Articles by Jack M. Germain

Despite billions spent on generative AI, most enterprises still fail to see measurable ROI. A new analysis suggests the problem lies not in algorithms or ambition but in the hidden layer beneath — data infrastructure. Experts say storage, scalability, and performance bottlenecks are holding back enterprise AI from moving beyond pilot projects into profit-driving production...

Shoppers aren’t rushing anymore — they’re pacing. Retailers have taken notice, moving beyond one-day flash deals and stretching major sales events across multiple days or even weeks From holiday rollouts to seasonal campaigns, companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are betting on sustained engagement rather than overnight urgency, turning...

AI has entered the CX mainstream, but organizations are struggling to turn bold investments into measurable value. Despite widespread deployment, operational challenges and fragmented governance continue to undermine ROI CallMiner's 2025 CX Landscape Report, released on Sept. 16, highlights a persistent disconnect between AI ambition and execution....

Younger consumers aren’t just changing how they shop — they’re rewriting the rules of customer service. When a charge looks wrong, they don’t call, email, or wait on hold. They open a banking app, dispute the transaction, and move on. For merchants, the danger goes far beyond lost revenue — it’s a direct threat to customer loyalty Consu...

Sales organizations are racing to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) to sharpen customer engagement and boost performance, but many are discovering that enthusiasm alone doesn’t guarantee results. A growing number of companies are struggling to turn AI investments into meaningful outcomes for their go-to-market (GTM) strategies Highspot's Go-To...

AI chatbots are no longer just business tools. A growing number of artificial intelligence adopters consider them friends, confidants, and even romantic partners As AI becomes integrated into social media platforms, it’s becoming easier than ever to engage in personal discussions. The expanding AI companion industry shows that millions of people ...

The financial and operational model of open source is under strain, even as influential research estimates organizations would face $8.8 trillion in added costs if open-source software were eliminated Software industry experts within major open-source foundations say the current system is unsustainable. A few organizations bear the majority of cost...

Packaging is more than a product vessel. It serves as a strategic tool for storytelling, trust-building, and delivering immersive brand experiences. Retailers and brands that leverage packaging as a gateway to engage shoppers are taking the lead in the battle for attention in crowded marketplaces This trend for enabling a powerful packaging gateway...

Corvus Robotics' innovative storage tracking system uses fully autonomous drones to take warehouse inventory control to new heights The Corvus One Autonomous Inventory Management System provides warehouse managers with a bird's-eye view, enabling them to oversee up-to-the-minute reports on product locations and resolve discrepancies in real time. T...

Retailers are increasingly turning to third-party marketplaces to broaden their reach and accelerate growth. These platforms provide instant access to large, ready-made customer bases, boosting visibility and credibility while reducing the costs and risks of building proprietary e-commerce infrastructure. At the same time, they raise new concerns around data control, brand competition, and marketplace dependence...

A surge of large-scale breaches and extortion campaigns against SaaS CRM platforms in retail, technology, aviation, and finance is overwhelming current defenses AppOmni, an enterprise SaaS application security firm, has introduced an innovative defensive feature powered by its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) platform. This solution addresses a com...

Businesses and even governmental organizations once thought they were too small to target. Now they face relentless attempts from increasingly sophisticated criminal groups The number of weekly cyberattacks on small businesses nearly doubled in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Over 80% of attacks targeted credentials, a...

Retailers are under pressure to deliver fast, personalized customer experiences (CX) at scale. Many are exploring generative AI (GenAI), but few have successfully implemented it in ways that enhance service and empower frontline teams Retailers face a pivotal moment, with GenAI offering a path to transform customer experience and operational effici...

Many companies adopt artificial intelligence tools only to find the traditional go-to-market (GTM) model collapsing. Sales and marketing leaders are overwhelmed by fragmented tools, processes, and handoffs that fail to deliver results Landbase, an agentic AI platform developer, offers a new approach: replacing the entire GTM stack with intelligent ...

Agentic AI is poised to advance beyond serving as a digital assistant to becoming an independent purchasing agent for businesses According to audit, tax, and advisory services firm PwC, 79% of companies are already adopting AI agents to help with tasks like procurement and vendor sourcing. AI agents also help sales teams craft email openers and imp...

Gen Z is reshaping loyalty programs, challenging traditional strategies and forcing marketers to rethink how they connect with young shoppers. Instead of discounts, this generation values community and experiences that foster a sense of belonging Experiential loyalty programs that create a sense of belonging resonate strongly with this generation, ...

The Linux Foundation is accelerating its push into agentic AI, unveiling a third major project in as many months aimed at creating secure, interoperable infrastructure for autonomous agents Following the adoption of two recent agentic AI projects in June and July, LF added the Agent Gateway Project on August 25 at the Open Source Summit EU. Created...

Earlier this month, open-source security innovator TuxCare launched an in-memory vulnerability scanner for Linux-native environments TuxCare Radar is a Linux-first vulnerability scanner that cuts through the noise to deliver accurate, real-time vulnerability detection and reporting. The results minimize false positives by recognizing both tradition...

Summer may be ending, but consumer demand isn’t. Small retailers can turn seasonal inventory into revenue with email and SMS—fast, affordable tools that don’t require big-box budgets Amazon’s Prime Day sparked a surge of shopping intent that still lingers, creating opportunities for SMBs to convert momentum into sales....

Brands are shifting away from traditional ad-heavy strategies and turning to niche influencers whose authenticity and expertise are quietly reshaping consumer behavior across industries Social media intelligence is a powerful resource that can help businesses shape strategy, from understanding what their audience cares about and what drives interes...