As we put another year behind us and brace for the next, it’s time for the annual list of our favorite reads of the year.
Despite all the headwinds—like Google’s puzzling and infuriating algorithm changes and AI-generated content popping up online that reads suspiciously familiar—we at the Future of Commerce persevered.
In 2024, we published practical advice across a broad range of industries, thoughtful commentary, and continued to publish explainer posts to help demystify topics like PLM vs. PIM and data clean rooms. We didn’t have as much bandwidth to write breaking news, but covered some big stories, including the hotel worker strike, holiday spending predictions, and Google dropping its plan to eliminate third-party cookies.
It’s always hard to choose, but here are some of our favorite reads of 2024.
With all the hype around AI, there’s a stampede to use it for anything and everything. But we can always count on Constellation Research‘s Liz Miller to tell it like it is. Her insightful piece sheds light on the truth no one talks about: getting the benefits of AI requires real change in an organization.
Sales teams are super excited about the promise of AI, and SAP’s Steven Spears explained just why in his post about the technology’s practical applications in sales. His work inspired one of our favorite images and headlines of the year.
In 2024, we were thrilled to welcome back one of our favorite contributors, Randy Kohl of Smith Commerce. His provocative piece about how AI agents will alter commerce is a shining example of thought leadership at its best.
While inflation may have slowed, consumers remain price sensitive as retailers look to AI to drive growth. The top trends for the retail industry include AI-driven personalization and omnichannel integration.
Julie Brown, product marketer extraordinaire, penned this super interesting article about a huge shift happening as more young people look towards vocational and trade schools instead of a traditional four-year college degree.
In their excitement about the potential of AI to transform business, distributors need to consider their workers and find a balance, Marie-Anne Bailey of SAP wrote in her thoughtful debut post.
A news story about supposed data theft from the US Federal Reserve inspired this comprehensive post by SAP’s Falk Rieker about all the challenges plaguing the banking industry.
SAP’s Lior Weizman provided a fascinating look into startups that are driving innovation in the fashion industry with cutting-edge technology.
Both modernized monolithic and composable commerce platforms have their places in the digital ecosystem, each catering to different business needs.
With so much plastic still ending up in landfills and polluting the oceans, pressure is growing on businesses to go beyond traditional recycling. Emily Morrow wrote our favorite lead of the year in this recycling reality check.
Having covered the recommerce trend since its early days, Emily’s an expert on the subject. In this update—a must-read for retailers— she shows how far the trend has come.
Slowly but surely, the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy is happening SAP’s Brent Potts provided an in-depth post that explained everything you need to know about this critical global trend.
As 85% of single-use plastic packaging ends up in landfills, brands are looking to reduce their environmental impact through sustainable packaging.
In this eye-opening article, Randy Kohl considers the potential impact of what seems to be the stuff of science fiction—quantum computing—on the way we do business online.
While published at the end of 2023, Marcia Savage’s piece on Generation X RESONATED hard with audiences, making it our most-viewed piece of 2024. The post is both factual and poetic, weaving the story of an unseen generation with stats, data points, and content that enticed readers to stay until the very last word.
If you’ve scrolled #CorporateTikTok, you’ve probably seen the personality hire. If not, you may want to sit down – just in case you’re about to realize that you’re a personality hire. Emily Morrow takes a deep dive on the personality hire: someone who was hired for their temperament, rather than their technical skills.
With Paris playing host to this year’s Summer Olympic Games, France was in the spotlight, inspiring Erin McClure to write this terrific post about the sharp differences between America and French work cultures. (For instance … did you know the French have a lunch culture? We didn’t, either).
What would the year be without a Taylor Swift post from our fearless leader Editor in Chief Jenn Vande Zande, who again proves the power of the superstar’s music to resonate.
Editor’s Note: I'd be remiss to publish a post about our best content without talking about what makes the content shine: The people who work tirelessly day after day, year after year, (for 11 years now!) to bring it to you. Marcia Yusavage is our absolutely amazing Executive Editor; using her journalistic chops, she's able to write a breaking story within hours, and she also creates masterpieces over time like her Generation X post. Her eye for detail is enviable, and if you need someone to assure you that you're using the correct possessive or tense, she's got you. Aaron Graham is our developer who can build nearly anything we ask for – his brilliance in his field is truly unparalleled – no matter how complex the issue, he can distill it, explain it, and fix it – his work also "inspires" others across the industry to improve how they write code. Alwin Zachariah is our SEO wizard, offering the wisdom, know-how, and direction that's much needed amid a year of algorithm agony. Finally, to all of our contributors – thank you. You've made this site a wonderful place to exist for over a decade; it simply wouldn't be the same without you. 💜 My deepest thanks, JVZ
