​With organisations more focused on the consumer, and consumers demanding products that improve lifestyle while being socially responsible, CES 2019 has seen the launch of a number of smart products and devices that put the consumer firmly front and centre.

A fresh report on voice usage in Australia shows 1.35 million Australians now have a smart speaker with voice activated assistant at home, 200 per cent growth in just four months.

CMO takes a look at 10 real-life examples of brands utilising new technologies such as augmented reality, NFC, facial recognition, 3D scanning and more to breathe new life into their campaigns

As many as 100,000 devices could be sold to the US Army, highlighting Microsoft efforts to target augmented reality at the enterprise level.

Domino’s has introduced what it claims is the world’s first augmented reality (AR) pizza ordering offering.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is cementing its place in digital commerce, with a recent Gartner survey finding 70 per cent of digital commerce organisations report that their AI projects are very or extremely successful.

Chatbots are the customer-experience (CX) buzz technology of 2018, and there is no doubt that when implemented properly, they can improve CX for thousands of consumers, freeing up call centre staff to focus on higher-value conversations.

Mindshare and blockchain provider, Zilliqa, have partnered with MediaMath, Rubicon Project and Integral Ad Science to build a programmatic alliance on blockchain designed to address industry challenges in programmatic advertising.

​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.

​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.

Microsoft plans to pilot a blockchain-based digital ID platform that would allow users to control access to sensitive online information via an encrypted data hub.

Treasury Wine Estates is rolling out an augmented (AR) reality app portfolio for at least four of its wines globally after a US pilot across its 19 Crimes brand became one of its most successful marketing activations.

Cryptocurrency is the biggest game-changer to hit customer loyalty programs since the introduction of frequent flyer points more than 30 years ago.

The age of customer centricity is here, and as experience increasingly becomes the biggest driver of digital transformation and marketing strategy, 2018 will be about moving the customer relationship to an even deeper and more dynamic level of personalised engagement.

Blockchain is rapidly capturing the imagination of the business community, exploding beyond its origins underpinning Bitcoin to become the proposed solution to all manner of transaction-based processes. Now one entrepreneur is planning on using it as the basis for a service that will connect businesses seeking promotional and affiliation services with influencers.

Even when Tamara Dull is home on her own, she is never really alone. Throughout her house are scattered more than 100 home AI devices and controllers that help her do everything from monitor and control her environment to buy groceries.

It’s time to challenge the assumption marketers have sole responsibility for deciding what the voice of a brand sounds like, Google strategist, Sam Payne, claims.

For years, marketers have talked about brands as having personalities. Now they have the tools to bring those brands to life – virtually at least.

​Facial recognition promises to deliver a new era of personalised service at retailers and services providers – if only consumers could get past their fear of Big Brother.

Delivering customer insight without cognitive bias, adding value to the in-moment experience and building commercial value are just some of the ways financial services executives believe artificial intelligence is going to transform their sector.

Driverless cars will very likely save lives and reduce congestion. But for those of us enslaved to the daily commute, they might also mean the emancipation of countless minutes and hours spent stuck behind the wheel. So what will we do with our regained time, now that we are no longer distracted with the task of actually driving?