The Customer Data Platform: The New Table Stakes For CPG Companies

This past year has seen what is perhaps best described as the greatest tech disruption the world has ever known. Surprisingly, it was not a new technology, but a virus, that pushed all of us—from retailers to engineers to healthcare workers—headlong into digital transformation. Whether improving remote work technologies, or reimagining ways to serve, deliver, and connect with consumers, it’s safe to say that just about every organization of every size the world over had an intense year.

In our 2020 Digital Transformation Index, a research study surveying 1,000 North American and Western European companies ranging from 50 to 50,000 employees, we asked respondents what impact the global pandemic had on business operations and the state of digital transformation. Two-thirds of respondents (67%) said they are having to rethink entire business models. While this may be a challenge for some, 70% of respondents said they are turning the unexpected pivots into opportunities for the organization, with 63% saying they will never return to the business and technology standards of pre-pandemic days. That is all to say rapid digital transformation happened at an unmatched pace—and there is undoubtedly more transformation ahead.