Over the years, I’ve studied retail innovation and also retail stagnation. Among the white hot trends propelling retail startups and giving legacy brands hope are artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, Internet of Things (IoT), connected sensors and good old fashioned ingenuity. My friend Macy Bayern of TechRepublic recently wrote about the role AI is specifically playing in retail innovation. Her resulting article features insights from industry experts and innovators. I also wanted to share our unabridged conversation with you here……
All This Technology is Making Us More Human
Part 2 of 2 I once had the honor of giving a TEDx Talk in San Francisco. I’ll never forget it. Even though I speak for a living, speaking at TED honestly terrified me. There’s something about the TED stage, the big ideas and the iconic personalities who have graced it over the years that has a way of grounding and even intimidating you. The experience was so powerful and life-changing, I sought to subject myself to the jitters and butterflies…
e-Mobility and The Future of Transportation – #EnelFocusOn in Rome
The future of e-mobility (full presentation on demand) Our climate is changing. Some of the manmade causes that are accelerating these changes can be reduced or possibly reversed with notable, some not insignificant changes in our lifestyle. Obviously some are easier than others but nonetheless important. Without getting into the politics or the science of climate change, I do want to share an experience about one of the many areas of innovation aimed to curb it, eMobility. As Tesla Found Elon…
The Future of Business is Under Construction and You are Its Architect
WTF? What’s the future…? Disruptive technologies are hailed as catalysts for business transformation. But they are merely enablers for defining a new genre of market relevance and leadership. Among the subjects of disruption, how we work, market, sell, and serve requires nothing less than remodeling and in many cases, complete redesign. The reality is that the future of business is always under construction. Yet, the state of business as usual is still pervasive and very much rooted in the past….
The History of Business Phone Service
The future of business phone service lies in the history of Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. Introduced in 1973, VoIP is a form of the electrical telecommunication system. A technology used to send and receive phone calls via an Internet connection. It no longer warrants the need for a landline or phone service. The many contributions to the tech industry, over the years, are what led businesses to the doors of VoIP. Without these certain inventions, the new business…
How to Be Disruptive and not Disrupted – Motivation for Tomorrow’s Innovators
As the fortune reads, “may you live in interesting times.” It’s both a blessing and a curse as interesting implies not only arousing curiosity or catching one’s attention, but also presenting challenging and enthralling opportunities and experiences. Well, we do live in interesting times and every day, I’m studying and living through new experiences and trends to learn, unlearn and grow. But interesting times doesn’t quite describe what’s happening today nor does it properly set expectations for what’s to come….
Altimeter’s Top Digital Trends for 2019
Each year, the Altimeter analyst team predicts digital trends that will have the biggest impact on businesses. In 2019, my colleagues Charlene Li, Omar Ahktar, Susan Etlinger, along with yours truly, share our take on what we see as most important trends to follow. Digital Transformation, Digital Experience, Brand and Innovation: Brian Solis CIOs Become Cross-Functional Business Partners to Accelerate Enterprise-Wide Digital Transformation The “digital” in digital transformation is no longer just about investing in the latest disruptive technology trends….
Plugging into the Future of a Connected Humanity: Exploring the Human API
In 2012, I had the opportunity to present at LeWeb in Paris. The theme of the conference explored the Internet of Things, where devices and things connect to one another to perform certain tasks and/or track activities to improve what we already do or make possible what we’re trying to do. The Internet of Things is bigger than we may realize. We are experiencing a shift from a world of inanimate objects and reactive devices to a world where data,…
The Rise of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Evangelists
Have you noticed the shift in focus of the evolving digital expert? We have… The Gapingvoid team and I have collaborated on many projects over the last decade. Our work has focused on prodding executives and entrepreneurs to think differently in their approaches to digital Darwinism and disruption. Whether we’re speaking to startups about the next big thing, attempting to humanize corporate culture and innovation or exploring ways to engage audiences in more meaningful ways, art and story carry our…
AI, Chatbots and Designing the Next Generation of Automated Customer Engagement
No matter how much sweetness or spin you add to it, early incarnations of AI-powered chatbots are the call centers of this generation. They’re cool. They’re scalable. They’re relatively inexpensive compared to human agents. Yes, chatbots scale engagement through new, popular messaging channels and introduce conversational commerce capabilities that carry the potential to deliver incredible experiences. But here’s the thing…most of the interactions are basic, seeking to replicate existing transactions and experiences that only seem to wow those designing not…
