text:
It's been less than a year, but it seems much longer since Target Corp. threw in the towel on its Canadian expansion. It's seemed longer still that Target was poised to be a massive competitive threat to the Canadian grocers, rather than the fabulous disaster it became.
Despite Target's departure, however, some analysts are still warning that the Canadian grocery market is becoming more competitive, given the growing influence of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp. and independent grocers. Citing her own price survey, Veritas Investment Research analyst Kathleen Wong titled her recent report "Grocery Competition Intensifying." Morningstar analyst Ken Perkins says "competition is increasing in Canada."
A funny thing has happened, however, amid this intensifying competition: Canadian grocers are showing few signs of the profit erosion that has occurred at their peers in the United States. Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is posting some of its highest margins of EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, in years. Metro Inc. has maintained its high margins. Empire Co. Ltd. is also keeping its numbers steady, despite difficulties in integrating Safeway Canada into its operations.
This suggests a couple of things: One, the view, expressed in this space, by this author, in each of the past two years – that Canadian grocers were in for a long-term decline in profits at the hands of major U.S. foes – may end up being just plain wrong. And two, the multiples the grocers have attained this year, higher than at any time since the Great Recession, may finally be justified.
"So far, 2015 has been excellent, and it looks like 2016 will be another great year for grocers," says Perry Caicco of CIBC World Markets Inc. Here's his list of reasons: the Canadian consumer is resilient; grocery square footage growth has moderated; the Canadian dollar will be less of a problem; the space Target abandoned will mostly not be used for food retailing; and a recovering Ontario should add to grocers' profits.
Mr. Caicco acknowledges that "Wal-Mart is becoming a better grocer and is adding square footage quickly; Costco continues to add boxes; and independent grocers (both ethnic and non-ethnic) are thriving." The arrival of a European discount grocer such as Aldi or Lidl could put a dent in his gung-ho thesis, he says. But, "in the meantime, 2015, 2016 and probably 2017 might one day be remembered as the glory days of Canadian supermarkets."
The three major grocers, then, offer a choice for investors. Loblaw, busily integrating Shoppers Drug Mart as it continues its stellar performance, is the top pick of analysts, with 12 of 16 rating it a "buy," according to Bloomberg. Metro offers high performance, a track record of dividend increases, and a scintillating piece – of top-performing convenience-store company Alimentation Couche-Tard – but, priced at an unusually high level compared to its past history, it gives some analysts pause. And Empire, the grocery stock trading closest to its 52-week low, is a turnaround play, appropriate for investors who are willing to wait for it to straighten out its Safeway problems.
At Loblaw, the company's second-quarter results, released in August, "tick all the right boxes," said RBC Dominion Securities analyst Irene Nattal. Ms. Nattal, who has an "outperform" rating and $77 target price on Loblaw (versus Friday's close of $66.27) says the company's sales growth in the quarter proved the company passed along the inflation in food costs directly to the consumer, and then added more revenue through higher traffic and bigger "baskets" as a result of customers buying more. The company also announced the closing of 52 underperforming stores, demonstrating a "greater focus" on return on capital, Ms. Nattal says. (The Competition Bureau has been investigating Loblaw about its pricing practices with suppliers; the resolution will likely impact future profitability.)
David Hartley of Credit Suisse, who has a $79 target price, says he expects strong free cash flow at Loblaw – which has the highest debt load of the three grocers, owing to its Shoppers Drug Mart purchase – to result in an announcement of a dividend increase or a share buyback sometime in the next three to six months. (CIBC's Mr. Caicco, it should be noted, raised his Loblaw target price to $89 in August as part of his "glory days" thesis.)
Ms. Nattal is also bullish on Metro, saying its August results continued to support her thesis that Metro's "relentless focus on solid execution of strategies" to drive sales growth while also boosting profit will deliver strong returns to shareholders. She has a $41 target price, versus Friday's close of $36.06. She's one of eight analysts with "buy" ratings, according to Bloomberg, versus five "holds" and two "sells."
The quirk in Metro's valuation is that it holds roughly $2-billion – about a 6-per-cent stake – worth of stock in convenience store operator Couche-Tard, one of the top-performing consumer stocks on the Toronto Stock Exchange. That's helped spike Metro's share price, so much so that a number of analysts say the current levels can't be supported by Metro's actual grocery performance. "Valuation remains our issue," says Credit Suisse's Mr. Hartley, who has an "underperform" rating and $33 target price on the shares. While he says Metro "continues to manage the business well," the stock is trading well above its 10-year average on a price-to-cash-flow basis. "We are concerned with the potential of a reversion to the mean."
Empire presents no such worries about trading above historical multiples. The company has deeply troubled investors this year with its progress reports on Sobey's acquisition of Safeway Canada. Barclays Capital analyst Jim Durran reflected that with his September notes titled "An integration gone wrong" and "No quick fix: Recovery to take time."
Empire's explanation is that while the integration of information-technology systems went smoothly from a technical standpoint, Safeway employees were slow to adapt to the new computers, leading to excessive "shrinkage," or inventory that went bad, and, as Mr. Durran describes it, "suboptimal" management of the stores' sales and promotions. Mr. Durran believes the problems will be fixed and the merger cost savings will be achieved, but the current problems keep his rating at an "equal weight" and $29 target price.
with a file from reporter Marina Strauss
Holding their own
Revenue and net income are for the past 12 months.
P/E is based on analysts' estimates of future earnings.
Source: S&P Capital IQ


text:
Vice president and senior country manager, Malaysia and Brunei, MasterCard Worldwide Jim Cheah said it was encouraging to see more Malaysians shop online, the Bernama news agency reported. This was in line with the result of the latest MasterCard online shopping survey which conducted across 25 markets between November and December 2012, showing most Malaysians embraced online shopping, with more than three-quarters of respondents making at least one purchase in the last three months.
The survey also revealed that:
- 81.2% Malaysians having Internet access on their mobile phones;
- Security, price/values of items and convenience of payment facilities are the key decision to shop online;
- 71.4% buy online due to friendly environment;
- Groupon was the most-visited or bought from site in Malaysia with 13.4 per cent of respondents having visited it for online shopping in the last three months, followed by AirAsia (8%) and eBay (7.5%);
- Airlines had the highest share of spend, with an average of RM780.63 (US$257), followed by hotel categories – RM496.93 (US$163.6) and travel-related services (excluding hotels and airlines) at RM379.69 (US$125).

domain: news


text:
Crucial Regulation affecting the e-commerce market awaits adoption
29 March 2018
More transparent information on services’ prices and, thereby, increased consumer confidence in cross-border shopping and delivery, is the objective of the EU Regulation, whose project was adopted by the European Parliament.
The provisions may enter into force in May.
According to European Commission’s data, more than two-thirds of consumers have resigned from cross-border online shopping, concluding that delivery costs would be too high. It is supported by evidence: the prices of cross-border parcel delivery are on average three to five times higher than the domestic ones.
Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery is set to change it. Thanks to it, the European parcel market should become more transparent and competitive. It will also be a milestone for the Digital Single Market strategy, whose anticipated long-term objective is to triple the e-commerce share in total GDP of the European Union.
What does the Regulation change? According to its provisions, operators will be obliged to publish the price lists of basic domestic and international delivery services, while the NRA will assess their affordability for consumers.
Price lists will be published by the European Commission on a dedicated website, which will enable consumers and undertakings to compare cross-border tariffs. This in turn shall result in growth of competition between the operators.
According to the estimates, with lower cost of deliveries, the value of cross-border e-commerce in the European Union could increase by 4.3 % while the number of undertakings providing e-commerce services would increase by 6.2 %.
The draft Regulation was adopted by the European Parliament and currently awaits for the decision of the Council.


text:
faw volkswagen no shortage of hot models, but in the suv market completely blank.last year, during the guangzhou auto show, the public held a media interview, the media questioned, in 2017 whether the fav volkswagen put into production suv product plans? in this regard, the public high-level staff has always been tight-lipped, which is more faw-volkswagen launched suv models added a mystery.
september 11, the eve of the frankfurt motor show, volkswagen give us the new suv models that have been released recently-t-roc production version, the new car will be in 2018 in faw-volkswagen production and sales, located in the a-class compact suv, is expected to be listed in the second half of next year.for domestic consumers of car demand, t-roc domestic, the wheelbase will be extended by 80mm.
from the overall appearance of the new car, t-roc after the listing of the target the crowd will be more emphasis on fashion and movement of young consumers.the shape of the new car to abandon the traditional design of the past, the new car with the latest design language, bright and piercing headlamps with irregular shape of the ring led daytime running lights, french-like elegance more prominent; after the night lit, the front face looked very beautiful.
in order to quickly integrate into the market, the public in the design to spend their brains, with deep plowing the domestic market for many years of experience, the public appearance of the new car is believed to cater to the current consumer tastes.
body size, the new car length and width were 4234/1819/1573mm , the wheelbase is 2603mm.the future of domestic, t-roc's wheelbase will be extended 85mm, reaching 2688mm.
the official positioning of it as a class a compact suv, but compared to the market selling compact suv, volkswagen t-roc body size will be slightly smaller, if the new car prices really as the industry predicted 12 million from the price range of the wisdom and xr-v sales may have a certain impact, but the competitive way of view, cr-v, etc., does not seem much contrast, after all, the public t-roc positioning will be slightly lower.
in the interior, the overall style of partial movement, embellished seats and center console, highlighting the lively naughty feeling.t-roc's main driving dashboard also uses a full lcd dashboard, which is the first time in the same level.
it is reported that the center console comes standard with a 6.5-inch control screen, and optional 8-inch screen, the system has been in the top of the skoda kodiak equipped with the use of the effect is very good, support carplay, android auto and other mobile phone interconnection.
three petrol(1.0t, 1.5t, 2.0t) and two diesel engines(1.6t, 2.0t).gearbox is a manual and 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and some models will also provide four-wheel drive system to choose from, but the introduction of domestic words, in accordance with the public consistent style, domestic version will do some adjustments.
volkswagen t-roc power selection is still rich, whether it is the pursuit of cost-effective users, or more attention to the sense of control and power performance of consumers, the public t-roc basically meet the prospective car owners desire the
industry in the top of the top car prices, in july 2017 to 15.3 million results, beat saic and saic gm, made car sales crown.
however, if you look at faw-volkswagen's performance table, you will find that faw-volkswagen sales are by jetta, sagitar, magotan, polaris and other cars hold up, in the suv hot today, faw volkswagen did not even have a suv models, it is really incredible.
t-roc listed, with the volkswagen brand backing, do not worry about the degree of concern and brand strength, the initial stage will naturally be much easier than other brands of models, in addition, in this bias in the low-end of the consumer market, t-roc is likely to become a faw-volkswagen's another car models.
from the brand point of view to consider, then the arrival of t-roc, make up the faw volkswagen in the suv market gaps, and for the brand to open up the suv market late pave the way, but a suv, according to the public practice, in addition to the t-roc made in china, is also expected to import t-roc overseas models, to provide users with a different choice of space.


text: Poco has lastly introduced the launch date for its flagship Poco F4 5G everywhere in the world. It has been introduced at this time that the corporate goes to roll out the smartphone at 5:30 PM IST on June 23. Poco has additionally disclosed a few specs of the smartphone earlier than its launch. The Poco F4 5G goes to come back with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, a Liquidcool cooling system, and a triple again digital camera setup.Furthermore, the smartphone goes to characteristic as much as 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM together with as much as 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. However, the telephone could get some extra storage choices. With regards to the community connectivity, the title of the smartphone is clearly suggesting that the system can have 5G help.Poco goes to present its customers two coloration choices of Poco F4 5G though followers won’t be able to see the long-lasting Poco Yellow. Relating to show, in response to reviews, the smartphone goes to characteristic a 1300 nits peak brightness, HDR10+, DCI-P3 coloration gamut, and Truecolour show. The smartphone can also be anticipated to come back with a 120Hz of refresh charge.Other than that, the Liquidcool 2.0 cooling system goes to include a 3,112mm sq vapour chamber together with seven-layered graphite sheets. Stories mentioned that it’s prone to enhance or no less than keep the improved efficiency of the smartphone in excessive gaming periods.The Poco F4 5G’s again digital camera module goes to comprise a 64-megapixel major digital camera together with OIS help. Customers will additional see a flat-edge design impressed by the Apple iPhone 12 lineup.Based on a earlier leak, the Poco F4 5G will include a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED show, Android 12-based MIUI 13 out-of-the-box, and 67W quick charging help. Nevertheless, the compant nonetheless didn’t present any data associated to cost of the Poco F4 5G. The corporate is predicted to cost the smartphone aggressively as a way to get an edge over opponents together with iQoo, OnePlus, and Samsung.


text:
UpdatedSamsung has announced a more powerful Galaxy Note 4, but it's not the one that was rumored and its availability is limited.
The Snapdragon 810 may be in trouble, but apparently that isn't stopping Samsung from testing it out.
UpdatedNew phones from Samsung, LG and others could be in trouble thanks to alleged issues with Qualcomm's next Snapdragon chip.
IBM continues to push the limits of chip technology, despite rumors that it plans to sell its chip-making business unit.
If true, GlobalFoundries acquires a business that loses IBM more than $1.5 billion (£900 million, $1.70 billion) annually.
Intel revealed its latest research at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.


text:
Imaging industry veteran Debbie Sheldon has been hired as regional sales manager by ESP/SurgeX. Her primary responsibilities will be to manage major ESP dealer accounts nationwide and all SurgeX sales in the state of California.
“Debbie has vast experience in the industry and proven success selling power protection and energy management solutions, so we’re fortunate to have someone of her caliber joining our team,” said Dave D’Agostino, vice president, ESP/SurgeX.
Before ESP/SurgeX, Sheldon spent eight years with a technology company rooted in the imaging industry. As a regional sales manager for ESP/SurgeX, she will be responsible for managing key imaging industry accounts and for managing new dealers who are seeking alternative smart energy management, diagnostic, and power protection product lines.
Sheldon’s office will remain in California where she will also manage west coast sales for SurgeX products, serving the AV, digital signage, IT, education, security, and other industries.


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Apple leaks new thinner, lighter iPad ... revenues
China, really bad. iPhones are over hyped. Still, $1bn is $1bn
Apple's iPad sales continue to plummet, and iPhone sales are going flat due to over-hype – but the Cupertino idiot tax operation was still able to haul in a hefty $11bn profit in the past quarter.
The iGiant said that for the three months to April 1, its second quarter of the 2017 fiscal year, it recorded:
- Revenues of $52.9bn, up five per cent from $50.6bn in Q2 2016.
- Net income of $11bn, up five per cent from $10.5bn in the year-ago quarter.
- Earnings per share of $2.10 topped analyst estimates of $2.02.
- The flagship iPhone sold 50.7 million units on the quarter, down one per cent, year on year. Sales of $33.25bn were up one per cent.
- The iPad continued its downward plummet, moving just 8.92 million tablets to drop 13 per cent, and $3.89bn in revenue, down 12 per cent from the year-ago quarter.
- The Mac was a bright spot for Apple, as its longest-tenured product sold 4.2 million units, up four per cent, and $5.84bn of revenue, up 14 per cent.
- Services (including the App Store and Apple Pay) accounted for $7.04bn on the quarter, an 18 per cent increase.
- Apple's Other Products group, a category that includes the Apple Watch and Apple TV, boosted revenues by 31 per cent to $2.87bn year-over-year.
Despite shipments and revenues being virtually flat on the year, CEO Tim Cook talked up the success of what he called "continued robust demand" for the iPhone.
"We've seen great customer response to both models of the new iPhone 7 (Product)RED Special Edition and we're thrilled with the strong momentum of our Services business, with our highest revenue ever for a 13-week quarter," Cook said, blaming the flat sales instead on anticipation of the not-yet-real iPhone 8.
That's right, Apple blames hype around its iPhones for its sales problems. The irony.
China once again proved to be a problem for Cook and Co. While Europe and the Americas reported double-digit growth (10 and 11 per cent, respectively), revenues in China for the quarter were down 14 per cent.
You can grab a transcript of Cook's conference call with analysts earlier today, here. Apple shares were down 1.87 per cent in after-hours trading at $144.75. ®


text:
The finest metaverse tokens can usually present insane earnings for many who invest early, as metaverse leads a technological revolution in the gaming business. Long-time customers of the crypto world are already conversant in Play2Earn (P2E) video games, as titles like The Sandbox have gone up 200x since then. bull market from 2021.
After a profitable first spherical of pre-sales, a brand new GameFi platform referred to as Metacade (MCADE) appears to be the finest signal in the metaverse of the crypto world.
Metacade is the finest metaverse token in the crypto world proper now
The crypto world is full of latest applied sciences that would drive progress in a number of main international markets. One key space of progress is metaversion, the place digital actuality and blockchain applied sciences mix to present an enhanced consumer expertise for avid gamers round the world.
Definitely one in every of the finest metaverse tokens on the market proper now Metacad. The undertaking not too long ago launched its pre-sale, elevating $1.12 million in funding in simply 3 weeks. During the beta section, 140,000,000 MCADE tokens have been absolutely liquidated at a value of $0.008 per token.
The information of the success of Metacade’s first spherical has precipitated fairly a stir in the crypto world, and the preliminary value appears to be undervalued in contrast to the anticipated future worth of the new GameFi platform. Right now, Metacade appears to be the finest metaverse token to invest in in 2023.
Will MCADE give you the chance to attain $1 in 2023?
MCADE is anticipated to improve in value by 2.5x throughout its presale, to a worth of $0.02 per token. From that time, the Metacade group will launch the token on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) throughout the IDO, which can improve the token’s publicity and improve the degree of demand.
The Metacade platform will even launch in 2023 and start delivering the complete GameFi expertise to the massive Web3 consumer neighborhood. Metacade has greater than doubled its Twitter following in the previous month and goals to proceed rising till it turns into the central hub for all issues GameFi.
Experts are extraordinarily optimistic about the way forward for MCADE, suggesting that the token may have an explosive impact on its value in 2023. throughout.
What is Metacade?
Metacade will grow to be the largest arcade on the web, providing many various P2E video games in one place. These video games will present gamers with monetary rewards and there are a number of further mechanics that take the crypto incomes capabilities of this new GameFi platform to a brand new degree.
Aiming to grow to be a central hub for Web3 customers, Metacade’s superior incomes mechanisms present loads of incentive to bounce into the metaverse arcade and reap the benefits of all it has to provide.
The undertaking is utterly community-based, and each characteristic is created from gamers to gamers. Metacade has a particular concentrate on guiding progress in the blockchain gaming house by providing customers of the crypto world quite a lot of strategies to earn crypto-paid revenue.
How does MCADE work?
Metacade’s Play2Earn arcade will reward gamers for progress in video games. The numerous video games on provide might be performed each casually and competitively, and Metacade will even host tournaments the place gamers will compete head-to-head for an opportunity to win prizes paid in MCADE tokens.
Another methodology of incomes MCADE that appears to be one in every of the finest tokens in the metaverse proper now is the Create2Earn performance. Users shall be rewarded for making helpful contributions to the Metacade neighborhood, whether or not it’s sharing the newest details about the crypto world, interacting with different customers, or posting recreation critiques of Metacade titles.
From 2024, Metacade will even announce a crypto job board on its platform. This will join Web3 customers with full-time alternatives at numerous Web3 firms, enabling enthusiastic members of the crypto world to launch blockchain careers.
In addition, the Work2Earn engine will promote part-time jobs starting in 2023, and the Metacade neighborhood can earn MCADE tokens by testing new arcade video games before they’re added to the platform. Users shall be in a position to present suggestions to recreation builders, assist repair bugs, and optimize a brand new recreation before its launch.
Metacade is one in every of the finest tokens in the metaverse. will it change the recreation eternally?
Metacade’s superior incomes potential for customers is a testomony to its neighborhood strategy. The platform plans to instantly assist the GameFi neighborhood and shall be absolutely managed by its customers because it transitions to a decentralized autonomous group (DAO) over time.
The platform additionally plans to assist innovation for recreation builders. New recreation initiatives can submit funding proposals to the Metacade neighborhood, which can vote to determine which new video games are the finest. Winners will obtain a Metagrant to present early stage funding to assist convey a brand new recreation to the Metacade platform.
Does it pay to purchase MCADE?
Metacade is one in every of the finest metaverse tokens on the market proper now due to its one-stop metaverse arcade worth. The platform can grow to be a social hub, a spot to play numerous P2E video games and may help the steady progress in the direction of the crypto world.
The MCADE pre-sale step by step will increase the buy value of MCADE from $0.008 to $0.02 per token. Investors want to become involved shortly as every pre-sale spherical is anticipated to settle shortly. MCADE is actually one in every of the finest metaverse tokens to purchase for 2023 as the undertaking appears set to grow to be a mainstay in the blockchain gaming house.
You can be a part of the MCADE presale right here.


text:
A new lawsuit filed in Chicago last week alleges that beauty giant Ulta has been repackaging and reselling used makeup to its unsuspecting customers for years.
Attorney Tom Zimmerman told ABC7, “It is widespread knowledge that this practice has been occuring at Ulta for years.
Zimmerman represents Meghan Devries, a Chicago woman who works in the beauty industry. She became suspicious about some of the products she purchased from Ulta.
A woman claiming to be a former Ulta employee first brought the allegations to light in early January.
Posting under the Twitter handle @fatinamxo, she wrote that whenever a customer returned a product, employees were instructed by Ulta to repackage or reseal the item and put it back on the shelf for sale. This practice, she said, included everything from makeup to hair and skincare products to fragrances as well as hairstyling tools. Continue reading


text:
UAE based 3D printing firm to make PPE for COVID-19
Proto21, a Dubai-based 3D printing company, has collaborated with the Dubai Police to manufacture more than 1,000 reusable 3D printed face shields for its frontline officers.
The personal protective equipment would be manufactured in the company's 3D printing labs that has been transformed into a manufacturing hub considering the urgent requirement for the devices while battling coronavirus situation in the country, said Pir Arkam, the founder and CEO of Proto21.
The UAE has so far reported 18,198 coronavirus cases with 198 deaths, the Khaleej Times reported.
Proto21 would manufacture several other products such as ventilator splitters and valves for snorkel masks using bio-compatible and durable materials.Akram founded the company in May 2018 in partnership with Dubai Based Joseph Group and company and has been providing 3D printing services to a wide range of industries. CORR RUP
(This story has not been edited by Business Insider and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.)
- Best laptops with 11th Gen Intel i5 processors
- Best laptops with 11th Gen Intel i7 processors
- Best gaming laptops with 11th Gen Intel processors
- Best FreeSync monitors for a smooth gaming experience
- Best condenser microphones to record podcasts, songs and more


text:
Hours after President Trump said Sunday he had "second thoughts" about escalating the trade war with China, the White House sought to explain his remark because it was...Politicsread more
Clouding the G-7 gathering, which represents the world's major industrial economies, are the tit-for-tat tariffs between Washington and Beijing.Politicsread more
President Donald Trump said that he would have a major trade deal with U.K. after it leaves the European Union.Politicsread more
Despite Kudlow's expectations, China said on Saturday that it strongly opposes Trump's decision to levy additional tariffs on $550 billion worth of Chinese goods, and warned...Politicsread more
President Donald Trump said Sunday he was not happy after North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles over the weekend.Politicsread more
Carl Medlock used to work at Tesla. Now he's one of the few people in the U.S. that can fix the company's original Roadster electric vehicles.Technologyread more
The Goldman Sachs technology M&A team, led by Sam Britton, has cashed in on its software focus and decades of experience to dominate 2019's biggest deals.Technologyread more
American small and medium-size companies that rely on China are scrambling to adjust their business plans in response to the escalating trade war.Traderead more
Here are the products that stand to be the most affected by China's new tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.Marketsread more
The summit comes amid fears over a global economic slowdown, and U.S. tensions over trade allies, Iran and Russia.Politicsread more
The world's second biggest economy is past a point where it cannot ignore its enormous debt anymore, according to an analyst.China Economyread more
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:
CarMax — The auto retailer reported quarterly profit of $1.13, 9 cents a share above estimates. Its revenue fell below Street forecasts. Comparable-store used car sales were up 2.8 percent compared to a year earlier.
Lyft — Lyft priced its initial public offering at $72 per share, at the high end of the expected range, after that range was raised earlier in the week. The shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq this morning.
BlackBerry — The communications software company earned an adjusted 11 cents per share for its latest quarter, beating estimates by 5 cents a share. Revenue also beat forecasts, and hit a record for both the fourth quarter and the full year.
RH — The Restoration Hardware parent reported adjusted quarterly profit of $3 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 a share. The furniture retailer's revenue was below Wall Street forecasts, however, and RH cut its full-year earnings forecast, noting negative trends in the high end housing market.
Wells Fargo — CEO Tim Sloan stepped down, saying the bank would benefit from a change in leadership. Sloan had been under increasing pressure as he tried to restore the bank's reputation following the 2016 fake account scandal. Raymond James upgraded the stock to "market perform" from "underperform" following that announcement.
General Motors — GM sold a closed South Korean plant to Tesla supplier Myongshin for an undisclosed price. Myongshin will use the facility for contract manufacturing of electric vehicles. Separately, GM said it would not cut the price of its electric Chevy Bolt even though a federal tax credit is due to drop by 50 percent on Monday.
Boeing — Boeing is facing its first lawsuit over the Ethiopian Airlines crash of a Boeing 737 MAX jet. It was filed in Chicago by the family of Jackson Musoni of Rwanda, one of the crash victims. Separately, investigators looking into crash are said to have reached a preliminary conclusion that an anti-stall system on board misfired, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
DowDupont — DowDupont cut its sales forecast for its first quarter, with the chemical maker citing the impact of floods in the Midwest on its agriculture business as well as weakness in its packaging and specialty plastics units.
Spotify — Spotify was rated "underperform" in new coverage at Credit Suisse, which said that consensus long-term expectations for the music streaming service are too high despite its own forecast of strong subscriber and revenue growth.
Comcast — RBC Capital downgraded the NBCUniversal and CNBC parent to "sector perform" from "outperform," saying it is taking a more cautious view on cable sector fundamentals and lowering its expectations for broadband and video subscriber numbers.
Progress Software — The applications software company reported quarterly profit of 50 cents per share, 3 cents a share above estimates. Revenue exceeded Wall Street forecasts, and the company also raised its full-year outlook. Separately, the company announced the acquisition of privately held Ipswitch, a maker of data file transfer and network management software, for $225 million in cash.
Correction: Progress Software announced the acquisition of Ipswitch for $225 million in cash. An earlier version misstated the figure.


text:
American beverage company Pepsi has been temporarily shut down. Chinese officials.
As of the afternoon of June 22, the rapidly spreading epidemic of coronavirus had infected about 9 million people worldwide, killing more than 468,000 people worldwide. While many countries around the world are currently easing the lockdown despite the rise in corona cases, China has begun cracking down on the new wave of the corona, not just food to stem the new wave of the corona. Shut down the beverage markets, stop importing chicken from the United States, and temporarily shut down Pepsi’s American beverage company.
Authorities in the capital, Beijing, have temporarily suspended chicken imports from the United States and shut down a Pepsi factory in the country in response to a new wave of the corona. Tested on a million people, 22 of whom were diagnosed with corona, and those who were diagnosed with the epidemic all had some activity in the capital’s wholesale market, where daily necessities are sold.
China’s customs department has confirmed that the government has temporarily banned chicken imports from China after new cases were confirmed in Beijing. Chinese authorities have temporarily banned US chicken company Tyson Foods. At the same time, the authorities were instructed to remove the chicken from the company instead of offering it for sale.
Tyson is the largest importer of chicken in China. The Chinese government banned the import of US chicken after several employees at the company’s factory in the United States were diagnosed with corona, Chinese officials said. The beverage company Pepsi also ordered the papad factory to close temporarily. Pepsi was instructed to close the factory after several employees at the factory were diagnosed with corona. The Chinese government took these steps at a time when a total of 220 people have been killed in Beijing over the past few days. New cases have been reported.
Most of the new cases that have appeared in Beijing have been reported in people who come to the fresh wholesale market, shop there, or work there, following a wave of new cases in the fresh goods markets. Fresh goods markets have also begun testing other items, including chicken, vegetables, and fruits. The coronavirus also started in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, but China overcame the corona in just a few months, and the total number of infected people there is less than 90,000 while the death toll is up to 5,000. China has been witnessing a new wave of corona for weeks, and officials fear the situation could spiral out of control if drastic measures are not taken in time to stem the tide.
Reference Urdu Point


text:
The International Wool Secretariat celebrates fashion talent around the world to showcase the beauty and variety of Australian merino wool, the event organizer said in a press release.
His technically advanced jacquard weave design, unique style, intricate design, advanced understanding of both knit and weave techniques, strong color combinations, sustainable approach to local procurement and production Bovan’s sensibility and conceptual approach to fashion impressed the judges.
“When you look at your collection, you see a real thirst for things to move forward and show people what you’ve never seen before. It’s really necessary now and it’s very exciting,” said the American. Fashion designer Tom Brown said. He attended the jury alongside Carine Roitfeld, Eve Kamala, Shaway Ye, Sinéad Burke, Tasha Liu, Tim Blanks and Julie Davis.
Bovan’s Ode to the Sea is inspired by travel and escapism. Experience a traumatic event and come out on the other side. Based in York, Bovan worked with local suppliers and manufacturers to support local businesses, craftsmen and craftsmen through a close supply chain network.
Bovan used AW Haynesworth roll-end cloth, screen printing and hand painting to bring new life to the discarded fabrics. According to the release, the limited production in-house has made the dead stock fabric a commercial limited edition.
“It’s a great honor to win these awards and I’m very excited about where it takes me,” Bovan said. “I was already very excited about the Woolmark Awards platform and experience. By joining the International Wool Secretariat, I want to enhance my brand and raise awareness and knowledge of how to operate as a business or label. It’s great and I’ve loved it every minute. “
Fiber2Fashion News Desk (KD)
UK-based fashion designer Matty Bovan has won the 2021 International Wool Mark Award and the Karl Lagerfeld Innovation Award. Bovan became fellow British designer Edward Clutchley (who won a doubleback in 2019) after a heavyweight panel in the industry chose him as the winner at a special virtual event earlier this month. I joined.
British fashion designer Matty Bovan wins the 2021 International Wool Secretariat Award
Source link British fashion designer Matty Bovan wins the 2021 International Wool Secretariat Award


text:
When searching for products online, Amazon and Google are the leading places to start, according to a study released this week. Thirty-eight percent of shoppers polled reported starting their shopping search on Amazon, with 35 percent searching on Google first.
Males seeking a new pair of shoes online might therefore search on Amazon or Google in relatively similar numbers for “men’s dress shoes,” for example.An additional 21 percent of shoppers report starting at brand or retailer sites. These shoppers are more likely to start their search at a retailer such as Nordstrom or on a brand site like Allen Edmonds. The final six percent of shoppers start their shopping experience on other ecommerce marketplaces like eBay.
The “Mapping the Path to Purchase” study was conducted by PowerReviews, a leading provider of review, rating, and question-and-answer services.
Source: SEO: Most Online Shoppers Start at Amazon and Google, Study Says | Practical Ecommerce


text:
Lynn Haven shoppers losing their Walmart? Store closing 2 days for COVID cleaning
LYNN HAVEN — Walmart has announced that it will temporarily close its Lynn Haven location starting today to clean the site in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases across the nation.
According to a Sunday statement from the retail chain, the Lynn Haven Walmart at 2101 South Highway 77 will close at 2 p.m. today as part of a company-initiated program. The store is set to reopen at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
“As you know, several areas across the country have begun seeing a renewed increase in positive COVID-19 cases, mainly among the unvaccinated and we want to assist health officials working against the pandemic,” the statement reads. “As part of this effort, we have chosen to temporarily close our Lynn Haven store. This will allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store and will also give our associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community.”
The statement notes that everything the company is doing is for the well-being of its employees and customers and in consideration of guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When the store reopens on Tuesday, the company will continue conducting employee health assessments and require all unvaccinated employees to wear face coverings.
Meanwhile, Walmart will continue offering COVID-19 vaccines to customers through walk-in or online appointments, along with giving employees easy access to the shots.
“These protocols and convenient access to vaccinations are in addition to the extensive measures we’ve put in place during the pandemic to help protect our associates and customers,” the statement reads. “We will continue working closely with elected and local health officials, adjusting how we serve the community while also keeping the health and safety of our customers and associates in mind.“


text:
Xiaomi Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite launch highlights: Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite, the two new Xiaomi phones, which are Android One certified devices, were unveiled at an event in Madrid, Spain. Xiaomi hosted a global event to introduce both the Mi A2 devices. Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite are expected to come to India soon, within price range of under Rs 20,000, though in Europe, the prices could be higher depending on the conversion.
Mi A2 comes with features and specifications similar to the Mi 6X, that launched earlier in China, and it is a rebranded version of the same phone. Mi A1 was an revamp of the Mi 5X from China, when it was introduced in India last year. Mi A2 Lite though sports a design with a notch and come with dual-rear cameras at the back.


text:
Posted by Alison Arthur on 04 Sep 2018
Chatbots are popping up in more places than ever, whether we realize it or not. From receiving personalized product recommendations to simply checking the news or local weather, bots are designed to deliver seamless on-demand experiences without relying on human intervention.
One of the most popular platforms for chatbots is Facebook Messenger. It’s estimated that some 300,000 chatbots are now on Facebook Messenger, facilitating approximately 8 billion messages per month between businesses and users. Facebook Messenger is far and away the most used messaging app, with almost twice the users of its nearest rival, Snapchat. Considering that 81% of adults ages 18-29 use Facebook, Facebook Messenger is a natural place for businesses to invest in chatbots to reach younger consumers.
With all the chatbots currently available on Facebook Messenger, what are some ways that businesses are using them to deliver better customer service experiences? Here’s a closer look at five different ways that chatbots are being leveraged to create positive brand interactions.
1. Facilitating personal banking
From Bank of America to Wells Fargo, banks are investing in chatbot technology to help serve their customers. Bots are being used to facilitate everything from balance transfers and credit report updates, to locating the nearest ATM. Chatbots can help make common banking transactions quick and seamless, helping customers resolve inquiries without intervention from customer service representatives. The result is a more personalized and on-demand experience for banking customers.
2. Paying bills
Chatbots are also being used in Facebook Messenger to facilitate bill payments across a variety of industries. From anticipated monthly charges associated with mortgages and auto finance payments, to unexpected bills related to healthcare expenditures, payments can now be made without leaving the Facebook Messenger app. Our chatbot Ella is a prime example. As part of our Orbipay electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) solution, Ella lets customers perform tasks such as making account inquiries, resolving issues, and paying bills. All within the convenient interface of Facebook Messenger.
3. Hailing rides
Rideshare services like Lyft and Uber have introduced chatbots into Facebook Messenger as well. Customers can hail rides simply by using their existing Facebook Messenger accounts, meaning that they don’t need to sign in to a separate app. Riders are now able to request, view, and pay for their transportation directly via Facebook Messenger, making the process of hailing a ride simpler than ever.
4. Driving in-store visits…and sales
The retail beauty giant Sephora uses its Facebook Messenger chatbot to facilitate reservations for in-store makeovers. In a few easy steps, customers can choose a store location and book an appointment with a beauty professional. Using its chatbot to drive these in-store visits and one-on-one consultations have paid off for the company. Sephora reports in-store spending of over $50 for every service booked via Facebook Messenger.
5. Managing hotel reservations
Hotels are also leveraging chatbot technology in Facebook Messenger to service their customers from booking their reservations to settling their final bills. But the real power of these bots might just be in the personal touch they can provide guests throughout their stays. Chatbots can process everything from extra pillow requests to room service orders without tying up hotel staff, creating efficiencies for guests and employees alike. In addition, chatbots also give hotels a unique view into their guests’ preferences and behaviors. This data can be used to help identify upsell opportunities during guests’ stays and provide rich data to help personalize future visits.
Facebook Messenger is just the first frontier for chatbots in customer service. While typing requests through the interface is quick and easy, using voice commands is an even simpler way to deliver on-demand customer service. Intelligent personal assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant take chatbots to the next level by responding to voice commands and performing specific tasks, like paying bills. The result is a faster and more personalized customer service experience than ever before.
The Bottom Line: Customer service delivered via chatbots is a force too big to be ignored. Understand the touchpoints in your business where chatbots can be leveraged to create positive interactions through the channels your customers use most, like Facebook Messenger.
01 Dec 2020 Blog Faster Payments: What it Means for Credit Unions (Webinar Recap) The need for convenient and fast online payments has never been greater. For credit unions, this means getting ahead of the curve. Despite the growing demand, the burning question remains: Where do we start?
13 Oct 2020 Blog Alacriti Insurance Series Part III: How Digital Disbursements Extend a Lifeline While Controlling Costs Insurance companies looking to deliver fast and efficient payouts to policyholders should consider digital disbursements. This blog makes the case for why.


text:
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion series, first released in 1995, is finally getting a global streaming release -- and perhaps unsurprisingly, it's
that has nabbed the seminal anime.
Netflix will stream all 26 episodes of the original anime, along with The End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death (True)2 in "Spring 2019."
The announcement trailer is below:
After watching the announcement trailer above, it seems Netflix is also bringing a whole heap of adjectives for "really blood good", including "beloved", "critically acclaimed" and "influential" -- and, truthfully, Evangelion is deserving of all those plaudits. It's one of the most loved anime franchises the world over but the announcement came as a shock to many because the rights to the series have been notoriously guarded.
Rejoice and remember the famous words of Misato as you sit down on your couch to binge watch the series another time:
"This is your home now, so make yourself comfortable."
CNET's Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018.
Best Black Friday 2018 deals: The best discounts we've found so far.


text:
Learn how you can Unlock Limitless Customer Lifetime Value with CleverTap’s All-in-One Customer Engagement Platform.
When it comes to banking and financial services, Fintech has long been lauded as a disruptor — a technology that comes in and destabilizes the existing infrastructure for better or worse. But what happens when other factors come into play to disrupt the disruptor?
Below, we cover three things that are set to disrupt the Fintech space, particularly in the US. And what it will mean for your Fintech app and brand.
Back in 2016, with Fintech beginning to change how financial services were being delivered, Deloitte listed 5 key takeaways that financial executives had to consider.* These takeaways outlined how Fintech was going to be affecting incumbent companies. They noted how:
For the most part, those factors ended up coming true, leading to a more widespread acceptance of the technology, which the current pandemic has only accelerated on a global scale.
In a recent post, The New Rules of Fintech, Hernando Rubio, the CEO of Fintech startup MOVii, had this to say about the disruption as revolution:
“Banks have been offering services for hundreds of years, but since they have been using old technology and have a very expensive cost structure, their business model is defined based on charging fees. And only 20% of the audience can afford those fees. The other 80% are who the Fintech revolution is for.”
But with the current state of events, there are three factors which may yet disrupt the Fintech industry as it now stands.
Many Fintech startups found success by acting quickly, innovating on products that their customers needed, and supplying affordable financial services supported by cutting-edge digital tools. Suddenly, small startups could provide unbanked people in developing nations with the ability to pay their bills online, and join a world of contactless transactions and digital payments.
But the incumbent financial institutions haven’t just been taking notes, they’ve been investing in — and buying up — Fintech startups, eventually folding the new technology into their tech stacks and product portfolios.
From 2018 to 2020, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup participated in 59 and 38 Fintech deals respectively. In that same time span, JP Morgan invested in 10 companies in capital markets and 5 in SMB solutions. Meanwhile, other US banks like Morgan Stanley, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo backed at least 10 Fintech deals since 2012.*
Every year we read that blockchain technology is on the verge of becoming as mainstream as, say, Facebook. After all, when grandparents start using a digital tool, that only means it’s reached peak adoption.
And blockchain is getting there, with brands like Microsoft, AT&T, Home Depot, Whole Foods, and most recently, Paypal and Square allowing payment using bitcoin and digital currencies.* Something that would have been unheard of a mere 2 years back, when bitcoin was being hailed as a scam and a bubble that would soon burst.*
These days, more and more big businesses are throwing money behind blockchain, trying to be first movers in a mad rush to launch the killer application for it.
But how does this disrupt the current state of Fintech?
The fact that blockchain is a decentralized tool with no one single repository for user data is a huge factor in giving Financial technology an edge. The decentralization can help mitigate fraud and bolster cybersecurity for Fintech businesses, keeping data from being altered even as it is shared between different financial service providers.
This security allows blockchain to not only support digital payments but also smart contracts, share trading between users, and establish a user’s digital identity.
Sure, it’s still in a growth phase and its full potential has yet to be reached, but like other emerging technologies, blockchain should be monitored and explored as its eventual utility might give your Fintech business the advantage it needs.
The pandemic accelerated the usage of Fintech services, bringing about a critical mass of people making use of online banking or digital payments — some for the first time. But, like anything that achieves massive popularity, a battleground appears between supporting new innovations and controlling the older infrastructures that it seeks to disrupt.
Thankfully, the outlook looks positive for the coming year.
Just last January 2020, there were already 108 bills in the US Congress that directly impacted Fintech, with 56% percent of them capturing bipartisan support* – a crucial factor for getting anything approved. These bills ran the gamut from supporting more stringent regulation to improving the industry’s supervisory functions to improving the ways that small businesses could raise capital. Furthermore, there were 199 other bills that indirectly impacted Fintech.
And with the Biden administration being supportive of the Fintech industry, it is expected to be a top priority. According to Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research for Compass Point Research and Trading, financial services issues will fall directly behind the pandemic, health care and the environment as top priorities for the new administration.*
In an interview, Boltansky said: “The fact that we’re still talking about sending people checks in 2020 should be deeply frustrating to everyone involved. So I think there will be a willingness, if not an eagerness, to examine the financial architecture. That provides an opportunity for Fintechs.”*
However the future may play out, the fact remains that Fintech apps are integral to the smooth running of a post-COVID world where contactless transactions are a necessity. And these three factors, though they might spell out new problems for the financial technology industry, are still secondary to the primary challenge of every Fintech app: delivering a personalized, delightful experience that makes life easier for every customer.
The Experience Optimization Pocket Guide


text:
It turns out that my wife and I contributed less to the continuing trend to drive more. Bill McBride of Calculated Risk passed on the following from the Department of Transporation.
Travel on all roads and streets changed by 4.2% (11.4 billion vehicle miles) for July 2015 as compared with July 2014.Here's the graph showing the rapid increase in miles driven over the past year.
Travel for the month is estimated to be 283.7 billion vehicle miles.
The seasonally adjusted vehicle miles traveled for July 2015 is 264.4 billion miles, a 3.9% (9.9 billion vehicle miles) increase over July 2014. It also represents a 0.8% change (2.1 billion vehicle miles) compared with June 2015.
McBride attributes most of this increase to cheaper gasoline. I agree.
That written, local gas prices are about to become less cheap. I'll have a report on that later. Stay tuned.


text:
New Dymocks managing director Steve Cox says the long-term viability of bookstores is assured despite a “challenging” year for the industry in which overall sales fell by 7%, the biggest player collapsed, and the former small business minister flagged the demise of bookstores within five years.
Cox says the last Christmas sales period was the chain’s best ever, and that 2012 has started strongly, with Dymocks identifying expansion opportunities.
“There are lots of opportunities ahead for us, we’re looking for locations,” he told SmartCompany.
Get daily business news.
The latest stories, funding information, and expert advice. Free to sign up.
Cox, who has just taken over from long-time managing director Don Grover, says a strategic review of Dymocks is underway. The company owns a grab-bag of assets such as macadamia plantations, food chain Healthy Habits, and a fledgling publishing arm called D Publishing, which Cox says is making “pleasing” progress.
His priorities include rolling out more stores, creating a “seamless customer experience” across the company’s stores and online network, and getting better value from its customer rewards program, which has about 700,000 members.
The retail veteran wants to tap into the knowledge of the Dymocks franchisees, saying customers value staff who are engaged and can inspire them with recommendations.
Acknowledging that last year was a “challenging” one – with market leader REDgroup Retail, the owner of Angus & Robertson and Borders, collapsing in February 2011 – Cox says it did provide Dymocks with scope to expand.
“The changes in the competitive landscape with Angus & Robertson have certainly opened up new opportunities for us as a brand,” he says.
“People love physical books. Whilst last year of course was challenging with such a large change to the market, it presents a tremendous opportunity for the period ahead.”
“We’re a long way off e-books being mainstream,” Cox says.
With two new stores set to open in the next eight weeks, Cox says he’s looking to grow the network in a “sustainable” way, with about 70 locations identified across Australia Dymocks could move into.
With about 20% market share, Dymocks has almost 90 stores across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The company’s history dates back to 1879 when William Dymocks started selling books in Sydney’s Market Street.
Cox was recruited from within, having joined last year as general manager of buying, marketing and operations, after a retail career spanning David Jones, Specialty Fashion Group, and Selfridges in the UK.
Grover could not be contacted, but his LinkedIn profile says he is the owner of RPS, a strategic consultancy for the retail and property industry.
According to Nielsen BookScan, book sales fell by 7.1% to 60.4 million last year, Nielsen BookScan says, and the value of sales slumped by 12.6% to $1.1 billion.
A report into the book industry late last year found the total value of books sold in Australia in 2010 was $2.3 billion, encompassing both bricks and mortar and online bookshops.
The report recommended cutting the time a local publisher has to decide whether it will publish an overseas book before it can be imported to 14 days. It also recommended dropping the GST on books or, failing that, applying it to online purchases.
Melbourne University Publishing head Louise Adler said at the time that eBooks would rise to be between 6% and 25% of total book sales in Australia by 2014, from about 5%.
“In 2010 over 25,000 people were employed in our industry, 10,000 as content creators, 5000 in publishing and distribution, 2000 in printing, and over 8500 in retail,” she said.
Former Small Business Minister Nick Sherry also provoked outrage by saying: “I think in five years, other than a few specialist booksellers in capital cities, we will not see a bookstore, they will cease to exist.”


text:
The winter holiday season is still months away, but consumers are itching for a festivity. That could explain why domestic spending on Halloween keeps going up. The National Retail Federation predicts $9.1 billion will be spent on candy and costumes and the like for this year’s holiday, up 8.3 percent from last year.
Customer relationship management expert Salesforce came to a similar conclusion. Their research showed a 68 percent increase in halloween-related online searches this season, which they estimate will translate to double-digit increase in online halloween sales. Keeping with broader trends in ecommerce, a larger and larger proportion of those searches are taking place via mobile channels.
Rick Kenney, head of consumer insights at Salesforce Commerce Cloud, believes that Halloween is particularly suited to online shopping because consumers spend a lot of time online checking out the latest seasonal trends:
“During a research-driven holiday like Halloween, where shoppers are looking to create costumes or decorations, digital is benefiting as more visits are leading to purchases.”
With so many eyeballs and pocketbooks in play, top brands are pulling out all the stops to attract attention, convert sales, and carve out an influential position in the Halloween market. Here are five brands that are going big this year:
Put away your Unicorn Fraps, tis the season for something with a lot less whimsy and slightly more dread. This halloween, Starbucks is rolling out a concoction flavored with green caramel apple powder and topped with brain colored pink whipped cream that they are calling the Zombie Frappuccino.
Not one to be outdone by its more upscale rival, Dunkin’ is getting ready to shift away from cold-brewed summer drinks and is launching an Almond Joy hot chocolate to ring in the fall. They will also be running a Halloween costume contest on Instagram.
Entrants can post their getups along with the hashtag #DDHalloweenContest for a chance to win $2,500, a year’s supply of coffee, and see their pic supersized on the Dunkin’ Donuts Times Square billboard.
Also, between October 26th through Halloween, Dunkin’ will be running a Snapchat activation with an interactive game called “Donut Pop,” which unlocks exclusive geofilters and lenses.
Buzz is high for Netflix’s mega hit “Stranger Things,” which is set to return for its second season on October 27th. Farmer’s Insurance is piggybacking on that excitement with a 360-degree video experience called “Stranger Claims.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTqat8EzlTw&w=1300&h=600&rel=0 ]
Actor J.K. Simmons, a spokesman for the brand since 2010, narrates the video, describing several eerie claims the insurance company has covered such as a giant patch of grass that mysteriously disappeared from someone’s yard one night.
Looking for an opportunity to inject some ghoulish fun into the day, Chipotle of Canada will be bringing back its popular ‘Booritos’ promotion. On October 31st anyone in costume can get a burrito for just $3 after 3pm at most Canadian Chipotle locations.
As part of a massive program, Budweiser is launching a Halloween campaign in 17 international markets. It all kicks off with the release of a new music video the brand sponsored for R&B star Kehlani’s song “Touch.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwZq_gTKlfo&w=1300&h=600&rel=0 ]
The beer brand sees a big opportunity to gain traction in a holiday that is being underexploited. According to Andrew Oosterhuis, director of marketing for Budweiser at Labatt Breweries of Canada:
“If you think of occasions you can participate in that have a lot of energy, St. Patrick’s Day is one in the spring, and May 24 weekend is one that kicks off the summer. Halloween is a big occasion in the fall calendar, and there hasn’t been a brand that’s been activating against it at scale.”


text:
Prosper Marketplace is rebranding its mobile app as a “financial wellness app,” the marketplace lender announced this morning. The new app, Prosper Daily, connects borrowers and investors; it allows customers to view all their financial accounts, track spending, and monitor credit scores, among other functionalities.
“By using Prosper Daily just a few minutes a day, consumers can begin to get on top of their finances,” Aaron Vermut, chief executive of Prosper Marketplace, said in a company release.
Prosper typically extends three- or five-year personal loans to borrowers with a minimum credit score of 640. Customers then have an option to indicate the purpose for taking out the loan — including car financing.
Last week, the company appointed auto finance veteran David Kimball, formerly of USAA Federal Savings Bank and Ford Motor Credit Co., to serve as chief financial officer, effective March 18. Prosper Daily is live and available in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.


text:
New York is a city of many things: people, ideas, cultures, lifestyles. In many ways, it represents both conglomerate consumerist culture and the dream of small business, for newcomers and for the people who have held small shops there for generations. A new photo book, Store Front II—A History Preserved: The Disappearing Face of New York documents those small shops that help make New York what it is. But many of them are being driven out of business. In an effort to help preserve the memory of those that have closed their doors and shine a light on those still in operation, the book photographs the stores, just as they are.
Store Front II is a follow-up to James and Karla Murray’s first collection, Store Front, which also collected store front images. But since the book’s recent release, 20% of the stores in the book have closed. Two thirds of the 325 businesses photographed there are now gone. “We’re extremely sad about it,” Karla Murray says. The photographers want to preserve what they can of the city’s small-shop culture.
The Murrays have interviewed hundreds of small business owners all around New York City. They say that part of the problem of operating—and maintaining—a mom-and-pop store is rent hikes. “If [stores] pay rent of say, $10,000, and it goes up to $30,000, they’re finished. That’s it,” James says. But there are other reasons stores go out of business, as New York City’s laws and regulations can make it difficult, especially with so little parking available.
Some residents are trying to slow the speed of their favorite stores’ closings. Small organizations and movements like Jeremiah Moss, who writes a blog called “Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York,” and #SaveNYC, chronicle small NY businesses that need help.
But not every small business is about to go under. In fact, the photo book acknowledges that many of the stores are doing very well. Caputo’s Bake Shop, which opened in 1904, are finding ways to cater to a new generation by making seasonal items available every day.
Store Front II is a wonderful look at New York’s vibrant culture, certainly worth a perusal and the conversation that follows.


text:
Recycled quota crucial for critical raw materials like phosphorous
Phosphorous (P) is a key nutrient in the global food value chain yet arguably one of the most underappreciated essential elements on the periodical table. While the European Commission added phosphate rock to its Critical Raw Materials list in 2014, more needs to be done, now, to simultaneously stimulate recovery technologies and encourage market uptake of recycled phosphorous.
In short, phosphorous is an indispensable element for all forms of life, and amongst other things, plays an important role in the metabolic transfer of energy in plants and animals, in genetic material (DNA), in nerve cells and in bones.
– That’s why phosphorous is a key component in agricultural fertilisers, used to promote plant growth, vitality and yield, and in feed phosphate, to ensure the vitality and health of livestock, says Anna Lundbom, Marketing and Product Sales Manager at EasyMining.
However, phosphorous is a finite resource, extracted primarily from phosphate rock (apatite) that is found in a few deposits around the world. Herein lies the challenge. Globally, approximately 85 percent of the extracted phosphate is used in fertilisers and around 7 percent is used in livestock feeds. In Europe, there is a small deposit in Finland meaning that over 90 percent of phosphorus used in the EU-27 (The 27 member countries of the EU) is imported from outside the EU. In numbers, figures (2017) from Eurostat and Fertilizers Europe suggest that the EU-27 uses about 1.1 million tonnes of elemental phosphorous in European fertilisers.
Growth of sewage sludge incineration
This implies that the entire EU agriculture- and food value chain is almost completely reliant on imported phosphorus, with all the associated geo-socio-political risks that such dependency entails. Thus, from a circular “grow, eat, defecate and flush” perspective, it stands to reason that sewage sludge, a residual of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), would be the natural go-to source of “post-consumer” phosphorous for recycling. Using sanitised sewage sludge as a fertiliser is though strictly regulated on account of it containing other undesirable components, such as heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, consumer chemicals, and microplastics.
As a result, agricultural valorisation of sewage sludge is decreasing. Instead, sewage sludge incineration is fast becoming the sludge treatment method of choice. Especially for high population density countries like the Netherlands, and Germany. In doing so, the volume of sludge material is radically reduced, sanitary safety is ensured, and organic contaminants such as pharmaceutical residues, microplastics or PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) are eliminated.
Leveraging sewage sludge ash
According to figures compiled by EasyMining, an estimated 990 000 (dry) tonnes of sewage sludge was incinerated in the EU-27 in 2017. By 2030, this is expected to over double to around 2.26 million tonnes. Left from incineration is the sewage sludge ash (SSA) that contains both the desirable phosphorous (but in a form which is no longer plant-available) along with unwanted heavy-metal contaminants. This means that as ash, the phosphorous cannot be recycled to agriculture and goes to landfill, something that EasyMining has addressed.
EasyMining has developed Ash2Phos, a proprietary chemical process to recover phosphorus without contaminants from the ash.
– The ash from mono-incinerated sewage sludge typically contains seven to ten percent phosphorus making it a rich source to recover phosphorous from, says Anna Lundbom.
The three-step chemical process is energy efficient using room temperatures and atmospheric pressure.
– With our Ash2Phos extraction process we can recover at least 90 percent of the phosphorous from the sewage sludge ash, Lundbom says.


text:
No official complaints received, says Ethiopian officials in Djibouti
Ethiopian logistics companies and exporters blame Djiboutian authorities of imposing unprecedented bureaucratic impediments and exorbitant service charges.
Companies that talked to The Reporter say that longer wait times for Ethiopian trucks in Djibouti are hurting Ethiopia’s exports.
Djibouti is Ethiopia’s principal port of entry for imports and exports. Over 90 percent of the nation’s imports and exports go through the ports of Djibouti.
According to the companies, the Djibouti Customs Authorities have made it difficult for Ethiopian logistics companies and exporters to operate.
“Djibouti Customs is creating a significant challenge for Ethiopia’s exports, creating hectic procedures for us. As a result, Ethiopian trucks have been standing in Djibouti for days,” a manager of one of the leading logistics firms in Addis Ababa told The Reporter.
Even after fulling filling documents including consignee, notification letter, and many other requirements, Ethiopian traders say they are being asked “unnecessary documents.”
“We also can’t get to other papers and billing documents, but they keep coming up with new requirements even though we told them there was no room for more red tape,” a manager of one of the leading logistics firms in Addis Ababa told The Reporter.
Djiboutian authorities have also raised fees for a variety of services. Ethiopian firms are being charged between USD 65 and USD 70 to finalize a truck paper.
Another logistics company manager expressed concern about the excessive bureaucracy. “Ethiopia and Djibouti have reached an agreement. However, Ethiopian authorities have no say over the transactions and port services provided in Djibouti. Djiboutian authorities have no authority over us,” the manager said.
Unpredictable interventions and delays in Djibouti, according to an exporter The Reporter spoke with, have also become a headache. “How come Djibouti Customs makes such arbitrary decisions on Ethiopian export transactions? The Ethiopian government, not Djibouti, should regulate the processes of Ethiopian exporters. The Djiboutian authorities are free to do whatever they want.”
However, logistics companies and exporters claim that Ethiopian authorities are unable to permanently resolve the issue.
Abebe Tefera, head of the Ethiopian Maritime Authority (EMA) branch in Djibouti, says that the Ethiopian government is already working to resolve the issue. He claims that the operations committee formed in Djibouti is actively working.
“EMA’s Djibouti branch office occasionally receives complaints from export truck drivers about long lines,” Abebe stated. “We intervene to solve the problem by discussing it with their agents.”
The facilitation issues that Ethiopian importers had in Djibouti have recently been resolved, according to Abebe. “A few months ago, our import cargo encountered a facilitation issue that was resolved two weeks earlier by both countries’ customs authorities following complaints submitted to EMA by the freight forwarder and an inquiry made by the operating committee and others; however, no complaint was submitted on export movement.”
Alemu Sime, the new transport and logistics minister, visited Djibouti a few weeks ago to address the issue of imports.
However, Abebe claims that no official complaints have been filed by Ethiopian exporters so far. He says that the operations committee in Djibouti has never received any complaints about export movement facilitation from the logistics companies or exporters.
“No logistics company or exporter filed a complaint with the EMA, which is in charge of coordinating the country’s imports and exports,” Abebe said. He claims that if formal complaints are filed, the problem can be resolved.
“If a logistics company or exporter has encountered a problem with cargo facilitation, it is preferable for them to submit detailed complaints to the EMA in order to obtain a solution through a proper procedure, as the problem of importing cargo facilitation was solved,” he added.


text:
Wed, 25 February 2015
Listener Kabir just returned from a sailing aboard Norwegian Epic, taking him on a seven-night jaunt around the Western Caribbean. Kabir gives us a full Norwegian Epic review, including embarkation, the stateroom, dining options, entertainment, and shares his tips and secrets.
Bill Panoff, president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based PPI Group, began his career as a cruise director and went into cruise publishing. Bill took his company a step further and now has over 60 port shopping lecturers. No one knows cruise port shopping like Bill. He joins us to answer a listener question about Caribbean port shopping.
Stewart Chiron the Cruise Guy has cruise news on:
Thoughts or reviews? Email me: email@example.com
Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net


text:
Federated Selects Co-Man Vendor of the Year Winner
June 03, 2014—Federated Auto Parts announced Monday it has named KYB Americas Corp. as its Outstanding Co-Man Vendor of the Year.
Presented annually, the prestigious Federated Co-Man Vendor awards recognize supplier partners who show dedication and support of the Federated Co-Man operation and programs.
“The Federated Co-Man program has been increasingly successful because of the good work of our suppliers,” said Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts. “KYB has demonstrated exceptional performance, doing [its] part day in and day out to make sure our Co-Man operation runs smoothly and efficiently.”
In addition, NGK was recognized as the Federated Co-Man Vendor of the Year – Order Fill.
“Order fill is very important to our membership and essential to the overall success of the Federated Co-Man warehouse operation,” said Bishop. “NGK is a valued supplier partner and we congratulate them for leading the way in this vital category.”


text:
Native Ad Spend Increased Across Nearly All Industries in 2017
Business Insider | April 4, 2018 - Advertisers opted to invest more heavily in native ad formats in 2017, according to a report by native ad-tech platform Nativo. Native ads, which include sponsored content, replicate the look and feel of the content surrounding them. Nativo found that native ad spend increased across nearly every vertical of the 600 brands it serves. This shows that digital advertisers are leaning more heavily on native ad formats — native ad spend across formats increased 500% from 2014 to 2016, according to an earlier Nativo report.
Four verticals — automotive, travel, finance, and health — led the way in 2017 and accounted for 88% of the year-over-year (YoY) net native ad revenue growth:
- Automotive generated the most native ad revenue and grew 42% YoY.
- Travel was the second biggest vertical, growing 82% YoY.
- Finance & insurance came in third with 54% YoY growth.
- Health & fitness was the fourth biggest vertical, growing 12% YoY.
The growth in native ads signals that more brands are looking to avoid poor user web browsing experiences, which traditional nonnative ads contribute to. The majority of US consumers now want an improved web browsing experience — 51% of Americans believe websites should cut down on their ad loads, according to a separate March 2018 survey by Instart Logic. Moreover, nonnative ads, like pop-ups and large banner ads, can cause websites to crash, leading to negative consequences for companies; 36% of US consumers said they'd never visit a mobile website or app again if it crashed, per Instant Logic.
And brands should continue to invest in native ads because it may become harder for nonnative ads to reach web users. Wells Fargo and Optimal.com forecast 100 million consumers in the US will be ad-block users in 2020, up from 44 million in 2016, per Business Insider Intelligence. Moreover, Google started rolling out its ad “filter” equipped Chrome browser in February, which blocks ads deemed to provide bad user experiences. Native ads, however, are less susceptible to being detected by ad-blocking software. A growth in native ads is in line with Business Insider Intelligence’s bullish stance on native ads: We predict native ad revenue will make up 74% of total US display ad revenue in 2021, up from a 51% share in 2016.
Business Insider subscribers can read the full article by clicking the button below.


text:
After the spectacular London launch of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the company recently unleashed the device in Dubai. Huawei officials, reselling partners and sellers from the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan attended the extravaganza. Techies and bloggers were also invited to the event.
At the occasion, while talking to More News, GM Huawei Pakistan, Mr. BlueKing said,” Huawei Mate 20 Pro is the best smartphone in the world for this year”. Comparing the Mate 20 Pro with Galaxy Note 9 and iPhone XS Max he said, “After using all the three phones you can easily spot the difference between them”.
The highlight of the phone remains its advanced Ai enabled chipset and the amazing camera. “Huawei has improved its screen technology a lot in Mate 20 Pro. SuperCharge Technology and AI photography are the two things I am personally a fan of,” said Muzammil Raza, Business Unit Head – Huawei (MNP).
“Mate series is the premium flagship series from Huawei and this time Huawei is further upping the ante by providing additional features,” said Muneer Ahmed – CEO, Friends Mobile. Mate 20 Pro also comes with the company’s amazing 40W ultra-fast charging that produced amazing results when put to test.
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a 6.39-inch curved OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The panel has a 2K+ (3120 x 1440) resolution and a massive 86.90% screen-to-body ratio.
It is equipped with a 40MP f/1.8 wide-angle sensor, a 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto sensor with OIS, a unique use of three cames seen for the very first time in any smartphone.
Kirin 980 sits in the heart of the Mate 20 Pro. A 128GB memory option coupled with 8GB RAM makes it an instantly desirable phone.


text:
Tuesday's Top Upgrades (and Downgrades)
This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature sell ratings on a pair of big health care companies -- Intuitive Surgical and AstraZeneca , balanced by ...
A big buy recommendation for BlackBerry
Last night's revelation that Microsoft was willing to pay big bucks to acquire cash-burning Nokia had an unexpected result of making rival smartphone maker BlackBerry seem more attractive this morning.
According to StreetInsider.com, Merrill Lynch is warning that the combination of Nokia's money-losing smartphone business with Microsoft's ample cash coffers is "mostly negative" for companies that compete with Nokia -- like BlackBerry. Regardless, StreetInsider says that as of Tuesday, a research shop by the name of "Makor" has decided to initiate coverage of BlackBerry not with the logical "sell" or "neutral" ratings, but instead with a "buy."
Makor says BlackBerry shares, selling for $10 and change today, are destined to hit $14.60 within a year -- a 41% jump -- and investors are leaping aboard, as BlackBerry rises 2.4% in early Tuesday trading. But is that the right move?
There may be something to the idea that, if Microsoft will shell out $7.2 billion to buy a cash-burning Nokia cell phone division, it follows that someone else might spend even more money to buy unprofitable -- but free cash flow-positive -- BlackBerry. However... who?
I honestly don't see any buyers on the horizon for BlackBerry. And while the prospect of buying a free cash flow-stream of $1.9 billion annually -- for a market cap less than three times that sum -- is certainly intriguing, the fact remains that BlackBerry's profits are expected to shrink 6% per year over the next five years, so the free cash flow number is likely to shrink as well. Time may be running out for BlackBerry to find a suitor.
Is Intuitive Surgical crashing?
Switching tracks now to examine the day's bad news, StreetInsider has Chicago-based First Analysis Securities downgrading robotic surgery specialist Intuitive Surgical to an "underweight" rating, which news may explain why the stock is trading down slightly.
The stock hasn't really recovered from its big crash back in July, when Intuitive first warned investors to expect weak earnings -- then missed analyst estimates just a couple weeks later. Yet even so, still trading at 22 times earnings, First Analysis has its doubts that Intuitive Surgical stock is a bargain. Free cash flow at the firm -- $758 million over the past 12 months -- is still running comfortably ahead of reported GAAP earnings ($706 million). Yet, expectations for long-term earnings growth have sunk into the mid-to-low teens. As a result, the stock doesn't look particularly attractive even at its price-to-free cash flow ratio of 20, or its enterprise value-to-FCF ratio of 18, either.
To justify these kinds of earnings multiples, Intuitive simply has to find a way to grow faster than analysts think it can -- and until Intuitive proves the analysts wrong, First Analysis is probably right to be cautious.
AstraZeneca is no star
Speaking of companies with less-than-attractive growth prospects, analyst estimates for Britain's AstraZeneca look positively bleak. On average, analysts expect to see this company's earnings erode at the rate of nearly 10% per year, every year, for the next five years. Little wonder then that, looking at the stock and its 12.5 P/E ratio, analysts at Copenhagen's Danske Bank still aren't convinced the stock is cheap.
On Tuesday, Danske cut its rating on AstraZeneca from "hold" to "sell." This comes even though the company is churning out $7.3 billion annually in free cash flow and using that cash to pay its shareholders a beefy 5.7% (according to S&P Capital IQ) dividend yield.
That's a very attractive number, of course, even without earnings growth. The question, of course, is how long AstraZeneca can afford to pay such a rich dividend -- or how long it will consider it wise to spend that money on dividends, rather than, say, additional product research or acquisitions of promising target companies. Because with profits on the downturn, there's really little other than the dividend to recommend this stock to investors.
All it should take is one announcement of a dividend cut to send investors fleeing, and AstraZeneca stock falling.
Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intuitive Surgical and Microsoft.
The article Tuesday's Top Upgrades (and Downgrades) originally appeared on Fool.com.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
Salem City Council rejects proposal for Costco, shopping center in south Salem
The Salem City Council rejected a proposal for a shopping center Monday night — including a 168,550-square-foot Costco Wholesale store — on the city’s southeast side, dealing a blow to developers who've already invested $3.7 million in the project.
The council shut down the proposal primarily because the Costco would draw customers from around the region, despite neighbors' preference that the shopping center be limited to local traffic.
Also debated was whether it was necessary to remove massive oak trees from the site.
The surprise decision was a setback for developers trying to transform the grassy field along Kuebler Boulevard SE into a shopping hub with Costco as its centerpiece.
Portland-based development firm PacTrust owns the land where the shopping center would be built and has other investment interests in the city — namely a set of pricey industrial buildings at the Mill Creek Corporate Center.
PacTrust had already invested approximately $3.7 million for improvements — such as the widening of Kuebler Boulevard SE — with plans to spend another $2.6 million for road upgrades, according to company officials.
David Ramus, a PacTrust vice president and chief operating officer, argued the council had approved the development of a shopping center on the site in 2007.
But that line of reason wasn't enough to sway today's councilors, many of whom weren't members of the 2007 cohort.
On Monday, they voted 5-3 to reverse an October decision by city planning staff that had paved the way for the 24-acre Kuebler Gateway Shopping Center.
"I know what a regional store is, and that's a regional store," said Councilor Steve McCoid, who worked in a grocery industry trade association in the 1980s and 1990s.
McCoid is a South Salem resident: "It doesn't belong in a neighborhood like that."
On Tuesday, Councilor Tom Andersen said Costco could appeal their decision with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. "I believe it will, as is perfectly proper," he wrote in a social media post. "Stay tuned for further developments (pun intended!)."
In an interview, Mayor Chuck Bennett worried the vote puts Salem's land-use decisions on shaky ground.
"I think it does scare people off. You don't know whether land-use decisions are real here right now," Bennett said. "They're situational, and I think that's concerning."
Shari Reed, a PacTrust vice president, told the Statesman Journal that they will have an internal discussion and determine what to do moving forward.
Peter Kahn, a Costco real estate official, said, “We need the dust to settle” before considering an alternate location.
Salem residents testified for about two hours, with most criticizing the shopping center plan, which, in addition to Costco, would have included four retail buildings and a fueling station with as many as 30 pumps.
Kuebler Boulevard SE, 27th Avenue SE, Boone Road SE and Battle Creek Road SE would have bounded the proposed development.
The public hearing came after the city of Salem in October approved a site plan for the proposed development, pinning 17 conditions onto that approval. For example, one condition required 16 Oregon White Oaks to be included in the development's landscaping.
However, the planning decision was appealed. Opponents’ argument hinged on whether the shopping center would attract customers from the local area or around the region.
On Monday, council chambers became so full — pushing up against the room’s 184-person capacity — that members of the public were redirected to overflow space inside the Salem Public Library, a rare sight for the meetings.
More than 50 people signed up to testify.
One of the appellants, the South Gateway Neighborhood Association, argued before councilors that the proposed development would draw customers from around Marion and Polk counties instead of having the smaller impacts of a neighborhood shopping center.
The association’s chairman, Glenn Baly, told councilors that what residents were promised was not what developers are trying to deliver. He referred to the Costco as a “massive warehouse.”
Baly also pointed to traffic impacts and concerns about the removal of large Oregon White Oaks on the site of the proposed development.
Baly said neighbors were not opposed to Costco coming to South Salem, or PacTrust developing the land. But, he contended, developers appeared to be attempting to park a semi-truck in a space for a compact car.
Several audience members clapped after Baly’s testimony, prompting Bennett to threaten to shut the public hearing down.
Trevor Phillips, who lives near the proposed development, pointed to a Tree City USA banner hanging from the chamber wall near City Manager Steve Powers. He said he didn’t see the need to take the trees out.
In the run up to the meeting, Costco had sent out a letter, signed by Kahn, to members urging them to come to the council meeting and support the proposal.
On Monday, Kahn told councilors Costco prides itself on “being a good corporate citizen.” He said Costco has approximately 380 employees in Salem, with a yearly payroll of about $9 million.
“We have quite simply outgrown our current facility, a fact that most members in this room could easily attest to,” he said.
Costco considered expanding its current location on Hawthorne Avenue SE. But physical constraints around the site make doing so “impossible,” he said. They also looked to other locations inside and around the city.
“This proposed location is the only one that met all our needs, including the same zoning classification that applies to our current facility,” Kahn said. “We would not be here today if we were not satisfied that locating there complied with the law and met our own standards for safety and development.”
McCoid moved to reverse the city planning decision. He found support from Councilors Andersen, Chris Hoy, Matt Ausec and Sally Cook.
Bennett, as well as Councilors Brad Nanke and Jim Lewis, voted against McCoid’s motion. Councilor Cara Kaser was absent.
On news of the rejection, Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, said on social media the vote marked the third "anti-business" move by the Salem council, pointing to earlier decisions on blocking a third bridge and a recent plastic bag ban as examples.
"I am working behind the scenes with city, chamber and other officials to see what we can do to help Costco find Keizer!" Post wrote.
Email email@example.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter @jonathanmbach.
Support our journalism: Become a Salem Statesman Journal subscriber today and get unlimited digital access to support stories like this one.


text:
The current wave of AI innovation is making “smart” TVs smarter.
At CES 2024 this week in Las Vegas, giant and startup TV manufactures alike are rolling out new AI integrations to power viewing, advertising and shopping.
Earlier this week, Telly — a startup that gives people a free 4K TV in exchange for more ads — debuted a new voice AI assistant called “Hey Telly.” Built with OpenAI’s large language model, the chatbot helps operate the TV, chat with viewers and behave in ways similar to ChatGPT. With three possible characters to start — and more to come — the chatbot can also provide personalized recommendations based on who’s watching. It’s also exploring ways of using generative AI platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E to let people make generative AI images for TV screensavers.
Besides using OpenAI’s LLMs, Telly also employs others for various tasks. For example, it uses a separate voice engine that can translate speech to text and then use that raw text for various AI models depending on uses.
“We have brought in the models, all the processing, that we see fit for the use case,” said Telly chief product officer Sascha Prueter.
Beyond startups, giants like Samsung, LG and Hisense are all adding AI to new TVs to improve picture and sound quality. For example, some use visual recognition to optimize the screen based on the content someone is watching or playing. Others are using AI to optimize audio by analyzing a room’s background noise and voices.
TV manufacturers also hope new AI features will make screens more useful beyond entertainment — options include assisting people with workouts, providing telehealth tools, and becoming a hub for controlling other smart home devices. One end goal is to potentially replace other smart screens from companies like Amazon and Google by making the TV a central hub for everything in the home.
Some marketers who attended CES said they think new transparent TVs from LG and Samsung — also powered by new AI processors — offer compelling uses beyond showing viewers what’s on the wall behind their big screen. For example, the newly unveiled devices — which can operate like a normal TV or turn off to be clear as glass — might someday be used by retailers to give passersby new ways to window shop.
AI is also enabling more options for commerce. Telly has added new AI-powered image recognition tools that show products to buy depending on what’s on the screen. In a demo for Digiday during CES, a televised basketball game showcased products worn by players that can then be bought directly through Telly. Advertisers will also be able to sponsor product ads to show alongside other unpaid personalized recommendations.
Telly isn’t the only TV startup thinking about AI and e-commerce. Another on the showroom floor at CES was Displace, which initially debuted a wireless TV at CES 2023. This year, the startup’s added a way to use hand gestures — which the TV recognizes with AI — to tell the TV to pause the show, analyze the screen for various products before Displace suggests similar products to buy.
Unlike Telly, Displace doesn’t plan to run sponsored product ads, but one of its TVs does have an NFC reader so people can tap their preferred method of payment to buy something on Amazon or another platform. (Displace is also using OpenAI’s technology along with various other sources.) Displace’s new features also hope to ultimately provide recipes and show where to buy ingredients based on a cooking show someone is watching in their kitchen.
“We are building a TV platform,” said Displace founder and CEO Balaji Krishnan. “This is exactly what happened with smartphones. Before smartphones, everything was SMS-based messaging. And even payments — PayPal started with email, but now everything is integrated into the phone because companies like Apple and Google created a platform … We are trying to create a contextual thing for the TV set.”
Of course, the AI used in new cameras and voice tools also creates new privacy concerns: How do they make sure their faces, conversations, credit card data and other information aren’t leaked by one of the LLMs that process them? Prueter also said Telly’s survey data is “highly confidential” and won’t be fed back into ChatGPT or other public AI models.
To offer a sense of privacy, Telly’s camera has a shutter in front and requires permission before taking a photo, but other sensors know when people are watching and how many are in the room. On Displace’s devices, the camera pops up and can get closed into the screen whenever they don’t want to use it.
Although ads are part of Telly’s pitch — people need to fill out a lengthy survey with more than 100 questions that helps to personalize features and advertising — that’s not the case for Displace. When asked about whether Displace plans to offer retargeting for advertisers, Krishnan said the company “will never sell data” because ads “aren’t our thing.”
“What we are enabling is the advertisers now can actually pay their ads in a way that is interactive and transactional,” Krishnan said. “Because they’re already playing ads….Like if you look at the Super Bowl ads, they’re millions of dollars worth of ads, but they’re not interactive.”