
Sendr debuts scalable personalised video for ecommerce recovery. UK startup targets $4TN abandoned cart market with lipsync automation, claiming 33% uplift in pilot revenue and direct integration with Klaviyo’s 500,000-store ecosystem.

Alibaba paused chatbot coupons after heavy demand strained its AI systems. The disruption followed a Lunar New Year promotion tied to AI-driven shopping, highlighting execution risks as generative AI tools move from conversation into real-world commerce.

Data privacy is enterprise’s next big competitive battlefield in 2026. Data Privacy Day has expanded into a full week as AI adoption, supply chain scrutiny, and shifting regulation push privacy from compliance into core operations. Leaders now need evidence, not policies, to sustain trust.

Weekend reviews are more likely to be negative. Mannheim researchers analysed 400 million online ratings and found that reviews written on weekends received fewer 5-star and more 1- to 3-star ratings than those written during the week, with the strongest effect observed in workplace-related feedback.

Customer engagement in the financial sector is evolving at speed. Jon Burghart, Chief Revenue Officer at AnywhereNow, examines how legacy systems, fragmented data, and overstretched teams are redefining how banks serve their customers. The winners will be those who unify people, technology, and data into one strategy.

Glance’s new report shows trust matters most in 2026. The customer experience specialist’s latest data reveals that, despite rapid AI adoption, consumers continue to prize clarity and resolution over speed — with trust emerging as the defining measure of successful service interactions.

Over a third of disabled consumers say their experience would improve if staff had a greater understanding of disability. New Business Disability Forum research highlights persistent barriers in product access, customer service, and design — and calls on companies to turn inclusion into a strategic advantage.

AI meets fragrance discovery in Jo Malone’s latest innovation. The Estée Lauder Companies and Jo Malone London have unveiled an AI-powered Scent Adviser experience designed to recreate the brand’s signature in-store consultation online, helping consumers find their ideal fragrance through natural language interaction.

Friendly fraud cases are set to rise 25% this weekend. ACI Worldwide warns that retailers could face record levels of transaction disputes between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, with the average fraudulent claim now worth $291 — a 21% year-on-year increase.

Klarna claims its AI now matches workload of 853 staff. The payments company says its generative-AI customer-service assistant has handled millions of queries with human-level satisfaction, underscoring automation’s accelerating impact on service jobs as financial-technology leaders weigh the gains — and risks — of digital labour.