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Salesforce Connections 2026: Short-Term ROI on Marketing AI to Drive Long-Term Transformation

Gerry Murray, Heather Hershey, Douglas Hayward, Roger Beharry Lall, Tapan Patel — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective summarizes Salesforce Connections 2026 and its implications for CMOs and marketing technology buyers. The document covers Salesforce's Agentforce Marketing and Commerce announcements, including the pipeline generation agents Piper and Hunter, the Contentful acquisition, the Agentforce Marketing Goals Agent, and Headless 360 MCP campaign management capabilities.

"The road to scaling agentic marketing is ultimately an organizational, process, and technological transformation proposition, each step of which will have to pay its way," says Gerry Murray, research director, Enterprise Marketing Apps and Agents, IDC. "By forming its go-to-market strategy on this principle, Salesforce aligns itself with CMO agendas and CFO requirements for funding enterprise-scale investments, which expands account TAM and accelerates Salesforce's ability to capture share of the agentic infrastructure spend."

State and Future of the Automotive Industry in the Age of AI

Jeffrey Hojlo, Wai Yee Lee — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Presentation examines the state and future of the automotive industry in the age of AI, analyzing the macro forces reshaping competitive dynamics, namely tariffs and trade disruption, ecosystem orchestration complexity, expanding connectivity and cybersecurity requirements, and tightening sustainability mandates. The presentation evaluates business priorities, factory modernization investments, and technology spending plans spanning powertrain electrification, ADAS and sensor fusion, software-defined vehicles, and AI infrastructure. A dedicated analysis of AI maturity and agentic AI adoption in R&D and engineering is included, alongside findings on connectivity strategy, industry ecosystem collaboration models, and Scope 3 sustainability imperatives.

"The automotive industry has reached an inflection point where AI adoption is table stakes and ecosystem orchestration is the new competitive battleground. Manufacturers that move beyond isolated pilots to a closed-loop system — connecting design, production, supply chain, and field service into a unified digital thread — will compress cycle times, reduce warranty exposure, and build the agility to navigate tariff volatility, the ongoing EV transition, and expanding cybersecurity demands simultaneously. Agentic AI is the mechanism that makes orchestration at scale possible," says Jeff Hojlo, research vice president, Engineering and Product Innovation Strategies, and Manufacturing Insights, IDC.

Challenges to Starlink After SpaceX's Blowout IPO

Simon Baker — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The SpaceX IPO propelled the company into the ranks of the world's most valuable companies. Expanding its core Starlink internet service will depend largely on operational issues. Declining ARPUs threaten profitability and increase the need to put Starship into service to launch larger satellites at lower cost.

Market Forecast: European 5G Human Connections Forecast, 2026–2030

Alejandro Cadenas — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Forecast discusses the 5G human connections market in Europe, together with other mobile technology generations, updating previous forecasts in this area. To produce this forecast, IDC developed a comprehensive per-country prediction model to estimate 5G subscriber growth, coverage expansion, and network deployment volumes. The forecast breaks down the data by customer segment. This forecast examines the trajectory of 5G network densification and subscriber penetration, which are critical concerns for mobile operators and infrastructure providers across Europe to help them align their investment strategies and competitive positioning.

5G coverage in Europe will be approaching full availability in the coming years. This signals a strategic transition: while the transition to 5G technology is still ongoing, operators must move beyond subscriber acquisition metrics to focus on value creation per connection. Premium use cases, enterprise services, and application-driven revenue streams will be the primary growth drivers over the next three to five years, and the value generated by 5G as a technology will come less from the number of connections and more from the solutions deployed on top.

IDC Survey: U.S. Consumer Communications and Mobile Services Survey, 2025 — Voice Services

Denise Lund, Jitesh Gera — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Mobile has become the default home voice solution: Landline-to-mobile substitution has reached a clear inflection point, making mobile the primary household voice service while landline shifts toward a narrower legacy and continuity role.
Rise of mobile-first bundling models: Landline‑based triple‑play bundles are losing relevance as consumers shift toward more flexible, mobile‑centric combinations. Household demand is moving toward mobile + internet packages and other streamlined connectivity options, reducing the landline's importance as the core element of home service bundles.
Replacement is moving beyond mobile: Landline churn risk is accelerating, with device-based VoIP emerging as a secondary transition path for households that still want a home phone experience without a traditional landline.
Landline retention — more about comfort than cost: People are keeping their landlines mostly out of habit or because they still do not fully trust mobile networks. When they do cancel landlines, it is usually because mobile services offer better value, convenience, and fit better with their lifestyle, not just because of price.

Status of Retail: Key Findings from the Global Retail Survey 2026 – IDC Retail Insights

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Presentation presents the main results from IDC’s 2026 Retail Technologies and Business Process Trends Survey. The report examines the strategic priorities, technology investments, and operational challenges facing retailers worldwide, spanning six key domains: AI strategy, omni-channel commerce, customer experience and loyalty, store and workforce operations, supply chain management, and IT architecture and cybersecurity. The research draws on survey data from a global sample of retail decision-makers across subcategories including health and beauty, grocery, and specialty retail. It is complemented by case studies from leading retailers such as Sephora, Starbucks, Fanatics, and Walmart.

This study explores how retailers are allocating budgets across areas such as agentic AI, edge computing, RFID, merchandising technology, and loyalty platforms, providing a quantified view of where spending is increasing and which initiatives are currently being implemented or budgeted. Across all domains, the research benchmarks adoption rates, identifies the most urgent challenges practitioners face, and highlights the technology levers that retailers expect to drive revenue growth and operational resilience through 2026 and beyond.

At Qualcomm's Investor Day 2026, Qualcomm Unveiled Its Datacenter Strategy with the Modular Acquisition and Product Road Map

Phil Solis, Jim Hines, Nina Turner, Jeff Janukowicz — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Qualcomm held its Investor Day 2026 in New York, where it laid out its future financial targets and plans to achieve those targets. The event is mostly geared toward financial analysts, but Qualcomm also invites media and select industry analysts to attend as well. During this year's Investor Day, Qualcomm framed its next chapter around three strategic pillars: a new AI datacenter platform; full-stack physical AI across auto, industrial, and robotics; and a shift from silicon to integrated software platforms, all backed by a sharply raised financial outlook. It also announced the acquisition of Modular, which is key to those plans.

Addressing the Pipeline Conversion Gap: What CMOs and CROs Must Do to Turn Marketing Demand into Measurable Revenue

Andrea Siviero, Sudhir Rajagopal, Heather Hershey, Roger Beharry Lall — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Web Conference Proceeding examines the structural disconnect between pipeline and revenue, starting with a clear diagnostic: where conversion breaks down across the customer buying journey, and why traditional pipeline metrics fail to reflect true performance. It also presents a cross-functional perspective across demand strategy, revenue operations, and sales alignment. IDC analysts share how high-performing organizations turn demand into measurable revenue by aligning to how customers actually buy, improving handoffs and orchestration, and adopting metrics leadership trusts.

Most organizations are generating more pipeline than ever, yet revenue performance isn’t keeping pace. While the marketing-sourced pipeline has grown, conversion rates, deal velocity, and win rates have stagnated or declined. The challenge isn’t about demand; it’s about what happens next.

This IDC Web Conference Proceeding explores:

Where pipeline-to-revenue breakdowns most commonly occur, and how to diagnose them
How buying behavior has changed, and the implications for conversion, engagement, and journey design
What high-performing organizations do differently to connect demand generation to revenue outcomes
How to improve marketing, sales, and RevOps alignment to reduce friction and accelerate deals
Which metrics truly reflect revenue impact, and how to move beyond volume-based reporting
How to build executive confidence in marketing’s contribution to revenue

Digital Commerce Applications Banner Book: CX Path 2026

Nadia Ballard, Douglas Hayward, Heather Hershey, Eric Newmark, Aly Pinder — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Pivot Table banner book provides the data set for the digital commerce application category of IDC’s 2026 CX Path program.

The CX Path program includes a total of 14 application categories: advertising, marketing, sales, digital commerce, configure price quote (CPQ), product information management/product experience management (PIM/PXM), contact center and customer service, voice of the customer (VOC), customer experience (CX) orchestration, content and experience management, customer data platforms (CDPs), customer and digital experience analytics, aftermarket service life-cycle management, and price optimization applications.

Coverage includes application adoption, deployment models, budget plans and replacement cycle timing, purchasing preferences and attitudes toward CX SaaS buying channels, packaging and pricing options, and generative AI and agentic AI adoption and use for CX use cases. In addition, the program provides in-depth vendor reviews, vendor ratings, spend, and advocacy scores for all 14 application markets.

IDC Survey: 5G Network Slicing and the Enterprise: Perspectives on Interest, Need, Benefits, and Adoption

Jason Leigh — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey summarizes enterprise perspectives on 5G network slicing, based on IDC’s 2025 North American Enterprise 5G, IoT, and Private Mobile Networks Survey (October 2025). Respondents were enterprise decision-makers responsible for digital transformation, connectivity, networking, 5G, and IoT.

Network slicing is positioned as a monetizable, scalable 5G feature, appealing to enterprises seeking preferential traffic routing and strict service level agreements. While interest remains high, adoption is selective: Only specific use cases and device types see material benefit from dedicated network slices, with most applications deriving limited value. Enterprises are expected to deploy network slicing tactically, targeting scenarios in which it is essential.

Survey questions addressed enterprise understanding of network slicing, willingness to adopt, key use cases, and spending intentions.