Far from it being a retail apocalypse, the proliferation of data and technology has pushed us into a retail renaissance, said Salesforce at Dreamforce this week.

Harnessing digital platforms and AI for customer experience, breaking down situational thinking and embracing journey-based thinking, and finding a north star for engagement are just some of the ways Mercer and Gartner see organisations building better customer experiences.

Australia is quick to embrace new technology and brave in its application, Salesforce APAC senior vice-president, Lee Hawksley, claims.​

Aussie Home Loans is looking to bring on its first chief digital officer following the departure of GM of customer experience and technology, Richard Burns.

It’s the combination of great technology and people that will give organisations the means to deliver personalised experiences that actually meet customer expectations, AGL’s chief customer officer, Melissa Reynolds, claims.

​It’s not uncommon for a person to leave their house without their loyalty cards. It is also not unheard of for person to leave home without their phone. But no one has yet to leave their home without their face.

Implementing omnichannel marketing and personalisation has created an almost unprecedented level of member engagement in a category with typically low engagement, said Hesta.

​AI-powered research, voice-based care instructions, ‘adjacent possible’ marketing principles, augmented reality on farms and eco-storytelling in immersive retail stores – they’re all in a day’s work for the innovation and digital team at The Woolmark Company.

​Physical stores are not dead. It is not only about either physical or digital stores, but how you seamlessly combine the two and deliver on customer experience, said Mark Teperson, chief digital officer at Accent Group at today’s Adobe Symposium in Sydney.

The online world has delivered massive benefits to Australian corporations and consumers alike. Well, most of them.

Alibaba has a vision for the future of retail where there is no distinction between online and offline shopping, and the customer experience is enhanced by augmented reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition.

​Digital guru and former KPMG chief digital officer, Anthony Stevens, has launched a new company, Digital Asset Ventures.

Australia-based value fashion retailer, Cotton On Group, has an ambitious mission: To drive 30 per cent growth next year through digital commerce and engagement improvements.

Building a regulatory right enabling Australian consumers to safely share their personal data with trusted service providers is vital to competition, privacy and transparency, the chief of Australia’s leading watchdog claims.

The University of Canberra has appointed a new digital partner and is rolling out Adobe’s Experience Cloud platform as part of a digital student journey transformation project aimed at delivering more holistic student experiences.

Westpac’s former general manager of digital, Travis Tyler, has popped up as the inaugural chief marketing and product offer at newly established banking challenger, 86 400.

Australia Post has confirmed former News Corp digital leader, Nicole Sheffield, is joining Australia’s postal player as its new chief of consumer and community.

Shiseido is building a global customer data platform, investing in omni-channel marketing automation and driving real-time engagement capability as part of a major transformation program aimed at providing more relevant experiences to customers.

​Open Universities Australia (OUA) has chalked up its first student enrolment growth in 15 quarters and slashed the time it takes to on-board learning providers following a business transformation and overhaul of its technology ecosystem.

Digital transformation has to be the combination of continuous business improvement and driving customer value with talent and people management, Qantas’s digital and mechandising lead, Sheerien Salindera, says.

​​Organisations need to be careful they don’t look too far forward in their quest for digital transformation and technology innovation and focus on the customer problems of today or risk being paralysed into inaction.