More blockchain: Facebook is reportedly planning to launch its own cryptocurrency in 2020. The company has not been shy about its desire to add commerce and financial services in case privacy rules crimp its current business. It’s a perfect match: blockchain works without trust and nobody trusts Facebook.
Customer Data Platforms are the top investment priority for e-commerce marketers, with 65% planning to increase spend in 2019. This from a study by Oracle and the CommerceNext conference. Bad news is that unified customer data is also the most disappointing of 2018 investments, with 52% saying results fell below expectations. Personalization and omni-channel marketing were almost as disappointing, at 51% and 47%. This stuff is hard.
Finally, Upland Software just bought B2B content curation platform Kapost. Price was $50 million on $15 million revenue. You may recall that Upland bought email automation vendor PostUp at a similar ratio just last month. It’s what they do.
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.