CDP CrossEngage is merging with predictive analytics vendor GPredictive, in a deal that also adds €6.5 million ($7.6 million) in new venture funding. The combined firms will operate under the CrossEngage brand although both products will still be sold separately and top managers from both firms will remain at the company.

MailChimp is sticking with its small business base but adding more features to serve them better. Its latest expansion is Smart Platform, a slew of AI-powered features including product recommendations, predictive models, visual asset design, and email subject line advice.

Martech keeps taking larger bites out of marketing budgets: 17.3% last year, 19.9% this year, 23.5% next year, and 30.9% five years from now, according to the latest CMO Survey. This despite barely more than half (56.4%) of current tools being used and nearly half (48.8%) of the survey respondents reporting worse-than-expected results. Oddly enough, marketers rate selecting marketing technologies as the thing they do best.