Customer Experience Statistics for 2026: Adoption, Behavior, Channels, Conversion, Trust, Retention, Revenue

In 2026, customer experience defines competitive advantage as buyers demand seamless, personalized, and reliable interactions across digital and human channels. Economic pressures, AI integration, and rising expectations for transparency amplify the stakes, with poor experiences driving rapid brand switches.

Organizations face fragile gains in CX metrics amid global uncertainty, where only a fraction of customers provide direct feedback yet hold immense power through loyalty or defection. This article compiles over 60 customer experience statistics from recently published data, drawn from primary research firms, platform reports, and institutional studies. Organized into key categories, these atomic facts provide a reference for understanding CX dynamics relevant to 2026.

Scope and methodology:

• Includes only publicly available customer experience statistics relevant for 2026.
• Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
• Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
• Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
• No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Customer Experience Statistics for 2026

99% of consumers say customer service influences their buying decisions, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
74% of consumers rate customer service as very important or essential, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
70% of customers abandon a brand after just two bad experiences, based on a 2025 study by Emplifi.
72% of customers switch after three or fewer poor interactions, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
53% of customers say being kept on hold is reason enough to stop doing business with a company, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
54% of customers leave a brand when they have to repeat their issue multiple times, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
79% of customers want quicker responses from the brands they engage with, based on a 2025 study by Forrester.
68% of customers expect proactive service and will switch if it is not delivered, based on a 2025 study by Accelare.
92% of customers report higher satisfaction from good customer service than from good value for money, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.
73% of customers are already using AI, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.

Adoption and Usage Statistics

Only three out of ten customers are giving direct feedback, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.
20% of customers are interacting with customer support agents, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.
86% of customers are willing to share more personal data if organizations are more transparent about its usage, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.
21% of brands scored lower in the 2025 Global Customer Experience Index, based on a 2025 study by Forrester.
AI chatbots help reduce customer service costs by 30%, based on a 2025 study by KPMG.
94% of respondents want companies to adopt AI in their contact centers, based on a 2025 study by Futurum.
61% of customers say they are hesitant to trust AI systems, based on a 2025 study by KPMG.
25% of customers said they were very satisfied with their last service interaction, based on a 2025 study by The Futurum Group.
Almost 50% of consumers consider first contact resolution and rapid response to be the most important criteria when interacting with customer service, based on a 2026 study by Genesys.
68% of customers expect faster response times than they did a year ago, based on a 2026 study by Zendesk.

Audience and Behavioral Statistics

60% of consumers have purchased something from one brand over another based on the service they expect to receive, based on a 2023 study by Zendesk.
Customers are 2.4 times more likely to stick with a brand when their problems are solved quickly, based on a recent study by Forrester.
72% of customers want immediate service, based on a 2023 study by Zendesk.
64% of customers will spend more if a business resolves their issues where they already are, based on a 2023 study by Zendesk.
88% of online shoppers are more likely to continue shopping on a retailer website that offers a personalized experience, based on a recent study by Elastic.
96% of Gen Zers are more likely to continue shopping on a retailer website that offers a personalized experience, based on a recent study by Elastic.
97% of Millennials are more likely to continue shopping on a retailer website that offers a personalized experience, based on a recent study by Elastic.
59% of consumers believe businesses should use the data they collect about them to personalize their experiences, based on a 2023 study by Zendesk.
60% of consumers report that they will become repeat buyers after a personalized purchasing experience, based on a recent study by Twilio.
66% of consumers say they will share personal data about themselves if they think it will elevate their customer experience, based on a recent study by Redpoint and Harris.

Channel Performance Statistics

63% of customers expect agents to know their needs before the conversation starts, based on a 2026 study by Salesforce.
88% are satisfied with human interactions, versus 60% with AI-only ones, based on a 2026 study by Verizon.
75% prefer speaking to a person, especially for complex or sensitive issues, based on a 2026 study by Five9.
62% prefer a 100% human interaction, while only 6% accept chatbot-only service, based on a 2026 study by Tersea.
47% say not reaching a real person is their biggest service pain point, based on a 2026 study by Verizon.
41% of consumers report extreme satisfaction after video chat support, based on a 2026 study by Genesys.
Half of consumers say not being able to reach a human is their No. 1 concern about AI, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics XM Institute.
Nearly 1 in 5 consumers say they receive zero benefit from AI-powered customer support, based on a 2026 study referenced by CX Dive.
62% of consumers agree that personalized recommendations are better than general ones, based on a 2023 study by Zendesk.

Conversion and Acquisition Statistics

80% of customers value their experience with a company as much as its products or services, based on a recent study referenced by Onramp.
Businesses excelling in personalization see 40% higher revenue from these efforts compared to competitors, based on a recent study referenced by Onramp.
65% of consumers expect tailored experiences, based on a recent study referenced by Onramp.
80% of consumers are more likely to make purchases from brands that deliver personalized interactions, based on a recent study referenced by Onramp.

Trust, Influence, and Perception Statistics

Only 39% of consumers trust companies to handle their data responsibly, based on a 2026 study by Qualtrics.
54% of consumers believe CX at most companies still needs improvement, based on a recent study by PwC.
Only 38% of consumers feel the employees they interact with understand their needs, based on a recent study by PwC.
74% of consumers now expect 24/7 customer service, based on a 2026 study by Giva.
Nearly 60% of customers say they would switch to a competitor after only one or two negative customer support experiences, based on a 2026 study by Zoom.
Over 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after a single unsatisfactory customer experience, based on a 2026 study by Zendesk.

Customer Value and Retention Statistics

89% of businesses are expected to compete primarily on CX by 2026, based on a recent study referenced by Onramp.

References

‍

Subscribe to our newsletter

Occasionally, we send you a really good curation of profitable niche ideas, marketing advice, no-code, growth tactics, strategy tear-dows & some of the most interesting internet-hustle stories.

Thank You.
Your submission has been received.
Now please head over to your email inbox and confirm your subscription to start receiving the newsletter.

Oops!
Something went wrong. Please try again.