Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news.
This week, we’ve been looking at the role of AI in customer service and the level of trust customers and industry leaders have in genAI solutions.
We’re also discussing new updates from the New York Times, Zalando, Finacial Times and more.
Key news
- Zalando has put in a bid to acquire fellow German online retailer About You for a sum of €1.21bn (£1bn). Reuters reports that About You’s biggest shareholders, including retail group Otto, plan to accept the offer, clearing the way for Europe’s biggest e-commerce business to become even bigger. Inflation and increased competition from low-cost rivals, such as Shein, are pushing the industry to consolidate, experts say. While the two platforms will continue as separate brands, the deal will allow Zalando to grow its market share, boost its technological capabilities and expand into new territories, particularly Eastern Europe, notes e-commerce expert Wolfram Latschar.
- More than 5 billion people are expected to fly in 2025 — a new record, announced the airline industry’s top lobby group. The International Air Transport Association also projects that industry revenue will top $1 trillion for the first time next year. Higher demand and lower oil prices will help airlines’ bottom lines, though they’ll still need to “watch every cost,” as profit margins remain slim. Also next year, Alaska Airlines will launch service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul — part of a planned international expansion after it acquired Hawaiian Airlines earlier this year.
- Oil giants Equinor and Shell are teaming up to create the UK’s largest oil and gas company, with both firms taking a 50% stake in the joint venture. The new business, which will be based in Aberdeen and is yet to be named, will see the Norwegian and UK energy firms pool their British oil and gas assets with a view to secure energy supply in the UK. As oil and gas output in the North Sea is dwindling, companies in the industry have been looking for ways to reduce their exposure to the region, writes the Financial Times. Equinor and Shell aim to finalise the partnership by the end of the year.
- News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch was dealt a major blow in a legal battle over succession at his company, according to a sealed court document viewed by The New York Times. The mogul sought to alter a family trust that will split control of his media empire — which includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal — equally among four of his children after his death, aiming to consolidate power with son Lachlan Murdoch. Per The Times, a Nevada probate commissioner ruled “resoundingly” against the elder Murdoch, calling his attempt to change the trust a “carefully crafted charade.”
CXM news stories
Here’s the full news stories that CXM have reported on in the past week. Learn all about the latest research into genAI adoption across industries, as well as the level of success of this year’s holiday shopping season.
8×8 and Descope team up to transform authentication and customer journeys in APAC
8×8 has partnered with Descope, a customer identity and access management (CIAM) innovator. As Descope’s Asia-Pacific (APAC) partner, 8×8 will integrate its drag-and-drop CIAM solution into its Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) APIs.
This collaboration will allow businesses to design secure, seamless user authentication workflows while improving overall customer experience.
“Our partnership with Descope provides organizations with a secure, frictionless, highly usable experience that enhances efficiency and supports business growth, unlocking the potential of every interaction. Additionally, Descope’s capabilities complement and enhance our AI-driven communication solutions, enabling smarter, more seamless engagements across the customer journey,” said Stephen Hamill, General Manager, CPaaS at 8×8, Inc.
Moreover, this partnership enables organisations to deliver secure, personalised user journeys with minimal development effort. Leveraging Descope’s no-code/low-code interface, businesses can create customized onboarding processes, modernise authentication systems, and deploy user-friendly login options such as social logins, passkeys, one-time passwords (OTPs), and magic links.
These advanced methods enhance both security and user experience, moving beyond traditional password-based logins.
Organizations using Descope have reported a 50% reduction in authentication-related support tickets and significant cost savings—up to 30-40 times—by avoiding the need to develop in-house authentication systems.
8×8’s CPaaS APIs are critical in powering business functions such as fraud prevention, marketing, customer support, and operations. The platform supports businesses in their digital transformation journey with omnichannel messaging that spans SMS, messaging apps, voice, and video.
As part of the 8×8 Platform for CX, these APIs work in unison with contact centre and unified communications solutions to connect customers and teams globally.