Mountaingate Capital-backed Interluxe Group and North & Warren have completed the acquisition of Quinn, a luxury-focused strategic communications agency, forming a comprehensive marketing platform for high-end brands. The move integrates audience data with best-in-class strategy, media, digital marketing, experiential, and communications capabilities.

Founded in 1989, Quinn has a global footprint with offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and London. The agency has worked with luxury heavyweights including VistaJet, Fraser Yachts, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Mandarin Oriental, St. Regis, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Its offerings span storytelling, earned media, brand partnerships, influencer marketing, and thought leadership—providing clients with end-to-end engagement solutions.

Strategic Partnership Strengthens Luxury Marketing

The partnership between Interluxe Group and North & Warren, initially formed in January 2025 with investment from Mountaingate, now expands through Quinn to deliver an integrated luxury marketing solution. The combined entity employs more than 150 team members across North America and Europe and delivers strategy, in-person activation, lifestyle media, digital marketing, and strategic communications.

“From our first meeting with Florence and the Quinn leadership team, there was a shared vision: deliver best-in-class solutions to luxury brands,” said Nick Van Sicklen and Matt Caroll, Founders of North & Warren. “The cultural and strategic alignment made this partnership a perfect fit.”

Florence Quinn, Founder and President of Quinn, added, “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter. By joining forces with Interluxe Group and North & Warren, we can leverage their expertise to better serve our clients.”

Emma Gwyther, Founder & President of Interluxe Group, emphasized the synergy: “Storytelling and experiential are most powerful when they work hand in hand. Partnering with Quinn allows us to bring that vision to life in new ways.”

Financial advisory for the deal came from Canaccord Genuity for North & Warren and Interluxe Group and TobinLeff for Quinn. Legal counsel was provided by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

The acquisition positions the combined entity as a leading force in luxury marketing, offering brands an integrated, data-driven approach to storytelling, media, and digital engagement across global markets.

Coherent Solutions, a global digital solutions engineering company, has unveiled The Norm, a new digital experience (DX) agency aimed at delivering purposeful, outcome-driven design services. The Norm combines a team of 30+ certified UX/UI professionals with Coherent’s global pool of product managers, analysts, and engineers, ensuring that creativity meets practical implementation.

Unlike traditional design agencies that often prioritize theory over execution, The Norm focuses on designs that reach production and meet concrete business objectives. The approach promises reliable, cost-efficient delivery from idea to implementation—a key differentiator for clients seeking tangible results.

Extraordinary Design Meets Engineering Rigor

“Design is not just about decoration and aesthetics but creating something functional and impactful,” said Katya Sevruk, Managing Director and Founder of The Norm. “‘Extraordinary is our norm’ reflects our mission to deliver digital experiences that empower users and achieve real business outcomes.”

By leveraging Coherent Solutions’ engineering resources, The Norm bridges the gap between vision and product reality. This positions the agency as an attractive partner for:

• Startups looking to validate ideas and achieve product-market fit

• Scale-ups aiming to evolve efficiently

• Enterprises modernizing legacy systems or optimizing product portfolios

A New Standard in DX

“This launch marks the next milestone in Coherent Solutions’ 30-year journey,” said CEO Igor Epshteyn. “Rebranding our UX/UI services as The Norm continues our commitment to digital value creation that drives client growth.”

With its focus on outcome ownership, scalable solutions, and extraordinary digital experiences, The Norm aims to set a new benchmark in digital experience design—where every design is not just seen, but built to perform.

Monte Carlo, a leader in data and AI observability, has named Wayne Jin as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing over 20 years of experience in marketing and growth at top-tier tech companies. Jin will oversee global marketing efforts, including brand strategy, product marketing, demand generation, and communications, as Monte Carlo scales its platform and expands adoption of trusted AI products.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Monte Carlo, a market-defining company helping organizations build trust in their data and AI,” said Jin. “I’ve long admired Monte Carlo’s customer-centric approach and commitment to innovation. I’m excited to help scale the company’s marketing impact at such a pivotal moment for the industry.”

Proven Marketing Leadership

Jin joins Monte Carlo from Grafana Labs, where he scaled the observability platform to thousands of customers as VP of Product Marketing. His background also includes senior marketing roles at AppDynamics, GitHub, and Google Cloud, where he led global campaigns, built product marketing functions, and drove enterprise adoption.

“Wayne combines a vision for the future of our space with the execution skills to match,” said Monte Carlo CEO Barr Moses. “His experience building global brands makes him the ideal partner as we continue to define the data + AI observability category.”

Expanding the Data + AI Observability Frontier

Jin’s appointment coincides with Monte Carlo’s launch of Agent Observability, the industry’s first platform offering end-to-end visibility across both data and AI stacks. The tool enables teams to detect, triage, and resolve AI reliability issues in production, reducing downtime, protecting customer trust, and ensuring AI outputs are accurate and reliable. With this release, Monte Carlo becomes the first vendor to unify observability across data and AI in a single platform—a critical differentiator as AI-powered products become mainstream.

As Monte Carlo continues to grow its customer base and lead the data + AI observability market, Jin’s marketing leadership is poised to amplify the company’s visibility, drive adoption, and solidify its position as a category-defining player.

SmartMoving, the Inc. 5000-ranked profitability platform for moving companies, is expanding its all-in-one system with two AI-driven features: Smart Scout and Smart Marketing. The aim is simple—help movers capture more leads, convert faster, and grow revenue without adding headcount or juggling multiple tools.

“In this business, the company that follows up first usually wins the job,” said CEO Tobe Thompson. “Most movers are on the truck or in the field when a lead comes in. Smart Scout and Smart Marketing make sure no lead gets left behind and no competitor gets there first.”

AI-Powered Lead Capture and Sales Support

Smart Scout acts as an around-the-clock AI sales assistant. It answers calls, qualifies leads, and sends real-time quotes, all synced directly with SmartMoving’s CRM. Capable of handling multiple languages, the tool ensures every lead is followed up and nothing slips through the cracks—a crucial advantage in an industry where timing can make or break a booking.

Automated Marketing, Without the Extra Work

Smart Marketing allows movers to run automated, personalized email campaigns straight from their CRM. From upselling additional services to re-engaging past customers and closing pending estimates, the feature reduces the need for third-party marketing tools while keeping communication timely and targeted.

A Unified System for Every Aspect of the Move

SmartMoving already handles quoting, crew management, scheduling, and payment processing. With these new additions, movers can now:

• Generate quotes in minutes instead of hours

• Automate follow-ups and deposit collections

• Manage real-time scheduling across trucks and crews

• Keep customers updated without endless phone calls

• Request instant reviews after every job

• Track profit margins per job and crew

By combining lead capture, sales, and marketing in a single platform, SmartMoving positions itself as a one-stop solution for moving companies looking to streamline operations while boosting revenue. In a market where efficiency and responsiveness directly affect growth, these AI tools could give movers a competitive edge.

Klaviyo (NYSE: KVYO), the only CRM built specifically for B2C brands, today released commissioned research from Forrester Consulting highlighting a widening gap between marketing and service teams. While both groups prioritize customer retention and loyalty, fewer than one in four organizations report consistent collaboration, creating inefficiencies, wasted resources, and lost growth opportunities.

When marketing and service operate in silos, customers pay the price—bouncing between channels, repeating information, and experiencing disjointed, impersonal service. Unified platforms, however, allow teams to build on the same customer understanding across campaigns and support interactions, turning service from a cost center into a revenue driver.

Key Findings from Forrester’s Survey of 363 North American Decision-Makers:

• Top priorities aligned, but execution isn’t: 69% of leaders cite retention and loyalty as their main focus amid economic uncertainty, yet siloed systems and fragmented data hinder progress.

• Barriers to collaboration: 61% point to organizational silos, 57% to misaligned KPIs, and 52% to disconnected data.

• Technology gaps: Only 15% have the right unified tools in place, despite 66% deeming them critical. 46% struggle with disconnected platforms and 41% with fragmented data.

• Unified customer views lag: 76% say a single customer view is essential, but only 17% can achieve it.

• Personalization gap: While 82% see personalization as critical, just 11% have the tools to deliver it.

• Collaboration drives results: 61% believe joint efforts improve retention, 55% boost revenue, and 53% increase customer lifetime value.

Jamie Domenici, CMO of Klaviyo, highlighted the impact of unified data: “Take Happy Wax, a home fragrance brand. By integrating marketing and service data, they pause campaigns for customers with open issues, give service teams full context, and even deliver personalized offers. That’s the power of one platform where every interaction builds on the last.”

Klaviyo’s Data Platform underpins this approach, processing over 2 billion daily events across 7+ billion customer profiles. This unified, real-time view allows marketing and service teams to act cohesively, bridging the collaboration gap and unlocking measurable growth opportunities.

Implications for B2C Brands: As customer expectations for seamless, personalized experiences rise, brands that fail to unify marketing and service risk losing loyalty and revenue. Klaviyo’s platform exemplifies the trend toward data-driven, customer-centric CRM solutions that break down silos and turn insights into action.

CQL, a leading digital commerce agency and Shopify Platinum Partner, has acquired Riess Group, another Shopify Platinum Partner known for scalable omnichannel commerce solutions for brands including Warner Brothers Discovery, Stüssy, Perry Ellis, and Fashionphile. The move positions CQL as a premier agency for unified commerce, connecting digital and physical touchpoints to deliver seamless customer experiences across websites and point-of-sale (POS).

A Strategic Union in Shopify Commerce
Founded in 2006 with offices in the US and France, Riess Group brings 18 years of experience building Shopify-powered ecommerce and POS solutions. Mike Riess, Owner of Riess Group, will join CQL as VP of Unified Commerce and Managing Director of EMEA, guiding the combined agency’s unified commerce strategy.

“Unified commerce isn’t a trend—it’s the new standard. Consumers don’t think in channels. They expect one brand, one relationship, one frictionless experience,” said Dave Barr, CEO of CQL. “With Riess Group, we’re now the leading Shopify agency delivering that across every touchpoint for mid-market through enterprise brands.”

Mike Riess added, “The combination with CQL makes us the only scaled agency delivering unified commerce for mid-market to enterprise merchants. With growing demand for seamless retail experiences, we’re proud to lead these critical implementations.”

Implications for the Shopify Ecosystem
With only 12 Platinum Shopify agencies in the U.S., this merger of two top-tier partners reshapes the Shopify agency landscape. The union combines strategy, design, enterprise-level development, and POS expertise, creating a full-service solution for brands seeking cohesive experiences that span online and offline.

Kim Seabrook, Head of Enterprise at Shopify, noted, “More clients are asking for a complete solution integrating ecommerce, checkout, and POS. CQL and Riess Group together are uniquely positioned to deliver on that vision.”

The acquisition expands CQL’s capabilities in POS and unified commerce, enabling mid-market and enterprise brands to create inspired, end-to-end customer experiences while driving loyalty and growth across every touchpoint.

Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) has appointed Danielle Puceta as its new Chief Digital Officer (CDO), a role created to spearhead the company’s digital strategy and business transformation. Puceta will oversee the expansion of Emerald’s Event Tech platforms, lead-generation initiatives, and AI-driven productivity and customer experience enhancements. She will also continue as General Manager of Elastic Suite, Emerald’s B2B ecommerce and digital merchandising platform.

“Danielle’s deep expertise in digital strategy, business transformation, and product innovation makes her the perfect leader to guide Emerald into its next growth phase,” said Hervé Sedky, President and CEO. “Her ability to scale platforms and deliver measurable customer value will be pivotal as we continue investing in transformative capabilities.”

Driving Innovation Across B2B Engagement
Puceta brings more than 15 years of experience in business transformation, with prior leadership roles at Freeman, where she led digital product diversification, and American Express Meetings & Events in Asia Pacific, overseeing teams across 15 countries. Since joining Emerald in 2021, she has driven corporate strategy, brand launches, and the integration of content and commerce through Elastic Suite.

“Emerald is at a transformative moment,” said Puceta. “Our vision is to create a cohesive, year-round journey that delivers continuous value to our communities, keeps in-person experiences dynamic, and leverages AI to empower teams and enhance customer engagement.”

The appointment signals Emerald’s commitment to leading the B2B events and commerce sector, integrating technology, AI, and product innovation to redefine engagement and growth. Competitors in the event tech and B2B commerce space will likely face pressure as Emerald strengthens its digital-first approach.

ReturnPro, a leader in returns management and reverse logistics, has appointed Ami DeWille as its new Vice President of Branding and Marketing. The newly created role positions DeWille to oversee marketing strategies across SMB, enterprise, and sales divisions, ensuring alignment with ReturnPro’s broader business goals.

“ReturnPro continues to reshape the fragmented returns ecosystem, and we’re thrilled to welcome Ami to our team,” said Sender Shamiss, Co-Founder and CEO. “Her experience across retail and technology will help us expand our reach, deepen retailer relationships, and accelerate growth.”

DeWille brings a rich background in B2B SaaS, AdTech, retail, and consumer brands. Her recent roles include VP of Integrated Marketing at One10 and VP of Marketing at Perform[cb], with earlier experience driving merchandising, product marketing, and supply chain initiatives for Duck Tape, Bath & Body Works, and May Company.

In her new position, DeWille will lead branding, demand generation, content marketing, communications, and digital campaigns, aiming to enhance ReturnPro’s market presence and customer engagement.

“ReturnPro has been redefining retail returns since 2008,” DeWille said. “I’m excited to join at a time when efficient return solutions are in high demand. I look forward to helping retailers recover revenue, give products a second life through recommerce, reduce waste, and deliver sustainable choices to customers.”

Industry Impact: With e-commerce and returns volumes surging, ReturnPro’s move highlights the growing importance of branding and strategic marketing in reverse logistics. Competitors in the returns and recommerce space will likely watch closely as DeWille drives campaigns that position ReturnPro not just as a service provider, but as a sustainability-conscious growth partner.