Ribbon's EdgeMarc 2900 solution offers IPFone customers enhanced security, service assurance and site survivability Ribbon Communications Inc., a global provider of real time communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors, announced that IPFone, a provider of cloud-based business unified communications and telephony services, is leveraging Ribbon's Intelligent Edge portfolio to ensure that its customers could seamlessly work from home during the onset…

Average daily audio streaming hours per household increased by 54 minutes per day during the week of June 15, 2020 compared to December 10, 2019 As at-home streaming activity saw an immediate uptick during the first stay-at-home orders (mid-March 2020), new research from Comscore, a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating media across platforms, shows home audio streaming usage increased sharply beginning in early April 2020 and continued to rise through mid-June 2020. According to Comscore's Total Home…

The 2020 CX Index Survey, and subsequent COVID-19 CX Index Pulse Survey, finds the pandemic prompted the majority of consumers to switch to online shopping with 57% vowing to continue this trend beyond the pandemic Prior to COVID-19, just over half (54%) of consumers reported having a better experience shopping online; however, after facing nearly three months of COVID-19, 76% of consumers moved to online shopping for items they would typically buy in store. What's more, 57% of those consumers plan to continue buying…

This article is jointly authored by Orchid Richardson and Joe Pilla.

Wunderman Thompson Commerce’s study shows the winners and losers of lockdown as Amazon and Tesco reign supreme New research by Wunderman Thompson Commerce reveals that fewer than two in ten (16%) of UK consumers intend to return to their old shopping habits post-lockdown, signifying the lasting change that COVID-19 will have on the retail industry. The COVID, Commerce and the Consumer research – which surveyed 2,000 UK consumers on their shopping experience during the COVID-19 pandemic – found that the need for safety…

It’s exactly a month since the California Attorney General finalized and submitted the proposed regulations to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to the state’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL). Tomorrow, on 1 July, the OAL is expected to review the recommendations and approve the CCPA final regulations. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Governor passed the EO N-40-20 that allows the OAL to take an additional 60 days to complete the review process. To simplify things for CCPA compliance, the AG…

Ad spend is tumbling globally with advertisers pulling back on budgets since Coronavirus hit. In the UK, the majority of marketers (86%) were delaying or reviewing marketing campaigns at the start of April, which was an increase from just 55% three weeks earlier. A recent Nielsen study of the US market shows marked changes in consumer behavior, even before the official lockdown, with more going online to avoid shopping centers and malls. However, marketers must take steps now to ensure that they remain relevant…

Results show most contact centers are embracing work changes and expect them to benefit the industry long term Calabrio, the customer experience intelligence company, has released a study detailing how customer service organizations are evolving due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a survey of contact center leaders, the findings point to a dramatic shift in how brands, through their contact centers and agents, now engage with their customers. While crisis-driven changes can often have a negative impact, recent events…

Connected TV Shows Tremendous Resilience During Pandemic and Takes Share from Traditional TV Budgets 2020 has been one of the most challenging years for the advertising sector since the Great Recession of 2008. However, among all the paused and cancelled campaigns, digital video remains a bright spot, according to "IAB U.S. 2020 Digital Video Advertising Spend Report: Putting COVID in Context" released at IAB NewFronts. Connected TV (CTV) is largely responsible for the sector's resilience and was least impacted by…

As the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping many of us in our homes, the future of Customer Experience in online shopping is a big predicament for all e-commerce brands. As the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping many of us in our homes for the foreseeable future, online shopping has become the go-to way Americans are getting essential (and non-essential) items. In fact, the volume of online shopping increased by 25% since the start of March. But, with difficulty getting delivery time slots for groceries and slower shipping times for…

New Research Reveals New Opportunities for Local US Business Owners to Renew Advertising Despite the economic downturn wrought by COVID-19, over 75% of local US businesses have remained open during the pandemic — with many looking to adopt effective, fresh marketing and advertising strategies, according to a recent study by Viamedia, the television industry’s largest independent local cross media management company. Based off US responses of Viamedia small business customers and local agencies nationwide, the results…

74% said the crisis exposed more IT gaps than expected 54% admit they should have done more to help their customers 71% are accelerating their DX plans as a result New research from Pegasystems Inc., the software company empowering digital transformation (DX) at the world's leading enterprises, reveals most business leaders overestimated the state of their digital transformation efforts – which hampered their ability to adapt to the pandemic. Nearly three quarters (74%) of business decision makers said the crisis exposed…

Digital and Online Banks Lead the Verint Experience Index, Earning Top CSAT and NPS Scores, in the Midst of Physical Distancing, Financial Upheaval Consumer banking behaviors have changed radically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of new research announced by Verint Systems Inc., The Customer Engagement Company, show which banks have maintained and even improved customer satisfaction during a time of market disruption. Marketing Technology News: Leading Contextual Advertising Company Media.net Joins IAB…

In the span of a few months, the coronavirus has reached every country, every community, and every neighborhood. No nation is spared. The economy grinds to a halt. Millions have fallen sick. In the meantime, if you take a look at the 15 biggest cyberattacks in the 21st century, you’d notice a few things. First, no country is untouched. Second, it’s extremely disruptive to business operations. Third, millions have fallen victim to these attacks. We have been dealing with a different kind of outbreak for many years, that…

Find out Which of 4 Personas Should Guide Your Brand’s Crisis Messaging  In this unprecedented era of the pandemic, customers have new needs. How consumers go about their daily lives has changed. And it’s looking like some of these changes will be here to stay. For brands, the main question is how they should be adapting their messaging and tone to reflect the new reality and needs of today’s consumers. Obvious new needs are practical. They need new ways to get home essentials and food. They’re arranging…

As individuals, we are merely a microcosm of a larger global organism. Our economy, supply chain, businesses, and personal health have followed this evolution in turn. In recent weeks, we have watched as a virus ran roughshod over the planet, thrusting us all into a reality where our freedom of movement and choice is limited in ways we couldn't have previously imagined. While we may be divided on our points-of-view on various responses and what the right next steps are, one thing is clear: Our governments, economies,…

Nivea and Colgate, Also Gain Offline; H-E-B and Publix Gain in Social Media; HGTV Gains Online and Offline The impact of the 2020 pandemic is being strongly felt in online and offline consumer conversations as consumer priorities and interests have shifted. Entertainment, and particularly streaming services, are among brands benefiting the most, consistent with earlier reports from Engagement Labs. The TotalSocial rankings are based on a combination of metrics including how much conversation brands earn, how positive,…

In spite of the economic downturn, the Company is realizing increased revenue growth from its existing client base and adding new clients CloudCommerce, Inc., a leading provider of digital advertising solutions, announced that in spite of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has recently increased revenue from its existing client base and added new clients within the past few weeks. Marketing Technology News: AT&T Selects Salesforce to Accelerate its Customer Experience Vision “As was the…

WISMOlabs Releases New Infographic Showing eCommerce Trends in 2020 "We compared year over year performance across dozens of verticals across hundreds of retailers," says Dmitri Rassadkine, President of WISMOlabs. "Different verticals and business categories display an increase of more than 600% amid COVID-19, while some suffer much more dramatic losses. Businesses within the same vertical display different performance due to their marketing and messaging. This is where the WISMOlabs post-purchase customer experience…

Both the scale and scope of COVID-19 are beyond anything we’ve seen in near history. It’s uniting, in that the entire globe was tasked to navigate this challenge together, but more than anything it’s been devastating. It has had a profound effect on the way we do business, interact and live our daily lives - the outcome being that the global economy has taken a bit of a nosedive. Unfortunately for marketers, there is no playbook they can turn to for answers. I was in the industry during 9/11 and the 2009 economic collapse,…