Sheryl Kingstone is head of the software experiences group, which includes the Workforce Productivity & Collaboration, Customer Experience & Commerce and Macroeconomic research channels at 451 Research from S&P Global Energy Horizons. As a researcher, Sheryl tracks how businesses are spending on technology for the experience economy and how customer experience is a catalyst for digital transformation. Specifically, she oversees the company's coverage of a variety of customer experience data-driven software markets spanning advertising technology, marketing, sales, commerce and service. She also is responsible for both consumer spending and IT tech spending research products. Before joining S&P Global via acquisition, she consulted with several enterprise software companies and worked at companies in the enterprise data replication, transformation and database software market. As a recognized thought leader with more than 25 years of experience in customer experience technologies, Sheryl was awarded the CRM Influential Leaders Award and was also the first female to be inducted into the CRM Hall of Fame. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Business Administration degree from Simmons College.
This report examines the role of AI agents across the sales technology stack, drawing on survey data, performance benchmarks, architectural analysis and a comprehensive vendor index. It explores where AI agents are delivering early value, how organizations are measuring success and what structural and operational considerations will shape the next phase of adoption.
Now in its seventh year, our VoCUL: Connected Customer, Trust & Privacy survey explores consumer sentiment regarding the security of personal data, trustworthiness of big tech companies, tolerance for digital fraud, use of AI, and more.
451 Research’s Voice of the Connected User Landscape: Connected Customer, Consumer Population Representative Survey conducts a population representative survey of US consumers about technology adoption, usage and buying intentions to understand how various tech trends are materializing in the mass market.
The National Retail Federation's annual NRF conference has become a showplace for the latest technology, as well its core retail foundations. Sheryl Kingstone returns to the podcast to discuss what was on display and how it will impact retail and the larger tech landscape with host Eric Hanselman.
NRF 2026 signaled a shift from AI experimentation to agentic execution. As loyalty rebounds and tolerance for friction declines, retailers are turning to agents to coordinate commerce, service and store operations in real time. The next phase of retail competition will likely be defined by the ability to operationalize autonomy without breaking trust.
For the 250th episode of Next in Tech, we're looking a bit further forward to explore what enterprises should be thinking about as they seek to put agentic capabilities to work. Melissa Incera, Alex Johnston and Sheryl Kingstone return to discuss the challenges and potential with host Eric Hanselman.
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