Innovation in customer experience is essential for competitive differentiation and growth, yet it can be challenging to measure and often relies on sudden bursts of insight. This report explores the three key strategies to build a robust CX innovation playbook:

  Unify data in one single source of truth

Build an innovation North Star

Develop a culture of agility

Consumers and businesses are increasingly giving gift cards, which are much more likely to be used and have rocketed in popularity in recent years. In fact, the U.S. gift card market is projected to continue its significant growth over the next decade, jumping to $1.4 billion by 2033. That represents an annual growth of nearly 18%. Driving the appeal? Purchasers opting for an alternative to giving cash and allowing recipients to choose their own gifts.

For businesses with recurring revenue, improving retention is one of the easiest and most effective ways to drive revenue and profits. With a clear link between failed payments and customer churn, having a robust failed payment recovery solution isn’t optional—it’s essential. Achieving your retention goals starts with the right solution.

This guide explores best practices for failed payment recovery and what businesses need to look for when evaluating and selecting the technology to solve this problem.​​

The most overused word at CES 2025 was AI. AI was in seemingly every product—from AI backpacks to AI barbecue grills—on the CES shop floor, whether it needed to be or not. For retailers, CES was all about decoding emerging technologies, and getting a glimpse into the future. Retail executives at CES echoed the whimsical sentiment of almost living in the future. While big names, including Walmart, were missing in action, Pinterest hosted a keynote on visual search with CTO Matt Madrigal, and Amazon launched a new ad product for retailers.

We already know that online shopping is pretty popular among consumers, but a new global study finds where exactly consumers from the US, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands like to shop. Netherlands-based ChannelEngine’s latest Marketplace Shopping Behavior Report 2025 found that online marketplaces are the place to be for most shoppers.

Amid the 4,500 people surveyed across countries, 63% said they preferred purchasing on marketplaces instead of brand-owned websites.

With insights from 4,500 shoppers in The USA, The UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and France, this report uncovers unique insights on marketplace adoption, usage, and preferences. Marketplaces are more than a sales channel— they’re where shopping begins. In our Marketplace Shopping Behavior Report 2025, we reveal how online marketplaces are now the #1 starting point for online consumers’ shopping journeys. 

First, smaller organizations often need more access to creative teams and technology. Second, even though larger organizations typically have greater access to these resources, they need help producing creatives quickly in response to market conditions. 

Furthermore, advertisers need creative optimization tools that keep their campaigns reactive and effective. This usually requires numerous versions of campaign ads and staff that can swap out iterations based on ad performance in close to real-time. 

As an e-commerce retailer you’re fulfilling hundreds of orders a day, shipping out parcels across the world. You’re also dealing with returns up to the rate of 30%. Having a solid returns process is just as important as your order fulfillment. In our 2024 E-commerce Consumer Study, we found 56% of consumers will not shop with a brand if its returns policies and processes are cumbersome. This shows there’s more to be gained by embracing returns culture than by pretending it doesn’t exist. So, how can you make the best out of a bad situation?