I want to shop at your store. You're (kinda) local and you employ a ton of Portlanders and buy from local farms and breweries and wineries and bakeries. You have a great variety of local seasonal organic stuff, and also regular stuff like Triscuits and Cheerios. You have beautiful flowers and the people at the register are nice. I want to shop there.
Maybe you were at a coffee shop and when your turn came, you opened your payment app, tapped your phone on the payment device, grabbed your cappuccino, and were done. Quick and easy. Maybe too quick and easy. Did the coffee shop miss a chance to engage with you? Did Mastercard miss an opportunity to show how their brand made this "priceless" moment possible? Did you miss an opportunity to teach your 8-year-old daughter a lesson on the value of money?
This bifurcation, according to Stern, is at the separation of commodity buying and experience-based shopping. On the one hand, if someone wants a commodity item or a widely available brand, almost any store will do. A shopper might ask ChatGPT to order more Tide laundry detergent, and not care who sells it. What matters is getting Tide delivered quickly at a low price.
Products were developed around a sturdy core banking system and rigid business process to ensure security and trust, distributed through branch networks, and only then wrapped in a customer experience and brand veneer. But those days are over because customers and the market demand the opposite. Today's Fintech upstarts and digital-first neobanks have flipped the model on its head, designing their institutions from the outside in.
It all started back in the early 1990s at a meeting with our travel agent advisory board. This was a group of about a dozen standout travel advisors from across the country chosen by our sales team not just for their sales volume but for their creativity and sharp business instincts. They came from a variety of backgrounds, brought different perspectives to the table, and had all built successful businesses from the ground up. Most importantly, each was seen as savvy and articulate.
As enterprises expand AI adoption across both internal teams and end consumers, agentic AI stands out for its potential to elevate customer experience through autonomous and semi-autonomous actions. By enabling faster, more personalized interactions, agentic AI is driving demand for practical ways to deploy it at scale. The proof is in the investments. The global autonomous agents market is valued at $4.35 billion in 2025 and is forecast to surpass $100 billion by 2034 - a compound annual growth rate of more than 42%.
Today's customers don't separate their lives into channels, and they don't expect brands to either. They want experiences that feel relevant and personal, whether that's confirming a delivery, getting a reminder about an appointment, or receiving an offer they actually care about. Imagine a shopper who adds items to their cart but never checks out. Hours later, the reminder email arrives, but by then it's buried in a crowded inbox. The opportunity to recapture their attention has passed.
Offense, meanwhile, involves anticipating needs and planning for various scenarios. Defense looks like sitting still. Defense looks like reacting to rates, [and it] looks like expanding and contracting to every market term. So we're not necessarily just in a turbulent market right now. Our market and our industry are evolving faster than any of us can really reorganize our orgs to keep up. So what offense looks like is trying to anticipate those needs and being ready for anything, Snow said.
Getting ready for a new business year is a crucial time. It presents the opportunity to reflect and make a list of a strategic changes to the way your company works. Small and simple tweaks in your approach can set your business up for sustainable growth and success. With so much in the pipeline and a lot to play for, it's worth getting the early preparations off to a strong start.
Now, Honig is bringing her innovation-first mindset to Samsung in the newly created role that puts her at the helm of the tech giant's customer experience and AI transformation. Her remit? Help customers understand how they can use AI more day-to-day. "I believe we are going through the most exciting phases of change in our history," she adds. "The AI revolution is one of the most important technological shifts we'll experience in our lifetime."
This week, Florida-based fiber provider Summit Broadband announced the implementation of a new brand promise. According to the company's announcement, "This strategic direction marks a significant step for Summit Broadband, reinforcing its investment in network infrastructure and its relationships with both residential and commercial customers across Florida. The company's renewed focus aims to drive innovation, foster stronger community ties, and ultimately deliver an unparalleled customer experience."
