Why HPE Walked Away From Quantum Computing . . . And Where It Went Instead
I’ve dedicated a fair number of research cycles to understanding quantum computers over the last 18 months because I believe they eventually will be revolutionary. That said, I think they have a long...
View ArticleCunning Plans Are In Short Supply In 2019 Brexit Britain
I expected (naively, some may think) by now that with a withdrawal deal secured by the UK and the EU, I would be able to update my earlier report on Brexit published last summer. Sadly, it was not to...
View ArticleNRF Big Show 2019 Impressions And Trends
Last weekend at the NRF Big Show 2019, I walked for miles back and forth across the crowded conference red carpet, meeting with several retailers, brands, and vendors to discuss the current and future...
View ArticleNRF Big Show 2019: It’s Time To Rethink Brick-And-Mortar Experiences
At this year’s NRF Big Show, I focused my time on discovering and searching out new tech and experiences that will be incorporated in the stores of tomorrow. During my time, here are three quick...
View ArticleThe Three Customer Service Megatrends In 2019
As AI Eats Jobs, Agents Are More Valued Great customer service is not just about cutting costs or making operations more efficient. Instead, it’s a systematic reinvention of established technology,...
View ArticleThe CMO’s Guide To CES 2019: Customer+Brand+Tech
Each thing you see at CES may be wondrous, but after you’ve seen five variations of the same hundred things, the net effect is clutter and confusion. Let me help sort things out. I’ve had a week away...
View ArticleMake The Call On Sales Technologies: Experiment, Invest, Maintain, And Divest...
Digital salespeople need new tools to engage more knowledgeable and empowered prospects or risk looking like dolts. In the age of the customer, wooing prospects and crushing quota has never been...
View ArticleGillette’s Latest “We Believe” Response Earns A C- Grade
After I lambasted Gillette for its initial response to the blowback to the “We Believe” campaign, it’s only fair that I acknowledge that the firm has continued to engage with the controversy. Damon...
View ArticleRetailers: Use In-Store Sensor Tech To Understand And Enhance Customer...
Sensor-based technologies have been around for a while now — remember all the beacon hype? — and are now rapidly gaining traction. In-store sensor technology and, more importantly, its contribution to...
View ArticleVideo: How AI Is Transforming Advertising And What You Should Do About It
Did you know that artificial intelligence has infiltrated all parts of the advertising process? My guess is, probably not. But chances are, in an era of programmatic advertising when machines are...
View ArticleTelecom-Only = Disrupted
My theme at PTC’19 this week was that telecommunications and colocation companies that maintain a focus on their traditional value propositions will be fully disrupted by 2025. Customers, in the era of...
View ArticleA (Relative) Newbie’s Impressions Of NRF 2019
2019 marks my third year attending the NRF Big Show. I’ve been to enough shows to have an informed opinion but few enough that it still feels new — Goldilocks-approved! A few quick impressions: China...
View ArticleChina’s Tech Market Will Grow By 4% In 2019 And 7% In 2020
Growth in China’s technology market will slow in 2019 due to geopolitical tensions and economic pressures but will rebound in 2020. Our just-published “China Tech Market Outlook, 2019 To 2020” report...
View ArticleBe Better Than Best-Guess Development
Developers sometimes feel as though they work in the dark, writing code, pushing updates, and delivering features but remaining detached from the customers they serve. Often relying on feedback from...
View ArticleThe Billion-Dollar Healthcare Problem You Can’t Just Walk Off
(Caleb Ewald contributed to this blog.) Super Bowl LIII is right around the corner, and we’ve begun reading the tea leaves and perusing injury reports to divine the future with precision. Will the Pats...
View ArticleWelcome To The B2B Marketing Renaissance
A long time ago, Peter Drucker, a man whom Businessweek once called “the father of business management,” wrote: This was written a long time ago — a few years before I embarked on my long career as a...
View ArticleNew Retail Isn’t The Future — It’s The Present
The future of retail is already here: Alibaba’s New Retail is reshaping the retail landscape in China and beyond. JD.com, Tencent, and traditional retailers like Starbucks and Walmart are all jumping...
View ArticleHappy Data Privacy Day — Five Lessons Learned On Regulatory Enforcement
In the United States, Europe, Canada, and India, January 28 is designated Data Privacy Day to mark the signing of the first legally binding, international treaty that dealt with data protection and...
View ArticleAlign Martech Investments With Your Digital Transformation Strategy
Customers demand that marketing coordinate with sales, service, and commerce to deliver better experiences. That’s why enterprise marketing technology (martech) is melding with customer experience (CX)...
View ArticleDropbox Says Hello To Digital Signatures, Workflow, And Document Automation;...
On January 28, 2019, Dropbox announced its intention to acquire HelloSign, a platform used to manage business transactions including eSignature and document-centric workflows. HelloSign joined...
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