SCORE! 2026 in Zurich: Coffee Bikes, AI Debates, and the Reinvention of Commerce
You can usually tell pretty quickly whether an event is truly relevant. It’s not about the slides. It’s not about the buzzwords. It’s about the conversations in between. And there was plenty of exactly that at SCORE! 2026 in Zurich. Even early in the morning, the first groups gathered around our Coffee Bike, which we were proud to sponsor this year. While the first espressos were being pulled, lively discussions were already underway about customer experience, platform strategies, and what is currently the most debated question in digital commerce: What's actually happening with AI? What made SCORE! special this year was that the dialogue felt significantly more concrete than it did twelve months ago. Less "AI will change everything," and more genuine, practical insights into how companies can navigate this dizzying pace of technological change—organizationally, strategically, and technically. Customer experience is growing more complex – and that's exactly what makes it exciting Customer Experience (CX) was omnipresent at SCORE!, but no longer just as a traditional UX discipline. Instead, the focus shifted to what digital experiences will look like when systems become more intelligent, decisions are made dynamically, and commerce platforms must respond to individual contexts in real-time. This is precisely where AI is rewriting the rulebook. Many companies are facing a new reality: Today, customers don't just expect functioning digital platforms; they demand experiences that are fast, deeply relevant, and completely frictionless across all channels, devices, and touchpoints. Yet, as front-end expectations rise, technological complexity is skyrocketing in the background.
Agentic AI was everywhere — but this time, with substance
One theme resonated with particular strength across the sessions, panels, and coffee breaks: Agentic AI and Agentic Commerce.
Until recently, AI agents were largely discussed as a futuristic vision. At SCORE! 2026, however, the spotlight shifted to highly tangible questions:
How autonomously should systems be allowed to make decisions moving forward?
What concrete tasks can AI agents actually take over in commerce today?
How does this fundamentally reshape the customer journey?
And what does all this mean for existing platform architectures?
What made these conversations so compelling was that they weren't purely technological. They weren't just about shiny new tools or features, but about structural changes in processes, organizations, and digital business models. This holistic perspective is exactly why the topic is so critical right now. Agentic Commerce isn't just another feature upgrade—it has the potential to fundamentally transform how digital commerce experiences are built and managed.
The magic happened between the main stage and the masterclasses
Naturally, the main stage featured powerful presentations and compelling insights, impressively demonstrating how deeply commerce, technology, and AI have merged.
But the conversations afterward were often where the real magic happened.
In the masterclasses, smaller expert rounds, or right outside by our coffee bike, debates sparked that went much deeper than typical conference talks. People asked tough questions, provided crucial context, and shared raw project experience—completely free of marketing buzzwords.
This exact blend is what makes SCORE! so incredibly valuable to us. Leaders from a wide variety of industries spoke openly about real-world challenges, architectural decisions, organizational hurdles, and the ultimate question: How do we meaningfully integrate innovation into legacy structures?
Sometimes, the most valuable takeaways don't come from a lecture hall, but with a cappuccino in hand between two sessions.
Our key takeaways from Zurich
SCORE! 2026 made one thing crystal clear: the commerce world is currently in the midst of a massive new transformation phase.
AI is evolving at breakneck speed.
Customer experience is becoming increasingly demanding.
Technical decisions are more strategic than ever before.
And that is precisely why open exchange is becoming paramount. Not every new technology automatically becomes relevant, and not every trend will stand the test of time. But events like SCORE! help us contextualize these rapid developments, align our perspectives, and collectively map out where commerce is headed.
For us, it was much more than just a standard industry event. It was a hub of intense debates, fresh impulses, and exciting visions for the future of digital commerce.
Thank you for the fantastic conversations! 🙌
A massive thank you to everyone who stopped by our Coffee Bike—for your openness, the inspiring discussions, and the brilliant insights we’re taking home from Zurich. We are already looking forward to SCORE! 2027.
Until then, there is certainly plenty to talk about regarding CX, AI, and the future of commerce. If you have any questions or are looking to integrate powerful AI features into your own shop — let’s talk!