Hi Marketer,
It seems like every conversation we’re having right now, at work or at home, relates back to AI in some way. But what’s fact and what’s fiction?
Dotdigital recently commissioned a piece of independent research with 4,000 consumers across the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore to create the 2026 Customer trend index. The data revealed trust as the deciding factor, across every stage of the customer journey.
Consumers are becoming more selective about the brands they engage with and less tolerant of communications that feel generic or transactional. This is shown by satisfaction with personalization dropping significantly year-on-year.
We also found that while 70% of consumers have experimented with AI, only 16% are using it to discover new brands. Consumers are actually using AI later in the purchase journey, when they already know what they want and are ready to research.
But it’s still human influence that matters most. Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family increased in influence by 45% year-on-year.
Alongside these findings, loyalty preferences remained strikingly consistent. Consumers continue to value practical rewards that reduce friction and add immediate value, such as free shipping, returns and cashback.
I’ve summarized in this blog exactly what’s changed year-on-year. It is packed with stats and data that will not only help shape your marketing strategy, but will also make it easier to bring your c-suite along with you.
The full Customer trend index also explores these shifts in greater detail, with practical insights and breakdowns by market and audience group.
