In our hyper-connected world, there’s no such thing as a “quiet” business decision. Whether you’re adjusting prices to navigate tariffs or piloting a new feature, your customers are more tuned-in than ever and they aren't afraid to speak up if your strategy misses the mark.
Smart brands won’t let this scare them. Instead, they’ll make sure they’re centering the customer in everything they do and approaching every move like it matters—because it does.
We dug into our SurveyMonkey Trends 2026 research to pinpoint three focus areas for your customer experience (CX). Here’s how to lean into real-time customer insights and make a bigger impact this year.
Tariff uncertainty persists. You need to make CX your differentiator.
More than a third (38%) of business leaders say tariffs and supply chain disruptions are a top concern for 2026¹, which lines up with our platform’s huge 923% increase² in tariff research. Consumers are feeling the stress too; our research with The 19th found that 32% of Americans say inflation and cost of living are their top concerns right now.
Tariff fluctuations and economic uncertainty show no signs of stopping, and it’s easy to get stuck in a reactionary loop. But here’s the thing: It’s the experience you offer that keeps people coming back even when budgets are tight. In fact, our research found that 57% of consumers say price and customer experience carry equal weight in their decisions, and 96% are more likely to stay loyal to a company with a great CX reputation. By leading with high-impact customer experiences now, you’re building a brand that’ll remain a must-have even when the market shifts.
The CX blueprint:
- Pay close attention to satisfaction data: Prioritize customer satisfaction insights, especially price-for-value data and feedback on the best parts of your customer experience.
- Nurture your VoC programs: From customer stories to customer service feedback, keep a continuous pulse on customer sentiment and Voice of the Customer insights. That way, you can amplify and replicate 5-star experiences.
- Test pricing frequently: Don't guess how much a price hike will hurt or where consumer spending stands. Use price testing to find the exact deal-breaker price point that’ll make customers move to a competitor.
You can’t ignore call-out culture. You can prioritize earning trust.
From Lyft’s abandoned tipping transparency feature, to Duolingo’s “AI-first” backlash, to Lululemon’s recent product rollback, 2025 hammered home that customers are paying attention—and their trust is fragile. To stay ahead, you need to treat brand perception as the foundation of every customer relationship. That means making sure that brand research is at the heart of your CX strategy, not siloed with your marketing team.
Our 2026 data shows that the most resilient teams are already using insights to vet their moves: last year, we saw a 167% increase in Brand Attributes template usage and a 75% jump in Brand Tracking template usage². When you back every pilot or big idea with continuous feedback, you aren't just reacting to the conversation—you're leading it with a clear understanding of what your customers actually think.
The CX blueprint:
- Test before you launch: Use Ad Testing or Message Testing to stress test new ideas with your audience before they go live—it’s much easier to tweak a plan than to walk back a public blunder.
- Show your work: Transparency is key. Whether you’re rolling out a new feature or campaign or changing an element of your CX, clearly explain the what, why, and who so customers feel like partners rather than suckers.
- Turn insights into armor: Don’t wait for a quarterly report to see how a change is landing. Use Brand Tracking to monitor sentiment in real-time so you can pivot faster than a firestorm.
Event fatigue is a loyalty killer. It’s high time for better data.
Whether it’s a user conference or a virtual webinar, events are high-stakes touchpoints that directly impact your brand reputation. But event fatigue is a real hurdle: 76% of workers experienced it in the last year. When nearly half (47%) of attendees walk away feeling an event wasn't worth their time, you aren't just losing budget—you're eroding the customer loyalty you've worked so hard to build.
That’s why the most effective CX strategies will treat every event as a data-driven engagement opportunity rather than a standalone project. Smart teams are moving past surface-level metrics and embedding feedback loops into the entire attendee journey to combat disengagement. By treating events as an integrated part of your CX ecosystem, you can boost loyalty and build high-value, personalized experiences that truly stand out.
The CX blueprint:
- Move feedback to the front: Don't just use registration forms for contact info—ask for attendee expectations upfront. Use that data to tailor your content so the event feels relevant way before it even starts.
- Get granular: Ask for session-level feedback so you can understand exactly which speakers or topics resonated or missed the mark and improve the experience from the ground up.
- Shift your post-event mindset: Post-event surveys aren't the end of the journey, but the beginning of the next one. Use the insights to trigger personalized follow-ups that turn a one-time attendee into a long-term loyalist.
The CX takeaway
In 2026, establishing a reputation for listening should be a top CX priority. From pricing strategies to the future of events, real-time insights will be the ultimate guide for better decisions.
Ready to lead with confidence? Explore SurveyMonkey Trends 2026 for more insights and resources.
¹This SurveyMonkey study was conducted from October 14-17, 2025. We surveyed 523 adults, 18 and older, who live in the United States and currently work as a manager, director, or executive. The sample was balanced by age, race, gender, education, and region, according to the US Census.
²Template use percentages are based on template deployments, defined as any survey launched using a SurveyMonkey template that received at least 5 responses. Data compares the period of September 27, 2024-September 27, 2025 with September 27, 2023-September 26-2024.
