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New Flywheel Report Shows How Brands Can Turn Fragmentation into a Competitive Advantage

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The Big Shift outlines how a Total Commerce approach can connect media, retail, trade and consumer engagement as shopping journeys become increasingly complex.

BALTIMORE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Flywheel, a leader in commerce and technology solutions and part of the Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media offering, today released The Big Shift: From Managing to Mastering Fragmentation, a new white paper examining how AI-powered search, social commerce, retail media and organizational silos are reshaping the way brands drive growth.

While 80% of consumers (OM Research, Connected Commerce 2024) now take a non-linear path to purchase, many brands still manage media, retail, trade, and shopper marketing through separate teams, budgets, and performance metrics. According to Flywheel, that disconnect leads to wasted media investment, missed sales opportunities, unmeasured promotional impact, and reduced organizational agility.

The report argues that brands must adopt a Total Commerce approach, a business model that unifies consumer discovery, retail activation, media investment, trade planning, and measurement into one operating system focused on business outcomes rather than channel performance.

“The way consumers discover and buy products has fundamentally changed,” said Mike Feldman, SVP Commerce at Flywheel. “A shopper might discover a product through a creator, research it through an AI assistant, purchase it through a retailer marketplace and pick it up in-store, all within a few hours. The brands winning today are not treating those moments as separate channels. They are organizing around one connected consumer journey.”

The report notes that TikTok generated $33.1 billion in gross merchandise volume in Q1 2026, surpassing eBay and demonstrating how quickly discovery and purchase are converging on a single platform.

The report identifies three forces accelerating the fragmentation challenge:

Consumer discovery has fundamentally changed. Social platforms have become primary discovery engines, with 73% of Gen Z and 67% of Millennials (Salsify, 2025) citing social media as their main source for learning about new products. Nearly half of social media users have also used influencers in their purchase journey.AI is becoming a new discovery channel. Thirty-six percent of consumers, including 45% of Gen Z and 51% of Millennials (OM Research – GEO Update April 2026) say they have shifted most of their searches from traditional search engines to generative AI platforms.Retailers have become media companies. Retailers now operate advertising businesses, premium content platforms and closed-loop measurement capabilities that increasingly connect media exposure to purchase behavior.

The report arrives as marketers grapple with many of the same trends that dominated conversations at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, including creator commerce, retail media, and AI-powered discovery. Against that backdrop, The Big Shift emphasizes the continued importance of physical retail, arguing that while discovery increasingly happens across creators, AI, retail media and connected TV, the shelf remains one of the most critical moments in the consumer journey.

“The physical shelf is still one of the most important moments in commerce, but it is no longer where the consumer journey begins,” said Phil Camarota, Chief Creative Officer at Flywheel and President of the Cannes Lions Creative Commerce Jury. “By the time a shopper reaches a store or product page, they have already been influenced by creators, retail media, reviews, AI recommendations and countless other touchpoints. The brands that succeed are creating one connected experience, across all those moments.”

The report also highlights Flywheel client Danone’s “Become a Home’Rista” campaign as an example of Total Commerce in action. Built around the insight that many consumers believed barista-quality coffee required professional expertise, the program connected influencer content, retail media, digital shelf activation and in-store experiences across multiple retailers. The campaign generated 641 million impressions and multi-brand halo sales across Danone’s portfolio.

Ariel Dalton, Head of Strategic Insights, Planning & Connected Commerce at Danone shared: “We uncovered what we call the ‘barista gap’ and built a campaign that inspires consumers to recreate and elevate the coffeehouse experience at home. The success of this campaign demonstrated the power of pairing a compelling consumer insight with the strength of Danone’s portfolio, to deliver a daily ritual that feels both elevated and unique to the consumer. What began as a pilot in 2025 has evolved into one of our flagship programs, scaling across multiple retail activation nationwide.

“Fragmentation leaves brands with a simple choice: manage it or master it,” Feldman said. “Brands that own consumer journeys across channels, orchestrate with retailers around shared outcomes and align internally around one set of goals will create competitive advantage. The brands that master fragmentation will define the next era of commerce.” 

About Flywheel:

Flywheel, a leader in commerce and technology solutions and part of the Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media offering, provides best-in-class service that combines tailored expertise with advanced software solutions to help clients drive incremental sales, market share, profitability, and measurable commerce growth.

A leader across major marketplace platforms, Flywheel combines global scale and influence with a customized, client-centric approach designed to deliver impactful business outcomes. Client success remains at the center of the company’s mission.

With operations across the Americas, Europe, APAC, and China, Flywheel is widely recognized for the scale of its retail media capabilities, while delivering value across the entire commerce ecosystem. The company helps brands navigate the evolving commerce landscape through integrated solutions built to accelerate growth and performance.

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SOURCE Flywheel Digital

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VisualLogix Strengthens European Presence and Engineering Software Portfolio Through Acquisition of refyne Group

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July 14, 2026

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NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — VisualLogix today announced the acquisition of refyne Group, expanding its global engineering software platform and strengthening its portfolio of mission-critical solutions used by engineers and fabricators who design, analyze and manufacture real world products and systems. The acquisition broadens VisualLogix’s presence across Europe while adding a leading software platform for wood and metal fabricators, providing integrated CAD, CAM, thermal analysis and ERP solutions across the DACH region.

VisualLogix develops software that supports the design, analysis, documentation, and manufacturing of real-world products and systems. Its portfolio includes category-leading solutions such as AutoSPRINK, AlarmCAD, and Metal Building Software (MBS), which are used daily by fire protection engineers, alarm system designers, and structural fabricators throughout North America and internationally.

refyne Group extends these capabilities through a suite of established software solutions including Athena, Apollon, TrunCAD, nCAD, flixo, and Triviso. Together, these products form a leading software platform for fabricators, providing integrated CAD, CAM, thermal analysis, and ERP solutions that support the full design-to-production workflow across wood, metal, and façade manufacturing. The company’s solutions are deeply embedded in customer workflows throughout the DACH region and are supported by a team with decades of domain expertise in engineering, thermal analysis, manufacturing, and fabrication software.

“We have built VisualLogix around a simple principle: mission-critical software requires innovation, deep industry expertise, and a long-term commitment to customers,” said Brett Zane, Chief Executive Officer of VisualLogix. “refyne is an exceptional fit because we share that philosophy. Their solutions are essential to the daily workflows of their customers in the same way our solutions are essential to our customers.

Together, we are creating a stronger software company with expanded capabilities, greater global reach, and an enhanced ability to invest in innovation for the industries we serve. With deep expertise in engineering software and artificial intelligence, VisualLogix is building a common AI foundation that will enhance every product across our portfolio. By combining decades of engineering domain expertise with advanced AI capabilities, we are developing intelligent solutions that help engineers and fabricators automate complex workflows, improve productivity, and deliver greater precision throughout the design and manufacturing process. Our vision is to build the leading AI-enabled software platform for the engineers and fabricators who design, analyze, and manufacture the products and systems that power the modern world.”

VisualLogix operates as a unified software company focused on developing, supporting, and advancing specialized engineering and fabrication solutions. The combined organization will continue investing in product development, customer success, and technical expertise while preserving the deep domain knowledge that has made both companies trusted partners to their customers.

“Joining VisualLogix represents an exciting next chapter for our employees, customers, and products,” said Dr. Stefan Gutberlet, CEO refyne Group. “We share a common vision: delivering highly efficient and accurate software that engineers and fabricators depend on every day to design, analyze and manufacture complex products and systems. By combining our expertise and resources, we can accelerate innovation, expand our capabilities, and create even greater value for customers across Europe and around the world.”

Customers of both organizations will continue to receive the same high level of support and product continuity while benefiting from increased investment, expanded technical resources, and a broader portfolio of engineering and fabrication software solutions.

About VisualLogix

VisualLogix develops mission-critical CAD, simulation, analysis, fabrication, and AI-powered software used by engineers and fabricators designing real-world systems and products. The company’s solutions help customers design, analyze, document, and manufacture complex projects across the built environment and industrial markets.

Its portfolio includes AutoSPRINK, AlarmCAD, Metal Building Software (MBS), Athena, Apollon, TrunCAD, nCAD, flixo, and Triviso, along with other specialized software solutions trusted by customers around the world. Through continuous investment in technology, innovation, and customer success, VisualLogix enables professionals to solve complex engineering and fabrication challenges with confidence.

For more information, visit www.visuallogix.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/visuallogix-strengthens-european-presence-and-engineering-software-portfolio-through-acquisition-of-refyne-group-302825392.html

SOURCE VisualLogix

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Popl and Apollo.io Join Forces to Power the Data Layer of In-Person Events

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July 14, 2026

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Apollo.io to serve as a key data source behind Popl’s AI-native data enrichment engine, helping deliver 97%+ data coverage on in-person interactions

NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Popl, the leading AI-powered platform for in-person go-to-market, today announced a data collaboration with Apollo.io, a leading AI-native go-to-market platform with one of the largest B2B data networks, covering 240M+ contacts and 30M+ companies. The agreement establishes Apollo as a key data source for Popl’s enrichment engine, the system that turns real-world interactions, like a scanned badge at an event, into complete, CRM-ready contact records.

The tie-up deepens an existing relationship between the two companies and brings Apollo’s data scale and quality into one of the fastest-growing categories in go-to-market: event lead capture and in-person revenue intelligence.

“Every great GTM platform is only as strong as the data underneath it,” said Jason Alco, CEO and founder of Popl. “Apollo has built one of the most powerful B2B data networks in the market, and this agreement brings that strength directly into the event lead capture workflow. Together, we’re helping customers turn in-person conversations into more complete, more accurate pipeline data in seconds.”

“Popl is AI-native, fast-moving, and obsessed with turning real-world moments into pipeline,” said Scott Singerman, VP Partnerships, Apollo.io. “Putting Apollo’s robust and fresh data behind their engine helps their customers act on every conversation in seconds and enable modern go-to-market.”

How Apollo helps power Popl’s data engine

Popl’s AI-native waterfall enrichment approach combines premium data with proprietary AI agents built in-house. When a customer captures a lead in person, Popl draws on 20+ hand-picked data partners, including Apollo, to identify and enrich contact and company data. Popl then deploys proprietary AI agents to help fill remaining gaps through AI web discovery, smart email prediction, and real-time validation.

This combination of Apollo’s robust B2B data network and Popl’s real-time enrichment engine helps enable 97%+ data coverage on in-person interactions.

Apollo plays a primary role in the enrichment waterfall by contributing fresh contact and company data that helps make high coverage possible at scale. Combined with Popl’s AI matching and resolution layer, the result is clean, CRM-ready data that flows directly into systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, closing the gap between a conversation at a booth and a tracked, attributable opportunity in pipeline.

“As we scale, the goal is simple: give event and revenue teams the most complete picture possible of who they met and what to do next, with enriched data returned in seconds,” Alco added. “By teaming up with Apollo, we expand what we can deliver to customers, from stronger coverage and accuracy to new layers of data and intelligence.”

About Popl

Popl is the AI-powered platform for in-person go-to-market, turning real-world interactions at trade shows and events into CRM-ready pipeline data. Through badge scanning, AI-native enrichment, native CRM integrations, and ROI reporting, Popl helps revenue teams capture, enrich, and act on leads the moment they’re met. Popl is a Y Combinator company (W21). Learn more at https://popl.co.

About Apollo

Apollo.io is the AI-powered end-to-end go-to-market platform that empowers sales, marketing, and revenue teams to find prospects, engage customers, and close deals with intelligence and efficiency. Trusted by millions of users and hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide, Apollo uniquely combines one of the industry’s largest B2B contact databases with an AI-native GTM platform to help teams of any size deliver revenue growth at scale. Learn more at https://apollo.io.

Media Contact: Fifth Avenue Ventures • press@fifthavenueventures.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/popl-and-apolloio-join-forces-to-power-the-data-layer-of-in-person-events-302825406.html

SOURCE Popl

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LawProactive Launches SB 37-Compliant Attorney Marketing Software With Exclusive City Territories Across California

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July 14, 2026

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High-performance marketing and intake technology helps California law firms strengthen client acquisition while supporting advertising compliance.

REDONDO BEACH, Calif., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LawProactive today announced the launch of its advanced client acquisition systems designed specifically for California law firms adapting to evolving attorney advertising requirements under California Senate Bill 37 (SB 37).

Rather than investing significant time and capital to build complex marketing infrastructure from scratch, attorneys can deploy fully developed client acquisition systems that combine modern intake technology, automation, localized SEO, and compliance-focused workflows in a turnkey solution.

The platform is designed to help law firms generate qualified leads while incorporating features intended to support compliance with California’s attorney advertising regulations.

Key features include:

Compliance-Focused Advertising Templates — Marketing pages and digital advertising templates designed to help firms include required attorney and office information where applicable.Advertising Content Review Tools — Built-in safeguards intended to reduce the use of language that could create unnecessary compliance concerns.Rapid Content Management — Centralized controls allowing firms to quickly update or remove advertising materials when necessary.Conversion-Optimized Intake Systems — Multi-step intake funnels, localized landing pages, and automated workflows designed for personal injury, employment, and other consumer practice areas.SEO-Driven Market Coverage — Geographic landing page architecture that enables firms to efficiently expand their digital presence throughout California.

“California attorneys face an increasingly complex digital advertising environment,” said Octavio Sanchez, founder of LawProactive. “Our goal is to provide firms with sophisticated client acquisition technology that supports compliance while improving the efficiency of their marketing and intake operations.”

The systems are available through a flexible monthly rental model, allowing solo practitioners, growing firms, and established multi-attorney practices to access enterprise-level marketing technology without the expense of developing proprietary platforms.

Attorneys interested in growing their law firm can schedule a live demonstration or learn more about the CRM client acquisition platform by visiting: LawProactive.com or by contacting the company directly.

Media Contact
Octavio Sanchez, Founder
LawProactive
Email: media@lawproactive.com
Phone: 213-394-5867
Website: https://lawproactive.com

Contact:
Law Proactive
***@lawproactive.com

Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/13158226

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawproactive-launches-sb-37-compliant-attorney-marketing-software-with-exclusive-city-territories-across-california-302825412.html

SOURCE Law Proactive, Inc.

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