Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news.
This week, we explore the evolving landscape of airport customer experience, the benefits and challenges of CX consulting, and how Zoom’s AI-driven workflows are transforming digital interactions.
We’re also discussing new updates from Bloomberg, Europol, Fifa, and more.
Key news
- International banks based in Paris have paused hiring, Bloomberg reports, in response to political instability, rising taxes and an economic slowdown. France has imposed temporary tax increases on large companies, high earners and financial transactions; a new tax was also imposed on share buybacks. It comes after the financial institutions, including Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, added around 25,000 roles in France between 2017 and 2023. But Barclays has postponed plans to move its EU headquarters to Paris by two years and HSBC is planning to cut its French workforce.
- Professional female football players earn an average of $10,900 (€9,984, £8,403) annually, according to Fifa. Among the 41 teams in Fifa’s tier one, players earn an average of $24,030, but in tier two and three clubs, players were paid between just $2,805 and $4,361. Tier one club contracts were more likely to be one to three years long, while three-month contracts were common from tier three clubs. Fifa also said attendance was an issue. An average of 1,713 fans attended tier one games, but just 480 and 380 people went to tier two and three games respectively.
- Criminal gangs are using artificial intelligence to target people in scams that are harder to detect, Europol has said. Groups are using generative AI to write messages in multiple languages, create imagery and impersonate people to blackmail targets. Europol said gangs were increasingly moving operations online, including recruitment, communication and systems for payment. The international policing organisation warned that criminal gangs could become entirely “AI-controlled”. It listed cyber attacks, online fraud schemes and crime in the waste management sector as some of the fastest growing threats to Europe.
CXM news stories
Here’s the full news stories that CXM have reported on in the past week. Learn all about the latest news about the landscape of airport customer experience, the benefits and challenges of CX consulting, and the growing preference for banking apps over physical branches in the UK.
Retailers demand more from martech: flexibility, security & accuracy
MessageGears has released a new survey, shedding light on how major retail brands manage customer data to drive long-term success. The study explores how retailers perceive current data solutions, their prioritisation capabilities, and the challenges they face in leveraging data effectively.
“Many retail brands are discovering that the path to driving more loyalty starts with centralized customer data and access to that data in their marketing channels,” said Will Devlin, Senior Vice President of Marketing for MessageGears. “Large retailers juggling lots of data want technology that doesn’t force them into defined systems or schemas – they want more control, flexibility to scale, and total security. At the end of the day, brands need to be leveraging far more of their entire dataset if they want to increase customer engagement.”
The survey highlights several key trends. As many as 70% of enterprise retailers prefer technology that enables them to integrate new capabilities as their needs evolve, ensuring they can scale without unnecessary upfront investments. Similarly, 75% of retailers emphasise platform customisability as a major factor in their martech purchasing decisions.
Security is a top priority, with more than 70% seeking solutions that enhance data protection and regulatory compliance. In addition, 71% of retail brands cite data management and governance as essential when evaluating technology partners. Accuracy is also a major concern, as 78% of retailers prioritise tools that improve data quality and precision.
The findings highlight a shift in how enterprise retailers approach their technology stack. Rather than relying on outdated legacy platforms, brands embrace composable, flexible solutions that empower them to make better data-driven decisions. By focusing on agility, security, and accuracy, retailers are building martech ecosystems that support current business needs and position them for long-term growth and innovation.