Retail moves quickly, staffing changes weekly, promotions rotate monthly, and customer expectations shift constantly. Yet many retailers still measure the customer experience once or twice a year. In an environment where execution changes daily, that gap is costly. Monthly mystery shopping is no longer excessive, it is essential.
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Pricing has long been treated as the primary lever for driving revenue. When sales slow, discounts appear. When competition intensifies, prices are adjusted. Yet in many industries today, pricing power is shrinking while customer expectations continue to rise. Increasingly, it is customer satisfaction, not price, that determines whether revenue grows or erodes. Read more
Many brands believe they understand customer loyalty because repeat purchases look stable and satisfaction scores remain strong. However, loyalty has changed significantly. It is no longer driven by habit or familiarity alone, but by consistently delivered experiences that earn trust over time. In this environment, assuming loyalty exists is risky. Measuring it accurately has become essential. Read more
Customer experience is entering a new phase. What worked even two years ago is no longer enough, and brands that fail to adapt will feel the impact quickly. In 2026, CX will be less about intention and more about execution, less about promises and more about proof. The brands that understand this shift now will be the ones that stay ahead. Read more
Some brands grow steadily year after year, even in crowded markets. Others stall, despite strong products and heavy investment. The difference is rarely luck. It is visibility. Brands that grow faster tend to see their customer experience more clearly and act on it sooner. Mystery shopping plays a much bigger role in that advantage than most organizations realize. Read more
Over the past year, ESG has quietly moved from ambition to action in customer experience. The real progress didn’t come from sweeping promises, but from everyday moments where responsibility showed up in simple, meaningful ways. Read more
For years, brands have claimed to be customer-centric, but 2026 is the year they must finally prove it. As customer expectations rise across industries, Customer Experience (CX) measurement has become one of the most important drivers of loyalty, retention, and repeat purchases.
By Coralin Rosario, General Manager (IN, PH, MENA), BARE International
Profit loss in most organizations does not start with dramatic failures. It begins with small experience gaps that go unnoticed until they quietly influence customer decisions. The earliest warning signs rarely appear in reports or dashboards, which is why companies often realize the impact only after performance begins to slip. CX audits are designed to catch those hidden issues before they become costly.
For decades, hospitality has been synonymous with service – warm greetings, quick assistance, and consistency across touchpoints. But today, the industry is undergoing a profound transformation. The modern guest is no longer satisfied with good service alone; they seek connection, meaning, and moments that feel personally crafted. Hospitality is no longer just an exchange of value – it has become an experience economy driven by emotion and human-centered design.
By Aviraj Puri, ISHC, BARE International
Revenue rarely disappears in a single moment. It slips away slowly, hidden inside everyday interactions that leaders never see. Long before sales drop or complaints rise, the customer experience has already started sending warnings. The challenge is that most companies are not looking in the right places to catch those signals.