching its first loyalty program, the specialty grocer is also moving ahead with ambitious store expansion plans and bulking up supply chain capabilities.

  Loyalty

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  Kroger CEO sees experience as its second market-share driver

  Improvements to customer service, simplified promotions and better in-store conditions are helping the chain grow its share of grocery customers, executives say.

  Strategy

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  ‘Reward relevance’ a top challenge for hospitality loyalty: report

  Hotel loyalty marketers should focus on communications that illustrate program benefits, according to the 2025 EY Loyalty Market Study.

  Loyalty

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  Trust in AI is growing in finance, especially behind the scenes

  The more complex or sensitive the task, the more consumers want to speak to a human or know that a human is in the loop when using AI, a TD Bank survey found.

  AI & Automation

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  Amazon CEO: AI agents will shrink staff but improve CX

  Generative AI’s ability to remove rote work could help the retailer focus on the user experience, but will reduce the number of people required for today’s jobs, along the way.

  Strategy

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  Exceptional customer service is essential to loyalty, survey finds

  Nearly 9 in 10 customers would purchase from a brand again following an amazing experience, according to a Verint survey.

  Customer Service

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  Customers keep coming back when product information is easy to find

  Basic details like features and capabilities are an important part of product description pages, a Syndigo survey found.

  Strategy

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  Chick-fil-A leads in customer satisfaction for 11th straight year

  The ACSI 2025 report found challenger brands on the march, sector leaders on the defensive, and Starbucks showing surprising strength.

  Strategy

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  Consumers turn to AI for faster, natural language product searches

  Help finding products quickly was one of the top three responses from shoppers when asked what they expect from AI assistants, according to a Bloomreach survey.

  AI & Automation

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  Cigna launches new generative AI assistant for members

  The health insurer is trying to improve the customer experience by connecting them with an AI bot, but analyses show generative AI can make mistakes. 

  AI & Automation

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  Free returns are often a deal breaker for consumers

  Nearly 9 in 10 consumers expect free returns as standard, according to a Rithum survey. 

  Strategy

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  Want to prepare for generative AI? Get your knowledge base up to par

  The future is uncertain, but investing in how information is presented to customers and web crawlers will give leaders a head start.

  AI & Automation

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