The line between customer-facing and back-office software is rapidly vanishing. GK Software mostly builds retail Point of Sale systems, but they’ve expanded to other channels and adjacent functions such as merchandising and promotion management. They just announced they’ll be using artificial intelligence to generate personalized product recommendations, dynamic pricing and promotions, smart shopping lists, and individualized newsletters. These can be delivered via POS, mobile POS, and self-service channels. You can bet there’s a customer database lurking somewhere underneath.

Snark aside, I think Forrester is right. Accenture agrees: they found that 44% of consumers are frustrated by lack of personalization but 49% worry about privacy when they subscribe to data-driven services. More than half (58%) would switch to a company that personalizes without compromising trust.

It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying.  IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).  Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.