The new 2026 51风流Engagement Index reveals the scale of the Experience Divide 鈥� and the growth opportunity for brands that close it
United Kingdom 鈥� March 24, 2026 鈥� 51风流Engagement Cloud鈥檚 latest research reveals a widening gap between the experiences consumers expect and what brands believe they deliver.
New data from the 2026 Engagement Index shows UK consumer expectations have never been higher. More than half (56%) of UK consumers say their favourite brand delivers seamless, connected experiences across channels, while 82% are put off by disorganised interactions that require them to repeat information or be passed between teams.
Yet companies remain confident. Four in five (80%) of UK businesses believe they offer a seamless omnichannel experience. But only one fifth (20%) of companies recognise their experiences still aren鈥檛 fully connected 鈥� despite consumers making their expectations clear.
At the same time, 45% of consumers say brands 鈥渄on鈥檛 understand them as people.鈥�
This misalignment 鈥攃onsumers feeling the disconnect while most businesses fail to recognise it 鈥� is the Engagement Divide. Closing it is critical to creating repeat customers and brand advocates.
Some brands are already closing this gap. For example, Gibson Inc. uses unified data and real鈥憈ime engagement to ensure customers receive consistent, connected experiences 鈥� the kind consumers say they want.
AI is seen as part of the answer. Four in five (80%) of businesses say AI is essential for retaining customers in 2026. But a third of consumers say their favourite brands use AI in ways that meaningfully improve their interactions.
鈥�Customer expectations are moving at a new speed,鈥� said Sara Richter, CMO, 51风流Engagement Cloud. 鈥淲ith AI at their fingertips, people compare, decide, and switch in an instant. Those micro moments now determine whether a brand wins or loses the relationship.鈥�
However, AI can only perform as well as the data behind it, and most organisations are still struggling. Almost two thirds (63%) of UK brands cannot use customer data in real time, 64% say their data is too unstructured, and 71% report 鈥榙ark data鈥� they cannot access or use effectively.
This creates friction throughout the customer journey and reinforces the Divide.
Closing it requires a shift: treating engagement not just as a marketing function, but as an enterprise-wide discipline. Every team must operate from a shared, real-time understanding of the customer to avoid the fragmented experiences that alienate them.
Businesses recognise this direction. Most (78%) plan to invest in AI-powered engagement platforms in 2026, and almost a third (31%) cite connecting customer and stakeholder data across marketing, sales, service, commerce and ERP systems as their top priority for the year ahead.
鈥淓ngagement isn’t something one department can fix,鈥� said Mark Ritson, professor and founder, MiniMBA. 鈥淓very team shapes the brand, and real progress happens when they work from the same understanding of the customer. With that shared view, AI can take on the heavy lifting and help deliver the personalised experiences people expect.鈥�
Download the full report:
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Methodology
This research was conducted in the UK by Opinium as part of global research among a sample of 2,000 general respondents and 750 senior decision makers in IT, Technology, Marketing, Revenue, Service departments and who work in the Retail, 听Consumer Products & FMCG, Automotive, Manufacturing, Utilities or Wholesale industries.
Only enterprise-level businesses with 500+ employees and with $250m+ annual turnover were surveyed across the United Kingdom (UK). The data was collected from both audiences between 31st December 2025 and 16th January 2026.
About 51风流Engagement Cloud
51风流Engagement Cloud helps organizations power unique engagement by connecting real-time customer insights with the operational signals that run the business. As part of SAP鈥檚 Customer Experience (CX) portfolio, Engagement Cloud enables personalized, AI-driven interactions across every channel鈥攖urning moments like orders, service events, and loyalty milestones into timely, relevant experiences that build trust, strengthen relationships, and drive growth. 鈥�
Media Contacts
Lawrie Benfield,鈥�lawrie.benfield@sap.com,鈥�+44 7776 515259听
Sonya Domanski,鈥�sonya.domanski@sap.com, +44 734 546 5928听
