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Tata Motors is charting out an aggressive network expansion for Land Rover in India over the next one year, besides exploring possibilities for bringing Jaguar to the country.
After launching the next generation Indica, Tata Motors is looking at unveiling the next generation variant of Indigo and a cross over vehicle between the Safari and Sumo.
Hyundai’s i10 has been a hit in the Indian market and has set the sales chart on fire, literally. Hyundai has made a icecream van out of the i10 in the U.K and it does look quite impressive. Next time Shahrukh Khan might end up saying “Don’t just follow catch the i(ce cream)
This 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI is one of the cars that will be used in the fourth edition of The Fast and the Furious movie which stars Vin Diesel. The movie is scheduled to release in June 2009.
Felipe Massa took the chequered flag first at the end of the 57-lap European Grand Prix, but with the Brazilian and the Ferrari team under investigation, it remains to be seen if in fact Massa has actually really won the first race around the streets of Valencia.
Volvo Car India (VCI) on Sunday said it plans to strengthen its dealer network and sell 400-500 in the country by the end of this fiscal and launch 2-3 new models in future.
Felipe Massa timed his final run in qualifying for the European Grand Prix to perfection as he took the chequered flag and demoted then provisional pole sitter Lewis Hamilton to second position. Massa claimed the pole position with a best lap of 1:38.989s, two-tenths up on Hamilton who did not quite have the answer to … Read More
The New Suzuki Alto will be making its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. It will be sold in India as the A-Star and the current Alto will be sold along side it. It does look a bit disappointing when we compare it to the A-Star Concept at the Auto Expo.


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Magnuson Hotels reservation revenue climbs 24% against US occupancy crash.
July 28, 2009
SPOKANE, WA– Magnuson Hotels, the world’s largest independent hotel group, announced today a 24% increase in same-hotel reservation revenue year to date 2009 vs. 2008, while total US hotel occupancy has fallen more than 10% for the same period. With nearly 1000 hotels across 50 US states and Canada, Magnuson reports strongest performance in the Interstate, Airport and Small Metro/Town geographic segments.
While key industry monitor Smith Travel Research has lowered its US forecast for the second half of 2009, Magnuson Hotels expects to finish 2009 even stronger, forecasting a 30% increase in revenue for remainder of 2009 versus same period 2008. Magnuson additionally reports a total 2009 over 2007 revenue growth of 72%.
“It’s the biggest occupancy crash in history,” stated Thomas R. Magnuson, company CEO/Principal. “Decreased demand combined with rising new supply means market conditions will continue to worsen in 2010 as foreclosures rise to an unprecedented new level. Franchised hotel owners will have no choice but to cut non-revenue producing costs to survive. Unbranded independents will need the lowest cost marketing and distribution to increase revenue.”
Driving the above-market performance are Magnuson Hotels’ recent expansion of its worldwide reservation distribution with the registration of its new MS GDS (global distribution system) chain code, which identifies Magnuson Hotels as a globally-recognized hotel chain to over 650,000 worldwide travel agents through Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan, Apollo and Galileo.
Despite economic crisis conditions, significant revenue growth has been delivered to nearly 1000 Magnuson Hotel affiliates across the US and Canada, sourced primarily from increased corporate, government, military, AAA and AARP business segments. The addition of new sources of business has further strengthened Magnuson Hotels’ market position with less dependence on economy-sensitive leisure travel.
Magnuson Hotels will be presenting key performance figures during its High Performance Strategies for Today’s Economy Conference on August 6, 2009 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel, Nashville, TN. For free registration go to www.magnusonhotels.com/conference. You must be registered to attend. Limited seating is available.
About Magnuson Hotels, the fastest growing hotel chain in history.
In only seven years, Magnuson Hotels headquartered in Spokane, WA has become the world’s largest independent hotel group, representing nearly 1500 hotels and a combined affiliate base with assets in excess of $5.5 Billion. One of the top 10 global hotel chains, Magnuson Hotels was the #1 Hotel Company of Inc. Magazine’s 2009 annual ranking of the 5,000 fastest growing privately owned U.S. companies. With a four year reservation sales growth of 595%, Magnuson Hotels is listed in the top 100 U.S. business services companies.

domain: news


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Amazon Lockers to Help Shoppers During London Olympics
By Ina Steiner
With the Olympics coming to London in 2 weeks, online merchants are wondering about the impact of the games on package deliveries. Amazon UK says it expects no disruptions thanks to preparations it has made ahead of time. However, Express Delivery and Evening Delivery services will be reduced in selected areas.
The company sent an email to UK merchants who use its Fulfillment By Amazon service on Thursday to let them know about its plans for deliveries to London during the summer - and bike couriers and delivery lockers will help avoid disruptions, it said.
Amazon told merchants it has taken steps to ensure that FBA customers receive their packages on time, from the moment the torch arrives in London on July 16 until the closure of the Olympic Park on September 14, 2012 - including residential and commercial addresses in and around the Olympic venues. In addition to working with its carrier network, it's also using the new Amazon delivery lockers to help London shoppers receive their packages.
"The carriers delivering your FBA orders have all planned for any disruption that the Olympic Road Network could cause," Amazon told FBA merchants. "They're using a variety of different methods to ensure your usual delivery service continues, including employing more staff, bicycle routes and foot deliveries, to name just a few."
Amazon UK has set up 25 automated Amazon Lockers at convenient locations such as shopping centers, high street locations and some transport links. Shoppers can view pickup locations by entering a postal code into the Delivery Options page during checkout, and it will a map with all of their local Amazon Locker locations.
Amazon shoppers in the UK can learn more about delivery issues during the Olympics on the Amazon UK website.
About the author:
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to firstname.lastname@example.org.
You may quote up to 50 words of any article on the condition that you attribute the article to EcommerceBytes.com and either link to the original article or to www.EcommerceBytes.com.
All other use is prohibited.


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Paperless Post, a company that has built a name for itself offering a cloud-based, visually engaging, way of sending people invites by email, is going retro: today the company is officially launching PAPER, a printed stationery business that it will sit alongside its less physical cousin, which now has 1.5 million registered users, and has sent out invites to 30 million more since going live in 2009.
If the idea of a “paperless” company moving into paper sounds like an oxymoron, the bigger picture is that the company is still sticking to its core business. Not unlike business card counterpart Moo.com, PAPER still uses Paperless Post’s cloud-based service to design and manage the distribution of the finished product. More importantly, this is a way of bringing the business out to a wider customer base that will sometimes need more than just email, or access or create invites via an iPhone app, for special occasions like weddings and fancy parties.
And in its move to printing, Paperless Post is offering a couple of disruptive elements in the form of price and production.
The service is launching as a premium product, offering two thicknesses of card stock (120-pound and 250-pound), with pricing starting at $1.50 per card, including the envelope and liner. Alexa Hirschfeld, who co-founded the company with her brother James, notes this is a pretty decent discount on the $5 or more charged for printing of similar invites by more traditional invitation printers.
Similarly, while wedding invites usually need to be ordered in bulk, PAPER is giving users an option of ordering invites one at a time, so event organizaers will eventually be able to create a service whereby guests get emailed invites, but can request printed invites as mementos or keepsakes.
James and Alexa note that this is just stage one of their effort in printing. Although they are focusing on premium events like weddings, they are so far not moving into features like letter press or embossing, although that could come if users request it. “Our product development has been very user driven and since we lancund in 2009,” says James, and that could lead it in different directions going forward.
So why the move to paper? Coming in the wake of other electronic invitation services like e-vite, what Paperless Post has always done is offer something more beautiful. “We brought stationery lovers on to the internet,” says James. But since progress is often a case of two steps forward, and one step back, going internet, it turned out, didn’t mean leaving paper behind altogether. “We’ve discovered that what they really want is a hybrid solution that gave them a matching invite in paper.”
It’s also a question of business models: up to now Paperless Post has made money through the sale of premium services around its non-printed invitations — extra features on the invites and so on.
But as Alexa says, “One of the great things about paper is that we can be more valuable,” by offering a larger margin on the printed product than it offers online.
While PAPER is bound to keep evolving, the Hirschfelds also note that they are continuing to develop what they are offering users online. Currently, for example, paper invites are separate from the online invites, and there is no unique URL connecting those. “But they are coming,” says Alexa.
The move into printing has been a learning curve of sorts for the Hirschfelds. On the one hand, the printing revolution, where companies like HP have created devices that are smaller and smaller but make better and better prints, has given companies like Paperless Post a much easier, and less expensive, entry into the market. Still, they to find the right printer to work with and the right price point with the right amount of flexibility for their service. Potentially, if they get it right, that could be used to print more than stationery someday.
Paperless Post has to date received $12.3 million in funding from investors including Ram Shriram, Mousse Partners, Thrive Capital, RRE, SV Angel, the Crunchfund and Tim Draper.


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Toughbook laptops get Centrino 2 technology
- By Trudy Walsh
- Jul 16, 2008
Following on the heels of Intel's announcement of the availability of Centrino 2 processor technology, Panasonic yesterday announced upgrades to its semi-rugged mobile laptop PCs, the Toughbook CF-52 and the Toughbook CF-74, that feature the new Centrino platform.
The new Toughbooks have increased video and graphics capability, hard drive capacity up to 160 gigabytes and expanded Wi-Fi capabilities that include 802.11 Draft N.
The Toughbook CF-52 has a 15.4-inch screen, while the Toughbook CF-74 has a 13.3-inch display that's viewable outdoors. They both incorporate a carrying handle and optional embedded access to mobile broadband networks from major wireless carriers. The drop- and spill-tested Toughbooks also include durable design features such as magnesium alloy cases, flexible internal connectors, shock-mounted hard drives and spill-resistant keyboards, Panasonic said.
The upgraded Toughbook laptops will be available in August. The Toughbook CF-52 will come in a value version that sells for $1,949, and a premium version that will cost $2,849. The Toughbook CF-74 will sell for about $3,199.
Trudy Walsh is a senior writer for GCN.


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The coronavirus response could forever change the way Amazon, Uber and others use contract workers
In some ways, it’s a little premature to talk about what life will be like after the coronavirus outbreak is over. After all, it continues to grow globally. First of all.
The reality of the matter is, however, that it’s not too early to think about these things. The market tends to be predictive rather than reactive, meaning the stocks of companies that will emerge from the COVID-19 funk before others can begin their rebounds before the contagion is fully in the rearview mirror.
The global business landscape will emerge at least a little different, of course. At least employees and employers will take sanitation a little more seriously. But, perhaps the biggest disruption resulting from the coronavirus wake-up call is the use of contract workers that companies love. Amazon (AMZN -1.44%) and Uber (UBER 1.20%) have come to rely on. The federal government’s recent $2 trillion stimulus package also bailed them out, but legally and technically they shouldn’t have needed it. These contract or “gig” workers have taken a break.
They or the government are unlikely to want to recover in the same place.
It’s a lot of people
This is not a new debate. But it’s a debate that has come to a head in the past year alone. Are Uber drivers actually employees, even if they are contractors on paper? The more than 100,000 subcontractors and temporary workers used by Alphabet be considered employees if they are expected to perform the same type of work in the same place as the employees? Historically, the answer has been no. Historically, however, one-third of the workforce in the United States has not been considered gig workers.
Take that number with a big grain of salt, though. Nobody seems to know the exact proportion of the working population considered to be entrepreneurs. Aggregate figures from Gig Economy Data put the number between 25% and 30%, although the Government Accountability Office’s analysis of the General Social Survey suggests the number is closer to 40% when counting concerts at part-time. At the other end of the spectrum, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only about 1/10th of U.S. entrepreneurs rely on contract labor as their primary source of income.
Be that as it may, it is still millions of people who are subject to the whims of their actual employer, working without the safety net of unemployment insurance benefits.
Companies generally explain how the use of contractors reflects the ever-changing working environment. Such arrangements give them the flexibility they need. And, there may be some truth to the idea. A company certainly has an incentive to promote these working relationships, however, when such an arrangement relieves the worker of costs such as payroll taxes, health benefits and vacation pay.
Accounting service Pilot estimates that retaining an actual employee can cost around a third more than a contractor paid at the same base rate of pay – a difference ultimately offset at the expense of the worker. For drivers of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft (LYFT 1.98%)expenses like gas and car maintenance make the working relationship even less rewarding.
The fallout grand finale
The fallout from those business dealings was looming even before the spread of COVID-19 threatened gig workers’ paychecks. Amazon, for example, has been named in several lawsuits related to the case. In one, the e-commerce giant is accused of knowingly and deliberately pressuring a contracted driver to exceed his allotted driving hours for a given day, resulting in an accident. Another claims a contracted delivery van driver failed to give in, as driving laws would require, putting a motorcyclist in hospital. Although Amazon hired the company to make the deliveries, the large blue Amazon logo on the side of the delivery van could make it difficult for a judge and jury to distinguish a significant difference.
And it’s not just Amazon in the crosshairs. California recently enacted legislation that severely restricts what constitutes a true contractor, requiring such workers to “perform tasks that are not the core business of the company.” It’s a move that hits companies like Uber and GrubHub (WORM) where it hurts the most.
Separately, last week, the New York State Court of Appeals effectively ruled that workers assigned to assignments through an app are indeed employees and should therefore be offered traditional benefits. The company in question was courier service Postmates, but again tech names like Uber, Lyft and GrubHub are involved.
It was also around the same time that the federal government felt compelled enough to explicitly make contract and gig workers eligible to receive their share of the $2 trillion set aside as stimulus in the CARES Act that will reduce (hopefully) some of the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus shutdown. Before gig work became relatively common, arguably such a provision would not have been added.
Where to go from here?
It’s this latest nugget of data that could be the proverbial nail in the coffin of contract labor as we know it.
If the federal government has to throw the financial lifeline to these workers because their “employer” can’t when the economy is struggling, then these organizations should probably contribute to unemployment insurance programs before black swan events like the COVID-19 contagion do not materialize. . Don’t be surprised to see the tide turn in this direction in the future, buoyed by newly sympathetic lawmakers, workers and consumers.
Like many global economic disasters, including the collapse of subprime mortgages, when they absolutely have to, regulators and lawmakers will do their best to avoid a repeat of a particular mistake.
What the landscape of the gig economy will look like a year from now is still unclear, of course. But given the legal wheels that were turning even before the coronavirus outbreak changed everything, expect these companies’ labor costs to rise and prices to rise accordingly.
Also, don’t be surprised if this means that fewer of those jobs remain available, although more of those remaining (true) employees will get at least the basic benefits.
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a board member of The Motley Fool. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a board member of The Motley Fool. James Brumley owns shares of Alphabet (A shares). The Motley Fool owns shares and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares) and Amazon. The Motley Fool recommends Uber Technologies and recommends the following options: January 2022 short calls at $1,940 on Amazon and January 2022 long calls at $1,920 on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Mining and industrial giant Caterpillar (CAT) leads the latest of new buys by the best mutual funds in the last report. Outstripping Charles Schwab (SCHW), Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research (LRCX), Crocs (CROX) and Square (SQ), CAT stock raked in an impressive $1.4 billion from leading money managers.
Farm equipment leader Deere (DE) joins CAT stock on the list as both stocks try to bore into buy zones.
In addition to AMAT stock and LRCX stock, the best mutual funds have been putting their chips on fellow semiconductor sector stocks ASML (ASML), Brooks Automation (BRKS), Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) and Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC).
Retail stocks, shoes and apparel names, and leisure stocks also joined the game as growth stocks outperformed. Etsy (ETSY), Williams Sonoma (WSM), RH (RH), Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS), Brunswick (BC) and CROX stock made the cut. Floor & Decor (FND) crosses over into both the retail and building sectors.
The best mutual funds also constructed new positions or built add-ons to existing ones in building sector stocks.
With lumber prices soaring, top money managers scooped up shares in UFP Industries (UFPI) and Louisiana Pacific (LPX), as well as building materials leaders Atkore (ATKR), TopBuild (BLD) and Builders FirstSource (BLDR).
Best Mutual Fund Buys And Stocks Near Buy Zones
Some names on the list, like CROX stock and steel producers Nucuor (NUE) and Steel Dynamics (STLD), are extended from recent breakouts. Etsy stock and others have come under selling pressure and broken below key moving averages.
But several growth stocks to buy and watch — across a wide range of sectors — are setting up new chart patterns or testing new buy points. The rebound in the stock market indexes at the end of this week is helping boost their chances of success.
In the financial sector, Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) are both breaking out or testing new entries. Payment processor SQ’s stock is trying to reboot its base as it gets a boost from Bitcoin.
In addition to the breakout attempts by CAT stock and DE stock, building sector stocks GRBK, BLD and Trex (TREX) are also constructing potential buying opportunities.
Hailing from the retail and leisure sectors, FND stock and MarineMax (HZO) are also entertaining new moves.
Not surprisingly, many of these leading growth stocks getting attention from the best mutual funds have also secured a spot on IBD’s premiere stocks lists such as the IBD 50, IBD Big Cap 20 and Sector Leaders.
Follow Matthew Galgani on Twitter at @IBD_MGalgani.
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The pomegranate may date back to the Garden of Eden, but Israeli scientists have improved the super-fruit’s genetic makeup to make it even healthier.
If you’re looking for something a little different from luxury chain hotels, B&Bs, and youth hostels, then check out these uniquely unusual places to lay your head for the night.
Kaltura powers the videos produced by, for example, HBO, Disney, ABC, Warner, Paramount, IBM, Intel, Ikea and Bank of America.
US farmer David Kohl has a date to remember with Israeli agricultural expert Moshe Tirat, leading to higher yield and less water waste.
He may be 91, but that doesn’t mean Peres is ready to stop just yet.Wanted: New job for Shimon Peres
Putting Druze cooking secrets on the table
Leonard Cohen’s ‘Popular Problems’ sold in Israel first
Tziporela goes Off-Broadway
In time for Rosh HaShana, food photographer Yula Zubritsky has created a series of pomegranate, apples and honey-themed e-greeting cards,Apples and Honey for the New Year
New Calendar For the New Year
Photo of the Week – Cooling off in the Golan
Jerusalem Celebrates Sacred Music
Israeli-designed personal exoskeleton suit for individuals with spinal-cord Injury receives FDA approval.ReWalk takes steps toward $50 million IPO
Celebrate Israel parade brings travel pals back together
Argentinean eye doctors find ISRAEL21c eye-opening
Startup ‘secret sauce’ recipe shared in LA


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Moto Z4 Android 10 update is currently rolling out
Despite the fact that Motorola devices are running stock Android, the company took its time to and is finally rolling out the long-awaited Android 10 update to its Moto Z4 smartphone, just a few months before the arrival of Android 11.
The Moto Z4 is not exactly a high-end smartphone. It comes with Snapdragon 675 inside and 4GB of RAM pretty much marked it as a mid-range phone from 2018, not 2019. Still, it was the latest and pretty much the last member of its once prestigious Moto Z line with Moto Mods compatibility. Unfortunately, it also represented Motorola’s best before the new Razr.
The Moto Z4 not only lagged behind its rivals, it even lagged behind its own peers as far as Android updates go. The company seemed to have favored its younger Motorola One series and, to no one’s surprise, it best-selling Moto G phones. Members of those families got Android 10 months ago.
Some of the features that arrive with this update are the system-wide dark mode, new gesture-based navigation, more control over app permissions. The update will carry a build number QPF30.130-15-7M. Interestingly enough, the update carries January 2020 security patch. The company is rolling out the update in batches, so it might take a couple of days to reach all the owners.
Curiously, the update is absent from Motorola’s support site, hinting it might not be ready to make the big announcement yet. This does not exactly bode well for Verizon Moto Z4 owners who will most likely have to wait even longer than their unlocked counterparts.


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Researchers turn single-use plastics into kayaks and canoes
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Today the world produces over 300 million tons of plastics every year. That’s almost equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. The vast majority of this is single-use and not designed to be recycled, ending up in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter.
However, scientists have not given up on putting their innovative thinking into play and coming up with ingenious techniques to turn some of that waste into a wide variety of wonderful and useful products. The latest of such products comes from researchers at Queen’s University, who figured out a way to convert single-use plastics into storage tanks for water and fuel and sporting goods, such as kayaks and canoes.
Their ground-breaking approach involves a manufacturing process called rotational molding, which has the potential to economically recycle very large volumes of plastic waste into a wide variety of innovative products, such as…
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— a landfill has never government, in order to — BITCOINS worth nearly tip Man Accidentally The unlucky man who it in This UK — “Another away an old — James 7, BTC. a hoard of virtual currency. Bitcoin BOTCH: Man UK: Man accidentally Bitcoin BOTCH: Man. to dig in its Howells is at a — Buried treasure: A towns and cities to. Nov 29, · A man from Newport, Wales, is searching the dump for a hard drive he threw away despite it having $ million worth of bitcoins. Bitcoins are a . Dec 21, · (Newser) – When covering the story four years ago, Newser's headline read, "$M Bitcoin Fortune Buried in Landfill." That fortune ended up in a Welsh landfill after James Howells threw out a hard.
Uk man bitcoin landfillThis man's lost bitcoin are now worth $75m – and under , tonnes of garbage | WIRED UK
Bitcoins are a digital currency whose value has benefited from intense attention and speculative investing. They can be stored as data in digital wallets using online services, mobile phones, or computer hard drives. But he threw the old hard drive away, and now it's likely buried several feet deep in trash in a landfill the size of a football field, according to a BBC report. Those who want to give Howells a hand might be interested in an Indiegogo effort to fund a recovery effort.
Bitcoins, being just data, can be backed up, but he couldn't find any duplicate copies of his bitcoins, he said. He's not the first to forget about a lot of very valuable bits. Updated at a.


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|Fornasetti Profumi Large Scented Candles|
Fornasetti will add new designs to its Fornasetti Profumi Per La Casa home fragrance collection this autumn. Barnaba Fornasetti has created a range of new packaging designs for the collection, which includes scented candles, incense sticks and ceramic diffusers.
For this new collection, Barnaba wanted to create decorative home fragrance objects. Each of the ceramic pieces have been handcrafted and feature an array of quirky motifs, including whimsical facial expressions, hands, guns, owls, keyholes and monkeys.
Subscribers can read the full report here.


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Ulster Bank confirms payment problems
Ulster Bank has confirmed that it is having problems processing some customer payments.
The bank said that the majority of the payment files were working as normal, but there were difficulties in processing some payments.
The bank said it was working to resolve the issue and stated that effected customers could avail of emergency cash in the meantime.
A spokeperson said:
" Some payment files have been delayed in the system this morning and we are working to have these applied as soon as possible. We apologise for this inconvenience and emergency cash is available to Ulster Bank customers if they contact us on 1850 424 365.“


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Activision is reportedly considering including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in upcoming Call of Duty titles. A leaker has indeed claimed that discussions were underway on this subject.
While NFTs have been all the rage in recent months, it’s rare to come across a project announcement without some degree of controversy.
From alleged scams to fraudulent marketing campaigns, many industry figures have spoken out against cryptocurrency-based projects. Especially when it comes to video games.
In fact, Valve even went so far as to outright ban NFT games on Steam.
However, despite the near-relentless waves of controversy, Activision is reportedly considering implementing NFTs in its biggest franchise, Call of Duty.
NFTs in Call of Duty, what to expect?
The report comes from an industry insider, “Ralphs Valve”which has leaked a slew of CoD-specific information over the past few months.
In an April 4 post, he claims that “the inclusion of NFT would be considered by Activision”. Although nothing is set in stone yet and it’s apparently very early in the process, it looks like the talks are well underway.
“NFTs have been under review and study for a few months”.
It’s unclear exactly how NFTs would be incorporated into the CoD series, should the rumored plans come to fruition. We could see anything from weapon skins to blockchain-powered business cards in this hypothetical future.
NFT’s have been under review, and in consideration, for a few months. With EA’s immediate backlash against NFT’s, It can totally fall through.
MTX and Content structures are influenced by trends and predictions, NFT’s just seem to be that at the moment.
—Ralph (@RalphsValve) April 4, 2022
With a “overhaul” broader user interface that would be underway, Activision is looking to “personalize” user accounts with more depth than ever before, and NFTs could be a very lucrative way for them to do this.
Of course, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt for now. Chances are, these alleged conversations have already ceased in light of the many NFT-related dramas in the gaming industry.


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Here's a 'tech for good' startup worth watching
Tickets for Good is attracting notable attention on both sides of the pond
What’s this? PreSeed Now is in your inbox four hours late?! What is this sloppiness?
Fear not. Today’s startup had some news that was under a media embargo until 1pm UK time, so we held off on publishing.
I felt it would be a bit silly to leave out that Tickets for Good is taking part in a Comcast NBCUniversal accelerator in the States, helping it gear up for international expansion. Scroll down to read all about them.
💸 Just raised
A startup that has recently announced pre-seed funding:
Shipping tech startup eTEU has announced a “six-figure” (a pretty wide window of potential amounts - journalists prefer exact figures!) pre-seed investment from Jenson Funding Partners, Larix Equity, Pinto Ventures and a number of angel investors.
The London-based startup removes the need for physical shipping paperwork.
Tickets for Good is a ‘tech for good’ startup worth keeping an eye on
Despite its potential positive impact on the world, the ‘Tech for Good’ field can get a bit of an unspoken ‘aw, that’s nice… but it’s not serious’ reaction from some in the investment community.
But even if you catch yourself thinking like that sometimes, Tickets for Good is a company that should be on your radar.
A marketplace that sits on top of traditional booking platforms like TicketMaster, it provides a way for businesses and event promoters to offer free event tickets to groups like NHS staff or charity workers. And its unusual model is already attracting some notable interest in the USA. More on that below.
To give you an idea of the kinds of events Tickets for Good works with, the startup partnered with Robbie Williams on his most recent tour. It’s also offered tickets to shows by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Billie Eilish, plus big West End theatres and sports events. This includes more than 10,000 tickets distributed for RFU rugby matches, says co-founder and CEO, Steve Rimmer.
How it works
Rimmer describes his startup as a way for businesses to donate tickets for marketing or corporate social responsibility reasons, or for event promoters to make use of unsold tickets to fill venues, where they can monetise through food and drink, parking, merchandise and other sales.
The tech the startup has built provides a verification layer to bookings, so that only those who should be able to claim free tickets can do so.
While the Sheffield-based startup’s sweet spot is big-name music artists, theatre shows, and popular sport events, Rimmer says they could work with any kind of ticketed entertainment. He says they now get offered tickets for things as diverse as theme parks, cinemas, and golf, so there’s room for expansion here.
“Really, it's about providing people with access to new entertainment, and so we want to work across the mix. It's important for us to have a diversity of event inventory, because it's not just about filling a few seats at the last minute for a top-flight artist, it's about getting people out to new events that they wouldn't necessarily have been to before, and getting new experiences.”
Rimmer says the startup has signed up 175,000 NHS workers (around half in London, the rest across the UK), has recently opened to people working for registered charities, and is about to begin a pilot with people who receive the Government’s Cost of Living payment.
While there are other initiatives that offer tickets and discounts to groups such as the armed forces (Tickets for Troops) or emergency service workers (Blue Light Card), Rimmer is bullish that Tickets for Good’s tech and broad userbase sets it apart as a more significant operation.
“The other thing that defines us is we charge a booking fee per ticket of £3.95 on average. If you give away tickets completely free then the actual number of people that turn up is much lower; you're talking about 50%, possibly as low as 20%. Whereas with ours because we charge that booking fee, it's as high as 80-90% consistently, sometimes higher.”
Tickets for Good also provides marketing opt-ins for the companies it works with, and the chance for them to ask market research questions to users who claim their tickets.
Accelerating on both sides of the pond
The startup found an early supporter in London-based Bethnal Green Ventures, which included them on its 2019 Tech for Good accelerator programme.
“They put another £100,000 into us on top of their initial incubation investment, and they also provide us with a lot of insights on a regular basis. They're part of our advisory board as well,” says Rimmer.
“But just being part of such a notable portfolio… it's been a great benefit for us just in terms of the brand recognition as well.”
If it’s brand recognition Rimmer wants, Tickets for Good’s new partner will help on an international scale. When I spoke to him last week, he was preparing to fly out to the US for the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator programme. They’re the only UK startup chosen for the latest run of the accelerator.
It sounds like a flashy affair. In addition to the usual support you’d expect in an accelerator curriculum, Rimmer and the other founders on the programme will take part in what the accelerator describes as “a series of unique excursions and working retreats structured around SportsTech partner events.”
These trips, designed to (as the announcement puts it) “embed founders behind-the-scenes so they can gain a better understanding of how to deliver innovations that service these organisations’ operational needs” will include involvement of the likes of NBC Sports, Universal Studios Florida, WWE, PGA Tour, and NASCAR.
So, there are plenty of opportunities for Tickets for Good to make inroads and connections in the US market there.
Tickets for Good is Rimmer’s third ticketing startup. With a background in live events, including running a popular underground techno club in Sheffield, ticketing was an obvious next entrepreneurial step. His first startup was a dance music ticketing platform.
“It was all about fundraising through music, raising donations through booking fees. We then pivoted into a more self-service model like Eventbrite,” says Rimmer.
“Along the way, we realised this amazing opportunity in unsold tickets in the UK. Globally, over 40% of tickets are unsold across the marketplace and there’s such a huge opportunity to fill those seats but also to do good in the process.”
And so Rimmer co-founded Tickets for Good with old friend Neville Mosey in 2019. The startup has now grown to a team of 15 people.
“So many people, and especially now with the cost of living crisis, have been priced out of accessing tickets. And that begs the question ‘where will the future fans come from?’ So really, we're part of that audience development mix.”
Investment, vision, and challenges
Essential Tickets for Good information for PreSeed Now members:


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PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans, on average, expect gas prices to surge to $4.36 a gallon where they live this year. More than one in four predict gas prices in their area will reach or exceed $5 a gallon this year.
The March 3-6 Gallup poll also finds Americans reporting that they currently pay an average of $3.45 a gallon at the pump. This comes close to the U.S. Department of Energy's reported average price for regular gas of $3.52 a gallon for the week that ended March 7.
Half of Americans anticipate that pump prices will increase by 75 cents or more where they live this year, more than said the same the past three times Gallup asked this question.
Gallup surveyed Americans about gas prices in the first week of March this year, earlier than in past years. This may be partly why their predictions of how high gas prices will rise surpass those from previous years; gas prices typically increase most as the summer driving season approaches. But the 91-cent average expected increase is still 36% higher than that from Gallup's 2008 survey, conducted in mid-March.
Future peak gas price expectations are in a pretty tight range regionally. The lowest peak expectation for the year is in the South at $4.27 while the highest is in the West at $4.49 a gallon. The East is at $4.37 and the Midwest at $4.36.
Expectations May Be More Important Than Today's Pump Price
Gas prices have increased by 14 cents a gallon over the past week and 75 cents over the past year. Given this rate of increase and the turmoil in the Middle East, it is not surprising that most Americans expect prices to continue to surge.
But the level to which gas prices have risen to date may actually underestimate the potential impact of what is happening in the U.S. economy. For example, some Wall Street observers say gas prices won't really damage economic growth until they reach an average of $4 a gallon or more. This ignores the impact of consumer expectations. Consumer behavior is highly influenced by expectations -- that is why the Federal Reserve Board is so concerned about the possibility of inflation concerns taking root in the U.S.
Consumers are telling Gallup that surging gas prices have them expecting $4 and even $5 pump prices where they live sometime this year. In turn, it seems reasonable that consumers and businesses will change their behavior accordingly -- with consumers reducing their use of gas, spending less in general, and downscaling where they buy, while businesses anticipate revenue declines, also spend less, and limit their hiring. These changes in behavior may be more pronounced than many of the nation's retailers anticipate and worse than expected for the U.S. economy. Whether consumers' expectations and their associated behaviors will also prevent a strong public backlash until gas prices exceed $4.36 a gallon is yet to be seen.
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted March 3-6, 2011, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S., selected using random-digit-dial sampling.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones (for respondents with a landline telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell phone-only). Each sample includes a minimum quota of 150 cell phone-only respondents and 850 landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents for gender within region. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, education, region, and phone lines. Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2010 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in continental U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit www.gallup.com.


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A frenetic year of acquisitions in Thailand is finally drawing to a close after many participants saw such corporate deals as a means of ensuring their survival
Corporations have been busy striking merger and acquisition deals this year, in the belief that the transactions will strengthen their business, ease cost pressures, and offer new opportunities.
Such partnerships are perceived as a key strategy to stay afloat or even thrive during a difficult time, amid a raging pandemic and rapid changes in digital customer behaviour.
DTAC, TRUE TIE-UP
In the early morning of Nov 22, many people were surprised to hear of the planned merger between True Corporation Plc and Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC), No.2 and No.3 mobile operators in Thailand.
Both companies notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand on that day that they had entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to study a tie-up.
The newly combined entity will move into new advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence, the cloud, Internet of Things, digital media solutions and smart devices as well as space technology, apart from their traditional telecom business, according to a joint press conference by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, the parent of True, and Norway’s Telenor Group, the parent of DTAC.
The two companies are now moving towards due diligence and an asset valuation process, which could be wrapped up in the second quarter of 2022.
According to a source with knowledge of the deal, the merged entity will have a 33.1% stake held equally by CP and Telenor. A 10.1% stake will be held by China Mobile, and the rest by individual shareholders.
The ratio of the 33.1% stake held equally by CP and DTAC reflects that seen in the merged unit in Malaysia formed by Telenor and telecom company Axiata Group Bhd in June, but the new Thai entity will be almost three times the size.
The process related to the merger is expected to be under close watch throughout 2022 as this is the first consolidation of two major mobile operators in Thailand.
The deal will completely change the telecom business landscape in the country, with only two giant operators left.
Concerns have been raised about the prospect of less competition in the market, with consumers likely paying the price.
The deal meanwhile still faces tough regulatory challenges by related agencies and consumer advocates, who believe the merger could create market dominance and subsequently affect consumer interests.
It is likely that the new merged company will unify the duo’s mobile business into a single brand, while the combined company will be listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand via a back-door listing through either True or DTAC.
However, some critics still cast doubt on how the two big telcos could assimilate due to their drastic differences in management styles, decision-making processes, procurement and negotiations with outsiders. Some said the deal is a key signal that Telenor would exit Thailand.
Some industry veterans believe the deal would enhance True’s image with a bigger subscriber base, which would be a boon for its future borrowing.
GULF’S NEW FRONTIER
Gulf Energy Development Plc, the country’s largest private power producer by market value, made a major stride towards telecoms and tech business by securing a 42.25% stake in InTouch Holdings Plc this year.
The move made Gulf the biggest shareholder in InTouch, overtaking Singapore’s Singtel Global Investment.
Gulf made the conditional voluntary tender offer for 81.07%, or 2,599.72 million shares, of total issued and paid-up InTouch shares on June 29. The tender offer price was set at 65 baht per share.
On July 27, 2021, it held a 28.85% stake in InTouch after acquiring another 9.92% of preliminary tendered shares.
The energy giant then wrapped up its 25-day tender offer of InTouch’s shares on Aug 4 with a total 42.25% stake in the tech and telecom-oriented holding company.
According to industry experts, the deal could facilitate Gulf’s move to diversify its portfolio that could serve development of its current business and future opportunities, such as smart grids, electric vehicles, autonomous cars, smart energy and smart ports.
Acquiring InTouch would also be a boon for Gulf’s financial balance sheet, they said.
The deal also leaves Gulf with an indirect 20% stake in InTouch’s subsidiary Advanced Info Service (AIS), the country’s largest mobile operator by subscriber base.
For AIS, it is expected to benefit greatly from the deal as Gulf is a big player in the energy business that could foster synergies in energy, industrial and digital spheres in the future.
The deal has pushed up the market cap of both InTouch and AIS, which would also be a boon for Singtel and its parent company, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.
Business synergies between Gulf and AIS are expected to take place early in 2022 after Gulf sent several representatives to sit on the boards of InTouch and AIS, particularly over smart grid and data centre projects.
A source with knowledge of the deal pointed out that AIS, which has three new representatives from Gulf sitting on its board, could benefit from the deal in terms of lower electricity costs in the long run as several new projects are in the pipeline.
The AIS board recently approved its new operational strategy to be a “cognitive telco”, or a smart organisation, over the next three years. The move is seen as starting a new chapter for the company in 2022.
The food delivery market in Thailand experienced intense competition this year as demand soared significantly after the pandemic changed the way people lived and consumed, particularly when dining out was not an option.
Growing competition in delivery apps became even more intense after the Malaysia-based AirAsia Group announced on July 7 it would acquire Indonesian ride-hailing and payments company Gojek’s operations in Thailand and rebrand it as airasia food.
The AirAsia Group earlier indicated it would acquire 100% of the equity interest in two Thai business units of Gojek, namely Velox Technology (Thailand) for a purchase price of US$40 million, and Velox Fintech for $10 million. However, the planned purchase of Velox Fintech was later terminated.
The investment via a share deal saw Gojek receive 4.76% of shares in airasia Super App, one of three key digital companies with a focus on travel and lifestyle under airasia Digital.
Airasia Digital, which is AirAsia Group’s digital arm, consists of airasia Super App, Teleport, a logistics venture, and BigPay, a fintech company.
The AirAsia Group is confident that the delivery service in Thailand, which is a stronghold for AirAsia outside Malaysia due to its long-established reputation as a low-cost airline for the last 17 years, will help diversify Gojek’s customers from Bangkok to regional customers in places such as Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai.
Meanwhile, Gojek is also focused on expansion in Vietnam and Singapore after the acquisition.
AirAsia Group wanted to venture into digital business by developing its own super app even before the pandemic.
However, the emergence of Covid-19 in early 2020 accelerated that plan, particularly after its core business — aviation — plunged to nearly zero after international border closures.
The deal with Gojek was part of AirAsia Group’s digital transformation, in a bid to diversify AirAsia’s traditional airline service into non-aviation business.
Revenue from digital services is set to contribute 50% of overall revenue to the whole group within the next five years.
SCB’S CRYPTO RIDE
Siam Commercial Bank’s (SCB) strategic investment in Thailand’s leading digital asset exchange Bitkub Online Co, widely known as Bitkub, reaffirmed commercial banks’ view that the digital asset business is the future of the financial world.
It is also an example of how major traditional banks can avoid digital disruption by partnering with promising tech companies.
In November 2021, SCB group announced it would acquire 51% of Bitkub’s total shares from Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co, worth approximately 17.85 billion baht in total.
The move follows the SCB group’s announcement of a major group restructuring, in order to move beyond the traditional banking business by becoming a major digital platform service provider.
Under this deal, SCB Securities Co will become Bitkub’s 51% major shareholder. It will work closely with the company in building a business and a digital asset ecosystem. The deal is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2022, pending regulatory approval.
SCB chief executive Arthid Nanthawithaya said the digital asset exchange has rapidly gained popularity over the past few years and will grow even further in the long term.
The investment in Bitkub will help the SCB group create new growth value in the long term in a new financial world, Mr Arthid said. He said the move was in line with the company’s strategy to upgrade its status to a financial technology group, meeting new consumer needs and entering a new competitive arena that will emerge very quickly in the next three to five years.
Bitkub Capital Group chief executive and founder Jirayut Srupsrisopa said Bitkub was no longer just a startup, but was now becoming a necessary part of the infrastructure critical for Thailand’s new financial industry.
He strongly believes the Bitkub-SCB partnership can help turn the Thai economy into a financial and technological centre for the region.
CPN’S NEW OPPORTUNITY
Like other giant companies which also keep looking for ways to turn a crisis into an opportunity, SET-listed retail and property developer Central Pattana (CPN) has never stopped expanding.
The company has been investing in various new projects. It opened Central Si Racha, a model mixed-use development project worth 4.2 billion baht, on Oct 27.
The company opened Central Ayutthaya on Nov 30 and will open Central Chanthaburi in mid-2022.
In addition, it is jointly developing the Dusit Central Park project with Dusit Thani and expects to open the complex during 2023-2024.
CPN is also studying the feasibility of other investments, including acquisitions and investments in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, and new businesses with a high potential to increase income sources and support its sustainable and robust growth plans.
At home, as a strategic move to boost its dynamic growth, CPN in July signed a deal to acquire ordinary shares of Siam Future Development (SF), the pioneering developer of community malls in Thailand, from Major Cineplex Group, equal to 30.36% of all issued shares at a price of 12 baht per share, or 7.7 billion baht. In the following months CPN made a mandatory tender offer for the remaining securities of SF.
CPN became the major shareholder of SF, controlling a 96.24% stake with a total investment of 25.58 billion baht.
The takeover is considered a combination of the strengths of high-potential SF and CPN projects, including multiple community malls and Megabangna, a mall SF jointly invested in and developed with Swedish furniture retailer Ikea.
The deal is also expected to significantly increase CPN’s business competitiveness and expand its product portfolio, which consists of shopping complexes, office buildings, condominiums, hotels and residences.
More importantly, SF itself boasts not only 19 community malls, but also several land plots in Bangkok’s central business districts and major cities in the provinces that are waiting for future development.
CPN operates 36 shopping complexes, with 35 in Thailand and one in Malaysia, spanning retail space of more than 1.8 million square metres.
In addition, Central Group, a major shareholder of CPN, together with its long-standing partner Signa Holding, a real estate and retail group in Europe, acquired the British luxury store chain Selfridges Group last week in a deal estimated at £4 billion (180.2 billion baht).
The Selfridges Group portfolio comprises 18 iconic department stores, including Selfridges in London, Manchester and Birmingham, de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, their associated e-commerce platforms and properties in London and Manchester, along with five locations in Ireland.
CP SPREADING ITS WINGS
Despite widespread Covid-19 outbreaks, CP Group, the country’s biggest agribusiness conglomerate, has been aggressive pursuing mergers and acquisitions in recent years.
In March last year, CP Group won a competitive auction for the acquisition of Tesco’s Asian operations in Thailand and Malaysia for $10.6 billion, resulting in one of Thailand’s largest acquisitions.
The purchase of Lotus last year marked the return of the grocery and hypermarket chain to CP Group, which originally established Lotus as Lotus Supercenter in 1994. In the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, CP Group was forced to sell the retailer to Tesco in 1998.
Following the acquisition, the group has this year concentrated on organising its retail business, moving the entire business of Tesco (now changed to Lotus’s in Thailand and Malaysia) to Siam Makro Plc, the operator of Makro cash & carry stores, which is also controlled by CP Group.
Under the deal, Siam Makro will buy 76% of Lotus from CP Retail Holding, Lotus’s parent, for 218 billion baht in an all-share deal. As payment for the acquisition of the Lotus stake, Siam Makro said it will issue 5 billion shares at 43.50 baht apiece to CP Retail shareholders including CP All, Charoen Pokphand Holding Co and CP Merchandising Co.
The move supports the company’s long-term strategy of becoming a leader in the retail and wholesale business across Thailand and Malaysia, while enabling the group to compete with retailers across the region. Lotus’s operates about 2,000 stores across Thailand and 62 outlets in Malaysia, while Siam Makro has 140 stores in Thailand.
With a bigger footprint, Siam Makro plans to establish an e-commerce grocery platform in Southeast Asia that can effectively compete with international players. The combination of Siam Makro and Lotus’s will also help enhance the group’s operational efficiency by optimising and streamlining operations such as supply chain management.
Source: The Bangkok Post


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Invest in the Future with IoT
You and I have known for a long time that connected devices are becoming pervasive throughout society, and it seems like the investment world is finally catching up.
For an interesting read, check out this article by Chris Neiger of The Motley Fool: “11 Internet of Things Predictions You Need to Know.”
The piece concludes that IoT will “become so commonplace that it’ll just fade into the background of our everyday lives.”
Here are some of the highlights from the article:
The price of connecting devices is coming way down
- Mass consumer adoption will follow enterprise use
- Connected cities, cars, kitchens and wearables are driving current growth
- Cisco believes that IoT will be worth $19 trillion by 2025
- China is leading the IoT revolution
Written By: Kristin Owens
Director, Strategic Marketing, Avnet Embedded
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Whether you love it or hate it, Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) has done a fabulous job of drawing in consumers with its “always low prices” since being formed over 50 years ago. Wal-Mart’s low-cost leadership has allowed it to become the largest company in the entire world based on annual revenue.
But its massive size also makes it harder to sustain growth.
Sure, weather may have been mentioned 20 separate times in the first quarter’s earnings call in May, but the retailer is facing much deeper challenges.
Revenue growth has slowed to a crawl. First-quarter sales were up just 0.8% compared with the year prior.
And since U.S. revenue still accounts for 71% of Wal-Mart’s total sales, it makes sense to evaluate the health of the company’s domestic operations. Unfortunately, the company’s total U.S. comparable store sales have declined in four of the last five quarters.
Now, Wal-Mart is undergoing a transformation – one that could severely affect its dividend payments going forward.
A Paradigm Shift in Strategy
When I think of Wal-Mart, I envision a mammoth 200,000-square-foot Supercenter. But that might change soon.
In an attempt to boost revenue by expanding its reach, Wal-Mart plans to open new smaller-store models like the grocery-centric Neighborhood Markets, and (even smaller) Wal-Mart Express stores.
With smaller store fronts peppered in between Supercenters, Wal-Mart will use its bolstered network of stores to create an e-commerce fulfillment network with its ship-from-store services.
Pay-with-cash is also gaining traction. Customers can shop online, but buy items in their virtual cart at the closest store, inevitably picking up a few extra items while in-store.
The integration of this new “bricks and clicks” model may increase online sales growth. But as Amazon.com (AMZN) has recently shown, online sales aren’t typically associated with high profit margins.
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Even so, it wouldn’t be fair to completely discount e-commerce. Globally, online sales grew 27% in Q1.
Unfortunately, Wal-Mart’s online sales account for less than 3% of its overall sales, meaning it won’t be moving the needle anytime soon.
Making matters worse, with the weakest Q1 profit margins since 2003, opening up more stores to bolster e-commerce creates the potential for an even more profound trickle-down effect on dividend growth – something that Wal-Mart is already struggling with.
Smaller Stores, Smaller Yields
We know that the performance of the retail sector can be an early warning sign of turns in the market and economy. And we also know that companies with high dividend growth outperform. After all, consistently and aggressively growing dividends makes a profound statement about a company’s future outlook.
That being said, Wal-Mart is showing some less-than-confident signals.
Investors have enjoyed an average 16% dividend payout increase over the past 10 years, but this year’s $0.01 increase amounts to a paltry 2% raise.
Plus, with a dividend yield of 2.5% and a total yield of 3.5%, it’s possible that Wal-Mart is now too big to outperform, and will need to spend more resources managing what it already has.
Indeed, with Wal-Mart rolling back dividend payouts, it could be making a bigger statement about the uncertainty of its business – and the retail market in general.
And as the company continues to spread its resources thin this year, its dividend could shrink even further from here.
While Wal-Mart may not be outrageously expensive, its lack of growth – in its underlying business as well as its dividend – is a good indicator that investors seeking outperformance and high yields should look elsewhere.
Safe (and high-yield) investing,


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Computer vision technology is one of the more remarkable AI applications. It actually helped spark the current AI revolution in 2012, when researchers used a deep neural network to radically improve the ability to recognize and classify objects in images. Since then, neural nets have surpassed even human abilities in many areas.
Companies are now investing billions of dollars in computer vision research and product development. We’re seeing companies like IBM and Pinterest driving innovative use cases in computer vision applications. These include security cases, like detecting human faces with startling accuracy, even from lamp-posts as they speed down the highway in their cars; to ecommerce, where retail companies can let you search for a pair of jeans your favorite celebrity was wearing — simply by uploading an image.


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Daimler’s electric cars to debut in 2010
The newest trend in the automobiles market is the electric vehicles so some of the famous automakers like Nissan, Peugeot or General Motors are already developing in this segment. Also brands like Daimler intends to join this area by 2010 with two models: a Smart branded city car and a Mercedes luxury car.
Both models, the electric Smart ForTwo and the Mercedes’s new S400 Hybrid are scheduled for testing in 2009 in the U.S. Mercedes has also been testing a handful of fuel-cell vehicles, including a B-Class prototype, ahead of a planned 2010 launch. Fuel-cell vehicles are technically electric vehicles that store their power in hydrogen or other fuel form instead of batteries.
As for the promised version of the electric Smart it is said to be equipped with a second- generation electric drive system which features lighter and more efficient lithium- ion batteries. The consume will reach only 12kw-hours/100 km. The average cost of running the car is near two and a half cents per mile and it takes only 5.7 seconds to get from 0-60 km/h.


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After unveiling some fantastic concepts for its future development on flexible displays, Korean co. Samsung has taken another step into making the innovative technology a reality by patenting its screen tech as well as copyrighting a logo and a name – “Youm”.
A section of Samsung’s native Korean website has also opened up showing how the construction of the Youm technology will involve less layers, but despite making us think this would be more brittle than the standard OLED and LCD displays currently employed, the screen is made of a film rather than glass and the bit or text we can actually understand on the website Samsung boasts “Thinner Lighter + Unbreakable”. We can’t help but think of those “shatter-proof” school rulers we all once used and that were always put to the test! But as Samsung is one of, if not the, leader in display tech we think they’ve got this.
In mid-2011 we saw concepts of the “Samsung Galaxy Skin” but sadly the project never was and turned out to be purely that – a concept. In impressive mock-up scenes we did get to see an 8mm slimline phone posing in a variety of mutated states never before dreamt of. We can now begin to entertain those dreams with Samsung’s reveal of Youm.
LG has also been flexing its tech at trade shows and demonstrations with its latest development in bendable e-ink displays. Check out the Gadget Helpline’s coverage of this story – Here.


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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are just a few short months away from tying the knot. With wedding preparations well under way, just about everyone is wondering what kind of wedding dress Markle will choose for her big day. There have been all kinds of rumors when it comes to styles and designers, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.
This week, however, a new name was thrown into the mix of potential wedding dress designers. According to TMZ, there were some rumors that Markle wanted to start a beauty line with this designer — and it didn’t take long for royal watchers to become curious about the name: Victoria Beckham. TMZ was able to debunk the initial rumors, which suggested that Markle and Beckham were set to team up for a bio-botox line, but fans of the bride-to-be wondered if Beckham’s name meant something a bit more significant.
Could Victoria Beckham, former Spice Girls member, designer, and wife of David Beckham, actually be designing Meghan Markle’s wedding dress?! Probably not. While it seems like it could happen (the Beckham’s are tight with the royal family and even attended Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding back in 2011), Beckham likely isn’t the chosen one.
As previously reported by the Daily Mail, some preliminary sketches were drawn up by Tel-Aviv based designer, Inbal Dror. However, royal historian, Marlene Koenig, told Newsweek that Ms. Markle will more than likely stick with tradition and have a British dress designer complete the honor (cough, cough Victoria Beckham!).
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments following the release of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle's engagement photographs. The couple are so grateful for the warm and generous messages they have received during such a happy time in their lives. As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you.
While Markle has been known to push the envelope when it comes to her fashion choices (remember when she got slammed for not being very royal-like in the sheer-topped gown that she wore in her engagement portraits?), Koenig says that Markle will definitely be keeping things traditional when it comes to her wedding gown.
“Don’t expect low cut. Don’t expect sleeveless. This is a traditional church where they say, ‘wilt, ‘thou’ and ‘thine.’ It will have to be a British designer. I’d be very surprised [if it wasn’t],” Koenig told Newsweek.
It’s only a matter of time before the world learns who Markle has chosen to design her dress. Could she choose Sarah Burton, like her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Kate Middleton? Anything is possible (so long as the designer is British. And approved by the palace. And reputable).


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Guest column: Trucking industry needs to get in gear with the times
You drink sustainably harvested coffee and eat only local produce. You bicycle to work, and walk to the farmers’ market. But even if you consider yourself a very conscientious citizen, your life is still touched by trucking.
The trucking industry transports about 70 percent of all the goods in America today, moving nearly $24 billion in value in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Yet despite their ubiquity, for 50 years long haul tractor-trailer designs have remained fundamentally unchanged. Most only average six miles to the gallon and their structure is still, in the words of Andrew Smith, CEO of ATDynamics Inc., “the worst shape to move down the highway at 55 miles per hour … a big rectangular box.”
In April, Smith and 40 other trucking industry players – including manufacturers, component suppliers, engineering design firms and state and federal level policy makers – met to try and bust the “efficiency barrier” confounding the trucking sector today.
Convened by Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org), the event launched a partnership between RMI, the Environmental Protection Agency and the industry to provide practical ways to save fuel and increase fuel efficiency.
Fuel prices are trucking’s Achilles heel, accounting for nearly one-third of owner-operator costs. For years, as oil prices remained low, controlling energy costs was unimportant for most trucking firms. But when prices surged last year, driving fuel expenses higher than some salaries, trucking companies – and their shareholders – began demanding a better way to manage their fuel costs.
While prices have remained steady this year, the trucking industry remains at the mercy of fuel-price volatility – which are then eventually passed on to the consumer as higher prices at the retailer, the restaurant and the grocery store.
Despite accounting for less than half of the nation’s fleet, long haul, heavy-duty trucks account for almost 80 percent of fuel consumption. Their size, speed and poor aerodynamics mean they are laden with “low-hanging fruit” in terms of cost-effective efficiency and retrofitting opportunities.
Making them more like a Japanese bullet train – a rounded and aerodynamic design; eliminating the gap between the tractor and the trailer; and adding “skirts” to better distribute air flow – will go a long way to conserving fuel.
A more streamlined shape then allows for a smaller and more optimized engine, one that can pull the same freight load without expending as much energy or consuming as much fuel. Finally, ensuring goods in the trailer are packaged better can help guarantee a fuller but potentially lighter load.
But the trucking industry is complex and regulated by a hodgepodge of national and federal laws. A lack of trustworthy information has left owner-operators without the resources to understand which technologies offer the best bang for their buck.
And, having been burned by “snake oil” pitches promising easy solutions to fuel efficiency challenges, the key players are reluctant to invest in improvements.
The time is ripe for change. According to RMI’s recent analysis, the technology already exists to double the energy efficiency of trucks in the nation’s fleet.
Four distinct goals came out of the April event:
1. Accelerate the market adoption of efficiency- related technologies
2. Reduce the dependence on fossil fuel
3. Make the trucking sector more profitable
4. Make the freight industry more environmentally sustainable.
Three projects that support the above goals emerged. The first project is to create a technology-standards organization. On Nov. 3, RMI is kicking off this effort at the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s inaugural meeting in Chicago. (Visit www.frieghtefficiency.org for more information.)
The second project will create a national freight agenda by unifying the industry’s voice to policy makers. Known as “Freight Without Borders,” this project will correlate the research and standards developed by the USCFE with public sector regulations and incentives.
The third project is to develop a market-ready, highly efficient freight vehicle to demonstrate, showcase and prove the findings of the first two projects, including intermodal exchange with rail and ship.
Through these projects and in conjunction with the USCFE, Rocky Mountain Institute’s goal is to forge partnerships with key industry leaders and tackle many of the deficiencies and inefficiencies facing freight mobility today.


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Pedzai Runde | July 27, 2015
Andrea Machako sips a cheap but powerful brandy named Tentaçao. Its name is the Portuguese word for “temptation.”
Mr. Machako is a ‘rebel’ farmer. He is one of Mozambique’s rural fruit growers who are resisting government efforts to export their fruit to foreign markets. He instead sells his harvest to the local Tentaçao brewers.
In May 2011, Mozambique obtained international certification for its pineapples, allowing the fruit to be exported to the European Union. But Mr. Machako was not impressed.
Mr. Machako grows mangoes, pineapples, and cassava on three hectares of land outside Espungabera, a remote district bordering Zimbabwe, over 700 kilometres from Mozambique’s capital, Maputo.
He can either sell his fruit to exporters, or to illegal brewers who pay him cash, in US dollars. Mr. Machako says, “My fruits go to breweries. Who can stop me?”
Tentaçao is only one of a host of illegal brews. Battery acid, cheap vodka, and spirits are routinely mixed with pineapple or mango juice to make bootleg brews. Unregulated local brews take a serious toll on the health of Mozambicans. Consumption can even lead to death. Earlier this year, 72 people died in Mozambique after drinking contaminated beer. The beer is believed to have been poisoned with crocodile bile, according to district health officials.
The Southern Africa Development Community’s Review Into Illicit Products Report says 60 per cent of the alcohol consumed in Mozambique is brewed illicitly. This is among the highest rates in the world. The market for illicit alcohol is huge and lucrative. Mr. Machako can make US$900 from one hectare of pineapples.
Mr. Machako feels he has no real choice. Selling his mangoes, bananas, and pineapples to exporters can prove risky. The quality of his fruit is variable and income flows become unpredictable. Mr. Machako says, “Our fruit [rot] if we don’t sell them straight away to [the] brewers.”
Roads in his village are dusty and often impassable. Farmers don’t have access to electricity and refrigerated storage containers are unavailable. Mozambican fruit growers lose up to 45 per cent of all fruit harvested because of post-harvest damage, according to an NGO called Feed The Future.
Licensed multinational brewers are also trying to sign up small-scale farmers to supply them with fruit. After seeing how much the illicit brews are cutting into its sales, Africa’s largest brewing company, SAB Miller, is developing a beer brewed from cassava for Mozambique.
The World Bank is even funding fruit-farmer training centres. And a South African company has plans to build a processing plant in Mozambique to produce pineapple juice for export to Germany.
But farmers are still more interested in supplying their local brewers. Hilda Sako grows cassava and fruit. The 41-year-old widow says, “Since 1975, there is no road and [no] electricity here. How can we move our fruits far? [Local] breweries give us fast cash and no worries.”
The government of Mozambique is trying to persuade farmers like Mr. Machako to stop supplying illegal brewers and start exporting their fruit. But the districts where fruit is grown for alcohol are remote and have no tarred roads, electricity, or police posts. Local government chiefs and councillors tacitly accept that farmers in Mozambique’s poorest rural settlements eek out some income through illegal brewing.
As Mr. Machako says, “The harvest is ours. We don’t want complications. We deserve quick money.”


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Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) reported a narrower loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 as an increase in the store traffic drove the top-line higher. The company withdraws its fiscal 2021 guidance.
The company witnessed an increase in in-store traffic as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the people to pile up the medicines. Rite Aid turned cautious for fiscal 2021 due to the costs associated with the demand for essential service despite the sales trend remaining positive. The healthcare industry has survived in the crucial pandemic times.
The company was able to maintain its supply chain and stay in stock backed by the immediate action taken by the Retail Pharmacy teams. Rite Aid achieved double-digit front-end sales growth and gain retail market share driven by the actions taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
However, Rite Aid experienced a decline in acute prescriptions and increased costs incurred to assure the safety of its associates and customers. The company expects to generate positive free cash flow in fiscal 2021, in part by reducing costs, improving working capital, and reducing expected capital expenditures from original guidance of $350-275 million.
Benchmark stock indexes pared their recent gains early this week amid elevated inflation concerns, but regained a part of the momentum later aided by recovery in tech stocks. The Dow
Shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) have dropped 10% since the beginning of the year. The company reported mixed results for the fourth quarter of 2021 a day ago, with
With some of its parks and resorts either closed or operating at reduced capacity even more than a year after the virus outbreak, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is


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THE NEW Mercedes-Benz S-Class is too complicated, according to Jeremy Clarkson.
In his latest car review for the Sunday Times Magazine, the columnist says he had high hopes for the newest version of Mercedes’ luxury saloon due to its history of innovation. Previous versions of the car introduced the world to antilock brakes “that actually worked”, seatbelt pretensioners (the devices that tighten a seatbelt in the event of a collision), stability control, intelligent cruise control and cylinder deactivation.
The technology that Mercedes introduces to new S-Class models is an indication of what will be installed on cars made by more budget brands in five years’ time, notes Clarkson.
But the 2021 Mercedes S 500 is overloaded with tech, he wrote. “It’s like the designer went to Poundland, bought everything and fitted the lot.”
Clarkson uses the head up display (HUD) as an example, saying that it’s stuffed to overflowing with information: “Speed, direction of travel, a sat-nav map, where the enemy tanks are located, missile readiness and, most distracting of all, a prevailing speed limit indicator that flashes red whenever you go even 1mph faster than the lawmakers believe is appropriate.”
The HUD became one of a number of systems Clarkson found himself deactivating whenever he climbed into the S-Class. Another was the car’s lane departure system — a fixture in many modern cars — which jolts the steering wheel when the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane. Indicating to indicate a lane change is not always necessary, particularly if there are no other road users nearby to witness the manoeuvre.
Switching off the driver assist systems is something that it is important to do before commencing a journey, Clarkson believes, due to the fact that switching them off while driving can be a confusing and distracting task:
“At one point I confidently yanked at the knob to shut down the HUD only to discover that it was the handbrake. This surprised the man who was in the car behind.”
He also didn’t like the fact that Mercedes has changed the design of the gearlever in the S-Class from a “gearlever shaped knob” to a stalk that is identical in design to the one used to control the lights and wipers, which resulted in more confusion and surprised road users.
He continues that the myriad bits of technology on the S-Class has led to a convoluted control system of menus and sub-menus that can be distracting to operate while driving.
And once you have switched off all the systems that need deactivating and started driving, the S 500 feels as if it is lacking something, Clarkson reckons. Despite being significantly longer than the model it replaces, the S-Class is just 2,095kg — fairly light for a car of its size and type. However, in making the car as lightweight as possible, Mercedes has deprived the S-Class of its characteristic solidity. “It feels… frothy”, Clarkson decided.
It isn’t all bad, according to the writer — the S 500’s ride is excellent, he wrote; smoother even than his own Bentley Flying Spur, which is nearly £50,000 more expensive than the Mercedes. And it’s almost eerily quiet due to the use of acoustic foam.
He also accepted that owners would become accustomed to all of the Mercedes’ confusing gizmos and assist systems, as one gets used to a new phone or computer. “But I don’t want to spend my life getting used to stuff,” he said.
You can read Jeremy Clarkson’s full review of the Mercedes S 500 on the Sunday Times website, or in today’s Sunday Times Magazine.
Driving.co.uk has also driven the new Mercedes S-Class and will be publishing a full review soon.
- After reading that the Mercedes S-Class is too complicated for Jeremy Clarkson, you might be interested in reading that he thinks the Volkswagen Touareg R is the closest competitor to the Range Rover.
- He also likes the primitive nature of the new Kia Stinger.
- Ferrari has made a car sedate enough for Clarkson.


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GameStop, a struggling mall-based retailer of video games, has been an attractive target for short sellers, but the stock has been rallying point for retail investors on Reddit, and its share prices have shot up as the short investors have been squeezed.
United Microelectronics Corp (NYSE: UMC) is a semiconductor company that makes products for companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) and Xilinx Inc (NASDAQ: XLNX).
The Upcoming Catalyst That Could Move Chinese EV Stocks Nio, Xpeng, Li AutoChinese electric vehicle stocks have seen some moderation in momentum in recent sessions.
Finding The Sweet Spot In China’s EV Market: China is a hot EV market, both from the perspective of the addressable market opportunity and supply.
Two Oil Stocks To Watch In 2021The oil industry is finally recovering after a brutal year, and two companies, in particular, look set to benefit alongside oil prices


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ALLENTOWN, Pa. & LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR), the leader in integrated payment processing solutions, has revealed that merchant transaction volume continues to increase across the country despite surging cases of the novel coronavirus. In the third of a series of updates since the pandemic began to impact the United States, the data suggests that businesses are finding ways to drive sales even in the face of difficult economic and social conditions.
Shift4’s transaction data, posted daily on www.Shift4Cares.com, indicate that 43 states are 10% or more above their transaction volumes from the last week in May, which were already significantly higher than the low point in late March. Among the states experiencing the most rapid growth during this period are those where the coronavirus impact was felt early on; New Jersey has increased 62% since May, Pennsylvania is up 70%, New York is up 67%, and California is up 38%. Texas and Oklahoma are the only two states experiencing transaction declines from the week beginning May 31 when compared with the week beginning June 28.
When compared to the low point in March, the rebound is even more dramatic, with all 50 states seeing an increase in transaction volume. Even states that have seen a recent uptick in cases are still well above their “trough” levels in March, with transaction volumes in Texas up 168% since March, Florida up 155%, and Arizona up 128%.
“We know there is still a long way to go, but it’s really encouraging to see such significant payment volume recover across the country,” said Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments. “I think it speaks to the resiliency of our economy and I give a lot of credit to small business owners who have clearly adapted to models like take-out, delivery, curbside pickup and contactless payment solutions like our SkyTab and QR Pay products.”
As of the week beginning June 21, Shift4 processed over 19.7 million payment transactions, up 164% from the March lows. Shift4’s end-to-end payment volume for June was also higher than the same period in 2019. This data suggests that despite the uncertainties associated with the macro environment, merchants have become more creative in how they conduct commerce in order to continue driving revenue during these challenging times.
About Shift4 Payments
Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is a leading provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions, delivering a complete ecosystem of solutions that extend beyond payments to include a wide range of value-added services. The company’s technologies help power over 350 software providers in numerous industries, including hospitality, retail, F&B, e-commerce, lodging, gaming, and many more. With over 7,000 sales partners, the company securely processed more than 3.5 billion transactions annually for over 200,000 businesses in 2019. For additional information, visit shift4.com.


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Our Australian talent is representing our local industry well across the world, with our own national talents, Amy Gaudie and Sam James of Queensland’s Urban Chic and Adelaide’s SJ Establishment respectively, named as finalists in the Canadian hair awards.
Named the Contessa Awards, or the Contessas, both hairdressers are finalists in the International Hairdresser of the Year category at the event, taking up two of the five slots.
“I am absolutely dumbstruck at being one of only five international hairdressers nominated as a finalist for this amazing international title, particularly with Sam and I flying the Aussie flag, and truly didn’t anticipate it,” Amy said.
Amy was recognised for her Eclecticism collection while Sam was honoured for LIMITLES5, and both of these collections have been awarded closer to home too. Eclecticism won the 2021 AHIAs Creative QLD Hairdresser of the Year award, while LIMITLES5 was nominated for Australian Hairdresser of the Year.
“Bringing this collection to life was such a beautiful experience; each model had their own flavour, highlighting the female form and allowing me, through the medium of hair, to capture them as the empowered women they are,” Amy said.
“This collection was about pushing my work to new limits, advancing my skills, embracing challenges and achieving new milestones,” Sam said. “With inventive ponytails, innovative colour techniques and a unique location, LIMITLES5 was born. Exaggerated shapes and movement evoke emotion and appreciation for every detail.”
The Contessas have been the gold standard in Canadian hair awards since 1998, judging on editorial work by a panel of judges comprising beauty editors, photographers and celebrity hairstylists. Winners will be announced at a hybrid gala event in Toronto, CA on Sunday 7th November 2021.
Good luck to our Aussie stars!


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GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) – A Garland vape shop owner has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of importing counterfeit vaping projects, US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced on November 24.
Muhammad Khalid Uzair Khalid, 36, of Garland, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, November 23 to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.READ MORE: Omicron Variant 'Cause For Concern, Not Panic' Says President Biden
In the plea papers, Uzair admitted that between October 2017 and November 2019, he knowingly and illegally imported counterfeit vaping-related items from China, including vape pens and vape-related labels, boxes, and bags.
Uzair’s shop was raided in November 2019 by law enforcement agents as part of a joint investigation into E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) that involved the CDC, FDA, state and local health departments, and other clinical and health partners.
Health authorities say that these injuries may be linked to products containing vitamin E acetate and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the main active substances in cannabis that is illegal under state and federal law.READ MORE: Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy Out For Thursday Night's Game At Saints Due To Positive COVID-19 Test
During the raid, agents discovered several items that tested positive for THC and an injector mechanism with an amber substance containing vitamin E acetate.
Uzair admitted that he regularly communicated with Chinese manufacturers about the production, sale, and importation of counterfeit vaping products.
In particular, Uzair and the manufacturers discussed methods to imitate the branding and logos of well-known American vape companies and sold counterfeit products meant to imitate them. These counterfeit products, and others, were sold at his Garland store.MORE NEWS: Dylan Molina Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter In Death Off-Duty Euless Detective Alex Cervantes, Bond Set At $300K
“Our investigation made clear that we needed to take swift action against counterfeit vaping-related items,” said US Attorney Chad E. Meacham for the Northern District of Texas. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the importation of these types of black-market goods.”


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News, press releases and other updates.
CentralNic revenue hits £11.2 million in first half of year
Source: Domain Name Wire, September 26, 2018. https://domainnamewire.com/2018/09/26/centralnic-revenue-hits-11-2-million-in-first-half-of-year/
Revenue grows thanks to .sk acquisition
Domain name company CentralNic (London AIM:CNIC) reported earnings for the first half of 2018, posting revenue of £11.2 million. That’s up from £10.6 million in the same period of 2017, although comparing across time periods is difficult with CentralNic because it grows by acquisition.
For example, the acquisition of Slovakia’s .sk country code domain added £1.6m to the top line. So organic revenue was actually down year-over-year. H2 numbers will be even more convoluted due to the acquisition of KeyDrive.
Retail revenue generated from its registrars including Instra and Internet.bs was down £1.2 million year-over-year. The company said this was expected as the “division continued to realign and optimise its online marketing strategy for improved return on investment, resulting in higher margins and profitability despite reduced revenue.”


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The biggest shopping event of the year, Black Friday, may be over, but brands have no opportunity to rest as the Christmas shopping period is in full swing. Analysing Amazon’s Black Friday data is integral to understanding what to expect for the rest of the year, as well as to help brands benchmark sales in 2021. Our Insights & Analytics team analysed Amazon sales, as well as our client’s sales to provide an in-depth analysis.
With Black Friday a little over a month after a delayed Prime Day, predicting Black Friday sales results was a little challenging as over a quarter of UK shoppers were said to being their Christmas shopping early this year, potentially monopolizing Black Friday sales.
In the US, consumers spent $9 billion online on Black Friday, up 21.6% year over year according to data from Adobe Analytics. Research by Salesforce found similar results with a 20% online gain to $6.8billion in the US and a global growth of 27% to $30.4 billion worldwide. While a 20% increase is still above last year, it’s below some of the economic forecasts predicted. For example, Digital Commerce 360 had estimated a 34.9$ jump in online sales based on the ecommerce gains during the pandemic.
This could be due not only to a delayed Prime Day, but because many retailers, including Amazon, offered early Black Friday deals this year in an effort to reduce pressure on fulfilment of online orders because of an already overstressed supply chain and shipping operations. Salesforce data supports this, as their research showed digital sales grew by 72% year over year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Black Friday 2020 results in the UK
Curious as to the overall success of Black Friday 2020 in the UK, we decided to review the top 100 search terms typed into Amazon UK over Black Friday 2020. By placing them into overall broader categories, we analysed average conversion and click share to discover some interesting results about the special day in the UK.
The Electronics category made up over 25% of the top 100 most popular search terms over Black Friday. However, this was a 5% decrease when compared to Prime Day’s search term trend. Our Black Friday & Q4 insights survey discovered that Technology would rank as the most popular category on Black Friday with 37% of respondents claiming they would be shopping for deals on technology products on Amazon this year.
Other categories which people were searching for this year were Toys & Gifts at 21% and Seasonal products at 19%. This comes as no surprise as Black Friday has always been viewed as the perfect time to start shopping for Christmas. Interestingly, the Gaming category received a large share of searches due to the recent release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The high average of the #1 click share evidence this since consumers knew exactly what they wanted to buy. They didn’t browse around for other ASINs with better deals.
Molzi’s Black Friday 2020 Results
We noticed that our clients who sat within the Beer, Wine & Spirits category did remarkably well during the event this year. Overall, our BWS clients saw an average increase of 176% in the UK over Black Friday week compared to the week before. Arguably, this could be due to entering a second lockdown; alcohol sales skyrocketed during the 1st lockdown as more people began to enjoy having a drink at home, rather than visiting a pub or restaurant. Additionally, due to Black Friday’s history as the beginning of the holiday season, it is also likely that shoppers are stocking up on alcoholic beverages for Christmas to avoid disappointment of a favourite spirit being out of stock.. The most popular alcohol during Black Friday was Gin which was the 10th most searched for term in the UK on the 27th.
Over the 4 days of Black Friday weekend, we achieved a 22% increase in ad-attributed sales for our brands compared to the prior weekend. However, it is important to recognise that Black Friday weekend is not separate from the rest of Q4. In October, we saw 34% increase in ad-attributed sales due to Prime Day investment and participation. However, November brought an incremental 9% increase on top of the growth achieved. Brands who utilised their success on Prime Day tended to do better over Black Friday 2020 as their ASIN’s still were riding the wave of momentum from what they achieved the month before.
A quick rundown of results for Molzi’s clients
On average we:
- Achieved a CPC of 52p
- Achieved 19% ACOS
- Got 88M overall impressions for our clients
- Increased clicks by 76% compared to the previous weekend
Molzi’s key takeaways from Black Friday Weekend 2020 and for Q4
Prime Day and Black Friday 2020 may be over, but there are still a few weeks left of Q4. Many brands who viewed lockdown sales as a sprint rather than a marathon have experienced challenges with keeping in stock and have struggled to recover search position and sales. Despite this, Amazon have announced that this year’s holiday shopping season has already been the biggest in its history. With UK shoppers predicted to spend approximately £88.54 billion ($113.01 billion) during November and December this year, brands should expect to see high sales until the New Year. Brands that have secured enough inventory to accommodate the demand are more likely to have a very Merry Christmas. However, Amazon sellers shipping into or from the UK should be aware of the looming Brexit deadline and make final checks that logistics are in place to ensure a smooth transition into 2021 and the January sales event that comes with it.
Bridget Morrow, Chief Client Officer