Customerland

Ever wondered what happens in that crucial moment after you click "buy" online? Ashley Firmstone, SVP of Global Enterprise Growth at ROKT, takes us deep into the psychology of the transaction moment and how forward-thinking brands are transforming it from a dead end into a value-creating opportunity. When you complete a purchase online, you're experiencing either euphoria or potenti...

The world of retail media is experiencing a seismic shift as networks struggle to bridge the gap between traditional in-store marketing and digital advertising approaches. In this fascinating conversation with Paul Brenner (Global SVP of Retail Media and Partnerships at InStore Marketplace) and Steve Gray (Director of SG Retail UK), we explore the fundamental differences between US and European re...

The subscription economy is experiencing a profound transformation. What once centered entirely on acquisition has shifted dramatically toward retention as businesses recognize the true value of deepening customer relationships rather than constantly chasing new subscribers. Lina Tonk, CMO at Recurly, explains this evolution with remarkable clarity: "When you start thinking about retention as...

The retail landscape is transforming through artificial intelligence, moving beyond flashy demonstrations to delivering real business value. In this illuminating conversation with Matt Bertucci, Director of Retail Solutions at Lenovo, we unpack how AI in retail has evolved dramatically over just three years. Matt reveals how retailers have progressed from asking "what is AI?" to implemen...

What happens to the people who protect our digital spaces from the worst humanity has to offer? Rachel Lutz-Gavara, Division VP of Trust and Safety at TaskUs, joins Customer Land to explore the invisible toll of content moderation and frontline customer work. As a licensed mental health professional, Rachel brings unique clinical expertise to corporate wellness. She reveals how compassion fatigue—...

The emotional drivers behind purchasing decisions are often more powerful than traditional demographic factors—this revelation sits at the heart of our conversation with Calvin Cheng, Partner at West Monroe. Calvin reveals how two individuals with identical demographic profiles can make completely different purchasing choices based on psychological factors stemming from upbringing, values, and per...

Fullstory's Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Bayuk shares how behavioral data revolutionizes customer understanding by revealing not just what customers do, but why they do it. Companies using AI extensively report twice the impact on user engagement and operational efficiency compared to cautious adopters. • Behavioral data captures user emotions through signals like "rage clicks" (...

Technology adoption has historically taken longer than expected, but AI is breaking that pattern, creating business impact faster than most people realize. This fascinating conversation with Brian Gernert, CEO of Resonate, explores how predictive consumer intelligence is transforming marketing and customer experience in ways that were impossible just a few years ago. At the core of this revolution...

The relationship between artificial intelligence and human emotional intelligence isn't just fascinating - it's reshaping how global enterprises deliver customer experiences. In this revealing conversation with TP USA CEO Mike Lytle, we explore how the world's largest customer experience provider is thriving in the age of AI by finding the perfect balance between technological advan...

The digital age has transformed how businesses collect and store customer data, but with this convenience comes tremendous risk. Every minute, over 2,200 cyber attacks target U.S. businesses, making data breaches virtually inevitable for organizations of all sizes. The question isn't if your company will experience a breach, but when—and at what cost to your business and customer relationship...

Consumer spending has weakened across the board in recent weeks, with fast fashion, resale, and off-price retail emerging as relative winners in an otherwise concerning landscape. Michael Gunther, VP and head of insights at Consumer Edge, shares data-driven perspectives on current consumer trends and what they indicate about the broader economic picture. • Recent transaction data shows spend patte...

What happens when a nonprofit organization builds customer service operations that directly advance their mission? In this fascinating conversation with Andie Ewing, Chief Operating Officer of Unbound, we explore how this international development organization has reimagined what customer experience can achieve. Operating across 17 countries in Africa, Asia, India, and Latin America, Unbound has d...

The marketing technology landscape has exploded to over 15,000 applications, creating both opportunities and challenges for businesses seeking to maximize their existing investments. In this enlightening conversation, Tara DeZao and Rebecca Miller of Pega, share their unique perspectives on navigating this complex ecosystem while thoughtfully implementing AI solutions. The conversation reveals how...

The disconnect between the digital experiences businesses think they're delivering and what customers actually receive represents a massive opportunity. In this enlightening conversation, Dave Anderson, VP of Product Marketing at ContentSquare, explores how traditional analytics fail us – with teams trapped in Google Analytics trying to make sense of tables and charts that don't tell the...

What makes a brand truly patriotic in American eyes? The answer might surprise you—and it's definitely not just waving flags or wrapping everything in red, white, and blue. Robert Passikoff, founder and CEO of Brand Keys, returns to Customerland with fascinating insights from their 24th annual Most Patriotic Brands Survey. This year's results reveal a startling reality: commercial brands...

What Really Builds Customer Loyalty? A Conversation with Hope Neiman of Tillster Loyalty programs are everywhere—but actual customer loyalty is harder to come by. In this episode, Hope Neiman, CMO at Tillster, offers a grounded look at what separates transactional perks from meaningful, lasting relationships. While many brands rely on points and promotions, Hope argues that the real drivers of loy...

What if your planograms could adapt to each store's unique inventory and fixtures in real-time? That's exactly what Optimum Retailing has achieved with Realgramn AI, the first AI-powered store-specific planogramming tool that's fundamentally changing how retailers approach merchandising. Justine Melman, CMO at Optimum Retailing, joins Customerland to reveal how Realgram AI bridges t...

In this episode, we sit down with Jess Leitch, Executive Strategy Director at Frog, to explore the seismic shifts redefining how humans interact with technology — and what that means for brands, designers, and everyday users. From the collapse of the traditional interface to the rise of agentic AI, Jess walks us through a future that’s already underway, where experiences are increasingly ambient,...

What happens when the shiny exterior of customer experience meets the messy reality of operational execution? In this eye-opening conversation, we speak with FD Giambattista, a veteran CX operations expert who has spent 25 years implementing customer service solutions for major corporations. FD takes us behind the curtain to reveal what actually makes customer experience work—or fail. While techno...

From static images to personalized experiences that greet you by name, digital signage has undergone a remarkable transformation. BrightSign's Vice President of Sales for the Americas, Misty Chalk, takes us deep into how this technology is revolutionizing customer connections across every industry. The conversation reveals how BrightSign's purpose-built media players—those "purple b...

AI-powered decisioning is transforming how retail media networks operate, and Hightouch stands at the forefront of this revolution with a freshly announced $80 million funding round at a $1.2 billion valuation. In this conversation with Ian Maier, Ad Tech and AI Lead at Hightouch, we explore how composable CDPs are dramatically reducing implementation timelines for retailers launching media networ...

What happens when you tell a software engineer his CMS platform will shut down in six months, leaving major clients like Adidas and Reebok stranded? You get Storyblock - perhaps the most thoughtful reinvention of content management in decades. Dominik Angerer, CEO and co-founder of Storyblok, takes us on a journey through the broken world of traditional CMS platforms and reveals how his team is bu...

The gap between AI hype and real-world implementation is creating both challenges and opportunities for retailers worldwide. Talkdesk executives Ed Durbin and Michael Klein pull back the curtain on what's actually happening in retail AI adoption, sharing candid insights from their conversations with retail leaders at NRF and beyond. "We've spent millions on AI and we're still t...

The hidden science behind retail success isn't found in flashy technology or complicated loyalty programs – it's in the power of engaged store associates. This conversation with Nikki Baird, VP of Strategy and Product at Aptos, reveals groundbreaking research showing that when employees reach "peak immersion" during customer interactions, sales naturally increase. Retailers hav...

Ever wondered what technology investments actually make retail employees happier—not just more productive? Katie Riddle, Global Retail Strategy Lead at Verizon Business, reveals that while 98% of grocery retailers struggle with staffing challenges, the solution goes beyond efficiency tools. "It's not just about making employees more efficient," Katie explains. "It's about...