AI & Automation
How AI is powering Target’s back-to-school push
Target deeply applies AI technology in the 2025 back-to-school season, from wish list creation to personalized homepage layouts, aiming to improve customer experience. Data shows that customers who create wish lists have approximately 45% higher demand, while nationwide K-12 and college back-to-school spending is expected to reach $43.3 billion and $103.5 billion, respectively.
Fewer than 25% of enterprises have scaled AI successfully
According to the latest Gartner survey, only 22% of enterprises have successfully scaled AI across multiple business units, and 85% of technology leaders plan to increase AI investment next year, but most lack visibility into AI spending, making it difficult to measure return on investment.
The customer experience stack was built for humans. AI changes everything.
Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in the customer experience industry, the author of this article notes that traditional CX software architectures are human-centric, relying on nearly ten systems working together to solve a single problem. As AI takes on execution work, the industry needs to reintegrate fragmented intelligence so that systems can learn from every interaction and continuously improve, forming a composite advantage. The author introduces the AI-native platform concept of his company, Crescendo, emphasizing that governance and judgment become new human roles, and compares the significant differences between two AI deployment paths after 12 months.
Best Buy emphasizes expert support with AI shopping assistant
During its Q2 fiscal 2027 earnings call, Best Buy announced the phased rollout of its AI shopping assistant, Ask Blue, which helps customers compare products, check compatibility, and transfer to human agents. Incoming CEO Jason Bonfig stated that the tool is part of the company's strategy to enhance the shopping experience. The company also plans to open Meta experience zones in 50 large-format stores and emphasized the importance of delivery speed for major appliances.
From AI ambition to CX results: Watch Genesys Xperience 2026 live
The Genesys Xperience 2026 livestream will be held on September 2-3, free and open to a global audience. The event will explore how to turn AI vision into actionable customer experience outcomes, including operating models in the intelligent agent era, customer case studies, and the latest innovations in Genesys Cloud.
AI agent headcount triples in 15 months: Salesforce
A report released by Salesforce shows that from February 2025 to April 2026, the average number of AI agents per enterprise nearly doubled, and the average time to create and activate an agent fell to under two days, a decrease of 53%. Despite concerns about value, security, and workforce impact, the workload handled by agents continues to grow, with retail agents accounting for 22% of all agent work output. However, industry experts point out that deployment does not equal value, and fewer than half of organizations consider AI crucial to their core work. Salesforce introduced the Agent Work Unit (AWU) metric to measure value, but critics argue that this metric fails to fully capture real business outcomes.
Beyond the bot: How AI-powered workforce engagement is redefining the contact center
As contact centers move from deflection metrics to resolution yield, AI-powered workforce engagement is transforming agent work, coaching, and staffing. This article examines the shift, citing Zoom's 18-month CSAT improvement from 55% to 80%, and outlines practical steps for CX leaders.
Schnucks Enhances Digital Shopping Experience with AI Assistant and Interactive Weekly Ad
Schnuck Markets has rolled out two new digital tools for shoppers: an AI-powered shopping assistant developed with VitalityIP, and a fully interactive weekly ad. The AI tool can build shopping lists, suggest meal ideas, and offer personalized nutrition guidance, while the interactive ad allows digital coupon clipping and direct cart additions. The grocer continues to offer printed ads and operates 112 stores across three states.
CX 领域 AI 采用率攀升，但价值兑现仍属少数
据 Forethought AI Agents by Zendesk 对 600 余名 CX 领导者的调查，AI 在客户体验领域的采用率从去年的 57% 升至 2026 年的 70%，但仅 2% 的组织看到实际价值。专家认为，自上而下的部署、缺乏治理和业务目标错位是主要障碍，建议从具体客户问题入手，而非追逐技术潮流。
Etsy Bets on Personalization to Drive Turnaround After Mixed Q2 Results
Etsy's Q2 2026 earnings call highlighted investments in buyer profiles and real-time personalization as key to boosting loyalty and frequency. Despite a net loss of $46.7 million and flat buyer numbers, app GMS rose 12.5% YoY. The company announced layoffs of 220 employees (12% of workforce) to deepen machine learning expertise and reshape teams for growth.