The team at OneStop invited me to Los Angeles to speak to a wonderful group of digital marketers, etailer/retailer, search and commerce strategists. Among the many things I’m studying and speaking about these days, the future of retail is fascinating to me personally and professionally. The future of retail isn’t just about new technology, the latest gadgets and all of the incredible startups that are pushing retail, commerce and everything else forward. It’s also shaped by connected/mobile customers who are more…
Top 10 Retail Banking Trends and Predictions for 2016
I’ve been spending an increasing amount of time studying the state and future of finance, banking and retail. Behind the scenes, I’ve spent time with several national and global finance companies/banks as well as several retailers all looking to understand the connected customer and their expectations and preferences when it comes to money, banking and shopping. When Jim Marous, co-publisher of The Financial Brand reached out to talk about the 2016 trends and predictions in retail banking, I was ready…
Will You Be A Part of Change Or A Victim Of It? An Interview with @TheYoungTurks
Right before everyone left for the Christmas/Holiday break, I flew down to Los Angeles to visit the The Young Turks studio. My good friend Francis Maxwell invited me to sit down with Cenk Uygar, host and co-founder of TYT to talk about the story of X and upcoming trends affecting business and society. While we did talk about those things, we got there via a conversation I don’t usually have, which is the story of (me) and how I got to where I am today. Perhaps…
Disruption as an Ecosystem
I miss Paris. Just as I was thinking this, I discovered an interview I did with EuroNews while in Paris in 2014 for LeWeb. I watched it for the first time and immediately I was sent back to that moment, in a small media room a few floors above the conference. It’s a glimpse into hot new tech trends and a conversation into iterations, innovation and disruption based on my presentation at the event. We explore the differences with each,…
Digital Transformation and the Questions I Never Hear
Following my presentation at LeWeb about the nuances between iteration, innovation and disruption (and the impact of each), I was invited to the business pavilion to share my views on digital transformation. The host for the conversation was my dear friend Benjamin Costantini. Before we could get settled, Ben brought a bottle of champagne on stage, two glasses, we toasted and the discussion started…on the right foot, or taste, I should say. I know he knows my passion for champagne. But perhaps…
Speaking Topics for 2016: Business (R)evolution, Culture 2.0, Innovation, Experience, Digital, WTF
I’ve been speaking professionally for just over 10 years and I’ve learned many things along the way. One lesson though stands at the top, which is no matter how much I think I know, I must always keep learning. Like everyone and everything, I must compete for relevance now and in the future by re-thinking and re-imagining my purpose and the value I hope offer others. So, once a year, I take time to reflect on what’s important and also…
Disruptive Technology is Disrupting Behavior
I study disruptive technology, specifically innovative technology that gains so much momentum that it disrupts markets and ultimately businesses. In the past several years, disruptive technology has become so pervasive that I’ve had to further focus my work on studying only disruptive technologies that are impacting customer and employee behavior, expectations and values and affecting customer and employee experiences. I can hardly keep up with today let alone consider the potential disruption that looms ahead in every sector imaginable including…
Racing IndyCars with Team Penske and Hitachi
On August 30th, 2015, I dropped the top on my 1960s Corvette Sting Ray, fired up the 427 and made my way from Silicon Valley to Sonoma Raceway for the big IndyCar race finale. For those who don’t know, I am enamored with cars and have been since I was old enough to play with Hot Wheels. I remember obsessively washing my hands before and after too. In fact, my parents still tease me about it to this day because…
The Hero’s Journey to Digital Transformation
I spent some time with Bernhard Steimel to help him with research for his “Smart Service” series. He sent over the audio files from our conversation for review. He organized them into snackable formats to make it easier for me to follow the conversation. It was so well done that he’s allowing me to share the discussion with you. Each audio segment ranges between two and four minutes. I hope these brief segments help you in some way… 1. The…
Internet of Things is Here: What’s Your IoT Strategy?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is so much more than smart refrigerator that tell you when you need to go to the grocery store, wearables that track your steps or the smart watches you’re thinking about not getting. It’s the nervous system that sends and tracks important information between things, places and people. From smarter industrial applications to cities to health care to home automation to automobiles and everything in between, IoT is changing not only your personal life, but…