Dated: January 08, 2026
Happy New Year from Incisiv!
The team ‘went on the wagon’ so to speak on this newsletter, the last half of 2025, as we were busy assessing and planning for the future of B2B content and research. There has been a seismic shift in how technology companies are approaching marketing and sales enablement, and they have been busy working with our clients to adapt to this shift.
We’re very excited to share what we’ve developed, and if you’d like to get a preview next week at NRF, we’d love to share. Here is a combined calendar to book a time.
This issue will highlight what our data is showing around how marketing and sales enablement will evolve in the coming year.
Enjoy this issue of the Dirty Martini Digest.
The Dirty Details - State of Customer Experience in an AI-Driven World
Last fall, we released our largest study ever - State of Customer Experience in an AI-Driven World. The data was across ten industries and nine geographical markets. Rather than producing one macro report, we produced nine industry reports.
This issue will focus on the data from the Retail and Consumer Products report. The data proved what most of you already know - the marketing function and its value inside an organization is changing. While this data was focused on industries that most of you target, it applies in unique ways to how you do your day-to-day jobs. Let’s dive in…
This chart says it all: Accountability, Efficiency, and Effectiveness. That’s the order of the day for marketing.
95% of retail marketing leaders and 96% of CPG marketers are now expected to directly contribute to sales/revenue
What this means for B2B Tech Marketing
- Marketing teams are measured on expansion revenue and net dollar retention, traditionally sales metrics.
- Marketing now owns pipeline velocity and deal acceleration, not just MQL volumes.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM) platforms enable direct attribution of marketing touches to closed deals.
79% of retail marketers now own more of the customer experience than ever before
What this means for B2B Tech Marketing
- Expansion of multiple stakeholder journeys across 6-10 decision makers per deal.
- Post-sale customer success and advocacy programs that drive expansion revenue.
- Developer communities and technical documentation have now become marketing assets.
Organizations using GenAI see a 49% jump in content production with 8% higher conversion rates
What this means for B2B Tech Marketing
- Marketers can create technical content for multiple personas (developers, architects, executives).
- Personalizing case studies and ROI calculators for specific industries and use cases.
- Automating competitive battlecards and sales enablement materials.
This data is so rich and powerful that we’ll cover more in the next edition of the Dirty Martini Newsletter.
Dive deeper into our cross-industry research and content.
Staying along the lines of Customer Experience, last fall we released the 3rd Annual Retail Customer Experience Benchmark with Talkdesk. This study highlighted the acceleration of technology (specifically AI) in marketing. Key findings include:
The AI Trust Paradox
AI investment in retail is up 400%, but customer satisfaction with AI is only 27%. The report calls this “The AI Trust Paradox” — automation without intelligence.
What this means for B2B Tech
- This massive gap represents a huge opportunity for B2B tech companies to provide better AI solutions that actually deliver on promises.
Customers Demand Proactive Communication
87% of customers demand proactive communication, meaning customers expect brands to predict needs and reach out before problems occur. Companies that achieve this see 15–18% higher retention rates.
What this means for B2B Tech
- This creates demand for predictive analytics, sentiment analysis, and proactive engagement tools.
CX Leaders Drive More Efficient Growth
Leaders in customer experience have 59% lower customer acquisition costs. Word-of-mouth vs. performance marketing drives customer acquisition.
What this means for B2B Tech
- CX technology can be positioned as a revenue driver, not just a cost center.
Straight from the Shaker
Get practical insights and best practices straight from our industry experts as we shake up and serve up our knowledge to help you improve your go-to-market strategies. We share tips each month to help you stay ahead of the game.
As veterans of the NRF Big Show (some of us have been going for 20+ years), we’d like to provide you with our top 5 survival tips:
- LiquidIV, NuuN - pick your favorite - Even if you’re a teetotaller, it’s cold and dry - amplify your hydration early and often. An EmergnC chaser wouldn’t hurt either…
- Nod wisely in conversation. Even if you zone out for 10 seconds, a thoughtful nod restores credibility. Also, don’t rely on your tired brain to remember a conversation - take notes on your phone, tablet, or that thing they call a notepad.
- Don’t bother with the Mobile Ordering or Line at Starbucks unless you want the antithesis of a good customer experience. Get your coffee BEFORE you hit Javits or hit up a booth with an espresso machine.
- This is mostly for the boyfriends, husbands, and dads out there, but don’t forget to call home at least a few times during the show to check in…. 72-96 hours flies by in NYC, but it's awfully long to not hear from you at home.
- Remember: everyone is tired. If you are exhausted before Monday hits, congrats—you’re doing NRF right.
On the House
Sip on our team's latest research, speaking sessions, and industry news with a quick scan of our recently published and upcoming work and key takeaways.
- NRF Rev - The new Reverse Logistics event being produced alongside the Big Show highlights the growing importance of this issue in retail. Incisiv’s own Giri Agarwal will be speaking with Amazon, BJ’s Wholesale, and HP on Reverse logistics reimagined: Driving down costs, powering up efficiency.
- Who wants to go to Abu Dhabi?? The inaugural Shoptalk Luxe event kicks off at the end of January, and both Giri Agarwal and Gaurav Pant will be attending. We will be moderating a session titled: Empowering Frontline Teams through Technology and Skills for Elevated In-Store Experiences. Speakers include Hermes, Pandora, Reformation, and Orlebar Brown.
- We recently released a Playbook on Unified Supply Chains with Blue Yonder. The graphic below opened the Playbook and is a good reminder on how to approach any transformation effort.
Second Round - Incisiv Big Show Round Up
Incisiv, like most of you, is always flat out navigating our own events with client events. Unfortunately, economic conditions have precluded us from producing our Annual Rock & Roll Underground, but we’ll be very busy nonetheless….
Our longest-standing event at Incisiv - the Speakeasy @ NRF serves as the unofficial kick-off to the event on January 10th. We have been unable to beat the amazing experience at Zuma, and this year we’ll host over 60 Retail Executives to network and build connections. Special thanks to our sponsors - Anaplan, Avanade, DemandTec, Manhattan Associates, and Zebra.
Each year, we take the time to thank our community of clients and industry friends at our annual Great Indian Meal. No agenda, just networking, great food, and a few bad jokes thrown in….
Again, we’d love to meet up in NY. Here is a combined calendar to book a time.
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We're here to help you navigate through your biggest challenges and win in this highly competitive market. Anytime you want to talk, book a meeting.
