The power of customer experience in 2025

While technology was considered something special only a few years ago, it has become an integral and self-evident part of every organization in 2025. The difference no longer lies in what organizations use, but in how they deploy technology. Digitalization is no longer a goal in itself, but a strategic tool to make, for instance, brand values tangible, personalize customer interactions, and eliminate friction. Organizations that understand this are not only building efficient processes, but also meaningful customer relationships. This is reflected in the results of the Customer Experience Excellence research. 

For the eighth consecutive year, KPMG has conducted the Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) research. This annual research evaluates 197 different B2C brands across ten sectors, based on evaluations from over 5,000 Dutch respondents. Each brand’s CEE score is determined by KPMG’s Six Pillars: Empathy, Personalization, Time & Effort, Expectations, Resolution, and Integrity. The research also looks into NPS, loyalty, ESG, and the impact of AI. The methodology remains consistent with previous years, ensuring reliable trends and movements.

The average CEE score across all brands indicates how customer experience in the Netherlands evolves over time. Recent years showed an inverted U-trend: growth from 7.14 in 2018 to a peak during the COVID period in 2020 (7.37), followed by a decline to 7.16 in 2023. In 2024, this downward trend stabilized at 7.16. But in 2025, for the first time since the pandemic, there is a notable increase: the average CEE score rises to 7.22. It suggests that the inverted U-trend has been halted, giving way to an emerging S-curve. This shift indicates that brands have implemented structural digital improvements that not only enhance efficiency but also deliver customer experiences aligned with modern expectations.

Although the gap between most brands has narrowed, there are more outliers than ever. The market is converging, making companies that excel or underperform in customer experience stand out more prominently. Both positively and negatively. 

The Six Pillars – Personalization, Integrity, Empathy, Time & Effort, Resolution, and Expectations – are the key drivers of customer experience, and together, they form each brand’s CEE score. However, their influence on this score is not evenly distributed. 

The 2025 research shows that Personalization remains the most important driver of customer experience, with an impact of 20.3%. Notably, the Expectations Pillar continues to gain importance, and the gap with Integrity (currently in second place) has never been smaller (0.2%). Time & Effort also shows a significant increase (0.4%). These numbers highlight a trend: brands that combine personal attention with reliability and convenience are rated highest. 

One sector that consistently excels in this regard is Grocery Retail, which tops the CEE ranking year after year, followed by Non-Grocery Retail. Furthermore, Telecom rises to third place. A likely explanation for this lies in the effective use of customer data. Telecom brands have access to vast amounts of data, from usage patterns to network status, and have invested heavily in turning this data into predictive insights. This enables proactive service: outages are often communicated before customers even reach out. This shift, from reactive to predictive service, combined with scalable AI solutions, gives telecom companies an advantage. Not only in efficiency but also in exceeding expectations and removing friction, which are precisely the success factors for customer experience in 2025. 

Where AI was once a novelty, it is now deeply embedded in everything we do. The way AI is perceived is also changing. It was previously seen as cold and impersonal, a major risk in customer contact, but that perception is shifting. Modern AI can increasingly recognize emotion, context, and customer needs. It can respond empathetically, sometimes even better than humans, thanks to the absence of fatigue, bias, and emotional noise. With proper training, AI can accurately assess a customer’s emotional state. When applied correctly, customers are increasingly accepting AI interactions. This opens the door to efficient and empathetic customer experiences. Companies that master this approach achieve not only higher customer satisfaction but also significant efficiency gains.

However, widespread AI adoption brings a risk: uniformity. Many organizations use similar AI solutions, making customer experiences increasingly alike. This makes brand differentiation more critical than ever. Authenticity and brand consistency at every touchpoint are essential to stand out in a market where technology is becoming standardized.

A great example is Zalando, ranked 26th in the CEE research. While many fashion brands use AI for standard product recommendations, Zalando goes further with its AI-powered Fashion Assistant. This digital stylist not only understands what a customer is looking for but also why, by recognizing emotion, context, and intent in natural language. A question like “What should I wear to a summer wedding in Italy?” is matched with a practical answer that is also tailored to mood and style.

This approach aligns perfectly with Zalando’s brand value of ‘inspiration’. Here, AI is not used as a generic tool but as an extension of the brand: empathetic, relevant, and distinctive. Such examples show how linking technology to authentic brand values transforms a standard interaction into a memorable experience.

Although AI plays a dominant role in today’s customer experience (CX) landscape, it is not the only path to success. AI can help create seamless, relevant, and enjoyable experiences, but it is not a prerequisite. Organizations that do not embrace AI can still excel in CX through outstanding performance in other areas, such as personal service, local engagement, and craftsmanship. This is evident in the 2025 CEE results, which shows that Keurslager once again ranks number one. Similarly, De Echte Bakker, ranked third, proves that local engagement and recognizable service remain highly valuable in the digital age.

The 2025 CEE research shows that customer experience in the Netherlands is entering a new phase. After years marked by increasing pressure, digitalization, and changing expectations, brands are now gaining more control over their customer relationships. The challenge for 2025 and beyond? Not just going with the digital flow, but first defining what your brand stands for. Only then you should determine which (technological) tools are needed to reinforce those brand values. This approach creates customer experiences that are not only efficient but also distinctive.

Want to discover how your brand values can be translated into a distinctive customer experience? Or are you curious about your brand’s position in the 2025 CEE ranking? Contact us today. 

Want to read more? Research on customer experience has also been conducted globally. Download the Global Report to learn how more than 50,000 customers across sixteen countries share their opinions about brand experiences.

• Keurslager is ranked as the best-performing brand in customer experience for the fourth year, with an impressive CEE score of 8.00. Bol. ranks second with 7.93, and De Echte Bakker takes third place with 7.88.
• Too Good To Go achieves the highest ESG rating, followed by Ekoplaza Foodmarqt, ASN Bank, and Bever.
• The Grocery Retail sector remains the leader in customer experience with an average CEE score of 7.45. Non-Grocery Retail holds second place (7.40), while Telecom shows a rise to third place with an average score of 7.32, a jump from last year’s fourth position.
• Personalization once again proves to be the Pillar with the greatest impact on the CEE score (20.3%), followed by Integrity (17.7%), Expectations (17.5%), and Time & Effort (16.9%).