CDP vendor Segment has launched Protocols, a data governance platform. It positions the tool as completing a “Customer Data Infrastructure” that also includes Segment’s original data collection product, now called Connections, and audience management tool Personas, launched last October. Segment says that CDPs “do not collect complete or accurate data” but its new infrastructure does.
It’s hard not to be snarky about this: someone at Amazon thought a voice-powered microwave with automated popcorn replenishment was worth a press release. Maybe they were being ironic. If you insist on taking this seriously, it illustrates continued progress in voice-based consumer interfaces. Amazon released a dozen other voice-powered devices as well.
An even broader study that NSU Technologies ran for Software AG found that retailers who lead in adopting digital technologies had a six percent annual growth rate over three years, while laggards’ revenue was flat. Early adopters also had nearly twice the price-earnings ratio as the others: 22.32 vs 12.22. The survey provides lots of details about strategy, governance, deployments, business impact and technology. Good stuff but beware that the answers reflect an IT department viewpoint. Dead giveaway: 0% reported that business perceives IT as slow and inflexible.
With CDP vendors increasing their workforces by 3.4% in six months, compared with an average of 0.2% each six months over the prior two years, the sector seems to be growing again, according to our own semi-annual industry update. There is much talk of composable CDPs but they still employ no more than 5% of the sector workforce. What is a clear trend is the acquisition of independent CDPs by vendors interested in adding a CDP to a larger system (usually an activation system).