This week, Path, the intentionally-constrained social network, celebrated reaching the 10 million registered users mark. But this milestone was marred by complaints that the app was employing some shady user-acquisition tactics – in some cases, spamming users’ entire address books. Meanwhile, over on GigaOM Pro, social was a popular topic among our analysts, as we published our latest Sector RoadMap about how customer service tools integrate with social media platforms. Other new research includes a look at creativity in the workplace, and an in-depth analysis about mobile shopping behavior.
Note: GigaOM Pro is a subscription-based research service offering in-depth, timely analysis of developing trends and technologies. Visit pro.gigaom.com to learn more about it.
Future of Work: The cultural bias against creatives as leaders
Stowe Boyd
Analyst Stowe Boyd muses on the connections between creativity and leadership in the corporate sector. While a 2010 CEO survey conducted by IBM reveals creativity – and its role in innovative, disruptive thinking – as a highly valued quality for corporate leaders, there is a bias against promoting creatives to positions of authority. Boyd looks at the ongoing struggle between maintaining the status quo, charismatic leadership, and “thinking different” when it come to corporate politics.
Mobile: Why mobile must be part of the shopping experience
Phil Hendrix
Is shopping dead? The future of retail continues to be a major topic for GigaOM Pro subscribers. Last week, readers tuned in to a podcast about the future of shopping. This week, Phil Hendrix’ published his followup report, based on extensive data gathered from a recent IMMR/GigaOM Pro survey of smartphone users about the retail experience. Hendrix posits that the traditional shopping experience is ripe for disruption. He digs in to the survey responses to identify what makes for a successful retail operation (across brick and mortar and ecommerce outlets), and makes a series of recommendations for retailers, brands, and local businesses.
Social: Sector RoadMap: Social customer service in 2013
Laura Stuart
Social customer service – meeting users where they are on social networks and social media platforms – is no longer a niche market. Enterprise giants like Salesforce, Oracle, and SAP are acquiring social customer service startups or launching their own in-house solutions. It’s clear that social customer service could transform how customers interact with businesses. Analyst Laura Stuart analyzes data from GigaOM Research’s recent survey on social business technology and identifies six major factors that could disrupt this volatile market in the near term future.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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