One truth has become undeniable: Hybrid customer experiences are no longer a short-term response to disruption; rather, they are the new foundation of modern commerce. In fact, 89% of consumers confirmed that they shop in a hybrid format on a regular basis.
And the consumer journey is no longer restricted to humans, with the emergence of AI Agents. What began with buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup has evolved into a permanent expectation, where customers fluidly cross between apps, websites, messaging platforms, and physical locations.
That now expands further to include agents AI that can discover products, negotiate, decide and transact on people’s behalf.
Vice President, Consumer Segment Strategy at Ping Identity.
Businesses are faced with tough questions: What does a great hybrid experience look like today? How do we account for non-human identities?
In this new reality, success goes beyond simply offering multiple touchpoints, focusing instead on weaving them into a single, seamless journey. Interactions must be frictionless and consistent across channels, and also built on trust, ensuring security and convenience work hand in hand in a world where digital and physical are permanently intertwined.
The experience customers now expect
When done right, hybrid experiences deliver these essentials:
Consistency and ease: No matter the entry point, whether digital or physical, the journey should feel connected and uninterrupted. Switching between channels should feel easy, without the risk of losing your place or having to start over.
Personalization without frustration: Customers want relevant experiences without being asked to re-enter details or repeat steps.
Security without sacrifice: Strong protections against fraud and identity theft must happen in the background, without disrupting the user experience.
This combination is what defines great hybrid design. It transforms multiple disjointed interactions into a single, fluid customer journey.
Security and convenience: partners, not rivals
This seamlessness isn’t just about convenience; it depends on trust. According to new data, only one in five consumers (17%) has “full trust” in the organizations that manage their identity data. Too often, businesses see a trade-off between security and convenience. In reality, they should be inseparable.
Without trust, customers won’t engage. Without ease, they’ll abandon the journey. The businesses leading the way are those that build trust directly into every interaction by putting identity at the center.
Modern identity practices, such as passwordless authentication, adaptive access decisions, and dynamic authorization, strike the right balance. In fact, 34% of consumers now report biometric authentication, and report 33% multi-factor authentication, as the top features that would increase their trust in online brands.
They reduce fraud risk and protect sensitive data, while also removing the clunky login steps and barriers that frustrate users. In short, identity is the foundation that allows businesses to deliver experiences that are both secure and seamless. This need also extends across channels.
Optimizing across channels
The real opportunity in hybrid experiences isn’t just keeping up with consumer demand — it’s creating competitive advantage. Organizations that optimize journeys across channels reduce churn, unlock new revenue and significantly increase the likelihood of customer loyalty (from 33% to 89% with strong omnichannel engagement).
They do this by treating identity as more than a security control. Instead, identity becomes the thread that ties together every channel, AI agent, and every in-person interaction.
As digital and physical worlds continue to intertwine, and AI agents increasingly act on behalf of human customers, businesses that optimize hybrid identity journeys through a framework that also secures agentic identities, will set the standard for what it means to build trust with modern customers.
Hybrid customer experiences aren’t a temporary state; they are the future for consumers. And the future belongs to those who recognize that identity isn’t only about access, but also about trust.
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