CX Horizons: The state of CX in 2026

The results of CX Network’s research into the top CX trends, customer behaviors, and practitioners spending plans, analyzed by 12 leading CX practitioners

Add bookmark

By: CX Network, Melanie Mingas 03/25/2026

The last 12 months have seen external forces – from Big Tech to regional regulators – reshape what CX means and what it is capable of, accelerating change and forcing new ways of working.

Whether it's consumers using AI assistants to guide their journeys, the growing demand for data privacy and security, or new rules around AI use and the accessiblilty of contact channels, these changes have led practitioners to ask fundamental questions about how they can reach and engage customers and how they can ensure CX remains relevant when third parties handle the customer relationship.

CX Horizons: The state of CX in 2026 is based on CX Network's annual survey, completed by 342 CX practitioners, service leaders, experience designers, analysts, and consultants, between December 2025 and January 2026.

To add meaning to the results, CX Network put the figures to 12 leading CX practitioners from fashion, media, consultancy, healthcare, retail and ecommerce, finance, communications, and technology.

This report uses their insights to examine the key actions they must take to remain relevant in an agentic trading environment; why generative AI should be used with caution; and the factors influencing customer behavior.

Download the report to find out:

Why consumers are using AI to create their own seamless and efficient journeys
How to work with vendors in the current trading environment and the key questions to ask when acquiring new tools
What pracitioners are spending to bring their strategies to life