MARKETING
15 Strategies to Maximize Productivity while Working from Home

Gone are the days when “working from home” meant a day of binge-watching TV with your laptop propped on your belly. Today’s remote workspace demands more – more focus, more motivation, and certainly more coffee. How do you stay sharp and focused when working remotely?
How do you make sure that every minute is well-spent and each task is approached with laser focus?
Introducing 15 handpicked strategies to make the most out of your work-from-home setup whether you still work during office hours or enjoy flexible work hours.
Dive in and uncover actionable insights, honed from the experiences of remote work pros, to transform your workspace into a productive engine. By the end, you’ll realize that being busy doesn’t always mean being productive. Let’s redefine what it means to be productive, right from the comfort of our homes!
Let’s get right to it.
1. Revamp Your Workspace To Improve Work-From-Home Productivity
Revamping your workspace starts with setting up a dedicated space to improve your focus time and efficiency. Your functional office space doesn’t have to be a room if you’re limited in space, it can be a distraction-free corner.
Invest in ergonomic furniture like an adjustable chair and desk to make sure you’re comfortable and that it supports your posture during long hours of work. Make sure you have enough light coming in. Also, keep your workspace clutter-free to promote mental clarity so you can tackle tasks better.
Add a touch of personalization to your space so you can be motivated and inspired for productivity. Surround yourself with a few well-chosen and meaningful items that spark joy and creativity, like photographs, artwork, or plants. But be careful not to overcrowd your space or else it’ll look cluttered and distract you instead.
2. Optimize Your Physical Environment
If you want to feel good and get stuff done, it’s all about having the right workspace setup.
Opt for natural lighting whenever possible because it reduces eye strain and improves mood and alertness. Position your desk near a window or use daylight-mimicking bulbs to create an uplifting and energizing atmosphere.
You also need to maintain a comfortable room temperature because extreme temperatures can make you lose focus and cause a drop in productivity. Too hot and you can get easily disturbed, too cold and you’ll end up sleepy. Adjust your thermostat or use a fan or heater to create an ideal temperature range that suits your preferences.
As what I suggested earlier, add plants or other calming elements to your workspace to create a soothing ambiance. Plants are more than just pretty faces – they clear the air and keep things zen.
3. Set Clear Goals & Track Progress
Setting clear goals and tracking progress helps you stay motivated and gauge productivity. Think of your work like a road trip. You’ve got pit stops (short-term goals) and the final destination (long-term objectives). Keep checking that map to make sure you’re on course.
Break larger projects into smaller and manageable tasks to make them less overwhelming and so you can tackle them more effectively. The best part about this method? It’s like having little “you’re nailing it” moments that keep your spirits high throughout.
Utilize goal-setting frameworks like SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to make sure your objectives are well-defined and practical. It helps you stay focused on what’s important.
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate milestones and achievements along the way. Recognize your hard work and progress to boost your morale and keep you pushing forward.
4. Develop A Consistent Routine
Developing a consistent routine sets you up for long-term productivity. Start by setting fixed start and end times for your workday. This will create a clear distinction between work and personal time so you stay committed to your tasks and prevent overworking or underworking.
Next, plan your day around your most productive hours, capitalizing on your natural energy levels to tackle demanding and challenging tasks when you’re at your peak. Align your work with your rhythm to optimize your efficiency and output.
Try out the Pareto principle aka the 80-20 rule. In this case, 20% of your effort will account for 80% of your finished tasks. Identify where you should focus your effort first so you can do much of your daily tasks early.
Don’t forget to incorporate regular breaks into your routine for mental and physical well-being. Stepping away from your desk for a 5-minute break can help refresh your mind, reduce stress, and boost your overall productivity.
Share it with your remote team too so they can also develop good employee work habits with you to increase overall team productivity.
5. Master Time Management & Organization
Mastering time management and organization starts by setting clear goals and making a daily to-do list so you can efficiently manage your workload and monitor your progress. Utilize remote work productivity tools like task managers or time trackers to help you stay organized and focused on your priorities.
Consider implementing time-blocking or the Pomodoro technique to structure your day into manageable segments. With hour blocks, you allocate specific time slots for each task, while with the Pomodoro technique, you break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes, separated by short breaks. These methods encourage focused work sessions and prevent burnout.
Here are 3 other time management techniques if you want to explore more options.
Remember to review and adjust your schedule regularly so you can identify areas for improvement and adapt your approach.
6. Minimize Distractions & Interruptions
To stay focused, start identifying common distractions in your remote work environment and devise strategies to reduce or eliminate them. Like what was mentioned at the outset, add some personalization items in your space but don’t overcrowd it. Create a quiet space to help you concentrate better. You can consider using noise-canceling headphones or establishing a designated workspace away from household noise.
Limit social media and personal phone use during work hours because these can quickly consume valuable time and energy. You can use app usage reports or set a timer on how long you should spend on these. Establish boundaries for yourself like scheduling specific times for checking personal messages or using website blockers to prevent access to distracting sites.
Lastly, communicate your work schedule to family members or roommates so they understand your need for focus and quiet during work hours especially if you have weekly meetings to be in.
7. Set Boundaries Between Work & Personal Life
Setting boundaries between work and personal life helps with a healthy work-life balance and sustaining productivity. Establish clear limits to prevent burnout and recharge so you can maintain a sense of balance in your life.
At the end of the workday, log off from work devices and applications to create a physical and mental separation between your personal and professional life. If you’re using chat apps for your business, make sure to use automated responses to tell users you’ll be back during regular office hours if they need a human customer care provider. This disconnection signals to your brain that it’s time to unwind and switch gears.
8. Establish “No Meeting” Zones
These uninterrupted blocks of time allow you to dive deep into tasks that require focus and concentration. Here’s where you do 20% of the work that gets you 80% of the results you want for the day.
Setting aside dedicated time for deep work time will help you make significant progress on complex projects and tasks without the constant disruptions of meetings, calls, or virtual check-ins.
Communicate your “no meeting” and “collaboration hours” to your co-workers and make it a regular practice to ensure that you consistently allocate time for your most demanding work. This approach will help you stay on track with your goals and enhance your overall efficiency in a flexible work environment without needing unnecessary additional time.
9. Utilize Focus Techniques
Experiment with different focus techniques to discover the one that best suits your work style. The Pomodoro technique and time-blocking mentioned earlier will also help encourage focused work sessions and help you stay committed to completing tasks within a specific time frame.
Limit multitasking and concentrate on one task at a time. Juggling multiple tasks can cause a decrease in productivity level and increase the chances of errors – errors you have to rework and spend more time on. When you focus on a single task, you complete it more efficiently and effectively.
Set short-term deadlines for tasks to help you stay focused and motivated to finish on time. For example: If you’re on the sales team, part of your daily task could be researching popular products to resell to maximize current trends. This will involve finding the right suppliers and calculating the revenue potential. Your short-term deadlines could be finishing research on one platform or one kind of product.
This promotes a sense of urgency and ensures you make steady progress toward your long-term productivity goals.
10. Leverage Technology & Tools
Use software and applications designed to support remote work to streamline your workflow and keep you organized and focused on the most important matters.
You can use project management tools like Trello or Asana to help you effectively plan and track tasks so you and your remote employees stay on top of your priorities. These platforms provide a visual overview of your projects and help facilitate seamless collaboration among team members.
Automate repetitive tasks with tools like Zapier to save you time and reduce errors. It allows you to focus on higher-value tasks and boost your overall efficiency. Lastly, prioritize security with VPNs and anti-malware software to protect your data and maintain a safe online work environment.
Expert Advice:
Explore industry-specific automation tools too like product repricers for dropshipping businesses, a cold outreach software for lead generation, or a yard management system for logistics firms.
11. Prioritize Effective Communication
Virtual meetings keep teams connected and aligned on goals and tasks. Schedule regular sessions to discuss updates, share ideas, and maintain a sense of camaraderie among your team members.
It doesn’t always have to be a video conference. Reserve your time in meetings to discuss direct reports or pressing concerns a simple message can’t handle. Leverage instant messaging and collaboration tools like Slack, Skype, or Microsoft Teams to streamline communication and make teamwork more efficient. This lets you share information, ask questions, and collaborate on projects in real-time.
You also need to be responsive to emails and messages. Reply promptly, at least within 12 hours to keep things running smoothly. If you’re a key player in your department, make sure you’re not the bottleneck that prevents them from moving forward with their tasks.
12. Practice Self-Care & Stress Management
By taking care of your physical and mental health, you’ll be better equipped to tackle challenges, perform at your best, and minimize stress levels. Add regular exercise into your morning for a healthy routine that boosts your energy levels, improves focus, and reduces stress. Physical activity not only contributes to your overall health but also enhances your mood and cognitive function.
You can also implement mindfulness or meditation practices so you can stay grounded and manage stress better. Dedicate time for quiet reflection or deep breathing exercises to cultivate a calmer and more focused mindset so you can approach tasks with greater clarity.
Finally, prioritize at least 8 hours of sleep and a balanced diet with healthy meals to provide your body and mind with the necessary energy and nutrients to function at its best. Proper rest and nutrition will help you stay alert, focused, and productive throughout your workday.
13. Stay Accountable & Self-Motivated
Mastering remote work is all about having go-to strategies that keep your momentum up and goals in sight. You can share your goals and progress with a colleague to have an external source of accountability and motivation. Discuss your objectives and accomplishments to reinforce your commitment to staying focused and having a productive time.
You should also set personal deadlines and stick to them to hold yourself accountable. By imposing time constraints on your tasks, you’ll feel a sense of urgency and be more motivated to complete them promptly. This will also help others realize your expectations for a remote office worker.
You can try using productivity tools like Notion and test out if the “Get Things Done” system works for you. It’s a system where you list all your tasks first thing in the day and categorize them so you’ll know what to focus on and determine priority tasks.
Don’t forget to reward yourself for reaching milestones or completing tasks to keep your motivation levels high. Treat yourself to a small indulgence or enjoyable activity as a way of acknowledging your hard work and dedication.
14. Cultivate A Growth Mindset
Cultivating a growth mindset will help you embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and cause an increase in productivity. View obstacles as opportunities for growth to stay motivated and continuously improve your performance.
Embrace feedback and learn from criticism. It can be hard, I know. But it offers valuable insights to help you refine your skills and strategies. Constructive feedback is your roadmap for personal and professional development so you can grow and excel in your remote work.
Focus on progress, not perfection, and recognize that improvement takes time and consistent effort. Value incremental progress, hence the short-term goals, so you’ll foster a more positive and resilient attitude about your work and goals.
Again, reward yourself. Celebrate small victories and incremental improvements because these milestones demonstrate your commitment to growth and learning. Acknowledging your achievements, no matter how small fuels your motivation and reinforces your dedication to continual progress.
15. Embrace Continuous Learning
Stay up to date with industry trends and expand your knowledge so you’ll be more valuable and an effective contributor to your team.
Participate in online courses or webinars to learn more about fresh perspectives, leverage AI-based learning platforms, acquire new skills, and keep up with evolving best practices. These educational opportunities not only benefit your professional development but also help you stay motivated and engaged in your work.
Regularly read industry-related articles to stay informed about the latest advancements, innovations, and thought leadership in your field. This healthy habit will ensure you stay ahead of the curve and can contribute to meaningful discussions and projects.
If you’re in the HR field, learn how you can amp up employee engagement so that your team grows with you. Start with an employee engagement survey and work from the responses you get.
You can also consider networking with professionals in your field to learn and grow. Attend virtual events, join online forums, or connect via social media to share experiences, insights, and advice with like-minded individuals.
Conclusion
Take the proactive approach as you apply these work-from-home productivity strategies. Remember that each one is unique and the most effective strategies will vary from person to person. Experiment with the techniques provided, and continue to evaluate your productivity methods to find what works best for you. Refine your approach over time so you’ll cultivate a remote work lifestyle tailored to your specific needs and preferences.
It will take some patience and effort, but as you continue applying these strategies, you’ll see yourself getting more tasks done in less time.
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest work and business approaches, tech you can leverage, including sales and marketing trends. What better place to find all of these than here at Zumvu? We keep you updated on everything work and business matters, check out our blog now!
MARKETING
Comparing Credibility of Custom Chatbots & Live Chat

Addressing customer issues quickly is not merely a strategy to distinguish your brand; it’s an imperative for survival in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace.
Customer frustration can lead to customer churn. That’s precisely why organizations employ various support methods to ensure clients receive timely and adequate assistance whenever they require it.
Nevertheless, selecting the most suitable support channel isn’t always straightforward. Support teams often grapple with the choice between live chat and chatbots.
The automation landscape has transformed how businesses engage with customers, elevating chatbots as a widely embraced support solution. As more companies embrace technology to enhance their customer service, the debate over the credibility of chatbots versus live chat support has gained prominence.
However, customizable chatbot continue to offer a broader scope for personalization and creating their own chatbots.
In this article, we will delve into the world of customer support, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of both chatbots and live chat and how they can influence customer trust. By the end, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of which option may be the best fit for your business.
The Rise of Chatbots
Chatbots have become increasingly prevalent in customer support due to their ability to provide instant responses and cost-effective solutions. These automated systems use artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to engage with customers in real-time, making them a valuable resource for businesses looking to streamline their customer service operations.
Advantages of Chatbots
24/7 Availability
One of the most significant advantages of custom chatbots is their round-the-clock availability. They can respond to customer inquiries at any time, ensuring that customers receive support even outside regular business hours.
Consistency
Custom Chatbots provide consistent responses to frequently asked questions, eliminating the risk of human error or inconsistency in service quality.
Cost-Efficiency
Implementing chatbots can reduce operational costs by automating routine inquiries and allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues.
Scalability
Chatbots can handle multiple customer interactions simultaneously, making them highly scalable as your business grows.
Disadvantages of Chatbots
Limited Understanding
Chatbots may struggle to understand complex or nuanced inquiries, leading to frustration for customers seeking detailed information or support.
Lack of Empathy
Chatbots lack the emotional intelligence and empathy that human agents can provide, making them less suitable for handling sensitive or emotionally charged issues.
Initial Setup Costs
Developing and implementing chatbot technology can be costly, especially for small businesses.
The Role of Live Chat Support
Live chat support, on the other hand, involves real human agents who engage with customers in real-time through text-based conversations. While it may not offer the same level of automation as custom chatbots, live chat support excels in areas where human interaction and empathy are crucial.
Advantages of Live Chat
Human Touch
Live chat support provides a personal touch that chatbots cannot replicate. Human agents can empathize with customers, building a stronger emotional connection.
Complex Issues
For inquiries that require a nuanced understanding or involve complex problem-solving, human agents are better equipped to provide in-depth assistance.
Trust Building
Customers often trust human agents more readily, especially when dealing with sensitive matters or making important decisions.
Adaptability
Human agents can adapt to various customer personalities and communication styles, ensuring a positive experience for diverse customers.
Disadvantages of Live Chat
Limited Availability
Live chat support operates within specified business hours, which may not align with all customer needs, potentially leading to frustration.
Response Time
The speed of response in live chat support can vary depending on agent availability and workload, leading to potential delays in customer assistance.
Costly
Maintaining a live chat support team with trained agents can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses strategically.
Building Customer Trust: The Credibility Factor
When it comes to building customer trust, credibility is paramount. Customers want to feel that they are dealing with a reliable and knowledgeable source. Both customziable chatbots and live chat support can contribute to credibility, but their effectiveness varies in different contexts.
Building Trust with Chatbots
Chatbots can build trust in various ways:
Consistency
Chatbots provide consistent responses, ensuring that customers receive accurate information every time they interact with them.
Quick Responses
Chatbots offer instant responses, which can convey a sense of efficiency and attentiveness.
Data Security
Chatbots can assure customers of their data security through automated privacy policies and compliance statements.
However, custom chatbots may face credibility challenges when dealing with complex issues or highly emotional situations. In such cases, the lack of human empathy and understanding can hinder trust-building efforts.
Building Trust with Live Chat Support
Live chat support, with its human touch, excels at building trust in several ways:
Empathy
Human agents can show empathy by actively listening to customers’ concerns and providing emotional support.
Tailored Solutions
Live chat agents can tailor solutions to individual customer needs, demonstrating a commitment to solving their problems.
Flexibility
Human agents can adapt to changing customer requirements, ensuring a personalized and satisfying experience.
However, live chat support’s limitations, such as availability and potential response times, can sometimes hinder trust-building efforts, especially when customers require immediate assistance.
Finding the Right Balance
The choice between custom chatbots and live chat support is not always binary. Many businesses find success by integrating both options strategically:
Initial Interaction
Use chatbots for initial inquiries, providing quick responses, and gathering essential information. This frees up human agents to handle more complex cases.
Escalation to Live Chat
Implement a seamless escalation process from custom chatbots to live chat support when customer inquiries require a higher level of expertise or personal interaction.
Continuous Improvement
Regularly analyze customer interactions and feedback to refine your custom chatbot’s responses and improve the overall support experience.
Conclusion
In the quest to build customer trust, both chatbots and live chat support have their roles to play. Customizable Chatbots offer efficiency, consistency, and round-the-clock availability, while live chat support provides the human touch, empathy, and adaptability. The key is to strike the right balance, leveraging the strengths of each to create a credible and trustworthy customer support experience. By understanding the unique advantages and disadvantages of both options, businesses can make informed decisions to enhance customer trust and satisfaction in the digital era.
MARKETING
The Rise in Retail Media Networks

As LL Cool J might say, “Don’t call it a comeback. It’s been here for years.”
Paid advertising is alive and growing faster in different forms than any other marketing method.
Magna, a media research firm, and GroupM, a media agency, wrapped the year with their ad industry predictions – expect big growth for digital advertising in 2024, especially with the pending US presidential political season.
But the bigger, more unexpected news comes from the rise in retail media networks – a relative newcomer in the industry.
Watch CMI’s chief strategy advisor Robert Rose explain how these trends could affect marketers or keep reading for his thoughts:
GroupM expects digital advertising revenue in 2023 to conclude with a 5.8% or $889 billion increase – excluding political advertising. Magna believes ad revenue will tick up 5.5% this year and jump 7.2% in 2024. GroupM and Zenith say 2024 will see a more modest 4.8% growth.
Robert says that the feeling of an ad slump and other predictions of advertising’s demise in the modern economy don’t seem to be coming to pass, as paid advertising not only survived 2023 but will thrive in 2024.
What’s a retail media network?
On to the bigger news – the rise of retail media networks. Retail media networks, the smallest segment in these agencies’ and research firms’ evaluation, will be one of the fastest-growing and truly important digital advertising formats in 2024.
GroupM suggests the $119 billion expected to be spent in the networks this year and should grow by a whopping 8.3% in the coming year. Magna estimates $124 billion in ad revenue from retail media networks this year.
“Think about this for a moment. Retail media is now almost a quarter of the total spent on search advertising outside of China,” Robert points out.
You’re not alone if you aren’t familiar with retail media networks. A familiar vernacular in the B2C world, especially the consumer-packaged goods industry, retail media networks are an advertising segment you should now pay attention to.
Retail media networks are advertising platforms within the retailer’s network. It’s search advertising on retailers’ online stores. So, for example, if you spend money to advertise against product keywords on Amazon, Walmart, or Instacart, you use a retail media network.
But these ad-buying networks also exist on other digital media properties, from mini-sites to videos to content marketing hubs. They also exist on location through interactive kiosks and in-store screens. New formats are rising every day.
Retail media networks make sense. Retailers take advantage of their knowledge of customers, where and why they shop, and present offers and content relevant to their interests. The retailer uses their content as a media company would, knowing their customers trust them to provide valuable information.
Think about these 2 things in 2024
That brings Robert to two things he wants you to consider for 2024 and beyond. The first is a question: Why should you consider retail media networks for your products or services?
Advertising works because it connects to the idea of a brand. Retail media networks work deep into the buyer’s journey. They use the consumer’s presence in a store (online or brick-and-mortar) to cross-sell merchandise or become the chosen provider.
For example, Robert might advertise his Content Marketing Strategy book on Amazon’s retail network because he knows his customers seek business books. When they search for “content marketing,” his book would appear first.
However, retail media networks also work well because they create a brand halo effect. Robert might buy an ad for his book in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal because he knows their readers view those media outlets as reputable sources of information. He gains some trust by connecting his book to their media properties.
Smart marketing teams will recognize the power of the halo effect and create brand-level experiences on retail media networks. They will do so not because they seek an immediate customer but because they can connect their brand content experience to a trusted media network like Amazon, Nordstrom, eBay, etc.
The second thing Robert wants you to think about relates to the B2B opportunity. More retail media network opportunities for B2B brands are coming.
You can already buy into content syndication networks such as Netline, Business2Community, and others. But given the astronomical growth, for example, of Amazon’s B2B marketplace ($35 billion in 2023), Robert expects a similar trend of retail media networks to emerge on these types of platforms.
“If I were Adobe, Microsoft, Salesforce, HubSpot, or any brand with big content platforms, I’d look to monetize them by selling paid sponsorship of content (as advertising or sponsored content) on them,” Robert says.
As you think about creative ways to use your paid advertising spend, consider the retail media networks in 2024.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
MARKETING
AI driving an exponential increase in marketing technology solutions

The martech landscape is expanding and AI is the prime driving force. That’s the topline news from the “Martech 2024” report released today. And, while that will get the headline, the report contains much more.
Since the release of the most recent Martech Landscape in May 2023, 2,042 new marketing technology tools have surfaced, bringing the total to 13,080 — an 18.5% increase. Of those, 1,498 (73%) were AI-based.

“But where did it land?” said Frans Riemersma of Martech Tribe during a joint video conference call with Scott Brinker of ChiefMartec and HubSpot. “And the usual suspect, of course, is content. But the truth is you can build an empire with all the genAI that has been surfacing — and by an empire, I mean, of course, a business.”
Content tools accounted for 34% of all the new AI tools, far ahead of video, the second-place category, which had only 4.85%. U.S. companies were responsible for 61% of these tools — not surprising given that most of the generative AI dynamos, like OpenAI, are based here. Next up was the U.K. at 5.7%, but third place was a big surprise: Iceland — with a population of 373,000 — launched 4.6% of all AI martech tools. That’s significantly ahead of fourth place India (3.5%), whose population is 1.4 billion and which has a significant tech industry.
Dig deeper: 3 ways email marketers should actually use AI
The global development of these tools shows the desire for solutions that natively understand the place they are being used.
“These regional products in their particular country…they’re fantastic,” said Brinker. “They’re loved, and part of it is because they understand the culture, they’ve got the right thing in the language, the support is in that language.”
Now that we’ve looked at the headline stuff, let’s take a deep dive into the fascinating body of the report.
The report: A deeper dive
Marketing technology “is a study in contradictions,” according to Brinker and Riemersma.
In the new report they embrace these contradictions, telling readers that, while they support “discipline and fiscal responsibility” in martech management, failure to innovate might mean “missing out on opportunities for competitive advantage.” By all means, edit your stack meticulously to ensure it meets business value use cases — but sure, spend 5-10% of your time playing with “cool” new tools that don’t yet have a use case. That seems like a lot of time.
Similarly, while you mustn’t be “carried away” by new technology hype cycles, you mustn’t ignore them either. You need to make “deliberate choices” in the realm of technological change, but be agile about implementing them. Be excited by martech innovation, in other words, but be sensible about it.
The growing landscape
Consolidation for the martech space is not in sight, Brinker and Riemersma say. Despite many mergers and acquisitions, and a steadily increasing number of bankruptcies and dissolutions, the exponentially increasing launch of new start-ups powers continuing growth.
It should be observed, of course, that this is almost entirely a cloud-based, subscription-based commercial space. To launch a martech start-up doesn’t require manufacturing, storage and distribution capabilities, or necessarily a workforce; it just requires uploading an app to the cloud. That is surely one reason new start-ups appear at such a startling rate.
Dig deeper: AI ad spending has skyrocketed this year
As the authors admit, “(i)f we measure by revenue and/or install base, the graph of all martech companies is a ‘long tail’ distribution.” What’s more, focus on the 200 or so leading companies in the space and consolidation can certainly be seen.
Long-tail tools are certainly not under-utilized, however. Based on a survey of over 1,000 real-world stacks, the report finds long-tail tools constitute about half of the solutions portfolios — a proportion that has remained fairly consistent since 2017. The authors see long-tail adoption where users perceive feature gaps — or subpar feature performance — in their core solutions.
Composability and aggregation
The other two trends covered in detail in the report are composability and aggregation. In brief, a composable view of a martech stack means seeing it as a collection of features and functions rather than a collection of software products. A composable “architecture” is one where apps, workflows, customer experiences, etc., are developed using features of multiple products to serve a specific use case.
Indeed, some martech vendors are now describing their own offerings as composable, meaning that their proprietary features are designed to be used in tandem with third-party solutions that integrate with them. This is an evolution of the core-suite-plus-app-marketplace framework.
That framework is what Brinker and Riemersma refer to as “vertical aggregation.” “Horizontal aggregation,” they write, is “a newer model” where aggregation of software is seen not around certain business functions (marketing, sales, etc.) but around a layer of the tech stack. An obvious example is the data layer, fed from numerous sources and consumed by a range of applications. They correctly observe that this has been an important trend over the past year.
Build it yourself
Finally, and consistent with Brinker’s long-time advocacy for the citizen developer, the report detects a nascent trend towards teams creating their own software — a trend that will doubtless be accelerated by support from AI.
So far, the apps that are being created internally may be no more than “simple workflows and automations.” But come the day that app development is so democratized that it will be available to a wide range of users, the software will be a “reflection of the way they want their company to operate and the experiences they want to deliver to customers. This will be a powerful dimension for competitive advantage.”
Constantine von Hoffman contributed to this report.
Get MarTech! Daily. Free. In your inbox.
-
WORDPRESS4 days ago
8 Best Zapier Alternatives to Automate Your Website
-
SOCIAL7 days ago
Paris mayor to stop using ‘global sewer’ X
-
SOCIAL4 days ago
YouTube Highlights its Top Trends, Topics and Creators of 2023
-
MARKETING6 days ago
Intro to Amazon Non-endemic Advertising: Benefits & Examples
-
MARKETING5 days ago
Mastering The Laws of Marketing in Madness
-
SOCIAL6 days ago
With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor
-
PPC5 days ago
12 Holiday Emails for Customers (Templates & Examples!)
-
PPC6 days ago
8 Super-Helpful AI Features in Google Ads