artificial intelligence 15 Sep 2025
For years, apartment hunting has been plagued by hidden fees that sneak up on renters like a bad Wi-Fi connection during a Zoom call. Now, MavenAI and Engrain are joining forces to eliminate the guesswork. The two companies announced a partnership designed to bring real-time, transparent fee data directly into Google Business Profiles (GBP) for multifamily properties—something the rental market has long needed.
MavenAI, which already automates multifamily marketing for more than 2 million units, will tap into Engrain’s SightMap REST API to syndicate fee information alongside pricing, floor plans, and availability. The result: prospective renters won’t just see a glossy picture of the pool—they’ll know upfront whether they’re also paying a $250 “pet amenities fee” or a one-time “admin charge.”
This isn’t just a convenience upgrade—it’s about compliance. Multifamily operators are under mounting pressure to disclose all costs upfront, a shift modeled after industries like travel and retail where hidden charges sparked consumer backlash (think airline baggage fees). Several U.S. states and municipalities have already passed regulations requiring all-in pricing, and more are lining up.
For operators, the risk of staying vague isn’t just legal trouble—it’s reputation. “Managing a Google Business profile should be automatic,” said Alec Slocum, CEO of MavenAI. “With Engrain’s fee transparency built in, operators can finally publish all-in pricing without effort. The impact is obvious: better applicants, fewer distractions, and real alignment with what residents expect.”
Engrain CEO Brent Steiner adds: “The fees associated with renting an apartment can be numerous and confusing. We’re excited to partner with a cutting-edge, AI-driven company like MavenAI to support the shift to fee transparency.”
With the new integration, property listings on Google Business Profiles can now show:
Structured Fee Transparency: Every recurring or one-time fee listed clearly alongside the rental price.
Automatic PMS Sync: Real-time updates for unit availability, pricing, and concessions, eliminating stale or misleading information.
AI-Powered Google Posts: MavenAI dynamically generates daily Google posts based on amenities, availability, and promotions—making property listings more engaging and discoverable.
For SightMap customers, enabling fee syndication to MavenAI comes at no additional cost. Engrain clients can simply request access from their representative.
The partnership represents more than just another API handshake—it’s part of a broader trend pushing multifamily housing toward the same standards consumers already expect from hotels, airlines, and e-commerce. Renters increasingly want clarity on what they’re paying for, whether it’s an application fee, a monthly trash pickup charge, or premium parking.
By making this information visible on one of the web’s most critical discovery tools—Google Search—MavenAI and Engrain are setting a precedent that rivals may soon have to match. And with more than 2 million units already under MavenAI’s umbrella, the scale of this rollout could nudge fee transparency from “nice-to-have” to “industry standard.”
For renters tired of scrolling through online listings only to be blindsided later, this move could mark a turning point. For operators, it’s an early chance to stay ahead of regulations—and maybe even turn honesty into a competitive advantage.
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marketing 15 Sep 2025
Temu, the fast-rising global online marketplace best known for bargain prices and viral popularity, is putting down local roots in Switzerland. The company announced it’s opening its platform to Swiss-based sellers, giving them a new channel to reach customers while promising shoppers faster deliveries and a more tailored product mix.
For now, Temu sellers will only serve customers inside Switzerland, but the company plans to expand seller reach across other markets. Local businesses signing up will receive onboarding support—Temu’s way of making sure the transition from shopfront to app icon is as seamless as possible.
The move is part of Temu’s broader “local-to-local” initiative, which aims to flip the perception of the platform as a strictly cross-border discount hub. Instead, Temu wants to blend the price advantage that made it famous with locally sourced products that better reflect national tastes. If all goes as planned, Temu expects as much as 80% of its European sales to eventually come from local sellers and regional fulfillment.
“By focusing on Swiss businesses, we’re creating new growth opportunities while giving consumers access to a wider selection of affordable, quality products with faster delivery,” a Temu spokesperson said.
The Swiss market may not be the biggest in Europe, but it’s one of the wealthiest and most e-commerce-friendly. By planting local seller roots, Temu can not only appeal to Swiss shoppers used to premium delivery standards, but also test-drive its local-to-local strategy in a relatively contained, high-value market.
It’s also a clever counter to rivals like Amazon, which already leverages vast local fulfillment networks across Europe. Temu’s ability to bring its rock-bottom prices closer to home could make it more than just an import curiosity—it could become a genuine competitor in local e-commerce ecosystems.
Temu points to research from Ipsos suggesting users worldwide save an average of 24% when shopping on the platform, with 80% of customers saying Temu delivers strong value for money. Local sellers could add a new layer: products more aligned with Swiss lifestyles, delivered in days rather than weeks.
If the strategy clicks in Switzerland, expect Temu to replicate it elsewhere in Europe. The race isn’t just about who has the lowest prices anymore—it’s about who can localize fastest without losing that edge.
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marketing 12 Sep 2025
Adobe isn’t just dabbling in AI—it’s embedding it across nearly every layer of enterprise marketing. The company says 99% of Fortune 100 companies have already used AI inside an Adobe app, with adoption accelerating across top accounts for GenStudio for Performance Marketing, Firefly Services, and Acrobat AI Assistant.
That makes Adobe one of the clearest winners in the generative AI land grab. Where rivals are still pitching pilots, Adobe is touting real adoption, measurable ROI, and some of the world’s biggest brands as reference customers.
“AI is no longer a future bet, it’s a competitive advantage today,” said Anil Chakravarthy, president of Adobe’s Digital Experience business. The pressure is real: enterprises need to pump out more content, across more channels, faster than ever before. With attention spans measured in seconds, the ability to generate, personalize, and distribute creative assets at scale is quickly becoming table stakes.
Adobe’s pitch is that its unified AI platform—spanning creativity, marketing, and productivity—lets companies do exactly that. Unlike point solutions that plug AI into a single tool, Adobe is positioning itself as the full-stack provider that connects creative output, campaign orchestration, and decision-making.
The numbers are strong: nearly 90% of Adobe’s top 50 enterprise customers have adopted at least one AI-first product, and more than 40% have doubled their recurring spend with Adobe since fiscal 2023.
Big-name brands are already putting that spend to work:
IBM reports Firefly cut content costs by 80% and slashed campaign ideation from weeks to two days.
ServiceNow is using Adobe’s “agentic AI” alongside Microsoft 365 Copilot to push out faster, more data-driven campaigns.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo/Gatorade, The Estée Lauder Companies, NFL, and Prudential Financial are among the growing list of enterprise adopters.
Charles Lamanna, corporate VP at Microsoft, framed the collaboration this way: “These agentic solutions, built on Adobe’s unified AI platform and Microsoft 365 Copilot, reflect our shared belief in AI’s power to amplify creativity and deliver business impact.”
The marketing technology arms race is heating up. Salesforce is leaning on Einstein GPT, HubSpot is building AI into its CRM, and Canva is chasing creative teams with Magic Studio. But Adobe has something the others don’t: decades of creative dominance and direct access to the designers and marketers now tasked with operationalizing AI at scale.
That moat is significant. While competitors promise efficiency, Adobe’s tools promise efficiency plus brand consistency—a top concern for enterprises with reputations to protect.
Adobe’s AI adoption stats show that generative AI isn’t just experimental anymore—it’s operational. For Fortune 100 companies, AI is fast becoming the backbone of modern marketing campaigns, and Adobe is making the case that its platform is the one to beat.
The question is less “will enterprises adopt AI?” and more “which AI platform will they bet their brand on?” Right now, Adobe’s looking like the safest bet in town.
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customer experience management 12 Sep 2025
Enterprise IT and creative agencies don’t usually share the same playbook. But Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) and VML, a WPP company (NYSE: WPP), are betting that a mashup of infrastructure muscle and customer experience design could be the key to future-proofing brands.
The two companies announced a new partnership this week aimed at reimagining customer engagement through a mix of AI, data, and design. The idea: combine Kyndryl’s deep technical expertise with VML’s brand and digital transformation chops to help enterprises move from pilot projects to personalized customer experiences at scale.
At the heart of the collaboration is Kyndryl Consult and Kyndryl Vital, which bring advisory and co-creation services for business and infrastructure transformation. On the creative side, VML Enterprise Solutions brings its “experience transformation” know-how, powered by WPP Open, the company’s AI-driven operating system.
Together, the companies want to help brands do something most still struggle with: connect messy back-end systems with sleek front-end customer journeys. “Customer expectations are evolving faster than ever,” said Ismail Amla, SVP of Kyndryl Consult. “Our partnership with VML is about removing the friction that slows down experience transformation.”
Kyndryl adds engineering depth, infrastructure management, and Kyndryl Bridge, its AI-powered integration platform. VML contributes real-time data tools, design expertise, and an ecosystem of digital solutions. The pitch is an end-to-end experience pipeline: from idea to proof of concept to delivery at enterprise scale.
The companies are targeting sectors where customer experience can make or break loyalty:
Financial Services: Using AI agents from Kyndryl’s Agentic AI Framework and WPP Open to orchestrate customer data, improve personalization, and navigate compliance-heavy environments.
Retail: Helping retailers unify order management, CRM, and customer data platforms to deliver personalized omnichannel experiences while boosting data security.
The joint approach emphasizes deploying mixed “squads” of designers, AI specialists, developers, and engineers—a model borrowed from agile startups but applied to Fortune 500-scale challenges.
AI hype is everywhere, but many enterprises are stuck in pilot purgatory: proof-of-concept projects that never scale. Kyndryl and VML are positioning themselves as the duo that can break that logjam, bringing both infrastructure reliability and creative vision to the table.
Competitors like Accenture and Deloitte are also trying to bridge the IT-CX divide, but Kyndryl and VML’s pitch leans heavily on integration and speed—essential in markets where personalization and seamless digital experiences are no longer nice-to-have.
As VML Global CEO Jeff Geheb put it: “Together, VML and Kyndryl are breaking down silos, integrating talent and services and ultimately simplifying the path from idea to delivery.”
For enterprises, the partnership could mean less handoff between IT vendors and creative agencies—and more cohesive, AI-powered customer experiences. Whether banks, retailers, and other verticals bite will depend on execution, but one thing is clear: brands that fail to link back-end data with front-end interactions risk falling behind in a customer-first economy.
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artificial intelligence 12 Sep 2025
Typing product names is so 2010. Rezolve Ai (NASDAQ: RZLV), a Microsoft and Google partner specializing in AI-powered commerce, has launched Visual Search—a feature designed to make keyword-based shopping obsolete. Instead of guessing brand names, model numbers, or search terms, shoppers can now just point their phone camera at an item and watch Rezolve’s AI handle the rest.
The move reflects an emerging reality in retail: search isn’t just a box anymore, it’s a conversation. And in Rezolve’s world, that conversation starts with a photo.
Visual Search is built around a few deceptively simple steps:
Point & find: Snap an item, upload a photo, or drop in a screenshot to discover matches in a retailer’s catalog.
Conversational layer: Instead of static results, shoppers get contextual prompts, suggestions, and natural-language Q&A.
Brain Commerce & Brain Checkout integration: Visual discovery flows directly into personalized recommendations and one-tap checkout.
Cross-channel availability: Works on mobile, web, and even in-store tools for associates.
Behind the scenes, Rezolve’s multimodal AI isn’t just looking at images. It parses text, semantics, and fine-grained product attributes—think fabric, color, style—to find the closest possible match.
Plenty of tech companies have dabbled in image-based search (Google Lens, Amazon StyleSnap, Pinterest Lens). Rezolve’s pitch is that it isn’t layering AI on top of retail—it’s built its own foundation.
Full ownership: Rezolve owns its large language model (LLM) and computer vision stack, avoiding reliance on third-party models.
Patented reliability: Proprietary patents aim to prevent “hallucinations” and ensure explainable, trustworthy results.
Commerce-first design: Optimized for huge catalogs, real-time inventory, and fast refresh cycles.
Closed-loop ecosystem: Tightly linked to Rezolve’s Brain Commerce recommendation engine and Brain Checkout system.
CEO Daniel M. Wagner calls it “the purest form of Conversational Commerce: show us what you want, and we’ll find it.” CTO Dr. Salman Ahmad puts it more bluntly: “Visual Search replaces the outdated keyword box with a dynamic conversation between consumers and retailers.”
Beyond window-dressing demos, Rezolve sees Visual Search powering some very real scenarios:
From Instagram to cart: Spot a pair of shoes on social, snap, and shop.
In-store associate tools: Scan an item to check stock, alternatives, or complementary styles.
Returns & replacements: Point to a worn-out item and find an equivalent in seconds.
Data enrichment: Retailers get automatic catalog tagging, richer metadata, and better personalization.
If Rezolve delivers on speed and accuracy, this could be a differentiator for retailers fighting to keep up with Amazon and TikTok Shop. The holy grail is collapsing the “inspiration-to-purchase” gap—a trend analysts say is reshaping ecommerce as younger shoppers skip keywords altogether in favor of visual and conversational tools.
The challenge? Convincing retailers to invest in Rezolve’s ecosystem over more familiar players like Google Lens. But Rezolve’s enterprise-first focus and promise of closed-loop commerce may be enough to win retailers looking for tighter control over customer journeys and data.
For consumers, it comes down to one thing: the next time you can’t remember the name of that sofa or sneaker, pointing your camera might be all it takes to buy it.
Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.
customer experience management 12 Sep 2025
The chatbot era gave us clunky menus and robotic voices. ZVOX thinks it can do better. The company has rolled out its AI Voice Agents, pitching them as a smarter, more human alternative to both chatbots and outdated call-center IVR systems.
Instead of generic scripts, ZVOX has built industry-specific AI agents designed to handle real customer conversations with nuance, context, and follow-up. In other words, it’s automation with a bedside manner.
At launch, ZVOX is debuting four AI voice agents—each focused on a vertical where poor service usually means lost customers (and lost revenue):
Laura: Guides home warranty customers.
Steven: Handles auto insurance, from instant quotes to policy qualifications.
Rachel: Breaks down complex life insurance questions.
Kevin: Assists banks and financial institutions with loan processing.
Unlike standard bots, these agents aren’t reading from a script. They tap into domain-specific knowledge and natural language processing to ask clarifying questions, tailor responses, and push conversations toward informed decisions.
The timing isn’t random. A recent industry study found that 67% of customers hang up due to long wait times, while 73% of business leaders rank customer experience as their top priority. The gap between those two stats is where ZVOX hopes to fit in.
For years, call centers have been treated as a cost center—expensive to staff, hard to scale, and quick to frustrate customers. ZVOX wants to flip that narrative, positioning its AI agents as revenue drivers: faster answers, fewer abandoned calls, and customers who leave the interaction feeling heard.
“The availability of ZVOX marks a pivotal moment in our vision to elevate customer experiences through intelligent voice technology,” said CEO Amitt Sharma. CTO Arjit Sachdeva echoed that ambition, calling the platform “engineered for the future of engagement—smarter, faster, and more personal.”
ZVOX isn’t the only company chasing AI-powered customer service. Tech giants from Amazon to Google are embedding conversational AI into their enterprise stacks, while startups like Observe.AI and Replicant are carving out niches in AI-powered contact centers.
What makes ZVOX notable is its industry-specific focus, promising depth over breadth. If it can consistently handle complex conversations in insurance or banking, it could appeal to enterprises where mistakes are expensive and trust is paramount.
The challenge? Proving that “human-like” AI actually feels human enough to satisfy customers who are notoriously unforgiving when a call goes wrong. If ZVOX delivers, businesses may finally have a reason to see their call centers not as a burden, but as a growth channel.
Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.
artificial intelligence 12 Sep 2025
Google may still dominate search, but if you’ve asked ChatGPT, Gemini, or Elon Musk’s Grok for a recommendation lately, you’re part of a growing trend reshaping marketing. Consumers are increasingly turning to AI assistants over traditional search engines—and that shift leaves small businesses scrambling to stay visible.
Enter NextPR Engine™, a new platform from Chicago-based More Leverage Solutions, Inc. The agency, founded by Gen X entrepreneur and former Fortune 50 strategist Patty Dominguez, claims its tool helps service-based businesses land the kind of media placements and digital credibility that AI systems actually trust and surface.
For years, SEO has been the go-to playbook. But with generative AI now answering questions directly, small businesses can’t rely on backlinks and keywords alone. “The reality is, people aren’t just ‘Googling it’ anymore, they’re asking AI,” said Dominguez. “If you’re invisible there, you’re losing opportunities.”
That invisibility isn’t hypothetical. AI models increasingly favor content tied to authoritative sources, meaning a business without credible mentions may never show up in results—even if its website is optimized for Google. NextPR Engine™ aims to bridge that gap, helping businesses build trust signals recognizable to both AI systems and human buyers.
At launch, NextPR Engine™ focuses on Stage 1 of Leverage OS™, a growth framework Dominguez’s agency has been developing. That stage is all about visibility: securing brand mentions, authoritative placements, and signals that AI tools treat as credible.
Future stages—already teased—cover conversion and optimization, with products like Know Your Leads™, Follow-Up Flywheel™, and the Cashflow Command Center™. Together, these form what Dominguez calls a Fortune-50-style “growth operating system” for small businesses.
The timing feels spot-on. Rivals from HubSpot to Semrush are also pivoting their tools toward AI-driven search, but those are built for larger marketing teams. NextPR Engine™ is pitched as an accessible alternative for service-based solopreneurs and small shops that lack the budget—or patience—for heavyweight platforms.
The bigger question is whether AI-driven discoverability becomes the new SEO. Early evidence suggests it might: A 2024 Gartner report predicted that by 2026, 30% of search traffic will bypass traditional engines in favor of AI assistants. If that holds, tools like NextPR Engine™ could go from nice-to-have to mission-critical.
For small businesses squeezed between big-brand ad budgets and ever-changing algorithms, NextPR Engine™ offers a new path to visibility in an AI-first world. Whether it can level the playing field—or just become another must-have subscription in the marketing toolkit—will depend on how fast consumer search habits continue to shift.
But if you’re running a service business and relying solely on Google rankings, consider this your wake-up call: AI assistants are already rewriting the rules.
Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.
business 11 Sep 2025
Wondersauce, the award-winning agency within the Project network, has repositioned itself as a Business Acceleration Agency, sharpening its focus on delivering measurable business outcomes for marketing leaders. The move addresses the pressing challenges of reaching new audiences, scaling revenue, modernizing digital platforms, and building sustainable strategies.
Since its founding in 2011, Wondersauce has partnered with growth-focused brands like Scotts Miracle-Gro, Dairy Farmers of America, and Crunch Labs, guiding them through their next stage of expansion. The agency’s updated positioning revolves around two core offerings: Revenue Acceleration and Digital Experience & Transformation, both designed to produce tangible results.
“Clients increasingly want outcomes, not services,” said John Sampogna, Co-Founder and CEO of Wondersauce. “We focus on recommending and executing solutions that address what keeps our clients up at night. Our repositioning puts measurable impact at the center of everything we do.”
Revenue Acceleration provides three solutions: enhancing performance through media, messaging, and channel-specific creative; maximizing impact with strategic plans and testing frameworks; and supporting launches with scalable content and creative assets.
Digital Experience & Transformation helps brands optimize ecosystems, create intuitive customer experiences, and build scalable digital foundations. “It isn’t just about keeping up — it’s about pulling brands ahead,” said Megan Blake, COO. “We help clients make smart, practical decisions, like selecting the right technical stack, so they aren’t replatforming a year later.”
At the heart of Wondersauce’s repositioning is the belief that creative, media, and technology are inseparable for driving business results. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in marketing, Sampogna stresses the importance of an integrated approach that spans the entire customer journey, rather than relying on fragmented partners.
Chris Meyer, CEO of Project Worldwide, added, “Wondersauce’s updated positioning and offering is exactly what so many of our brand clients are seeking — an agency that puts measurable results first and has the experience and DNA to deliver.”
The repositioning signals a shift in agency expectations: marketing partners are now expected to deliver outcomes across strategy, execution, and technology—an integrated, accountable approach that keeps clients competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
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