Digital Lifescapes

For decades, the story of digital commerce has been one of incremental improvement: better search, faster checkout, smarter recommendations. But something more fundamental is now underway. The emergence of agentic commerce, in which AI agents autonomously search, evaluate, and execute purchases on behalf of buyers, represents a genuine architectural shift in how commerce operates. Whether it becomes the revolution its proponents promise, or another technology that peaks at interesting pilot project, will depend on how effectively the AI industry addresses the structural challenges it faces. Agentic Commerce Market Development Agentic commerce involves deploying AI agents to handle the full purchasing cycle. Rather than browsing a website and entering card details yourself, you grant an AI agent the authority to act on your behalf, within defined parameters. The agent handles product discovery, comparison, negotiation, and payment execution. It draws on your procurement preferences, pur...

The traditional point-of-sale (POS) terminal has traveled a remarkable journey since IBM's first mainframe-connected models emerged in the 1970s. What began as clunky screen interfaces tethered to distant computers has evolved into a diverse ecosystem of payment solutions. Today, we stand at the precipice of the most significant transformation yet: the rise of soft POS technology that promises to democratize digital payments for businesses of all sizes. At its core, this evolution reflects a broader shift from hardware dependency to software flexibility. Global POS Market Development With their dedicated terminals, fixed installations, and substantial upfront costs, traditional POS systems have long served as gatekeepers to in-store or mobile payment acceptance. Small businesses, micro-enterprises, and mobile retailers often found themselves locked out of the digital economy, forced to rely on cash transactions or make significant capital investments in POS hardware. Soft POS techn...

The global Information Technology (IT) distribution sector has long been a barometer for the broader IT industry's health, reflecting shifts in end-user demand, enterprise investment, and technological innovation. Recent data from IDC research indicates a notable resurgence in this space, with fourth-quarter revenues returning to growth, driven predominantly by personal computing and software expenditures. IT Distribution Market Development The global distribution sector has experienced a significant uptick in customer investments. This resurgence underscores the demand for PCs, laptops, and related software solutions, even where mobile devices have become ubiquitous. Personal Computing returned to normal distributor revenue levels in 2024 after a significant contraction in 2023. The $3.75 billion in sales recorded in Q4 continues to be fueled by Artificial Intelligence (AI) PC configurations, which grew 141 percent year-over-year. The data suggests that businesses continue to inve...

The global Information Security landscape is poised for significant growth, driven by escalating online cyber threats and the increasing complexity of digital business ecosystems.  According to the latest market study by Gartner, global spending on information security is expected to grow by 15.1 percent in 2025, reaching a total of $212 billion. This investment highlights the importance of cybersecurity and underscores the need for new measures to protect sensitive data and infrastructure from cyber threats. Information Security Market Development Several key trends illustrate the scale and scope of the spending: This growth reflects the increasing prioritization of cybersecurity across industries as organizations seek to safeguard their digital business assets and maintain trust with customers. Spending on Security Services is forecast to rise by 15.6 percent in 2025, reaching $86.07 billion globally. This growth is driven by the ongoing shortage of cybersecurity talent and the n...

The global marketing and sales landscape is evolving rapidly. New business technology is a game-changer, promising to automate tedious tasks and unlock new levels of optimization. But is the market truly ready to embrace this technology? IDC predicts that by 2026, half of medium-sized businesses in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan (APEJ) will be using Generative AI (GenAI) based applications to automate and optimize marketing and sales processes. According to their latest worldwide market study, 47 percent of the midmarket segment in APEJ is already either exploring potential use cases or investing in GenAI tools. SMB Generative AI Market Development Also, 43 percent of companies in the midmarket segment anticipate that the technology will have the most impact on commercial marketing applications. Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs) and midmarket segments in APEJ have taken notice of the GenAI potential to revolutionize workflow in various industries. However, companies ar...

CEOs continue to invest in digital business technologies to stay ahead of their competition, enter additional markets, unlock new revenue streams, and streamline commercial operations. Worldwide information technology (IT) spending is forecast to reach $5 trillion in 2024 -- that's an increase of 6.8 percent from 2023, according to the latest global market study by Gartner. This estimate is down from the previous quarter’s forecast of 8 percent growth. While Generative AI (GenAI) had significant hype in 2023, it may not significantly change the growth of IT spending. Enterprise IT Market Development "While GenAI will change everything, it won’t impact IT spending significantly, similar to IoT, blockchain and other big trends we have experienced," said John-David Lovelock, vice president analyst at Gartner . Moreover, 2024 will be the year when organizations actually invest in planning for how to use GenAI. However, enterprise IT spending may be driven by more traditional...

Virtual payment cards, also known as temporary cards, are randomly generated temporary card numbers linked to a payment account that is used to process payments in place of genuine payment details. A virtual card is an online payment tool that has similar attributes as a traditional Credit or Debit card, with key components including a 16-digit card number, an expiry date, and a CVV number. These cards are digitized versions of a physical card or a card that only exists in its virtual form and is stored in digital wallets. The distinctive feature of virtual cards is the enhanced layer of security. Virtual Card Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, by 2028 global virtual card spending will have increased by 355 percent -- that's from $3.1 trillion in 2023. The key growth driver will be the adoption of API-based virtual card issuing platforms. Juniper analysts explored the use cases where virtual cards use temporary card numbers linked...

Digital Transformation has been the focal point for savvy enterprise C-suites and IT organizations hoping to gain competitive advantages by modernizing their core business processes with technology. The goal was to become a Digital Business where value creation is based on new processes, products, services, and customer experiences. Now, the Digital Business era is everywhere.  Companies are seeking new digital revenue streams while transforming operations to reduce costs and increase efficiency. For the CEOs at forward-looking organizations, 2024 will be pivotal. Digital Business Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by IDC, spending on digital business technologies is growing while traditional investment is stagnating or even declining. Demand for digital experiences from customers, employees, partners, and suppliers is pervasive. "Digital transformation was only the first step -- to truly gain value from change, companies need to move to an innovativ...

Are you taking baby steps toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption? If so, you're not alone with the enterprise business leaders stuck on the sidelines, while the early adopters gain more momentum. As employees across the globe experiment with Generative AI (GenAI), the most cautious corporate general counsels are issuing guidance that will be valuable to those unsure enterprise leaders. "To craft an effective policy, general counsel must consider risk tolerance, use cases and restrictions, decision rights, and disclosure obligations," said Laura Cohn, senior principal researcher at Gartner . Enterprise Generative AI Market Development Having GenAI guardrails and policies in place will better prepare most slow-moving enterprises for possible future legal requirements. Meanwhile, the market leaders are racing ahead of their peer group. Based on practices in AI policies instituted by companies and city governments, the cautious general counsel should direct organizatio...

Digital identity verification is a security method applied in the processing of digital transactions. Digital identity verification is used to enable the remote verification of an individual’s identity, ensuring that they are who they claim to be online. This is most often used for digital onboarding customers onto an online service, but can also be used to verify identity when authorizing Fintech money transfers, or for access management. With the growing threats and increasingly complex fraud methods used by malicious actors, it is vital that institutions that handle sensitive data use up-to-date methods to protect their end-users. Digital Identity Market Development Many digital identity verification vendors offer solutions that increase the accuracy, security, and user experience of the digital onboarding process, and of other digital identity verification use cases. It's important that due to the variety of digital business use cases, other secure forms of identity verificatio...

The recurring subscription payments market is undergoing significant growth, primarily driven by the acceleration of consumer adoption. The market deals with periodic subscriptions to a variety of goods and services offered as an alternative payment model. While subscriptions have existed for a long time, their use in the consumer products marketplace is still evolving. Despite the usage being relatively new, the proliferation has been rapid and has spanned many different vertical markets. Recurring Payments Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the transaction value of recurring payments will exceed $15.4 trillion globally in 2027 -- that's up from $13.2 trillion in 2023. This relatively slow growth of 17 percent reflects that recurring payments are a well-established market, but also disguises a rapid change of payment methods in the space, with Open Banking and Digital Wallet payments outstripping overall growth. As more retail me...

More CIOs and CTOs are exploring ways to accelerate the development of new software apps that enable the kind of digital transformation benefits that all senior executives crave. One emerging solution is to empower business leaders with tools to create new apps themselves. The global market for low-code, no-code, and intelligent developer technologies (LCNCIDT) continues to grow at a rapid pace, with revenue projected to reach $21 billion by 2026, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Intelligent Developer Technology Market Development "The market for LCNCDIT technologies is being driven by the global shortage of full-time developers," said Michele Rosen, research manager at IDC . "This situation is expected to continue throughout this decade, creating a strong market for technologies that increase developer productivity or expand the potential pool of developers." The LCNCIDT market includes low-code, no-code, and i...

Across the globe, many forward-thinking CEOs and CFOs continue to fund business technology investments that enable meaningful and substantive digital transformations, ahead of their industry peer group. That's why CIOs and other IT leaders must now accelerate the quest for value creation and drive digital growth from those ongoing investments, according to the latest market study by Gartner. "The pressure on CIOs to deliver digital dividends is higher than ever," said Daniel Sanchez-Reina, VP Analyst at Gartner . "CEOs and boards anticipated that investments in digital assets, channels, and digital business capabilities would accelerate growth beyond what was previously possible." Digital Business Market Development   CIOs expect IT budgets to increase 5.1 percent on average in 2023 -- that's lower than the projected 6.5 percent global economy inflation rate. A Gartner survey analysis revealed several ways in which CIOs can deliver "digital dividends...

Business model evolution and growth are still top priorities for forward-thinking leadership. In fact, 70 percent of surveyed boards of directors will accelerate digital business initiatives, steering the organization to digitally-enabled growth. Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) also plan to protect their digital transformation investments as they cut costs elsewhere in their operations, according to the latest market study by Gartner. Among technology priorities, CFOs have particularly prioritized back-office business automation technology as a key to driving down costs in the face of ongoing inflation and supply chain challenges. Digital Applications Market Development A survey of CFOs found that digital business app acceleration was the top spending priority over the next 12 months, with 98 percent of respondents saying they will protect digital investments. Meanwhile, 66 percent of surveyed CFOs said they plan to increase their digital app investments. A separate survey of CEOs high...

Some leaders reject the notion that "wait and see" is the best response to disruptive change. Savvy senior executives are already driving digital business transformation throughout their organization in an effort to gain a bold strategic advantage. According to the latest market study by International Data Corp (IDC), Digital-First CEOs plan to drive at least half of their income from digital business products, services, and experiences by 2027 -- that's ahead of the market average of 39 percent. Driven by their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, these business leaders have changed how they think about the relationship between business and technology, and how they approach the next digital transformation era -- from scaling digital technology to guiding a viable digital business. Digital Business Market Development IDC defines digital business as value creation based on technology, which entails: 1) Automated customer-facing processes and internal operations; 2) Provision...

Across the globe, digital commerce transaction growth has pushed past the prior boundaries. As an example, the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a widespread increase in contactless payment limits around the world. There are several important examples of this phenomenon in action. In April 2020, the UK increased its contactless payment limit from £30 ($41.73) to £45 ($62.60). The UK government then announced plans to increase the limit again, to £100 ($139.11), which took effect in March 2021, but will require a transition period throughout the year. In March 2020, Germany agreed to increase its contactless payments limit from €25 ($30.14) to €50 ($60.29), which was a major move for a country that had previously been slow to adopt contactless payment services. Furthermore, in December 2020, the Reserve Bank of India announced plans to increase the contactless payment limit in the country from ₹2,000 ($26.65) to ₹5,000 ($66.63). Global Digital Commerce Market Development According to the lat...

Enterprise CEOs are looking to their most senior technology leaders to deliver competitive digital business transformation projects that enable new revenue growth. Furthermore, they crave business technology champions that are skilled in motivating and developing IT talent for their top priorities. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform how CIOs manage, collaborate, and respond to their key stakeholders. Seventy percent of hiring processes for new CIOs rank individual determination and sensitivity as critical characteristics in 2021, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. Digital Business Talent Development "CEOs are looking for executives who are capable of weathering crises," said Daniel Sanchez-Reina, senior research director at Gartner . "They are still unsettled about the future and want determined CIOs who make and implement timely decisions while displaying emotional dexterity to be tactful and supportive." Gartner says determination...

Digital transformation fuels upside market opportunities, and related growth goals are now the CEO's top business priority, according to the latest worldwide study by Gartner. Moreover, a growing number of CEOs will focus more on financial priorities -- especially profitability improvement. The annual survey of CEO and senior business executives in the fourth quarter of 2018 examined their business issues, as well as some areas of technology agenda impact. In total, 473 business leaders of companies with $50 million or more -- and 60 percent with $1 billion or more -- in annual revenue were qualified and surveyed. Digital Business Market Development  "After a significant fall last year, mentions of growth increased this year to 53 percent, up from 40 percent in 2018," said Mark Raskino, vice president at Gartner . "This suggests that CEOs have switched their focus back to tactical performance as clouds gather on the horizon." The survey results showed th...

Once upon a time, at a typical enterprise organization anywhere in the world, all business technology procurement decisions were dictated by the company's CIO and the execution was managed by their loyal technical team.  Meanwhile, life was good for most people in an IT vendor's sales force who were laser focused on the few they considered as their 'buyer' customers. But one day, the status-quo was broken by the rumble of militant Line of Business (LoB) leaders who rejected the IT establishment and their old ways. The LoB rebels demanded a change and pushed aside the legacy CIO and their 'preferred' vendor collaborators. Now, anyone that was armed by the CEO with an IT budget could lead the Digital Business Transformation that enterprise end-users have craved for so long. This is the new way, the path that is taken by an open organization that seeks to survive and prosper in the Global Networked Economy. End of Tyranny: Open Digital Transformation A wid...

We knew this day would come, where the leading enterprise industry analysts would all acknowledge that business technology has evolved. Moreover, the integration of digital requirements into most work processes has resulted in a world where every capable employee is potentially a skilled Digital Practitioner. "Today's employees possess a greater degree of digital dexterity," said Matt Cain, research vice president at Gartner . "They operate their own wireless networks at home, attach and manage various devices, and use apps and Web services in almost every facet of their personal lives. They participate in sharing economies for transport, lodging and more." Gartner believes that the traditional IT organizations must figure out how to effectively utilize all employee 'digital dexterity' -- somewhat regardless of their primary role and responsibilities. Key Point: digital-savvy talent is in short supply, when restricted to just the typical IT support...