4 Trends That Will Make or Break Brands in 2026

How are customer expectations evolving when people are talking less, trusting less, and switching brands faster than ever? In this episode, we break down the four major shifts reshaping customer experience in 2026 and why traditional listening tactics are failing right when companies need them most. Our guest is Isabelle Zdatny, Head of Thought Leadership at the Qualtrics XM Institute and co-creator of one of the largest global CX studies in the world. With data from 20,000 consumers across 14 countries, Isabelle reveals the surprising trends leaders cannot afford to overlook and why trust has become the real driver of customer behavior. Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Isabel Zdatny, Head of Thought Leadership at Qualtrics XM Institute 00:04:43 The Surprising State of Customer Experience Heading Into 2026 00:10:44 Why AI-Powered Customer Service Is Failing Customers 00:15:07 How to Use AI to Enhance Rather Than Replace Human Experience 00:19:41 The Silent Customer Crisis: Why Feedback Has Dropped to All-Time Lows 00:25:03 Conversational Surveys and Predictive Models: The Future of Customer Listening 00:34:55 Why Value Alone Won't Keep Customers Loyal in 2026 00:38:18 The Trust Equation: How Economic Uncertainty Changes Customer Behavior 00:42:51 The Personalization Paradox: Consumers Want It But Don't Trust It 00:54:10 What Will Surprise Us Most About 2026: Two Wildly Different Predictions