Here’s a sign that customer data is increasingly important: open source database vendor Couchbase has introduced a “engagement database” that is says is new class of system, distinct from transactional and analytical databases. It’s optimized for real time interactions at scale, with key features including in-memory data, full text search, and mobile deployment. They’ve written a helpful white paper explaining the details.
B2B martech vendor Demandbase has raised $65 million in new financing, bringing its total to over $150 million. Demandbase has focused its business Account Based Marketing data and services, a strategy that resulted in quadrupled revenue over the past three years.
DataSift also assembles data about people, in its case taking feeds from social media sites. Some is anonymized and some is linked to individuals, depending on what the site owner allows. DataSift just set up a feed of anonymized LinkedIn data to crystal.io, an artificial intelligence-powered “virtual advisor” promises insightful answers to marketers’ questions. To be clear (get it?), crystal.io works only with aggregated data, so it can’t tell you what Dad wants for Father’s Day.
Procrastinators of the world can throw a party whenever they get around to it: Google has once more pushed back complete third-party cookie deprecation. The new target is “early next year.” Reasons for the delay include concerns expressed by U.K. data regulator Information Commissioner’s Office, an ongoing inquiry by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and widespread discontent in the advertising ecosystem.