Welcome back to TheCustomer QT. We took a few days to R&R ourselves and are now firmly back in our respective saddles. Just in time too, bc there’s a lot going on in our world: CX tips, Martech guidance, (finally) a view of how much of our lives Facebook is tracking, and some much-deserved spotlight.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 
How The Homebody Economy Is Shaping Digital Customer Experience
Quick-Take: Research collected by Salesforce reveals that a whopping 80% of people believe the experience of buying a product is as valuable as the product itself.
2020 Contributors of the Year
Quick-Take: One of the biggest unanswered questions that haunt marketers is why customers behave the way they do. With data analytics, it’s now possible to paint a very specific picture of what customers do, when they do what they do and where. But why?
TECHNOLOGY
How to Cut Back on Martech Bloat
Quick-Take: Consider that for two years Gartner has reported that marketers are only making use of 58% of their martech stack.
CEO describes a year on a rocket ship
Quick-Take: A shopper who chooses Sezzle instead of a credit card at checkout pays one-fourth of the purchase price immediately. The shopper pays the rest in three interest-free installments, with the first two weeks later and the last six weeks later. Sezzle makes money not from the shopper, but from the retailer, which pays a fee just as it would to a credit card firm.
Tech firm looks to recapture past growth rate in 2021
Quick-Take: “When customers start looking hard at all of their spends, you find out whether or not your solution is bringing real value …”
The Impact of Blockchain on CX
Quick-Take: What differentiates this (blockchain) from traditional self-service platforms, is that customers are in control of their data and can choose to opt for instant paid support, boosting revenues, and improving turnaround times.
CONSUMER SENTIMENT
Why Brands That Opt For Transparency Are Winning
Quick-Take: Access to customer data is a social contract, and trust is a measure of how well that social contract is doing.
25 Best Tips of 2020
Quick-Take: Part of being authentic is to find a way to consistently express your brand values, so you connect with your desired consumer. Athletica is a great example of a brand that’s leading with a core social statement. When you log into Athletica’s app, the first screen you see is that it’s a “Proud Certified B Corp.”
OPERATIONS
The Team Alignment You’re Not Talking About
Quick-Take: “Operations must serve the customers that marketing helps attract. If marketing and ops aren’t in alignment, no one will be successful.”
DATA & PRIVACY
Latest iOS update shows all the ways Facebook tracks you.
Quick-Take: Facebook, apparently, didn’t take too kindly to having its pants pulled fully down by Apple. According to Bloomberg, Facebook ran a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post lambasting Apple for having the gall to highlight what Facebook does with user data.
Ethical Data Management for Technologists
Quick-Take: “We, as the producers of that technology, need to use our innate sense of right and wrong and generate some dialogue amongst ourselves about how our organization is using our talents.”
Be Smart. Shop Safe.
Quick-Take: How creepy is that smart speaker, that fitness tracker, those wireless headphones? We created this guide to help you shop for safe, secure connected products.
WINNERS & LEADERS
The 10 Most Influential Women in Technology
Quick-Take: The issue recognizes ten inspiring women who have become the face of change in the industry, bringing cutting-edge innovation, new perspectives, and diversity to the workplace. These prominent women leaders continue to build and invest in future technologies while creating strong support networks for others to follow.
[…] days to R&R ourselves and are now firmly back in our respective saddles. Just in time too, bc there’s a lot going on in our world: CX tips, Martech guidance, (finally) a view of how much of our lives Facebook is tracking, […]
[…] days to R&R ourselves and are now firmly back in our respective saddles. Just in time too, bc there’s a lot going on in our world: CX tips, Martech guidance, (finally) a view of how much of our lives Facebook is tracking, […]