text:
Amazon & Advertising
Lines are blurring between businesses that Large tech is operating in. Ecommerce platforms like Amazon reported $31 Billion in ad revenues which are roughly similar to Google Display, YouTube, or the entire global newspaper industry’s ad business.
Although this is only about 6.5% of Amazon’s net revenue, but compared to Google’s ad business which has close to 60% operating margins, Amazon’s should be in the range of $18bn of operating income in 2021. Which surprisingly is exactly the same as the $18bn that Amazon reports for AWS (Which has higher Capex requirements).
Apps & digital storefronts are now being used as inventory by almost everyone now. And, the deprecation of third-party cookies has “shifted digital ad budgets toward walled gardens with the data and media advertisers need for scalable targeted campaigns.
With almost 50% of product searches starting on Amazon it makes it extremely important for brands to defend their search position, much as they do on Google.
A number of brands that don’t sell on Amazon, or don’t even have e-commerce businesses want to target across the web using Amazon shopping data. To find people in-market for an automobile, say — even though it doesn’t sell cars — Amazon has black box audience segments based on purchase data for products that often precede buying a car.
Lastly, Amazon has been known for its “clunky” ad platform. But the company is making progress to catch up with the likes of Google and Facebook, whose platforms allow buyers to merge or overlay data and create infinite varieties of audience segments. Brands can bring their own sales data to Amazon’s marketing cloud, and do incremental testing to understand how Amazon ads impact overall retail sales.
It’s using an axe instead of a scalpel; But sometimes that’s the right tool.
Amazon is refining its targeting and measurement with a cloud-based data clean room in beta.


text:
Car buyers on mobile are lower in purchasing funnel: report
Car buyers on mobile are more likely to look at a specific car model and at local inventory listings, according to new research from Edmunds.com.
More automotive retailers are turning to mobile to reach the plethora of consumers tapping their smartphones to conduct research while on-the-go, request price quotes and communicate with dealers via text messaging. Edmunds.com’s study also shows the top brands researched by those on iOS and Android platforms, proving that iOS users tend to skew more towards luxury car brands.
“The most important takeaway – and one of the most surprising takeaways – is that mobile shoppers are as seriously interested in buying a car as wired shoppers are,” said Seth Berkowitz, president of Edmunds.com, Santa Monica, CA. “We would expect that mobile visitors would mostly use their phones for quick information look-ups, but in fact they view as many or more pages as wired visitors do in a shorter amount of time.”
While desktop users may use their computers for initial research and general information related to the car-purchasing process, consumers on mobile have a tendency to use their smartphones to look up specific vehicle models. This suggests that mobile is an imperative step in the buying experience that cannot be overlooked.
Although smartphone users spend less time on Edmunds.com’s mobile site than do wired consumers, they do view just as many, if not more, pages during that period. The brand’s research showed that 79 percent of its mobile visitors research at least one specific car model on the site, as opposed to 65 percent on desktops or laptops.
More importantly, mobile consumers look at local inventory listings at rates more than 30 percent higher than desktop users. This number posits that smartphone visitors are typically lower in the shopping funnel of car-buying, meaning that there is an optimal opportunity to grab those customers’ interests and leverage it in a way that leads to future sales.
Another takeaway for car marketers is the difference between iOS and Android users’ shopping preferences. Edmunds.com undertook an analysis of page views for each car brand, finding that Toyota ranked number one for consumers on both platforms.
However, three luxury vehicle brands, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, grabbed spots on the list of ten most researched brands for iOS consumers. BMW was the only luxury company to rank on the Android list.
Honda was also more favorable to those browsing on iPhones and iPads.
The research suggests that luxury car marketers may be best-suited marketing more towards iOS platforms, as evidenced by consumers’ interest.
Mobile shopper demographics
Edmunds.com’s research discovered that 55 percent of its smartphone visitors fall into the millennial demographic and are between the ages of 18 and 34. In comparison, millennials make up 26 percent of wired users.
Another recent study by the brand showed that 80 percent of millennials used their smartphones to aid them during at least one car shopping activity.
Car ads on mobile are also falling onto receptive ears, as smartphone users are 2.5 times more likely to click on an ad than a visitor on the desktop site.
Used vehicles are a major draw for consumers browsing on mobile, with 53 percent searching for used cards as opposed to 38 percent of wired customers.
Ultimately, car marketers have their best-yet opportunity to effectively leverage mobile advertisements and mobile sites to create fans out of their millennial visitors. Edmunds.com has been making strides in the mobile sector since its traffic on the digital platform has more than doubled since 2012.
Last October, the brand acquired texting service CarCode to boost its mobile strategy by enabling users to interact one-on-one with car dealers via messaging (see story).
“We have worked to develop and integrate products and services specifically for mobile, like the texting integration into our mobile app, to help all our customers make the most out of their shopping and buying experience,” Mr. Berkowitz said.
“We’ve been able to use our mobile offering in conjunction with our desktop offering to maximize our interactions with customers at every point of the shopping process to create a well-rounded experience.”
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

domain: news


text:
2017/1/16…New products information was released.
2017/1/16…Exhibitors search was released.
2016/11/11 Preliminary registration for 2017 has started.
2015/12/25 Publish Outline of 2017 Mobac Show.
MOBAC SHOW 2017, the only specialized general exhibition in Japan for the bakery and confectionery industries, is going to be held.
The show was held 24 times in the past, being highly rated in Japan and abroad as a business show, in which machinery, equipment, tools, raw materials, and sub-materials necessary for bakery and confectionery industries are exhibited together.
Please take part in MOBAC SHOW.


text:
What you need to know
- Google has formed the "App Defense Alliance."
- ESET, Lookout, and Zimperium are all part of the new group.
- The goal of the Alliance is to further combat malware on Android.
Google will partner with three mobile security software makers to improve its ability to catch malware on Android. The new App Defense Alliance will bring Google together with ESET, Lookout, and Zimperium — all makers of endpoint security software for Android mobile devices. Google says these partners were chosen for their success in finding malware and for the recognition they receive from industry analysts.
These new security partners will get direct access to the Google Play Protect screening system to share samples back and forth. Google may share app samples with the vendors and vice versa. When malware is found, it will be flagged and categorized for further handling. Users can also report potential malware directly to the App Defense Alliance, and reporters can give Google a heads-up if a story will reveal an exploit.
Per the Vice President of Android Security & Privacy, Dave Kleidermacher:
Our number one goal as partners is to ensure the safety of the Google Play Store, quickly finding potentially harmful applications and stopping them from being published.
As part of this Alliance, we are integrating our Google Play Protect detection systems with each partner's scanning engines. This will generate new app risk intelligence as apps are being queued to publish. Partners will analyze that dataset and act as another, vital set of eyes prior to an app going live on the Play Store.
Some potentially harmful apps (PHA) may be allowed to pass through Google Play if they are user-desirable. For instance, apps that root the phone and change the system software are potentially harmful, but if the user understands the risks (or nods and smiles while watching a YouTube tutorial) then the app can be installed. The first time the app is installed, the user will get a detailed description of the risk factors involved and can accept the danger explicitly.
If an app features more than one malware behavior, it will be categorized as both, but Google has a priority system in place to determine which malfeasance is the most disruptive. Google also separates "Unwanted Software," which is not strictly malware but might take unwanted and rude actions like pretending to be another app or offering disruptive advertisements.
Google trusts them so maybe you should
Part of Google's new App Defense Alliance, Lookout Security & Antivirus probably came preloaded on your phone. If not, you can download it for free from Google Play, and the app offers upgrade options for security enhancements.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
You can now pre-order Motorola’s foldable RAZR on Verizon for $1,500
Motorola's foldable RAZR reboot is finally up for pre-order in the U.S for $1,500.
Are you going to keep your Galaxy S10 throughout 2020?
There are a lot of exciting phones set to come out in 2020, but the Galaxy S10 still has plenty of kick left in it. If you own the phone, do you plan on keeping it throughout this year?
Samsung will give away Galaxy Buds+ with S20+ and S20 Ultra pre-orders
Samsung's Galaxy S20 series will be here before you know it, and when pre-orders open up, you'll be able to get your hands on the new Galaxy Buds+ for free.
The best Honor phones available right now
Huawei's ongoing trade ban has affected its Honor sub-brand as well, with the manufacturer launching fewer devices than usual last year. That said, we got to see a few standout phones in the likes of the Honor 20


text:
A rollercoaster ride and week for Tesla
To tweet, or not to tweet — that is the question. Tesla Model 3 serial number one (SN1) may or may not have rolled off the production line as planned this week.
Last weekend Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, “Model 3 passed all regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule. Expecting to complete SN1 on Friday.”
Musk also tweeted about the upcoming Model 3 handover party for 30 lucky owners on July 28. He also revealed production numbers for the rest of the year — “20,000 Model 3 cars per month” by December.
This week Tesla’s stock took a slide, the company announced it is building the world’s largest lithium ion battery in Australia by December or it’s free, and the Model S failed to get top scores on some safety tests .
The Wall Street Journal published “Tesla’s Skid Is Coming at the Worst Time” and Musk responded with “Stop biting my finger dammit” on Twitter and a “Charlie bit my finger — again” video from YouTube.
There was another battery news retweet and then silence — no OpenAI, Neuralink updates, or even another Boring news post.
No matter. We know there is a photo on Instagram lurking out there that will reveal Tesla Model 3 SN1 it all its glory.
The $35,000 Tesla Model 3 with a 215-mile range per charge could be a real game changer if it lives up to all the hype. Up to half a million cars are planned for 2018 and to reach that goal Tesla will need a whole lot of batteries — and buyers.
The company’s new Gigafactory is currently being built in Sparks, Nevada and is expected to open in 2020.
Over 370,000 buyers put down $1,000 deposits for a Model 3 and if you haven’t already placed an order your chances of receiving one before the middle of next year are slim.
In the meanwhile, check out this video of two Tesla Model 3 cars caught testing in the wild. Fun.


text:
Thousands of tech workers crowded around Amazon’s iconic Spheres on Friday to answer a call from youth activists to stand up for climate action. The Seattle event was part of an international day of activism initiated by young people worried about their future on a rapidly warming planet.
The demonstration was the latest — and perhaps the loudest — example of a growing employee activist movement in the technology industry. Tech workers are organizing and pressuring their employers to take bold stances on a range of issues from immigration and facial recognition to sexual harassment and climate change.
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and Google Workers for Action on Climate organized the event in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. They handed out pizza to a massive crowd of supporters and led protest songs like this one:
People gonna rise like the water
We’re going to calm this crisis down
I hear the voice of my great-granddaughter
Saying climate justice now
Amazon unveiled its carbon footprint for the first time Thursday as part of a broader announcement of new sustainability goals. Amazon was responsible for 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018, higher than many of its tech industry peers but lower than rival Walmart, according to Bloomberg News. Amazon pledged to reach 80 percent renewable energy for its global infrastructure within five years, and use entirely renewable power by 2030.
Amazon Go engineer Weston Fribley celebrated the announcement in a speech at the demonstration.


text:
Forsaken World Mobile becomes one of the first games to participate in Google Play pre-registration
Fedeen Games was proud to announce that its upcoming game, Forsaken World Mobile, is one of the first mobile titles to participate in the new Google Play pre-registration feature. As such, interested gamers can pre-register for the game right now if they so desire on the Google Play Store.
For those who don’t know, this pre-registration feature allows users to sign up in advance of an app’s release. These users will then be able to download the app as soon as it becomes available.
Heaven Wu, CEO of Fedeen Games, stated, “We are honored to have been among the first select group to take advantage of Google Play’s new pre-registration feature. Google continues to come up with innovative ways to help developers and publishers build an audience for their apps.”
How many will prepare to enter the battlegrounds of Forsaken World Mobile before it even releases? Will you be among the number?


text:
Nokia swaps veteran for Microsoft exec Stephen Elop as company chief amid stiff competitionBy Matti Huuhtanen, AP
Friday, September 10, 2010
Nokia dumps CEO, turns to Microsoft exec
HELSINKI — Nokia Corp. is replacing CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo with Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as the world’s top maker of mobile phones aims to regain lost ground in the fiercely competitive smart phone market.
The choice of a North American executive to lead a Finnish company reflects the increasing dominance of U.S. and Canadian companies in the evolution of the phone business.
Apple Inc.’s iPhone has set the standard for today’s smart phones, while Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerrys are the favorite of the corporate set. More recently, Google Inc.’s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.
Analysts welcomed the choice of the 46-year-old Canadian, who has worked closely with Nokia at Microsoft and at Macromedia Inc. developing software for Nokia phones. He has also held top posts at Juniper Networks Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc. At Microsoft, he headed the Business division, which makes Office software.
He takes over Sept. 21, Nokia said Friday.
The company’s share price jumped more than 6 percent on the news, but closed up only about 1 percent at euro7.79 ($9.91) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
It was the first time that Nokia, considered by many as part of the Finnish national identity, chose a non-Finn to lead the company that grew from producing rubber boots to leading the world in making handsets.
Elop, observing that Canadians and Finns both hail from northern climes, was quick to allay fears he might move company headquarters abroad. Nokia is an outsized part of the small Nordic country’s economy — and self-image.
“This is the home of Nokia, it will continue to be the home of Nokia, and I just love being in these facilities,” Elop said. “At the same time recognizing that while it is a Finnish company it is also a global company and there are employees and partners and customers of Nokia all over the world.”
Finnish Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi and Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen expressed satisfaction that Nokia was not planning to move.
“We have know-how, research and product development here. We also have an integrated and stable society to offer,” Kiviniemi said.
Nokia accounts for 1.5 percent of the small country’s gross domestic product and provides employment, including through subsidiaries, for some 60,000 workers in the country of 5.3 million.
Katainen said it was up to the company to decide on executive matters, including location of headquarters, adding that “what’s good for Finland is that Nokia is successful.”
With Nokia stock down more than 20 percent this year after two profit warnings, Nokia veteran Kallasvuo had come under increasing pressure.
Jorma Ollila, chairman of the board and former CEO credited with developing the Finnish company to an international leader in mobile phones, said Elop has “a strong software background and proven record in change management” to help Nokia meet new challenges.
In high-end phones, the hardware is becoming uniform, so the software is increasingly the ingredient that makes a difference.
Here, Nokia is trailing badly. It uses the Symbian operating system for its smart phones, which is older than Apple’s software and wasn’t designed from the ground up for touch screen phones. Other manufacturers that used Symbian have mainly jumped ship to Android.
“The Android camp is in the process of flooding the market with relatively cheap smart phones (that) knock the socks off Nokia’s current user experience,” Nomura analyst Richard Windsor wrote recently.
Symbian phones had 41 percent of the worldwide smart phone market in the second quarter, according to research firm Gartner, compared with 51 percent a year ago. Android phones, meanwhile grew to 17.2 percent from 1.8 percent. In the trendsetting U.S. market, Android was already the dominant software, according to NPD, another research firm.
Elop’s appearance at a news conference announcing the appointment was in striking contrast to Kallasvuo’s stiff press meetings made in halting English. Elop discussed ice hockey — close to both Canadian and Finnish hearts — and even jested about Finnish licorice candy he didn’t like.
“My job is to take this organization though a period of disruption,” Elop told reporters. “Nokia has many great assets in smart phone arena. It’s about the entire experience, it’s about the platform, it’s about the applications, it’s about the services.”
Elop, 46, joined Microsoft in January 2008. Microsoft hired him away from the network equipment maker Juniper, where he served for a year as chief operating officer.
“It seems that Nokia is now ready for an international charismatic leader,” said Microsoft Finland CEO Ari Rahkonen. “He is an international leader with broad international networks, a very charismatic performer and very keen on technology.”
In 2005, Elop became CEO of Macromedia, maker of Flash software, just months before Adobe bought the company. Flash allows people to use their Web browsers to watch Internet video and animation, and the software is now increasingly used on mobile phones
He is a computer engineering and management graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and also served as a systems executive at Boston Chicken, Inc.
Elop has played a role in the growing cooperation between Nokia and Microsoft in recent years. In 2009, Nokia launched its first laptop, a netbook with a 10-inch screen that runs on Microsoft’s Windows 7 software. Previously, access to some of Microsoft’s most popular Web services, such as Hotmail and instant messaging, have been built into Nokia phone models.
The 57-year-old Kallasvuo, who joined the company in 1982, will leave as president and CEO on Sept. 20. Elop will replace Kallasvuo on Nokia’s board, though Kallasvuo will continue to chair the board of the Nokia Siemens Networks unit in a non-executive capacity. Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia’s joint venture with Siemens AG of Germany, makes networking equipment.
Investors have long been expecting something fresh and new from the company that once had the innovative edge in the industry. That has not happened since Kallasvuo took over in 2006. He has also been unable to tackle problems in the North American market, the company’s worst performer, despite a pledge to make it a top priority.
Nokia also has predicted that while global mobile market will grow 10 percent this year, its own growth will remain flat, and its ailing Nokia Siemens unit continues to see revenue fall.
Nokia, based in Espoo near Helsinki, employs 130,000 people worldwide.
Tags: Communication Technology, Computing And Information Technology, Europe, Finland, Helsinki, Mobile Communications, News conference, North America, Personnel, Software, Western Europe


text:
We’re getting a panic button! Oh wait, passengers are… plus, the “safety center” may need a little work – in person. All the latest in Uber and Lyft news from senior RSG contributor John Ince, who covers the Uber panic button, a not-so-pleasant encounter at an Uber Hub and more.
Uber’s new panic button is now live in the US [The Verge]
Sum and Substance: In April, Uber announced that it would be adding a direct way for riders to call 911 within its app in an effort to boost its flagging safety reputation. Today, the company is making that new feature live and fully operational across the US.
The emergency button is located in a new “safety center” menu that is easily accessible from the app’s home screen, giving riders a quick way to contact first responders in the event that something goes wrong during their trip. The safety center also includes information about the driving screening process, insurance protections, and community guidelines (aka the list of horrible behaviors that will get you banned from Uber).
To dial 911, riders will need to swipe up on the safety center icon, and then tap “911 assistance.” They will then be asked to confirm they mean to dial 911 before the call is put through to emergency dispatchers. This is meant to minimize accidental dials, explained Sachin Kansal, Uber’s director of product management. The panic button was previously tested out by Uber in India…
The safety center features are aimed at riders, not drivers, but Kansal said that a similar panic button for drivers would be added soon. After all, riders can be belligerent, too. He said the presence of panic buttons in the app would hopefully deter both riders and drivers from behaving badly….
In a recent interview with The Verge, Khosrowshahi said the panic button and improved driver screening “is just the beginning.” He added, “This is like we’ve started really working on this in a heavy and determined way as a company. And this is going to be a real differentiator for us. And by the way, the benefit is it’s a good thing for everybody.”
My Take: There have been rumors about a panic button for well over a year now. It’s something that makes perfect sense. So what took them so long? Did Uber really have to take this long to work out the bugs on this in India? Maybe Uber had other priorities, while they continued to fight fires?
Somehow I can’t think of a higher priority than giving passengers a quick and easy way to call for help. But wait, what about a driver 911? DK says it’s coming, but why do they always make passengers the higher priority? Simple answer: they’re the paying customers.
A driver alleged an Uber rep assaulted him. Uber offered $400 to make it go away: [Quartz Media]
Sum and Substance: On Jan. 31, Aaron Johnson, 53, drove to Uber’s driver service center in Salt Lake City, Utah, to sort out a rider complaint. Johnson, a military veteran, had received almost entirely perfect five-star reviews from passengers and he feared the complaint, that he had rolled his eyes, would hurt his Uber driver rating.
The rider complaint turned out to be the least of his problems that day. During his visit to the service center, known as a Greenlight Hub, Johnson alleges that one of Uber’s reps became irate, asked him to leave, and, when Johnson attempted to take a photo of him, seized his wrist and wrested away his mobile phone.
Johnson later reported the incident Uber, which ultimately offered him $400 if he signed a contract releasing Uber from all claims and requiring him to keep both the settlement and initial incident confidential. Johnson refused.
Uber confirmed to Quartz that a dispute occurred between Johnson and an employee at its Greenlight Hub in Salt Lake City earlier this year. “We regret to hear that Mr. Johnson was unhappy with his support experience. That was not our intent,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. “We always aim to do right by our customers, and we know there is always room for improvement.”…
Uber has worked hard to court military vets like Johnson, who also receives disability compensation from the Department of Veteran Affairs for a service-connected injury. Like many drivers, Johnson had his complaints about Uber—he didn’t like Kalanick and the pay was low—but was optimistic things would improve under Khosrowshahi. His experience at the Greenlight Hub made him doubt that much had changed. “Same Uber, same corporate culture,” he said…
When asked if this was a standard practice, an Uber spokesperson said response teams are given discretion to come up with solutions, such as voluntary assistance payments, for situations deemed unusual or out of the ordinary, as Johnson’s was….
“They’ve made such a big deal about veterans and cleaning up their image,” he said. “I’m in that demographic. And their response to me was, you don’t matter, sorry.”
My Take: All this might simply have been dismissed as yet another altercation that escalated between driver and someone else – except that “someone else” here is an Uber service employee. One can’t expect all Uber service employees to always give drivers the answer they want, but we should be able to enter into a conversation with them without being told, “We don’t need you.” It may be true, but we don’t want to be told the truth.
As drivers, we’ve grown accustomed to the sugar coating of this gig – You’re important to us… Drivers may be important to Uber in the aggregate, but individually we are expendable commodities.
As for that $400 offer to go away and keep silent, kudos to the driver for refusing to be bought off. But, I’m afraid, it may be the best offer he’ll receive – because there aren’t many lawyers who will take this case, at least from my reading of the facts.
The Rideshare Guy on Uber, Lyft, and what their drivers really want [Curbed]
Sum and Substance: The impact of ride-hailing has been swift and sweeping. Uber, which was founded less than a decade ago in 2009, has become a multibillion dollar transportation startup with worldwide ambitions, and the technical ability to pursue autonomous vehicle technology and even experiment with Blade Runner-esque flying cars.
But as Uber and Lyft continue to expand, it’s important to remember that for all the high-tech advances, an equally important part of their legacies has been institutionalizing the gig economy. With more than two million employees in the United States combined, these two companies helped make these new working arrangements an everyday part of many people’s lives. And their continued reckoning with labor issues, costs, and recruitment suggest they haven’t figured out the right formula.
Harry Campbell understands the evolution of Uber and Lyft better than most. Known as the Rideshare Guy, after his popular blog and podcast about working in the industry, Campbell created an important forum and resource for the industry, inspired by his time as a driver. His new book, The Rideshare Guide, offers advice on getting started and getting established as a driver, but also offers insight into how ridehailing has evolved, and the issues that drivers face.
Editor’s Note: In this article by Patrick Sisson for Curbed, our very own Harry Campbell is interviewed about the gig economy, driver frustrations, plus the future of Uber, Lyft and their competitors. It’s a wide-ranging interview, tackling everything from driver pay to flying cars – plus it addresses the realities many drivers are facing. You can read the article above, and check out The Rideshare Guide (out now!) here.
Readers, what do you think of this week’s round up?
Earn up to $20 an Hour with Postmates!Postmates is growing like crazy right now and offers plenty of no-contact delivery options, from convenience store items, restaurant delivery and more. Sign up here.
-John @ RSG


text:
How profitable is online selling?
“What online-only company is really profitable? Basically none of them. That’s this dirty secret.”
So said Everlane CEO Michael Preysman last week to CNBC’s Jim Cramer to explain why Everlane is opening stores.
The statement is a full reversal for Mr. Preysman, who told The New York Times in 2012 that he would rather “shut the company down” before opening a store.
Mr. Preysman told CNBC, “Everybody loves to say you don’t spend money online, but the way things work now with Facebook, Instagram, and how much it goes to acquire a customer, then you have to ship it all.”
The apparel retailer just opened its fourth store, in Brooklyn, adding to others in Manhattan, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In another about face, Andy Dunn, the co-founder of Bonobos and now Walmart’s SVP of digital consumer brands, told attendees earlier this month at the Future of Home conference in New York City, “I don’t really like digitally native vertical brands. What gets me excited are brands that are really strong and direct-to-consumer, but also have got omni.”
According to Business Insider, he described e-commerce as a “tremendously challenging, frequently unprofitable business” and insisted that consumers want to interact with “brands and products and people” face-to-face. Bonobos’ “guide shops” inside Nordstrom are its most profitable business.
Despite digital first start-ups such as Casper, Glossier and Rent the Runway attaining $1 billion valuations this year, studies regularly find online selling continues to be price driven. Primary purchasing incentives include free shipping, free returns and coupons.
A recent Drapers article exploring the “true cost” of online selling found avoiding rent and associates’ pay is often offset by major investments in customer acquisition, fulfillment and the cost of returns. According to Drapers, one U.K. department store told suppliers any online order under £30 ($38) is unprofitable.
A less talked about challenge is the climbing costs of customer acquisition and online’s lackluster retention rates. Matt Alexander, CEO of Neighborhood Goods, the start-up specializing in bringing digital native brands to physical places, recently told Crunchbase News, “Customers acquired offline have five times more lifetime value than those acquired digitally.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Is online selling still facing near-term profitability challenges or is it inherently unprofitable in its current set-up? What are the biggest profitability hurdles for online retailers?


text:
Two insiders to bring 'undefeatable' door contact to alarm industry
WAUKESHA, Wis.—Two former alarm company owners, Michael Keegan and Chris Utter, have teamed up with a company called Magnasphere to bring a new kind of door contact to the alarm industry, one that they believe will become the industry standard within five years.
“The reed switches are going to go the way of the photoelectric beam,” Keegan predicted.
Most alarm dealers know about the vulnerability of your garden-variety reed-switch door contact, Keegan said. “If you present a magnet to the outside of a door where the contact is, you can open the door and never set off the alarm.”
The Magnasphere switch, on the other hand, is a “magnetic sphere or ball contact,” which Keegan says cannot be defeated with a magnet without setting off the alarm. It is also made of metal, which makes it “virtually indestructible,” he said.
Ken Risk, CEO of GRI—the largest domestic manufacturer of reed switches—acknowledged that magnets can be used to defeat reed switches, but noted that it’s easier said than done. “You have to know exactly where the contact is located,” he said. He also noted that doors being defeated is not a big problem in the alarm industry and added that while it’s much harder to defeat the Magnasphere contact, it is not impossible.
Risk said he’s a huge fan of the Magnasphere products, however, and his company is a reseller of that product. Further, he believes the Magnasphere contacts could potentially exceed the sale of reed switch controls, but believes the price needs to come way down. “If they could get the price down to $1.50 or $2.00, sales would take off like a rocket,” he said.
Keegan said that dealers he spoke to mistakenly thought, before checking, that they spent about $1.50 per contact. They actually spend closer to $5, he said, which is comparable to the Magnasphere high security door contacts, which sell for just under $5, he said.
Two alarm dealers contacted by Security Systems News said they spend between $1 and $3 on reed switches currently; one dealer verified this with a purchasing manager.
They both, however, thought the Magnasphere product sounded interesting.
Keegan believes that once the word gets out about Magnasphere, alarm dealers will be eager to provide a higher level of security to their customers and gain an edge over competitors who sell reed switches.
Keegan said he’s “having conversations with some of the largest dealers and integrators in the country.” The contacts are being distributed by Alarm Products Distributors in Minneapolis currently and he’s in talks with others. “We hope to announce another major distributor here very soon,” he said.
Magnasphere introduced its contacts, which were designed for high security applications such as embassies and other government buildings, at ISC West in 2002. That year the contacts won awards at the show for best contact.
But its success in the government market has not been matched in the resi or commercial markets. Why? “They didn’t know how to present it to the industry,” Keegan said. “They’ve always had the message, but they didn’t have the messengers.”
Utter, who formerly owned Sentra Security, joined Magnasphere in December of 2009, with the goal of creating Magnasphere high security contacts and mounts designed for residential and commercial applications. Keegan, who recently sold his alarm company, Watchguard Security, ran into Utter at the ESX show and joined the company several weeks later.
The market for door contacts is large for security applications where “30 million reed switches sold last year,” and outside security as well. “One billion reed switches were sold to other industries last year,” Keegan said.


text:
Renewable energy company Drax Group and Japanese shipping company MOL Drybulk Ltd. on Monday (11 July) said they are working together to reduce emissions and fuel costs associated with shipping biomass by deploying a wind power technology on newly-built vessels.
The companies plan to facilitate the development of such vessels to transport bulk cargoes of Drax’s wood pellets to its customers in Japan, where the biomass is used to generate reliable, renewable energy, which displaces fossil fuels.
The vessels will be fitted with MOL’s Wind Challenger hard sail technology, with the first ship expected to be on the water as soon as 2025.
The initiative is part of Drax’s plans to further reduce supply chain emissions in line with its world-leading ambition to be a carbon negative company by 2030, by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Drax Group Chief Executive Will Gardiner, said: “MOL Drybulk’s hard sail technology has the potential to transform the maritime industry, cutting emissions and fuel costs and supporting global efforts to address the climate crisis.
“This partnership to advance this crucial new technology will support Drax’s commitment to reduce its own supply chain emissions and could also deliver far-reaching benefits across a number of different sectors that rely on ships to carry goods to customers around the world.”
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two companies will study the feasibility of deploying a first and second generation Environmentally Friendly Bulk Carrier (EFBC) to carry Drax’s biomass.
The first EFBC will use MOL’s automated telescopic hard sail technology – Wind Challenger, and will evaluate the application of other technologies including rotor sails.
The second EFBC aims to at least halve emissions with new vessel designs that use multiple Wind Challenger sails, other low-carbon technologies in development and the use of alternative fuels such as ammonia, liquefied natural gas and synthetic fuels.
Kazuhiko Kikuchi, President and Representative Director of MOL Drybulk, said: “MOL has been working with our partners to develop the Wind Challenger technology for over a decade, and it’s great to see this become a reality.”
“We are extremely excited to work together with an innovative company such as Drax. This partnership will help us have a positive impact on how wood pellets and other cargoes are transported across the world.”
MOL Drybulk’s work will include developing the technologies that will be used and liaising with the shipyard where the vessel will be built and fitted with the hard sail technology. Drax will work with the ports and terminals in the supply chain on the operational feasibility studies.
Photo credit: Drax Group
Published: 14 July, 2022
‘Bunker barges operate in very local areas so these vessels call at port very often which means it will be a good fit for women with families,’ states Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International.
“Our Singapore branch is under preparation and is expected to start business at the republic before June 2023,” Managing Director Darcy Wong tells bunkering publication Manifold Times in an interview.
Development to supply B35 biodiesel blend officially takes effect on 1 February; local bunker suppliers will be able to deliver updated spec within March onwards, once current stocks of B30 avails run out.
VPS, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, Wilhelmsen Ship Management, and INTERTANKO executives offered a multitude of perspectives to 73 attendees during the VPS Biofuels Seminar, reports Manifold Times.
Headway will launch a new fuel supply system suitable for alternative bunker fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia; to focus on procurement and construction of carbon capture systems in 2023 following R&D.
Competition for FAME from aviation and road transportation sectors have resulted in some shipowners resorting to adopt more readily available CNSL blends as biofuel for vessels, explains Steve Bee.


text:
Will Taco Bell Begin Serving Alcohol?
Plenty of college students head to Taco Bell when they’re inebriated and looking to chow down on some chalupas and burritos to soak up the alcohol.
Believe it or not, if one Chicago-based Taco Bell location has its way, those same college students will be coming in for more than just fast-food…they’ll also be coming in to drink more alcohol.
Alcohol and Fast-Food
A new report confirmed that a Taco Bell establishment is set to open in Wicker Park and they are reportedly applying for a liquor license, which would make them the first Taco Bell in the country to serve alcohol.
A spokesman for the company offered no details, but told Huffington Post they “will have more information available closer to our opening this summer.”
The chain previously tried (and failed) to serve booze-filled milkshakes at its U.S. Taco Co. branch in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Bad for Business?
Alcohol in fast food establishments is unfortunately becoming a new trend. Other Mexican dine-in establishments like Chiptole and Qdoba already serve margaritas, wine and bottles of Mexican beers.
Traditional fast food chains like Sonic and Burger King have experimented with alcohol in their establishments, while Starbucks has announced plans for an “Evenings” menu that includes booze at thousands of its locations across the country.
The move isn’t particularly since surprising since Taco Bell has been experiencing a profit decline for several years. Restaurants have historically relied on alcohol sales for the bulk of their profits and there’s no reason why the same couldn’t be expected here if a liquor license was approved.
Drink and Drive-Thru
But while serving alcohol may be profit-friendly, it’s likely that some communities wouldn’t be happy about it.
In January 2013, A New York City condo board filed a $10 million lawsuit over plans made by Denny’s to open a franchise in the building’s retail space and obtain a liquor license. The legal complaint accused Denny’s of being “a fast food chain synonymous with a late night party atmosphere, as well as drunk, disorderly, violent and criminal conduct.”
Denny’s eventually moved forward after settling the lawsuit and opened up the NYC branch last August. They even offered a $300 breakfast that paired their famous Grand Slams with bottles of Dom Perignon, in addition to selling “house” Bloody Mary’s and Bellinis.
If fast food establishments begin to serve alcohol, we can only hope that they encourage responsible drinking and make it clear that reckless consumption has consequences. The last thing a local community needs is another convenient outlet for booze.
Unsure where to start? Take Our Substance Abuse Self-Assessment
Take our free, 5-minute substance abuse self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with substance abuse. This evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are designed to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of a substance use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result. Please be aware that this evaluation is not a substitute for advice from a medical doctor.
Additional Reading: Should Beauty Salons be Allowed to Serve Alcohol?
American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
While we are unable to respond to your feedback directly, we'll use this information to improve our online help.


text:
San Diego Suman Kanuganti is trying to break
As CEO and co-founder of Aira.io, Kanuganti is developing a service that can help blind people navigate through environments built for sighted people.
Aira (the first syllable is pronounced “eye”) helps blind people by leveraging computer and communications technology — and a human touch. It equips a blind client with a video camera and wireless communication device (such as Google Glass) and then pairs that client with a certified agent in a remote call center. The agent guides the blind person through their environment with the help of a video feed and other data about the location.
The company has raised $3.8 million so far and is still deep into testing. The service will launch with some 200 users later this year, Kanuganti said.
The company does not expect revenue until 2017. Aira is part of the EvoNexus pro-bono incubator program in downtown San Diego.
Kanuganti, 34, left a job at Intuit to form the company with Yuja Chang, Aira’s vice president of product management, and serial entrepreneur Larry Bock. Bock helped form some of San Diego’s first biotechnology companies in the 1980s and 1990s and was a cofounder of Illumina Inc. Bock has limited eyesight, according to a recent article in Xconomy.
In addition to Bock, company investors include Arch Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures and Lux Capital.
The founders count veteran technology industry executives as advisers. They include the man behind the Segway balancing vehicle, Dean Kamen, as well as Uber’s cofounder, Oscar Salazar. Also helping are established organizations that help the blind — plus blind celebrities such as mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer and chef Christine Ha.
The original concept for Aira was to emulate a popular automotive concierge service: Aira would be OnStar for the blind.
The system can help people with such tasks as traveling from one place in a city to another.
Much of the help comes from certified agents, who speak in terms relevant to a person with limited or no sight. For example, an agent might estimate the number of steps it will take for the client to go from a trolley stop to a doorway.
The agent’s computer screen includes a dashboard aggregating information about the client’s location.
Kanuganti plans to rely heavily on online information. A client at a restaurant, for example, could count on menus posted on Yelp.
For now, the company is deep into testing. For example, the company sent blind testers to track down a specific kind of chocolate chip cookies from a certain supermarket’s bakery department. They then had to stand in line and pay at the check stand. The experiences of testers using an Aira agent were compared with that from a group that simply relied on supermarket staff (which, Kanuganti said, was not very patient).
Malls can intimidate blind people. Kanuganti showed a video of an Aira agent helping a shopper navigate a shopping complex in West Hollywood. With the help of the camera and bar codes, the agent told the shopper she was handling a medium-sized white T-shirt priced at $29.98.
Aira currently has a small number of agents. When the company rolls out its product later this year, it may get its agents via crowdsourcing, the CEO said.
One of the company’s ideas is to hire immobile veterans who still have their sight to work as agents guiding veterans who have lost their sight.
Speaking about the company’s long-term business plan, Kanuganti said the human touch may revert more into the background, and the system will rely more on sensor information.
The path to economies of scale, the CEO said, will be to increase the ratio of agents to clients.
The service is technology agnostic. Google Glass may not be the ideal tool for people using the Aira service, Kanuganti said, since 40 percent of the glass’ cost goes into the heads-up display — something that is useless to a client who cannot see. Denver-based Pivothead makes glasses with an embedded camera that might be a better fit for the company, the CEO said. In the long run, he added, Aira might end up using custom-made smart glasses.
The Aira service might one day be a boon to individuals. For large organizations that already employ blind people, Kanuganti expressed hope that his service will increase their productivity and potential.
The company’s website is Aira.io.
CEO: Suman Kanuganti
No. of local employees: 10
Investors: Arch Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures, Lux Capital, Larry Bock
Year founded: 2015
What makes the company innovative: Aira is developing a technology-based service to help blind people navigate and perform tasks in the world


text:
Thuraya, CNN Offer SMS Info Service
[11-27-07 – Satellite Today] CNN entered into a strategic alliance with Thuraya to provide mobile satellite customers access to breaking news in English and Arabic beginning Nov. 27, Thuraya announced.
CNN will use mobile satellite technology to bring SMS news alerts to Thuraya customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central and South Asia that are beyond the reach of standard mobile coverage. Customers will be able to tailor the service to their preferences by signing up for optional extras. A banner on the CNN website will direct users to a dedicated site from where they can sign up to the service.
The partnership is expected to extend CNN’s mobile reach by an additional 250,000 subscribers, which will be expanded following Thuraya’s launch in the Asia-Pacific region in early 2008.


text:
Microsoft has confirmed that consumers who purchase the 32GB variant of Surface will only be left with 16GB of storage space.
Previously, it was reported that 12GB of storage space will be taken from the device's 32GB capacity. However, according to Microsoft documentation, the $499 32GB Surface tablet actually takes 16GB of storage space.
On a 32GB Surface model, 29GB is initially available after partitioning. Take away 5GB for Windows recovery tools, and another 8GB for Windows RT, Microsoft Office, as well as other built-in apps, it leaves 16GB of free space. As for the 64GB model, users will be left with 46GB.
Microsoft, however, does offer advice on an FAQ page regarding how to free up storage space on the tablet. The firm suggests users utilize cloud storage through SkyDrive, using a microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC memory card or a USB flash drive or hard drive.
The Windows 8-powered Surface, which saw its entire pre-order inventory selling out, launched alongside the operating system on October 26.
16GB for a tablet/laptop OS is friggin ridiculous.


text:
100% Yes, Bitcoin is legal to own. No one has ever been arrested in the United States for owning Bitcoin. Buying and holding Bitcoin is what people actually do with the currency and this is fine.
There is a lot of information on the Internet regarding this subject but I think there are two examples that really show that Bitcoin has to be viewed as legal.
The IRS has declared that Bitcoin is property. They have established guidelines that need to be followed when dealing with Bitcoin and especially when selling it. If you sell a bunch of Bitcoin and made a profit from it, expect to pay taxes on that profit just as you would if you bought and sold a house.
State financial regulators have undertaken efforts at bringing virtual currency service providers under the existing legal framework of money services business. These MSB's need to be licensed in 47 of the 50 states.
New York which is the headquarters of finance in the country has created the basis for how to get a legal license to operate a crypto currency business. This so called BitLicense has been granted to two companies Circle and Ripple.
If the government is coming with regulations that I feel like it's safe to say we have a fully legal product on our hands.
In late 2013 Federal Law Enforcement indicted Ross Ulbricht for running a sort of drug Ebay called Silk Road. Mr. Ulbricht never actually sold any drugs, but he setup the website where you could post your drugs and others could buy them. Like Ebay he took a tiny percentage of every sale.
When they caught Mr. Ulbricht, they were also able to obtain over 144,000 Bitcoins. If they have confiscated bricks of cocaine, or rocket launchers, or child porn, I think everyone would agree they would have kept this for evidence and then disposed of this eventually or let it sit in the evidence room for all time.
This is where I think the legality question in the United States is answered. The Bitcoin was not viewed as something nefarious and illegal but was viewed as property taken. Just as if they had seized houses and cars from Mr. Ulbricht, they wanted to make use of the assets taken. Following a conviction verdict and a life sentence for Ross Ulbricht, the US Marshall Service held an action for this Bitcoin and sold it off to the general public.
The Silk Road Bitcoin sale set an important precedent that the federal government will treat Bitcoin as a legit legal asset that can be bought and sold as they have shown us with their example.
I am not a lawyer. The above is totally my own opinion. You are free to agree or disagree with this as you see fit. This is just be being logical and making observations based on my own experiences. Please get a lawyer if you want professional advice.


text:
Online Features Archives
The $380-million project will retain or create 1,260 jobs producing next-generation midsize pickups.
The San Diego-based energy giant finalizes a commercial agreement to build a natural gas export hub at its Cameron LNG terminal in Hackberry, LA.
A $500-million project aims to open the port to deeper-bottom vessels that cannot navigate the Christina River.
Allergan will open a 93,000-square-foot facility in Somerset Corporate Center in Bridgewater, creating 400 new jobs.
The Medford, MA-based company selects a Tennessee location for a driver assistance call and data response center.
Is it game over for Curt Schilling’s digital media startup?
The credit card giant will create 162 new jobs and retain more than 1,500 jobs when it opens the 97,900-square-foot facility.
The Korean food products manufacturer will produce more than 100,000 metric tons of lysine at the North Central Ag Industrial Park near Fort Dodge.
The legislature approves $2 million for the TN Film Entertainment and Music Commission, with a new formula that will make grant dollars available to smaller, indigenous productions.
The automotive parts supplier will invest $19 million in a renovation of the 310,000-square-foot former MKM plant.


text:
Say you’re an executive at the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., holding a Zoom meeting with your team in the new normal of work from home. Don’t be surprised if chief executive officer Fabrizio Freda makes an unexpected “visit” during your session.
The peripatetic executive — prior to the coronavirus outbreak, Freda traveled to far-flung markets about 50 percent of his time — thrives on interpersonal interactions, and a global pandemic is not about to change that.
“Travel was my way to stay in touch and understand what was happening and offer people support,” Freda said in an exclusive interview with Beauty Inc. “I miss the interaction enormously, but I have learned that meeting virtually can be very efficient and constructive. You can learn how to be authentic virtually.”
That is just one of many lessons about leadership that Freda has learned during the crisis. After propelling the company to a decade of unprecedented global growth, one driven by what he likes to call “multiple engines of growth” — ranging from the rise of the Chinese consumer both in their home country and in the travel retail channel to a hero product strategy that has fueled sales of key franchises like Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair — Freda now faces a very different set of challenges.
How do you set a course for the future during a veritable global shutdown? How do you maintain morale when the human toll is so high? How can business serve the greater good and also the needs of employees and shareholders? Like all c-suite leaders, Freda is grappling with these issues and many more.
“This is the moment when leadership counts,” Freda said, speaking from his home in the Hamptons. “It is the moment of very transparent leadership. This has been one of my big learnings. Sometimes leaders don’t want to show doubt, weakness, worries. In this moment, transparency is important. People need to see everything,” he continued. “Our people are the future of the company.
“This is an unprecedented crisis, but it will pass and be a one-time moment,” Freda continued. “What we do with people during will stay and be remembered, and what we do to recover will inform the next 10 years.”
While the company’s employees are the key constituency, Freda has also worked to make sure that that level of communication is clear to consumers and business leaders in and out of the company. “There is nothing more precious than relationships, and we have to keep them going,” he said. “For consumers, it is making sure they get the education, the answers, following up to every email and call. For business, I’ve been personally calling ceo’s all over the world, offering support and help.”
Freda has been equally as focused on pivoting the organization to envision the longer-term consequences, as well. “We need to exercise vision and see through the crisis,” he said. “We can’t only be looking at this in the short-term.”
To that end, he has temporarily reorganized Lauder’s leadership teams into four groups: One team is focused on the short-term crisis; a second is managing preparedness and the medical aspect of making sure that the return doesn’t compromise anyone’s health and safety; a third is concentrated on financial costs and containment activities, and a fourth is completely focused on the future. Freda likens it to a military action. “You need to go into a very different way of working and manage the day-to-day in a completely different way,” he said.
One key goal is to protect and optimize long-term drivers. So in China, for example, Lauder has accelerated its investment in a new Shanghai R&D center, while its digital teams are hyperfocused on reinforcing the company’s capabilities online.
“We need to anticipate new drivers — I’m working day and night to study consumer trends in every part of the world, what they are feeling during crisis and what they expect, in terms of channels and distribution and services and products,” Freda said.
He posited that being able to help the organization envision the future doesn’t just make good business sense, it also boosts the morale of everyone on the team. “It has a super-positive effect,” Freda said. “It creates a better mood. It’s difficult from a human standpoint to work only on short-term issues and problems. Being able to focus on positives for the future also helps our mental health.”
Freda himself is relatively cheered by the first signs of recovery in China, where Lauder’s Shanghai headquarters reopened in late April. During an earnings call with analysts on May 1, Freda predicted that sales in the Asia-Pacific region for the company’s fiscal fourth quarter will grow in the double digits. “The recovery is happening in a disciplined, pretty fast way,” he said. “What is evident in this moment is that it starts with a strong acceleration of online sales. The amount of consumption going online is increasing and is here to stay, and will happen in the U.S. as well.”
As for the hard-hit travel retail channel, that will take longer, with Freda predicting a recovery to begin in 2021, as the world slowly opens up again. Still, he struck a positive note on the call. “We will come out stronger after the crisis. Our key drivers of growth — online sales, the Chinese consumer, skin care — are recovering and will come out stronger in the long term, even as in the short term we are going to be hit hard by the closures and the consumer shock.”
And as much as he loves to travel, there has been an upside to being grounded for the past couple of months as well. “The time I’m spending in lockdown with my family has been a gift. My son and daughter were at university, and now they’re back home,” Freda said. “That has been a positive surprise, and has really helped me have the balance to do all of the things I’m doing, with the intensity that I’m doing them with.”


text:
Talk about women supporting women.
Annie Brown is a writer and producer for Daily Life.
Fashion sure is going to some interesting places right now, especially with designer bags.
The possibilities are endless!
The 'off-price' retailer is set to shake-up retail.
The thoroughly modern way that women are dressing now.
The luxury brand is making good on its promise for more diversity.
As one might predict, the story went down on social media like a cup of curdled protein shake.
Emma Stone, Kylie Jenner, you didn't have to go to those random school formals!
A new Excuse Interpreter aims to eradicate phrases like "he's picking on you because he likes you".


text:
Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC decreased its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 496 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,005 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the first quarter worth about $104,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth about $109,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 86.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 56 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter worth about $119,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 90.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 57 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 92.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BKNG. Barclays raised their price objective on Booking to $2,270.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 27th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. ValuEngine upgraded Booking from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 22nd. Cowen set a $2,375.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Booking from a “neutral” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $2,060.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $2,100.00 price target (down previously from $2,250.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Friday, August 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $2,155.08.
In related news, CEO Gillian Tans sold 295 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,917.94, for a total transaction of $565,792.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Shares of BKNG stock traded up $25.46 on Friday, reaching $1,807.17. 682,050 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 430,490. The company has a market capitalization of $94.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.25. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,630.56 and a 12-month high of $2,228.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.
Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 9th. The business services provider reported $20.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $17.34 by $3.33. Booking had a return on equity of 24.74% and a net margin of 20.07%. The firm had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $24.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 89.26 EPS for the current year.
Booking Company Profile
Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.
See Also: Hedge Funds Explained
Receive News & Ratings for Booking Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Booking and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Extra large condoms used in modern art piece?
Just look at Chatham-based artist Christopher Sacre, for example. This profoundly deaf master of the arts has produced a piece of modern artwork using 2,000 condoms, Kent Online reports.
Apparently, he poured 750 kg of liquid plaster into the products and set up an installation for the Nucleus Arts Centre on the high street.
"I think they expected something like landscape paintings or statues, but this is rather different," Mr Sacre observed, discussing his decision to use the contraceptives.
Anyone up for checking out his creations will be able to view the exhibition until October 21st.
This follows an Inventorspot.com report revealing that Japanese manufacturer Okamoto has released new condom the Mega Big Boy, at 1.8 inches in diameter. Perhaps Mr Sacre made use of these.


text:
SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—Guardian Alarm, a super-regional security company based here, has revamped its website, hired a marketing company, and bolstered its sales team as part of an overall successful strategy in capturing more tech-savvy millennial customers.
YARMOUTH, Maine—One of the best ways for security companies to build density is to acquire a local competitor, but there also are potential pitfalls when doing business in your backyard, according to five security company executives who have experience with these kinds of transactions.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—At a time when many telcos are jumping into home security, Cincinnati Bell has decided to shed its home security business, though it will continue to have a cooperative marketing agreement with the buyer, Guardian Alarm Company, a super-regional security company based here.
Guardian paid $11.5 million for Cincinnati Bell’s alarm business, which included 15,000 accounts and 15 employees, Guardian president David Goldstein told Security Systems News.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—Guardian Alarm has acquired the accounts of five security firms spread between Michigan and Florida, adding a 70/30 resi/commercial mix of 2,600 monitored accounts to its portfolio. Company president David Goldstein said the acquisition “was the perfect fit for the blend of business Guardian believes in.”


text:
THIRTY superfine Merino rams went up for auction at the annual Bellaine Merino ram sale at Guyra last week.
It was repeat clientele that held the bids at the conclusion of the Helmsman sale and snapped up what Bellaine principal, Deb Maxwell, described as "bargain buys".
The $800 top priced ram went to Noel O'Dempsey, Texas, Queensland, who has been purchasing from Bellaine for around seven years.
The top priced ram had a worm egg count (WEC) Australian Sheep breeding Value (ASBV) of -54 and a fibre diameter of 15.2-micron.
Mr O'Dempsey purchased four rams to average $575.
The second top priced ram was sold to Ian and Madge Sole, Guyra, for $700.
This ram also measured a fibre diameter of 15.2-micron and sat in the top 10 per cent for yearling fibre diameter ASBV at -2.3.
This was the Sole family's third year purchasing from Bellaine, and they have found the rams go well in their self replacing Merino operation.
James Jackson, Guyra, purchased four rams to average $500.
Overall 12 rams sold at auction to average $561.
Ms Maxwell was grateful for the return of their usual volume buyers and said the low clearance is a reflection of the current season.
The Helmsman auction was conducted by Landmark Armidale.


text:
Country / Region
H3C, subsidiary of Tsinghua Unigroup, announced the launch of its new brand positioning “the leader in digital solutions” on January 5, 2018, aiming to be the most reliable partner in helping customers with business innovation and digital transformation.
Digital transformation has brought profound impact to every industry, and industries are confronted with the brand new challenges brought by digital transformation when new technologies, including cloud computing, Big Data, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, are advancing the industrial development. In this new era, only digital solutions that integrate technological innovation, scene applications and ecology cooperation can better energize the digital economy, and create the promising and lively digital future.
“Shape the digital future for a better life”, this is the vision of information technology development in the new era, and the brand new company vision of H3C as a leader in digital solutions in the digital economy era.
The mission of digital transformation
Different people and organizations understand and define digital transformation differently. The research conducted by the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at MIT lists five strategic aims of digital transformation: improving the customer experience, enhancing personnel’s efficiency, encouraging innovation, accelerating decision making and realizing the transformation of business.
Tony Yu, President and CEO of H3C Group
The digital transformation is not to be accomplished at one stroke; it is a long-term endeavor that involves company culture, organizational process, business mode and personnel capability. Tony Yu, president and CEO of H3C Group holds that the ultimate goal of digital transformation is to enhance the efficiency, lower the cost, improve the experience and provide products or services of higher value. Digital transformation means more than the simple IT upgrading and the arrangement of new IT solutions; it means to bring IT from backstage to the front stage, to become open, to strive for an integrated success instead of a single fight via the innovation driven by new IT, and therefore to encourage the comprehensive business innovation throughout the company.
How can IT companies to bear the mission of becoming the leader in digital transformation in this new era of digital economy? A leader in digital transformation needs to be equipped with the following four leading abilities: the leadership in advanced thoughts, technical leadership, industrial leadership and ecological leadership. And H3C, who aims to be the leader in digital solutions, is equipped with these four leading abilities.
The most reliable partner in digital transformation
H3C has been bearing since its beginning the mission of accelerating the industrial upgrading with its new IT power and assisting in promoting the new economic development in China. As one of the few domestic manufacturers that have the ability to provide the complete new IT infrastructure including computing, saving and internet, and digital solutions of cloud computing, Big Data, internet security and Internet of Things, H3C offers customers the comprehensive digital solutions that highly relate to the applying scenes, as well as the comprehensive support of consultancy, technology, application and training for customers’ business innovation. H3C aims to be the best comprehensive partner in customers’ digital transformation.
Shape the digital future and share the beautiful life
According to the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, people’s better life is now the prior goal of work. Similarly, giving more people the benefits of the digital economic development is the achievable goal that should be realized of the common information and communication technology.
The integration of human’s best creations once promoted the development of history and civilization, making the world what it is now. At this moment, in the exciting digital era, the technological innovation and the fusion of industries are changing the global economic developing pattern and people’s life styles. And in the future, we can expect that the power of integration will further break down the bounds, eliminate the digital gaps and to bring out the best of technology and human creativity.
As a leader in digital solutions, H3C will treat the digital solutions as the brush and the power of integration as color to draw a better digital future picture and to give people a better life that everyone enjoys.


text:
The social TV world is now expanding around the world. Lost Remote is headed to Broadcast Asia taking place in Singapore next week, but before a look at that region here’s an inside look at a social TV startup based in Sweden. Like.TV is a second screen platform currently gaining traction in Sweden and Norway. We interviewed Jacob Leander-Olsson a product manager at MTG Digital Media, the digital arm of the MTG broadcast and entertainment company who runs Like.TV about social TV in the region. Read more
Posts Tagged ‘second screen’
Comedy Central just launched their impressive new app, “CC: Stand Up” which “is a stand-alone extension of Comedy Central that brings comedy fans a completely new stand-up channel, a tool to discover new comics and a platform for sharing comedic content.” In April, The New York Times described the app as “a free, ad-supported app…designed to look and feel like a cable channel devoted to stand-up, the app will offer videos of comedians performing routines.” Here are the details. Read more
There are over quarter billion people who have Shazam installed on their mobile device. This astounding number instantly makes Shazam a big player in the second screen market. When Shazam enabled TV recognition in September they made a big splash and instantly interested advertisers in seeing what they can do. Now, the mobile-first company has just announced a new CEO, Rich Riley to help take them into the now more mature mobile-first environment. We interviewed Riley, the former EVP of the Americas for Yahoo! about the importance of TV and what to look out for in the future as Shazam grows. Read more
Starz new series, Da Vinci’s Demons shows viewers, “the secret history of Leonardo da Vinci’s tantalizing life reveals a portrait of a young man tortured by a gift of superhuman genius.” To bring this new world to life the network has launched a brand new companion app called, “Da Vinci’s Demons: Citizens of Florence,” a second screen app allowing users to understand the world of Da Vinci beyond the main screen. Here are the details. Read more
One of the most popular business books over the last couple decades is Geoffrey A. Moore’s work on “Crossing the Chasm,” which argues that there’s a challenging chasm between a product’s early adoption and mainstream use. Some companies burn out after they’re unable to bridge the gap, while others are able to scale their products beyond “visionaries” to “pragmatists” who represent your average consumers.
A year ago, Team Coco released an exciting Emmy Award-winning tablet app that served as a true second screen companion for each episode of Conan, delivering extra content in real time. The problem was that the app was for tablets only. Last week, though, Team Coco released an iPhone and Android version of the app, which will keep the show’s digital team at the forefront of late-night comedy fan engagement. Read more
For two decades now, interactive TV advertising has been an albatross. Dozens of companies with hundreds of millions of dollars have failed to create a true, scalable interactive TV adverting platform. Then social TV emerged, combining the scale of the second screen with the popularity of social media. With the recent purchase of Bluefin Labs, a ratings deal with Nielsen and the release of its advertising API, Twitter is clearly the most serious new player to pursue the Holy Grail of interactive television ads.
You can officially get slimed…on the second screen. Nickelodeon‘s new iPad app, “Nick App” (available for iPad here), hit iTunes on Thursday and has already risen to the number two spot in the U.S. for free apps. The new app is a game changer in the kid’s TV world as younger demographics can’t understand why old media isn’t touchable. We spoke with Nick Digital Senior Vice President Matthew Evans about the big launch.
NEXT PAGE >>


text:
The Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best-selling used automobile and the Toyota Prius was the second fastest-selling used automobile in September in response to INDICATA’s newest Market Watch report.
Each vehicles have now completed manufacturing with no alternative deliberate for both mannequin which suggests costs will proceed to rise towards a backdrop of sturdy demand and falling provide.
The used Fiesta has been an iconic household and younger driver’s automobile because it was launched in 1976 whereas the self-charging Prius has turn out to be a agency favorite with non-public taxi firms.
“The Fiesta and Prius had been each in our high and fastest-selling tables in September and have been for some months. With no direct replacements deliberate it is going to be fascinating to see which fashions take over the mantle.
“Nonetheless, the Ford Puma has quietly turn out to be the best-selling new automobile in 2023 12 months thus far which is already translating into sturdy used demand,” defined Jon Mitchell, INDICATA’s group gross sales director.
Tesla’s Mannequin Y was September’s fastest-selling used automobile whereas the VW Golf and Vauxhall Corsa had been shut on the Fiesta’s heels because the UK’s top-selling used automobile.
5 out of the highest six vehicles in each INDICATA tables are smaller used vehicles which reinforces that larger ticket used vehicles are nonetheless slower to promote within the present market as customers transfer into winter calculating what obtainable funds, they need to exchange their present automobile.
Costs continued to fall in September by 1.87% and are 11.3% decrease than January 2022. That is the largest fall of any nation in Europe, and an indication that the used market is slowly getting itself again to a extra inexpensive degree.
Used EVs are beginning to present indicators of worth stability helped by used EV costs falling by 38% over the previous 12 months. This has helped stimulate gross sales and contribute to bringing down Market Days’ Provide (MDS) to an analogous degree to petrol and diesel.
“It’s nonetheless early days for used EVs however there are extra constant indicators of rising gross sales and falling inventory ranges. Inventory ranges of used EVs are actually extra into line with ICE vehicles now which have to be a optimistic signal. They’re now not having to play catch up which is vital now used automobile volumes are rising as new automobile manufacturing improves,” stated Mitchell.


text:
And rumble support is also coming to the Xbox app!
“Rolling out through the rest of this year, select 2021 Samsung Smart TV owners will be able to search for and download the Xbox App right from their TV,” Microsoft said.
A listing of supported 2021 TVs wasn’t made available, so keep searching and cross your fingers.
Moreover, Microsoft announced that it will soon add controller rumble support to the Xbox app on Samsung TVs.
“From chatting teammates to the trembling of a controller in your hand, there are lots of dimensions to gaming beyond what’s on the screen,” Microsoft said, “owners of 2021 and 2022 Samsung Smart TVs will get to feel a more immersive cloud gaming experience with rumble on controllers.”
Are you using Xbox Cloud Gaming on your Samsung TV? How’s it going if so?
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.


text:
Homeworking specialist Aquilium Travel Group has recruited Jenny Lyons into the new role of head of sales and development.
Lyons has worked outside the industry for a courier firm for the past two months, having been furloughed and then made redundant from Polka Dot Travel in June.
In her new role she will oversee Aquilium’s Travel Directors and Travel Managers brands, as well as new divisions that the group is planning to launch in the New Year.
Chief executive Gary Pridmore said Lyons’ role would involve helping the business development managers to develop the homeworkers so they can get the best from their businesses.
“They have been going through hell and have been on their own and feeling isolated but we are starting to see sales coming through now, and so Jenny will support them so they are ready for the bounce-back,” he said.
Pridmore added that Lyons’ remit would also entail exploring avenues for recruiting more homeworkers.
Lyons, who previously worked for P&O Cruises, said coming back to travel after two months in another sector was “like coming home”.
“I am looking forward to bringing my experience in leading teams in the past and using those skills to develop our homeworkers. It’s very exciting for me as it will involve coaching, guiding, inspiring and motivating them to make their businesses really successful,” she said.
“It’s been a really challenging time for me. I joined my last job las November, was furloughed in March, made redundant at the end of June, had a month without any work, then managed to get the courier company job at the end of August.
“It was super-busy, it was a new industry, a new way of working and a totally different culture, but I needed to work.”
She added: “It’s great to be back with like-minded people, back in the travel family with a great company and lots of opportunity.”
This is a community-moderated forum.
All post are the individual views of the respective commenter and are not the expressed views of Travel Weekly.
By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms & Conditions.


text:
Apparently UMI are far from being done with the latest UMI Plus model and shortly after the launch they are already planning and working on a “extreme” version. And with this new version they are planning to finally fully attack the higher end of the market.
Based on the information posted on the official UMI facebook page the innovated version of UMI Plus will be sporting the Helio P20 processor, RAM capacity will be bumped to 6 GB and the phone should get the new Android 7.0 Nougat OS right out of the box.
Gizchina News of the week
UMI Plus Extreme is allegedly going to be available in blue or black variants and the price tag should be $299.99. That’s not bad, so let’s keep an eye on this new “extreme” UMI and wait for some more info coming soon. An in the meantime you can maybe try to win a normal UMI Plus right away here.


text:
Consumers’ daily lives revolve around trust. Every day, when peeling an orange, opening a can of baked beans or dining in a favourite restaurant, consumers put their trust in Australia’s food supply chain.
Behind every food and beverage product on the shelf is a supply chain journey that starts with ingredients. The Australian food manufacturing industry is an intricate maze of ingredient and packaging suppliers that have different supply chain management solutions.
Sourcing ingredients without a traceability and food safety protocol today invites counterfeit products onto the food chain and increases the risk of contamination. News of unsafe or spoilt food can impact business owners’ livelihoods and the industry’s broader reputation, and causes significant disruption to consumers’ lives.
“To manage ingredient safety and increase the visibility of food ingredients and raw materials in these complex supply chains, a new initiative, the Supply Chain Improvement Project, is being implemented using GS1 standards,” said Steele. “The project’s objective is strengthening integration between the thousands of upstream supply chains in the Australian food manufacturing industry.”
An industry working group has been set up to drive the project using the GS1 global standards for product identification, data capture and data sharing. GS1’s Global Traceability Standard (GTS) is the foremost traceability framework, allowing businesses to track their products in real-time and have end-to-end visibility of the supply chain.
“The group will work to achieve consensus across the industry to improve food safety, deliver efficiencies and reduce costs,” said Steele.
Representatives from Nestlé, Ingham’s, SPC, Lion Dairy and Drinks, Sanitarium, CHR Hansen, Newly Weds Foods, FPC Food Plastics, Labelmakers, Matthews Australasia and Visy Industries make up the group.
The ability for companies to capture material movements from “paddock to plate” provides data integrity and timeliness from receipt to delivery, with traceability back to the source. Through automation, many of the manual processes are eliminated and businesses can be proactive with inventory management and handling systems.
“As a food and beverage business it’s critical for us from a food safety perspective to be able to track ingredients all the way back to the origin,” said SPC’s national logistics manager, Christian Lecompte.
Also critical to business is the capability to support information and production flow within existing systems for integrated supply chains. The project has the capacity to eliminate waste within an organisation’s value stream, reduce non-value-added tasks and ensure cost-effective solutions for customers, leading to a “right-first-time” approach for all deliveries.
“One of the things we found we could do to be more efficient was to look at opportunities to be able to electronically track all the product ingredients throughout the production cycle – how we identify a product coming into the warehouses, how we receipt goods, how we put our goods away, how we manage our inventory and how we deal with our suppliers,” said Lecompte.
The adoption of GS1 standards as the common language for identification, data capture and data sharing will enable automation of key ingredient sourcing and traceability between ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers.
Using GS1 standards for upstream integration goes well beyond minimum standards. It allows businesses to translate their internal processes and approaches into the one common language that all trading partners can use and understand, without having to translate data formats across different supply chain management systems.
This is the key, as Steele believes interoperability is essential to the future of data sharing. “Establishing international standards to ensure transparency across the supply chain can help lower existing barriers to the exchange of data between suppliers, trading partners and consumers,” he said.
The Supply Chain Improvement Project has the potential to deliver many benefits to industry, including increased visibility of food ingredients and raw materials, unique identification and traceability to improve food safety, and reduced costs with automated business transactions.
Nestlé Australia’s eBusiness manager, Mandeep Sodhi pointed out the key to the project’s success.
“By having consensus across the industry on how to interconnect electronically and exchange critical operational data, we can realise cost-effective solutions across the end-to-end – from manufacturers, to suppliers, to customers. Everyone benefits from this improvement in standardisation,” he said.
Looking ahead, the industry working group is encouraging all upstream businesses to adopt the food safety and traceability protocol using GS1 standards.
“With an industry-wide solution in place, your trading partners will have more visibility of your products across the supply chain,” said Steele.


text:
Gov. Scott Walker: Give Kimberly-Clark Foxconn-style deal to keep paper plants open
Gov. Scott Walker and Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou have signed off on a $3 billion contract for the Taiwanese company to build a massive display screen factory in southeast Wisconsin. (Nov. 10) AP
MADISON - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called Monday for giving paper maker Kimberly-Clark some Foxconn-sized job incentives to avoid the closure of plants in Neenah and Fox Crossing.
As Democratic lawmakers were announcing their own Kimberly-Clarke plan, the GOP governor called for passing legislation to allow the state to give the paper company the same level of tax credits per job as Foxconn.
Walker and Republicans in the past said they were willing to provide unprecedented tax credits to Foxconn because the deal with the high-tech company would be "transformational" for the state's economy. Walker is now saying he's willing to provide similar incentives for an industry that, while critical to the state, has shed thousands of jobs in recent years.
More than 600 people are employed at the plants owned by Kimberly-Clark, the maker of Kleenex tissue and Huggies diapers with deep roots in Wisconsin.
Kimberly-Clark previously announced a plan to cut as many as 5,000 jobs and to close or sell 10 plants globally. The cuts represent about 12% to 13% of the company’s work force and there could still be more job losses in Wisconsin, where Kimberly-Clark also has a plant in Marinette and a consumer products headquarters in Neenah.
The Neenah factory makes non-woven fabric products and will be shut down within the next 18 months, according to Kimberly-Clark. The closure date has been determined yet for the Cold Spring plant, which makes Depend adult diapers.
Walker sent out his tweet as Fox Valley Democrats separately called for helping keep the Kimberly-Clark plants open by providing $60 million — or 2% of what could be spent on Foxconn. Under the proposal, the state would provide $30 million each for two revolving loan programs, one to help mills invest in energy and water efficiency and another to help mills shift from making white paper products to brown ones.
“I understand marketplace dynamics; I know that industries change. But I also understand that if the state of Wisconsin can muster $3 billion for a (Taiwanese) company, it can spare (two) percent for one of its own,” Outagamie County Executive Thomas Nelson said in a statement.
Foxconn Technology Group of Taiwan secured up to $3 billion in tax credits to open a flat screen plant in Racine County that could cost as much as $10 billion and employ up to 13,000 people.
Foxconn could receive more than eight times as much per job as similar 2017 deals. To provide those credits lawmakers and Walker had to pass legislation last fall.
The Foxconn legislation expanded existing state incentives known as enterprise zones, which require companies to demonstrate investments and job creation before getting state tax credits.
Typically, an enterprise zone employer must first pay workers at least $30,000 a year to qualify for jobs tax credits. The credits phase out for salaries above $100,000.
State taxpayers agreed to cover 17% of these qualifying Foxconn salaries instead of the usual 7%. Walker proposed legislation Monday that would also allow Kimberly-Clark to receive 17 cents back for every $1 it pays in qualifying wages at the two plants.
“Retaining outstanding Wisconsin companies like Kimberly-Clark is just as important as attracting new companies to our state, which is why I’m proposing we offer larger tax credits to ensure the company keeps those 600 jobs where they belong — in Wisconsin," Walker said in a statement.
As manufacturers in Wisconsin, both Foxconn and Kimberly-Clark pay little to no corporate and personal income tax on profits from those operations. That means that any potential enterprise zone credits could end up being paid to each company in cash if it has little tax liability.
Forestry, paper making and printing have long been important to Wisconsin's economy but changes in the industry and consumer habits have had a substantial impact on the sector. Fifteen paper mills in the state have shuttered since 1994, with 20,000 jobs lost since 2001.
Each paper-mill job supports several more positions as the industry has a deep supply chain for making its products.
Taiwanese technology manufacturer Foxconn will locate its new sprawling manufacturing complex in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. (Oct. 4) AP


text:
The European Union has an ambitious goal to increase rail’s share in freight transportation to 30% by 2030 in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, the Europeans are seeking to integrate technological advances and develop inland port infrastructure that would support more freight rail volumes.
As the Europeans undergo these efforts, the North American freight rail system will have lots of opportunities to learn from their European counterparts, according to two partners with global consultancy firm McKinsey.
In Europe and North America, the trucking industry has been exploring both battery technology and autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs). But “Europeans seem to be a little further ahead, both in terms of regulation as well as technology adoption, on some of the EV components,” Chicago-based McKinsey partner Dilip Bhattacharjee told FreightWaves.
The Europeans may try to adopt battery technology components for the rails ahead of their North American peers because the regulatory framework there will allow for quicker adoption, according to Bhattacharjee.
“The European railroads are much more likely, because of the structure of the industry [and] because of the regulation there, to move faster than North America,” Bhattacharjee said. “There’s a lot that our railroads should watch and learn for how those trends play out.”
Europeans could deploy autonomous rail technology ahead of the North Americans. Like the North American railways, the European railways will need to compete against autonomous trucks, particularly on the intermodal side, Bhattacharjee said.
“The average length of haul in Europe is already lower than the average length of haul in the U.S., [and so] the imperative to find the competitive response will naturally be higher in Europe than in North America,” Bhattacharjee said.
Europe is ahead of North America when it comes to using digital signaling systems because the European rail system is heavily used by passenger rail, according to Düsseldorf, Germany-based McKinsey senior expert Anselm Ott.
“North America made a big step forward with positive train control [PTC], but I think they’re still a bit lagging behind Europe,” where the current discussions are looking at digital signaling systems for the next 20 years, Ott said. PTC and digital signaling systems are technologies aimed at making rail transportation safer.
Europe is also working on digital automatic coupling, which would enable better control of the train and allow for full data transparency on what’s happening with every freight car. Should the implementation of this technology be adopted in the next five to 10 years in Europe, the North American railways could copy or adapt similar practices, Ott said.
Similar but different
As European and North American freight rail systems integrate more technological sophistication into their networks, both locations are grappling with similar market dynamics.
Both places are serving populations where consumer demand is growing, and as a result, the supply chains are evolving to serve consumer demand. That means not only are the railways grappling with competition from LTL service providers, they’re also seeking to develop inland ports to serve intermodal rail service.
“One area where we should expect to see a similar response in North America, just like the Europeans have done, is finding more ways to have intermodal inland ports because the more we can have intermodal inland ports, that makes rail more competitive,” Bhattacharjee said.
Meanwhile, Europeans are seeking to replicate the productivity of North American intermodal trains, which can carry up to 200 intermodal containers, he added.
The European Union also seeks to double freight rail’s modal share to 30% by 2030 as part of broader efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector as well as reduce congestion on the roads.
To reach this target for 2030, European freight rail volumes would have to grow by around 6% per ear in ton-kilometers, or “seven times faster than road transport,” according to a January report by McKinsey on the European freight rail network.
The report suggests focusing freight rail efforts on major transportation flows, such as between Spain and Central and Northern Europe, as well as on connection points to key global trade ports. The report also suggests focusing on industries that could shift to rail and replace declining volumes for coal and steel.
While the equipment involved in European freight rail is the same as equipment used in North America — the locomotives, the underlying technology, the hardware and the software — European freight rail operates very differently from North American freight rail.
In Europe, state-owned companies operate freight railways, while in North America, the railways are private companies.
Another key difference is that anyone who has a valid rail license can run a train, and so some rail systems, such as the German rail system, can function like a toll or motorway where rail companies pay a toll to use the rail system, Ott said.
“A business can’t just start a company and run freight trains on the lines of the BNSF or the Union Pacific. And that’s one of the main differences. In Europe, I can do this,” Ott said.
Furthermore, Europe’s rail system is predominantly used by passenger rail, and as a result, freight trains run on networks with more frequent and shorter headways.
“Markets like India, Egypt, Europe are largely passenger rail markets, where freight is almost secondary and has to be slotted in,” Bhattacharjee said.
European freight train lengths are also much shorter. Container trains also are single-stacked and not double-stacked like the North American trains.
“Because the supply chains in each of those markets have evolved differently, the actual regulatory environment, as well as the industry structure, has naturally evolved into very different operating models,” Bhattacharjee said.