Company earns recognition among top digital experience platforms in the market BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS) today announced its inclusion as one of nine vendors in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Experience Platforms, Q4 20251, marking its debut in this influential analyst report. Progress sees this recognition as a reflection of its growing influence in the digital experience platform (DXP) market and its commitment to delivering secure, scalable, perso ...

This story was originally published on CX Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CX Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Costco’s scan-and-go pilot is improving checkout speed by up to 20% at locations that have adopted the technology, executives said on a Q1 2026 earnings call last week. The addition of membership card scanners at warehouse entrances is working alongside scan-and-go to improve the shopper experience as well as store productivity, according to President and CEO ...

Core Insights - More than half of North Americans have lost trust in companies that provide poor experiences or unclear communication, with 71% of consumers indicating a need for improvement in customer experience, a significant increase from 2019 [1][3] Group 1: Customer Experience and Trust - Customer communications are essential for enhancing the customer experience, with companies that prioritize clear and engaging communication likely to gain trust and loyalty [2][3] - 59% of respondents have lost trust in companies due to poor experiences or unclear communication [3] Group 2: Customer Personas - The study identifies two key customer personas: Engaged Explorers and Practical Optimizers, each with distinct preferences for communication and experience [3][4] - Engaged Explorers prefer interactive emails (84%) and want bills and statements consolidated digitally (87%), but only 15% feel they receive a quality experience [3] - Practical Optimizers value efficiency and clear communication, with 44% prioritizing transparency in their interactions, and 41% feel companies meet their experience expectations [4] Group 3: AI and Consumer Expectations - While AI adoption is growing, only 37% of consumers believe it has improved their overall experience, with a notable difference in perception between the two personas [7][14] - 62% of consumers are more likely to engage with companies that have advanced security measures, and 52% are willing to share personal data for better experiences [7] Group 4: Communication Preferences - Key functions companies should prioritize include honoring preferred communication channels (39%), providing simple engagement methods across channels (38%), and simplifying business interactions (33%) [6] - Despite digital advances, 55% of consumers still receive paper communications, with nearly half willing to switch to digital if options are more intuitive and secure [9]

Telefónica 2025 Capital Markets Day Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Telefónica (NYSE: TEF) - **Event**: 2025 Capital Markets Day - **Date**: November 04, 2025 Key Industry Insights - **Telecom Market Growth**: The European communication market is stagnating with expected annual growth of 1.5%, which is equal to or below inflation [18][19] - **Customer Preferences**: 60% of telco customers prioritize experience over price, necessitating hyper-personalization and digital customer relationships [18] - **Cyber Defense Opportunity**: Estimated opportunity for telcos in cyber defense in Europe is between EUR 10 billion and EUR 22 billion by 2035 [19] - **Investment Needs**: Europe requires over EUR 750 billion in tech investment by 2030 to close the technological gap with the U.S. and China [19] Strategic Plan Overview - **Plan Name**: Transform and Grow Strategic Plan - **Timeframe**: 2026 to 2030 - **Objectives**: - Deliver the best digital experience to customers - Strengthen Telefónica's position in Europe and Brazil - Focus on profitable growth to create shareholder value [5][10][23] Strategic Pillars 1. **Customer Experience**: Improve processes and interactions to enhance customer satisfaction, targeting a net promoter score (NPS) increase of six points by 2028 [25] 2. **B2B Expansion**: Modernize communication services and expand digital offerings, aiming for B2B revenues to constitute 26% of group revenues by 2028 [26] 3. **Technological Capabilities**: Invest EUR 32 billion in network optimization from 2026 to 2028 [26] 4. **Operating Model Simplification**: Reduce operational complexity and improve decision-making speed, targeting a 25% reduction in corporate OPEX by 2027 [27] 5. **Talent Development**: Focus on reskilling and acquiring talent to support strategic initiatives [27] Financial Guidance - **Revenue Growth**: Expected compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.5%-2.5% from 2025 to 2028, accelerating to 2.5%-3.5% from 2028 to 2030 [48] - **EBITDA Growth**: Similar growth expectations as revenue, with stable margins [48] - **CAPEX**: Decrease from 12.5% of revenue in 2025 to 12% by 2028, further declining to 11% by 2030 [48] - **Free Cash Flow**: Expected growth of 2.5%-3% to 5% from 2025 to 2028, with a commitment to EUR 2.9 billion to EUR 3 billion in 2026 [53] Capital Allocation Strategy - **Dividend Policy**: Proposed dividend of EUR 0.30 per share for 2025, with a payout ratio of 40%-60% of free cash flow in 2027 and 2028 [56] - **Debt Management**: Aim to reduce net debt to EBITDA ratio to 2.5 times by 2028 [54] - **M&A Framework**: Focus on value-accretive transactions in core markets, with a pragmatic approach to portfolio rotation [58] Conclusion - **Vision**: Telefónica aims to become a world-class European telco with profitable scale, focusing on customer experience, technological capabilities, and operational efficiency [21][22] - **Commitment**: The management team is dedicated to executing the Transform and Grow plan, addressing challenges, and seizing opportunities for sustainable growth [60][61]

Core Insights - Athletic brands like Nike and Adidas face significant digital performance challenges, with a notable gap between their metrics and customer experiences online [1][2][3] Digital Experience Scores - Catchpoint's Digital Experience Score ranges from 0 to 100, measuring customer experience across various factors including device performance, network quality, and application load times [3] - Smaller brands such as Fila, Under Armour, and New Balance outperform Nike and Adidas in digital experience, with Nike ranking 16th and Adidas 11th among 20 brands [4] Downtime and Financial Impact - Adidas has an uptime rate of 92.4%, resulting in approximately 56 hours of downtime monthly, equating to potential losses of up to $19 million monthly or $225 million annually [5] - Nike's site availability is at 92.9%, leading to about 51 hours of downtime per month, which could result in losses of $17 million monthly and over $200 million annually [6] Advertising and Investment - Nike invested $4.3 billion in advertising for Fiscal Year 2024, but Catchpoint suggests reallocating some of this budget towards improving site speed and stability to enhance ROI [7] Performance Rankings - The top brands scored between 90 to 100, with Fila (96), Under Armour (95), and New Balance (91) leading the pack, while Nike (53) and Adidas (58) are categorized as "challenged" [8][9] - Only three brands load pages in under 3 seconds, with the median load time being 6.6 seconds; Nike's load time is 6.70 seconds [11] Market Dynamics - The Digital Experience Scores correlate with market performance, as evidenced by Nike losing $28 billion in market value while competitors like On Running grew by 40% year-over-year [10] - In an economy driven by instant gratification, speed is identified as a critical competitive advantage for brands [12] Monitoring and Data Collection - The data was collected from 123 global monitoring locations, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of the brands' digital performance [13] Company Performance - Nike's recent first-quarter results exceeded Wall Street expectations, indicating progress in its digital strategy, although challenges remain in its China business and digital operations [14] - Saucony's parent company reported a 41.5% increase in net sales, reflecting a strong growth strategy, while Hoka's sales rose by 19.8%, contributing to Deckers Brands' overall growth [15][16]