The Shift Towards a Guardian-Led Marketplace Model

Users now see the platform not just as a marketplace, but as a trusted layer that actively protects and guides their experience. Tools such as QR screening and contextual chat guidance reflect this shift toward a “guardian-led” marketplace model, says Muneeb Farrukh, Director of Product at Bayut.com & dubizzle.

AI-driven marketing demands better data than fragmented stacks can deliver. Max Groth of Decentriq explains how data clean rooms close the gap—with outcome evidence from two published campaigns.

The real signal isn't a blown SLA or a clunky handoff. It's what happens the moment a deal falls through. Marketing blames the nurture. Sales blames the lead quality. Both wave their data. Neither changes a thing, says Kevin Virsolvy, Senior Director, EMEA Marketing at Braze.

Leaders from retail, commerce, advertising, and adtech explored how retail media networks (RMNs) are evolving beyond ad inventory into data-driven growth engines that deliver measurable business outcomes across channels.

The report shows sales and distribution teams are under pressure to drive revenue growth, while disconnected systems and AI uncertainty make execution harder.

Agentic marketing is less dependent on third-party data than many of the approaches that came before it. Its strength comes from making better use of what organisations already have. That is first-party customer data combined with real-time enterprise signals like orders, inventory, and service interactions, says Jessica Keehn, CMO, SAP Customer Experience.

As AI agents reshape marketing operations, CMOs are being challenged to focus less on execution and more on governance, brand stewardship, and content quality to ensure long-term visibility and business impact.

David Hicks discusses how leaders can prove business impact, build trust as a competitive advantage, and create organisational resilience through clear purpose, aligned leadership, and customer-centric decision-making.

Many enterprise marketers are treating GEO as a content challenge, but success in AI search increasingly depends on execution speed, operational agility, and third-party visibility rather than content volume alone.

Aleksandar Derbogosijan explores how functional design, clarity, and seamless user experiences help brands sustain engagement, improve retention, and drive stronger conversion outcomes beyond the initial click.