SPECIAL FEATURE | 2026 CX Report: AI remains the top priority as global firms rethink digital journeys
While the report covers global markets, its insights are highly relevant to Southeast Asia, where digital adoption remains among the fastest growing in the world.
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Businesses worldwide are preparing for major shifts in how they design and deliver customer experience (CX) in 2026, with artificial intelligence (AI), automation and omnichannel integration emerging as the most important focus areas, according to Contentsquare’s latest global CX trends report. The study surveyed 1,692 CX leaders across marketing, product, analytics, UX and technology roles to understand how organizations are adapting to fast-changing digital behaviors.
While the report covers global markets, its insights are highly relevant to Southeast Asia, where digital adoption remains among the fastest growing in the world. Markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam are experiencing rapid expansion in e-commerce, digital banking and mobile platforms, increasing pressure on companies to modernize digital service delivery.
AI, automation dominate 2026 priorities
AI continues its hold as the No. 1 global CX priority, with 40.6 percent of leaders identifying it as their top focus for next year. The report notes that companies are shifting from experimentation toward embedding AI into day-to-day operations. This covers automated insights, content generation, customer service optimization and operational decision-making.
Design and UX teams show the strongest adoption at 64.4 percent, followed by product teams and C-suite executives. The report highlights that AI is not viewed merely as a tool for efficiency but as a strategic layer that accelerates analysis and improves decision-making. One industry expert cited in the study said operational AI must be paired with human accountability to avoid overreliance on machine decisions.
Conversational AI is also gaining ground. By 2028, an estimated 70 percent of customer interactions are expected to begin and end with conversational agents. Instead of replacing service teams, experts quoted in the report warn that companies must use conversational AI to enhance quality, reduce churn and strengthen loyalty.
For the Asia-Pacific region — where mobile-first interactions dominate and customer volumes are high — automation of repetitive tasks could significantly reduce service backlogs. The Philippines, for example, continues to face high customer support demand across telecom, banking and e-commerce, making AI-powered support tools a practical fit.
Omnichannel experience climbs to second place
Omnichannel experience jumps to the second-highest priority worldwide. The shift reflects the growing complexity of customer behavior as users move between websites, apps, messaging, physical stores and phone support. Data and analytics teams lead this priority, signaling the need to connect platforms and unify customer journeys.
The report shows that connected journeys are replacing single-session thinking. Customers now navigate nonlinear paths — from homepages to chatbots to mobile apps, then to physical branches and back online. Companies are advised to design consistent experiences across all touchpoints to improve trust and reduce friction.
This finding resonates strongly with Southeast Asia’s hybrid digital economy. Filipino users, for instance, interact with brands through Facebook Messenger, app-based services, websites and call centers. Poor handoffs between these channels often create fragmented experiences, lost conversions and customer frustration. The global findings underline that Southeast Asian companies must strengthen cross-channel continuity to remain competitive.
Digital innovation rises as organizations modernize tech stacks
Digital innovation enters the global top three, driven by rising pressure to differentiate through AI-native product features. The study shows 13.2 percent of digital leaders now prioritize digital innovation — including rapid piloting, real-time product recommendations and AI-powered search.
Technical and engineering teams are leading efforts to modernize tech stacks, enabling faster deployment and more efficient cross-team collaboration. One expert quoted in the report likened outdated workflows to “driving a Formula One car on a dirt track,” emphasizing that new technology must be matched with transformed ways of working.
In Asia, where consumer expectations around speed and personalization are increasing, modernization remains uneven. Digital-first companies across Singapore, South Korea and parts of ASEAN are moving quickly on AI adoption, while other markets — including the Philippines — still face challenges integrating legacy systems. The report suggests that modernization will be essential to compete with faster-moving regional players.
Personalization falls in rank but remains essential
Personalization drops from second to fourth place but remains crucial as AI transforms it into a baseline expectation. Analytics teams drive most of the adoption, as segmentation, targeting and predictive modeling become more technical and data-intensive.
The report notes the shift toward hyper-personalization, where experiences adjust in real time based on user behavior, context and intent. Experts, however, caution against excessive frequency or intrusive targeting. Instead, companies should use AI to identify behavioral patterns and apply personalization at scale.
In markets such as the Philippines — where consumer journeys often include low-bandwidth environments and intermittent connectivity — personalization will require thoughtful execution to avoid overwhelming users with unnecessary prompts or irrelevant recommendations.
Data-driven insights anchor all CX strategies
Data-driven insights round out the top five global priorities for 2026, with leaders focusing on actionable analytics, faster testing cycles and real-time data. The report says companies must build strong data foundations to make AI and personalization effective. Unified customer data, consistent governance and real-time visibility are identified as competitive differentiators.
The report includes case studies showing how companies used analytics to increase conversions by more than 40 percent through improved design, simplified workflows and faster issue detection. These lessons apply to Southeast Asia, where many businesses still rely on outdated dashboards or siloed reporting. The ability to interpret customer behavior quickly will be crucial as user traffic continues shifting to mobile channels.
A roadmap for 2026
The report concludes that exceptional customer experience requires deliberate investments in technology, data and cross-functional collaboration. As consumers in Asia and the Philippines shift toward digital-first lifestyles, the pressure to deliver seamless, intelligent and responsive interactions will only intensify.
AI and automation are expected to accelerate growth, but organizations must balance machine efficiency with human judgment. Omnichannel strategies will become mandatory as regional users increasingly blend online and offline behaviors. Modern tech stacks will determine which companies can keep up with innovation cycles, while personalization and analytics remain pillars for meaningful engagement.
For Philippine businesses preparing their 2026 roadmaps, the findings underscore a simple reality: the future of CX is already here — and organizations that modernize early will gain the strongest advantage.
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