Cloud databases are growing, but the majority of data remains in private data centers, according to this Denodo survey of data professionals. Security, compliance, and governance is the top barrier to cloud adoption (72%). Just 17% say they’re currently using cloud systems for data integration, analytics, and management, although another 29% are considering it.
Customer Data Platforms are the most common tech investment priority for retailers, listed by 61%, CommerceNext reports. The focus reflects a broader finding that data management has replaced data collection as the greatest challenge to leveraging first party data. Lots more here about shifting media investments, performance measurement, privacy, and other topics.
“Transparency” is the most overused buzzword in advertising, says to this Mediaocean survey, followed closely by “cookieless/privacy-safe”. “Customer Data Platform” doesn’t even make the list, which feels like a failure on our part. More substantively, the study finds that marketers are more worried about the impact of cookie loss on their measurement capabilities than on marketing results. Interesting.
Salesforce is buying Airkit.ai, which builds low-code, AI-powered e-commerce customer service agents. You might have thought Salesforce could already do that, but presumably Airkit does it better. It doesn’t hurt that the company founders sold a previous business to Salesforce, the company was partly funded by Salesforce Ventures, and the product is already listed on AppExchange. Price was not announced.