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Archive for the ‘Shopping trends’ Category
I’ve been up all night and I have a DVD and two pairs of pajamas to show for it. I spent most of Black Friday eve and overnight broadcasting from MyTalk107.1 and the calls from shoppers never stopped–even at 3 a.m. Here’s what we know:
1. Yes, people will shop on Thanksgiving. Mall of America reports 15,000 shoppers showed up for its midnight opening. By 10 a.m., 81,000-that’s right–had walked through the doors, almost halfway to last year’s total of 200,000 Black Friday shoppers, a record MOA expects to break today. Target had 1,500 in line when the Bloomington, Minn. store opened at midnight. In California, a Target line topped 6,000. Retail analysts are already predicted midnight may be the new normal for Black Friday openings.
2. TVs are big. In size, and Black Friday popularity. The prices we’re seeing today are rock bottom, and experts don’t expect them to go much lower, even as the Super Bowl approaches. So if you can still find a deal on a LCD screen, take it.
3. Wal-Mart needs to regroup. Truly, the only negative shopping reports we heard from the front lines were from Wal-Mart. Shoppers did not have to wait outside, since the store was open all Thanksgiving, but that may have actually led to more problems. The “doorbuster” items, which went on sale at 10 p.m. and another round at midnight, were on shrink-wrapped palates in the aisles. So customers gathered around them, leading to pile ups, traffic jams and walking hazards in the crowd. We talked to many shoppers who left empty handed.
4. Speak up. Yes, it’s a crazy day, but that hasn’t stopped some super shoppers from asking for price matches, and often, they get them. My favorite pay off story came from a caller who was annoyed by a “Buy One Get One” offer. He expected if he bought one, he’d get one. Right? Turns out, it was buy one, get one 50 percent off. When he complained at Menards, they gave him the second item for free.
5. Black Friday this year is truly about hitting the stores. Retailers are saving their best online deals for Cyber Monday.
6. Shopping is the American way. Shopping for themselves, shopping with friends, shopping just to be part of event. We entered an alternative universe where people gladly spent the night out, in crowds, spending money, waiting in lines and not even complaining about it.
In the constant quest to get shoppers excited and make the evening news, both Target and Mall of America announced today their plans to open at midnight on Black Friday. It actually seems more civilized than 3 or 4 a.m. I’d rather stay up late than crawl out of bed in the middle of the night to shop.
Black Friday hours have been creeping earlier for years. Last year, several chains, including Sears and Gap, were open on Thanksgiving Day. Premium Outlets, including Albertville, has opened at midnight the past few years–creating traffic jams in the process.
Target says the decision to open four hours earlier than last year was based on customer demand. Mall of America has 70 of its 500-plus retailers signed on for the midnight opening. It will be interesting to see what the deals are like: longer hours could actually help retailers create more of a party atmosphere–putting the emphasis on the event of shopping, rather than the blockbuster deals that have become synonymous with Black Friday. But it would have to be a really excellent party. Discounts are the reward for staying up late or rising extra early, and it won’t be easy to change that.
P.S.: Macy’s announced on Monday that its stores will open at midnight on Black Friday as well.
Will you shop at midnight?
stores will unveil a new department Tuesday, May 24 that goes beyond toys. Booster
is aimed at the rest of the family – teens, parents, even grandparents – with a mix of function and fun at a variety of price points. Official tagline: “Booster – An ever evolving collection of tools and treasures to amp up everyday life.” The theme will change every 60 days. First up: Country Fair Flair. You’ll find pick-n-pack soda pop, aprons, hammocks and mason jars with illuminated tops. Creative Kidstuff has been scouring markets around the world for months to bring in fresh ideas.
Twin Cities biz whiz Stacey Finnegan sold il Vostro Boutique at 50th & France to focus on an innovative e-commerce site launching today: Zinqstyle.com. On the surface, it’s another online store, selling many of the contemporary brands Finnegan carried in her bricks and mortar store – Hale Bob, Petit Pois, Cirelo jewelry. But her intent is to create the next chapter in interactive online retailing. Zinq’s tagline: “Fashion + Technology + Entertainment. Be part of the story.”
Zinq is partnering with brands like Hale Bob to produce fashion shows featuring upcoming collection. Yes, you can already see fashion shows in real time elsewhere in cyberland. But Zinq will take orders on the spot. So consumers can not only preview next season’s trends, but reserve them before they hit stores. The customer gets to be first; the manufacturer finds out what will sell and can adjust production accordingly to cut back on overstock.
Finnegan believes this is the answer to the damaging cycle of discounting and sale buying fueled by overstock and designer discount websites. “We’re training people to wait until they get everything at a price that can’t sustain the designer anymore,” Finnegan says. “The more we play into these Gilt Groupe sites, the damage we’re doing to the whole fashion ecosystem is significant. I’m trying to build excitement at the front end.”
Stay tuned for details: Zinq plans to stage its first live fashion show in Minneapolis (to be broadcast online) in May. Meanwhile, enjoy an introductory offer of 20 percent off Hale Bob and a gift with purchase, April 9 to 17.
Reduce the closet clutter, do good for the world by recycling perfectly good clothes and justify a new purchase with a discounts. Sounds like a formula for success. Amore & Fede is launching a Denim Exchange program at its 50th & France store this week – following in the footsteps of Bibelot, which added resale at its Como store last year. I bet we’ll see more of this repurposing and rewarding from local retailers anxious to keep us shopping. Here’s how it works at Amore & Fede: earn up to 25 “exchange dollars” for your gently worn jeans – maximize your earnings by bringing in brands sold at the store, like Miss Me, True Religion and Rock & Republic. The used jeans will be available for sale, along with Amore & Fede’s huge stock of new denim. The store plans to expand its exchange program to cruisewear in the coming weeks.
Year end recap lists are fun, but I’m more intrigued by those that dare to look ahead. Ann Mack is director of trendspotting for JWT marketing group. These are just a few emerging trends she says we should watch for in 2011:
The Nail Polish Economy: The old story goes, women treat themselves to lipstick during times of economic uncertainty. But Mack says nail polish sales continue to rise, making it the “it” accessory. Look for unusual takes, like leather nails and purposefully chipped nails. And watch for unexpected brands to get in on the trend: Volvo, for example, is offering polishes that match three color options for the new S60.
High-end temporary tattoos: One has only to look at Eva Longoria Parker’s tattooed ode to her soon-to-be-ex to shy away from permanence. “We’re a non-commitment culture,” Mack says. As such, temporary skin art is gaining popularity…beyond grade-school birthday parties. Chanel and House of Dereon are among the fashion houses doing limited addition temporary tattoos.
Virtual Mirrors: A camera displays a customer’s image on a screen, which then overlays various types of makeup, allowing shoppers to preview products and play with options. It works with clothes, too – and allows shoppers to share looks via mobile and social media. Shiseido is rolling out the technology in Europe; Wal-Mart is testing it in the U.S.
F-Commerce: Look for more opportunities to buy and sell without ever leaving Facebook. Victoria’s Secret, 1-800-Flowers.com and Delta Airlines are already doing it.
Costlier Cotton: The global cotton supply has taken a hit due to a severe drought in China, floods in Pakistan and other disturbances. As a result, Mack says consumers will likely feel the effect with higher prices.
Bamboo: It’s already touted as the sustainable building material of the future. Now, Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color is using bamboo extract in its HerbaShine for “radiant color.” Mack expects to see more bamboo everywhere from bicycles to clothing to kitchenware.
Tube-Free Toilet Paper: Toilet paper is undergoing its biggest change in a century, Mack says. Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Naturals is coming out with a tube-free version (currently being tested in select U.S. stores), and we’ll see more brands follow suit in a bid to better compete on the green front.
It’s 9:30 p.m. and the malls are getting ready to close – but not Macy’s. The Rosedale Center store and select others nationwide will be open straight through 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Who shops Macy’s at 3 a.m.? Apparently enough insomniacs that it justified bringing this Christmas campaign back for a second year.
The whole idea of the “pop up shop” is to keep us interested – it’s there just one weekend so you’ve got to shop now. It might pop up in one place this week, and another next month. But now, so many pop ups are popping up that Sairey Gernes wanted to avoid the term for her shopping event next week. She’s calling it the No-Storefront Storefront. Cumbersome, but gets your attention. Gernes is the founder of Irely Intimates with a design studio and manufacturing facility on the West Side of St. Paul. She’s opening her space to several other local, women-owned brands: Urban Junket and Post- bags, StormSister Spatique beauty products, Foat lifestyle apparel, Nontoxique nail products and Attagirl crocheted accessories. They’re promising shopping, mingling and great deals. Takes place 4 to 9 p.m. Dec. 16; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 17 to 19 at 432 Wabasha St. S., St. Paul.
An M&M hands out treats to my Elmo and others at Coach
I took my 6-year-old vampire and 2-year-old Elmo to the mall trick-or-treat this afternoon because A) Not even massive quantities of Skittles and Three Musketeers could have powered me through another four hours of answering, “Not until the sun sets” when asked every five minutes, “Is it time to go trick or treating?” B) I don’t like to be cold. And C) I thought perhaps I might steal a few minutes to browse for a new sweater.
As Halloween spending continues to rise – $5.8 billion by this year’s estimates – shopping centers and main street shopping districts have figured out how to play up their status at the modern day town center, giving us a place to show off our little Batmans and princesses before nightfall. I was at Southdale Center, which did a fine job of creating a party atmosphere with crafts in center court, giveaways for kids and train rides (albeit, $3 a pop). But as we left the Aveda store with nothing more than a Starburst, I couldn’t help but think most retailers did not make the most of this animated crowd – a crowd that included many who surely would not have been shopping today, were it not for the desire to find a temperature controlled place to celebrate; a crowd that included many who would gladly have been shopping, were they not chaperoning Harry Potter or Mini Mouse.
It’s not that I’m trying to pick on Aveda, but for a retailer that frequently boasts about its free tea and mini massages, why not serve up a little slice of that bliss to the handlers of the little monsters? How about tossing us a sample size lotion, the scent of which would have lasted long after the sugar high faded? Likewise, Bath & Body Works missed a chance to slip shoppers a lip balm or scented hand sanitizer. The Children’s Place skipped Halloween, as did Abercrombie, which plays like a bad attitude for stores that clothe the trick-or-treating set. Macy’s did nothing, which was sadly expected. But the non-player that really got me: Godiva. A chocolate shop – boycotting the mall trick or treat? As if I would consider shelling out $10 for two of their “Halloween chocolates” when they didn’t even care enough to give kids a little taste? Meanwhile, Cinnabon, which also earns its keep selling treats gave away mini cupcakes and Ben & Jerry’s and the smoothie bar had chocolates at the ready.
The one store that really seemed to make the most of the occasion: The Limited, which handed out mini chocolates wrapped with orange paper that said “Sweet Treat – A Gift from the Limited (Unwrap to see yours).” Inside the wrapper was a coupon for 25 percent off – good through tomorrow. So sweet. So simple. So useful – especially considering I never did get time today to look for that sweater. Now I know where to go first when I return to the mall.


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CHANGES have been announced by the Queensland government to help ensure supermarkets stay stocked to deal with unprecedented demand for groceries.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said new laws would enable the government to address planning conditions that currently restrict the operating hours of loading docks and distribution centres.
The changes are to come into effect in days and allow them to operate 24 hours a day when necessary.
“We’ve seen unprecedented demand for groceries like non-perishable food, toilet paper and other essentials,” Premier Palaszczuk said.
“We are not running out of products. But we need to make these changes to get products on the shelves as quickly as possible.
The Australian Logistics Council congratulated the Queensland Government for its move.
“The Queensland Government should be applauded for taking this decisive step, which will support the logistics sector and local communities in the face of this unprecedented situation,” said ALC CEO Kirk Coningham.
“As ALC has emphasised… one of the biggest challenges to keeping supermarkets and other retail stores stocked in this period is the ability to physically get goods to consumers,” he said.
“The most effective way to overcome instances of panic buying is to reassure the Australian community about the availability of essential day-to-day items, and the best way to provide that reassurance is to make certain products are on shelves when consumers need them.”
“Curfews on delivery vehicles imposed by local governments have been inhibiting that outcome, and the Queensland government’s decisive action is a welcome recognition that the logistics sector must be supported in its efforts to get goods to consumers during these extraordinary times.”
Mr Coningham said other state and territory governments should match Queensland’s move. “We welcome the support of the Queensland Government in working with Coles to ensure we can get more deliveries into our stores and customers can buy the things they need.”

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The Pixel Launcher is one hallmark of Made by Google phones that has remained relatively unchanged over the years. Google is now letting you disable weather from appearing at the top of the Pixel Launcher in At a Glance.
Google Weather Stories June 10
Google Weather Stories June 1
Google Weather Stories May 27
Assistant Smart Displays can either display a clock or photos when they are not actively used. Google is now offering a new background “Photo Frame” that brings the Weather Frog from mobile Search to Nest Hubs.
Google Weather Stories May 21
Google Weather readies Material Theme redesign, new menu
For years, Google’s “Weather” applet on Android has used a fairly straightforward design with elements from the original 2014 Material Design. Now, Google Weather is in the process of being updated to be more in line with the Google Material Theme.
Google Weather Stories February 22
Google Weather Stories December 13, 2020
There are a handful of ways to check the weather with Google from Search on the web and Android to Assistant voice commands. As of this evening, Google Weather is partially down worldwide across multiple platforms.


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Now, it’s users of the photo sharing app Snapchat whose risqué pictures are on display. Reports indicate that 100,000 personal pictures and videos have been stolen and posted publicly. Many of these are images of partially or fully undressed minors, which fall into the category of child pornography.
Besides the – apparently not-so-obvious – suggestion that storing, posting, or sharing risqué photos online is never a good idea, there are some other takeaways for everyone to consider.
But first, here’s a quick look at each of these examples.
In the case of the celebrity incident, Apple said the hack was not due to a breach in any of Apple’s services, but rather from a targeted attack against celebrities that focused on finding their user names, passwords and answers to their security questions.
In other words, Apple says it’s the user’s fault, and posted the following advice: “To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification. Both of these are addressed on our website at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4232.”
For Snapchat users, this follows on the heels of two other incidents. The first incident at the end of last year involved a true hack of Snapchat (instead of a 3rd party app) that exposed the user names and phone numbers for 4.6 million account holders. Then, in May, Snapchat was forced to acknowledge in an FTC settlement that they deceived consumers when they claimed that user’ photos and videos actually ‘disappear forever’ and that user images ‘aren’t saved’. The company was also found at fault for a slew of other misrepresentations.
Who should know more about securing data, consumers or technology companies?
Digging deeper into the ‘blame’ game raises concern regarding corporate responsibility, and building consumer facing products with consumer’s best interests at heart.
Looking at Apple’s comments, they cited consumer’s weak passwords, lack of 2-step authentication, and social engineering for the celebrity hacks.
- Why does Apple allow users to create weak passwords? Companies know users struggle with this, so why aren’t they helping users out with tips, suggestions – and requirements for strong passwords that won’t easily be hacked. Learn more: Password Perfect – Make Strong Passwords Every Time
- Why doesn’t Apple require 2-step authentication? Most users don’t see the opportunity, or understand the need, for stronger authentication, but the company does understand this. So, why have they not helped users by making this mandatory? Learn more: Two-Factor Authentication Is Only as Strong as YOU Make It.
- Why does Apple use insecure security questions? An insecure question is one where a hacker can easily collect the information – either through a search on records, or by social engineering for answers to known questions. It is far safer to have users come up with their own questions so a social engineering hacker can’t know what to ask about, and give users advice about strong questions and very private answers.
In the case of Snapchat, consumers had every reason to believe their images disappeared after 10 seconds. They were specifically told that the company did not store the images, and they weren’t informed that their images and videos were accessible to others through means that allowed recipient’s to retain the images.
- Why did Snapchat allow 3rd party apps access to receive images from their service? If Snapchat knew that this posed a risk to their users, allowing this access is outrageous – as is failing to adequately warn their customer base.
- If they weren’t going to block access to/from 3rd party apps, why didn’t Snapchat alert users if their images were about to be sent to a 3rd party app? They could have easily created an alert that would pop up and warn users that the images would not disappear, explain the risk, and ask the sender if they wish to continue.
Technology companies own the responsibility in these incidents
Yes, consumers should take greater security precautions, but technology companies own the real responsibility in these incidents. If they had truly built products with consumer privacy, security, and safety as core requirements, their consumers wouldn’t be in the positions they find themselves. Both cases represent breaches of personal images, but they also represent far greater breaches of consumer trust.


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Betta Living, which has a store inside Dobbies in Southport , has gone into administration.
Hundreds of jobs are at risk, including three in Southport.
The firm sells kitchens, bedrooms, and wardrobes, and was promoting 70 per cent off some deals last week.
HAVE you been affected by this story? Please email us at: email@example.com or message us via the Visiter page on Facebook here .
Lots of local customers will have placed orders for new kitchens and bedrooms with the hope they will have been ready in time for Christmas.
Betta Living, whose head office is in Oldham, was set up in 1966 and has retail outlets in Southport amongst more than 70 towns.
On its website the firm, posted: “As at Friday 4th November Betta Living has made an application to appoint an administrator.
“We anticipate the administrator will be appointed next week and will consider all options to try and secure the continuation of the business but at present Betta living has temporarily ceased to trade.”
The company’s headquarters are at Suthers Street, Werneth, in Oldham Greater Manchester.
Betta Living was formed under the name ‘Betta Bedrooms’ and remained that way until in 2000 it was taken over by current chairman, Noel Dean.
Mr Dean, a long-time retail expert who previously worked for the Burton Group, merged Better Bedrooms with his own company, the English Kitchen Company which he started in 1984.
Last week Betta Living was offering up to 70 per cent off the price of kitchens ordered before Christmas.
Another firm has been quick to step in to get customers from Betta Living.
Wren Kitchens has posted on its website: “We understand that many customers will be alarmed by the news that Betta Living has ceased to trade.
”In order to maintain the public’s trust in the UK kitchen market, Wren has taken the decision to honour any quote provided by Betta Living. Please bring your quote into a Wren showroom or send it to firstname.lastname@example.org and we will provide you with a quote for a Wren Kitchen at the same price; please note all Wren Kitchens are made here in the UK and come fully built and with up to 25 years warranty.”
One Betta Living employee said: “On Friday Noel Dean told his staff the company was in administration and the business closed its doors. The administrators are in today and it is reported that they have gone down with debts of £18m but not confirmed.”
In 2012 the company opened a store in the Trafford Centre after the launch of an outlet in Manchester city centre in Deansgate.
That year, despite the economic slowdown, Betta Living’s high-quality ranges and reputation for attention to customer service have helped them buck the business trend and achieve a 24 per cent uplift in year-on-year sales and grow their market share.
Betta Living has a retail presence in more than 70 towns and cities throughout England and Wales, including 16 showrooms and 80 mobile design consultants.
An automated message announcing the company is to appoint an administrator has been left on the company’s phone line.


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Almost every single country is seeing a gradual rise in urban households, with the trend especially pronounced in emerging markets with strong economic expansion. Countries such as Nigeria and China are witnessing unprecedented speed of city development, while in developed nations existing mega cities are stretching out to cover more households with suburban areas.
The city-driven phenomenon of single-person households, bigger uptake of household appliances and digital products, and more appealing property markets are just some impacts of more urbanised households. Companies able to take early-mover advantage can benefit from new audiences. Dairy and meat producers in China, Amazon’s internet retail operations in India, urban developers in London, and a gin brand targeting urban hipsters are just some examples of companies leveraging urbanised audiences. As urban areas expand and envelop more households, property prices typically rise in the area. This process, sometimes under the guise of gentrification, is pricing out low- and middle-income consumers from local home ownership.
Household surges create economic and demographic bottlenecks
As the number of urban households continues to surge across many economies, residents and state structures are facing rising challenges. Poverty, the decline in the concept of the family, higher unemployment, lower fertility rates, and the increased need for social, environmental and economic development are the unfortunate consequences of urbanisation.
Of the world’s top 10 fastest-growing cities in terms of households over 2017-2030, seven are in extremely low-income markets (Bahrain, Qatar and China have been able to demonstrate sustainable population expansion). Countries like Cameroon, Pakistan and Nigeria are already facing many urban obstacles, such as congestion management, overpopulation, widespread urban poverty, pollution, and housing shortages.
Low and middle-income consumers priced out of urban hubs
Property prices in major cities are expanding, alongside the general cost of living (utilities, services, foodstuff). Living in a capital city or urban hub, such as London, New York, Tokyo or Shanghai, is already becoming unaffordable to most local inhabitants. This is creating a housing crisis across many countries, which is only set to worsen by 2030, as central cities become accessible only to the wealthy.
In China, the refusal of developers to make new homes more affordable, as prices continue to rise, is creating huge empty districts. According to China's Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, more than one in five homes in the country’s urban areas is vacant. Willing buyers are priced out of the market. These conditions are turning urban landscapes into speculative financial instruments, rather than generating communities and prosperity.
Digital opportunities more abound among urban homes
There remains a major gap in the access to digital services between rural and urban households worldwide. Even in developed markets like the USA, rural homes are behind their urban counterparts in access to broadband, tablets and smartphones. The surge in urban households worldwide has been accompanied by a correlated rise in household broadband penetration. Urban homes have been the primary driving forces behind digital trends that have reshaped retailing and consumption in cities.
One such trend is “cocooning” – living a fully domesticated lifestyle by receiving goods and services at home without needing to leave the house. E-commerce, takeaway foods, and home entertainment are the big winners. Another trend is sofa shopping, when consumers ignore their PCs to shop on mobile devices at home for comfort. This also leads to multi-screening, the use of multiple screens (TV, mobile, tablet) to consume information.
Urban households drive stronger rental and mortgage markets
One of the primary facets of urbanisation is rising property prices, as incoming consumers drive demand for housing in a more densely populated area. This in turn stimulates the entire real estate market, as homeseekers look to mortgages and rentals for affordable solutions.
Countries experiencing some of the fastest rates of urbanisation (such as India, Nigeria and Pakistan) are also among the most dynamic growth markets for mortgages and rentals.


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As we all know that the new video and audio chat app ClubHouse is now becoming popular nowadays and the users are experiencing their best this moment while using the app and the users have to wait to join the club until the users get an invite from the user already using it and form that the user will get out form the waitlist and for the Android users there is no limit that for how much time they have to wait for the launch of the app in the Android version and even if they get the invite then also they can’t do anything.
The app is only accessible on the iOS version and the app allows any member of users to become the host and to start a discussion on any topic they want and allows the host to invite any number of users to the chat and there is no limit that how many users have joined the chat.
Moreover, the celebrities like Oprah, Elon Musk, and Tiffany Haddish have already come live on the clubhouse chat and have allowed the users to ask the questions directly to them by making a clubhouse prized invite commodity. Along with this, the other apps like Discord, LinkedIn, Spotify, and Twitter are also rushing in forward to found out that how the software of the clubhouse could run o their apps too.
And at this time the alternatives for the Android users for the clubhouse are already available and with this, the user could wait for the launch of those only. But if the user wants to use the clubhouse for the android device and could wait for the launch of it on the Android device then we could tell you that how for what we know about the app when it will be launched on the Android device.
Now let’s know that when actually the Clubhouse is coming to the Android. According to the reports and sources of the galaxy reporters the company posted in a blog post that the working for the app on an Android version is going to be started after some time which means that the company has not started it till now.
The sources don’t know the date when officially the company will start working for the app to run on the Android version but a few days back the CNBC reported that the company has employed worker Mopewa Ogundipe-who is an Android developer and she a few days back also tweeted that the company is going to bring the party to the Android or something like that.
However, our sources don’t have the complete timetable for the Android version development and according to the reports of the tech crunch it is claimed that the Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davison said in an official meeting last month that “the team was working ‘really hard’ on the Android app, but that it would take a couple of months for it to arrive.”
The above lines by the co-founder will give ETA the time for the launch of the app for the Android versions and the launch now will be there for the months of the mid-summer 2021.
Moreover, our sources can’t even confirm the fact of the Android development as the company till now doesn’t have a firm idea. And in fact, the users should also notice that there are many fake apps like the clubhouse interface on the play store and our sources suggest that Android users don’t go on such apps as they found nothing on that and just a trap will be there.
Following is the list of the clubhouse alternatives:-
That’s all was the article about the ClubHouse.


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RBI Monetary Policy Review MPC Meeting: Central bank keeps CPI inflation forecast for FY23 unchanged at 6.7%
RBI Monetary Policy Review MPC Meeting: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said that the aim is to bring inflation below 6 per cent i.e. within the target range and then gradually to 4 per cent.
RBI Monetary Policy Review MPC Meeting: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday said that the consumer price index (CPI) inflation for FY23 remains unchanged at 6.7 per cent. "Core inflation remains sticky and elevated. Risks to growth are evenly balanced, the outlook for imported inflation remains uncertain," RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
However, Das said that the aim is to bring inflation below 6 per cent i.e. within the target range and then gradually to 4 per cent.
"MPC voted 4-2 to remain focused on the withdrawal of accommodation so that inflation remains within the target going forward while supporting growth," Das said while unveiling the outcome of its six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.
"Adjusted for inflation, the policy rate still remains accommodative...Indian economy remains resilient on strong macro-economic fundamentals," the RBI Governor added.
The RBI, however, has increased the inflation projection for Q3 to 6.6 per cent from 6.4 per cent - forecasted in September. Similarly, the inflation projection for Q4 is now increased to 5.9 from 5.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, the RBI has raised key repo - the rate at which it lends short-term money to banks - by another 35 basis points to 6.25 per cent with immediate effect to rein in rising inflation while supporting growth.
Earlier on September 30, the RBI retained its inflation projection for FY23 at 6.7 per cent amid geopolitical concerns triggered by Russia-Ukraine war, and expected inflation to be under control from January.
It is to be noted that the central bank is mandated to keep retail inflation in a band of 2-6 per cent. Inflation has remained above RBI's upper tolerance level of 6 per cent since January 2022.
It ruled over 7 per cent in April, May and June. July saw a breather with inflation sliding to 6.7 per cent. Last month, inflation touched 7 per cent.
As per the medium-term inflation targeting framework, which came into being after an agreement between the central bank and the government, the RBI has to write a letter explaining the reasons for missing the target and charting out details on when it is likely to achieve the target of 4 per cent.
The consumer price index (CPI) based inflation is projected to further reduce to 5 per cent in first quarter of next fiscal year beginning April 2023.
The RBI has been hiking repo rate since May 4 this year and raised it by 190 basis points or 1.90 per cent in four tranches.
RBI had cut repo rate in March, 2020 to reduce the impact of coronavirus pandemic and resultant nationwide lockdown. Since then it had maintained status quo till May 4 this year.
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TORONTO, Ontario -- Spurred by historically high lumber and wood panels product prices, Canfor, CanWel, Interfor, Norbord and West Fraser each achieved record-high 52-week average stock prices Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
The surge in enhanced stock performance follows moves taken by each of the publicly-traded wood product companies to increase production following weeks of varying degrees of curtailment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a mostly sluggish second quarter, home building in Canada perked up in June even though increased wood product prices are having a significant impact on construction costs. Home builders in Calgary, Alberta, for example report that higher wood material costs are adding up to $10,000 to the cost of building a home.
Random Lengths reported that the prices of western SPF (spruce-pine-fir) lumber jumped nearly 6 percent or $45 U.S. between Aug. 14 and Aug. 18 to a record $805 per thousand board feet. In a similar vein the price of oriented strand board rose 2.5 percent to $620 per thousand square feet over the same four-day period.
Paul Quinn of RBC Capital Markets said current market conditions should continue for the foreseeable future.
"While we recognize that current prices are partially attributable to tight inventory levels through the supply chain, we expect that record repair and remodel demand, rebounding new residential construction activity, and COVID-19 related supply challenges will be enough to keep wood product prices at still historically strong prices through the next few months," Quinn said.
In the accompanying video Quinn discusses the impact of rising lumber prices on housing stock markets.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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If you're looking to score some candy or nuts in the village, you're pretty much out of luck.
Just a few short months after , candy store on Franklin Avenue has also gone out of business.
Owner Debra Desena took over the two decades old candy shop in January with big plans to replace the old inventory with new products.
"Customer feedback was great, but the bigger products that I needed to take off, didn’t," she told Patch. "Squeezing through the spring, once summer came, business came to a screeching halt."
DeSena, also a realtor, said she extended hours throughout the summer and spent considerable time at the shop to galvanize consumer interest. But try as she might, the plan didn't pay off.
"Being my first retail business venture, the best business advice I got was knowing when to pull out," she said. "I guess the economy got the better of me."
Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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We have heard earlier than in regards to the Shovel Knight developer Yacht Membership Video games engaged on a “new 3D undertaking” and now it appears to have come up once more throughout an interview Ars Technica. Yacht Membership’s sport designer Alec Faulkner has revealed how the Mina the Hollower engine can also be powering a brand new “unannounced 3D sport”:
“This engine is definitely model new, constructed from scratch by our group. That’s been our secret for the previous 5 or 6 years—it’s getting used to develop each this sport and concurrently our unannounced 3D sport.”
Whereas Mina may look much like a title like Hyperlink’s Awakening on Recreation Boy Shade, apparently “below the hood” it is obtained extra in frequent with a sport like Breath of the Wild.
Again in 2020, Yacht Membership Video games’ talked about how the following logical step was to work its means as much as a “huge 3D sport”, whereas on the similar time issuing a reminder it was engaged on a “new 3D undertaking” by way of a job itemizing.
Yacht Membership Video games has simply launched Shovel Knight Dig with the help of developer Nitrome, and it appears to have struck gold with this newest launch. You may study it in our assessment:
Would you be desirous about a 3D sport from the Shovel Knight developer? Tell us within the feedback.


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When it was announced that electric car manufacturer Tesla was buying SolarCity for $2.6bn (or £2bn) it raised a few eyebrows – not least because Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk described the deal as a “no-brainer”. However, shares in both companies slipped after the announcement, which suggests that many analysts do not necessarily share Musk’s outlook. So let’s look at some of the details behind the company purchase to see if we can understand exactly why it has happened and whether Tesla is right to buy SolarCity.
What is Tesla?
Tesla is an American motoring manufacturer that specialises in electric cars as well as battery products. Named after the inventor Nikola Tesla, the company pushes the boundaries of electrical technology. Musk is also famous for his desire to move forward human spaceflight and develop a colony on Mars, as well as for his enormously successful earlier ventures including PayPal and X.com.
Aside from electric cars, Tesla is also a pioneer in battery products such as the Powerwall home battery, which is designed to store any excess energy produced by home solar panels. This is one of the most important aspects of solar power as it has long been challenging to store the energy so that it can be used at a later point.
What is SolarCity?
SolarCity specialises in solar power systems, including everything from designing and installing solar panels to providing loan funding for customers to have them placed at their property. Interestingly,
Musk already owns 22%of SolarCity and is already CEO and the chairman of the company. SolarCity has recently begun focusing more on financing loans that allow homeowners to purchase solar panels.
Why is Tesla buying SolarCity?
So given that Musk already owns a part of SolarCity and is so heavily involved in the business – why is Tesla buying it? To answer that we need to look at the Powerwall batteries that Tesla sells. Musk has claimed that whenever they attempt to sell the batteries, they almost always have to answer questions about solar panels and solar power. But as Tesla doesn’t currently have the capability to sell solar panels themselves, they are not able to offer the combined service that many customers want.
Musk believes that when Tesla can sell solar panels directly, they will be able to offer the Powerwall as an obvious upgrade. That makes sense on the surface – so why have both companies’ shares slumped since the announcement was made?
It seems that there is actually a significant amount of controversy surrounding the purchase of SolarCity. This is firstly because SolarCity is owned by Lyndon Rive, who is the cousin of Elon Musk. That might already trigger alarm bells, but they go into overdrive when you consider the next point: SolarCity is effectively $6bn is debt.
Despite the fact that SolarCity has increased its number of customers significantly (it currently has 275,000 compared to 168,000 last year), it has some of the highest levels of debt in the solar power industry. This has led some to suggest that Musk is essentially using Tesla to bail out SolarCity at a huge cost to Tesla’s shareholders.
This also comes a difficult time for Tesla as it is currently in production for the brand new Model 3 electric car which the companies needs to be a financial success. If it turns out that the Model 3 is less successful than Musk and has team imagines, it could make things very difficult for the company if they have to deal with the debt from SolarCity as well.
Written by Mike James, an independent tech blogger working together with Best VPN.


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A collaboration between engineering challenges and quality products.
An article published yesterday tells the story of a shared project that led to the creation of a low backlash planetary gearbox , built ad hoc, for the new 150LE.
Domenico Fulco, Crippa R&D manager, talks in an interview about the collaboration with Rossi, one of the largest industrial groups in the world for the production and marketing of gearboxes, gearmotors and electric motors.
The Rossi group was able to supply the torque necessary for the deformation and customization of a reduced backlash planetary gearbox, built ad hoc, for the new 150LE.
Already in 2016, Crippa had collaborated with Rossi for another engineering challenge: the birth of the largest multi-storey and multi-radius Full Electric tube bender in the world: the 225HE designed for the naval sector.
A long-standing cooperation that has led Crippa to once again select Rossi planetary gearboxes for the further evolution of its tube bending machines.


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New tech, innovation to lift Botswana’s diamond sector
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has applauded the growing number of diamond cutting and polishing factories for adopting and employing new technologies.
The economy has 50 licenced diamond cutting and polishing companies, of which 48 are operating, with about 50% of the companies licensed during the 2021-2022.
Speaking at the factory opening for new entrant HB Botswana, a unit of HB Antwerp, Masisi said innovative solutions will bring about improvements in productivity and efficiency.
The president said Botswana is working on building capabilities across the entire diamond supply chain, so that the country can lead in transformation from rough stones to polished gems and to fine jewellery and ornaments.
“HB Antwerp is committed to bringing its suite of innovative and proprietary technologies to Botswana,” said Masisi, adding that the investors’ factory is a significant step in Botswana’s transformation into a diamond knowledge centre.
“HB Antwerp uses the most advanced, cutting-edge technology to analyse, measure, weigh, cut, and polish diamonds. It has developed an outstanding in-house research and development facility to solve complex technical challenges, and every step of the intricate production process, from mine to the end consumer, is meticulously recorded in a secure blockchain ledger so that the journey of each diamond is auditable and traceable. Now, we have these same capabilities through HB Botswana,” said Masisi.
The President added that for many years, Botswana’s mining workforce was only able to develop skill sets in areas related to mining and were not empowered to participate in analysis, cutting and polishing, marketing, and selling of the stones.
Some of the technology Botswana expects to gain include the digitally secured diamond vault for individual stones, claiming the device ensures origin verification and protects goods from tampering, launched by HB Antwerp last year.
Opening the factory with 30 employees, HB Botswana has imparted specialised technical training on the workers through the HB Innovation Lab, a training program led by HB Antwerp in partnership with WomHub, a Pan-African incubator for innovation.
Commenting high technology expectations that come with the opening of the new factory, Rafael Papismedov, co-founder of HB said the company’s Botswana is not a midway station.
“It is a complete, end-to-end, freestanding operation composed of the people of Botswana, transforming Botswana’s diamonds, using our proprietary technology that will be developed here, in our own Botswana research and development centre.
“We are not here to nibble around the edges. We are all in,” said Papismedov.
He said Batswana will be scanning, analysing, planning, and collecting data, transforming, and marketing, branding and selling Batswana diamonds, through applying high-value commercial skills to the diamonds that belong to them.
“Botswana will be involved in the development of every new technology – IP and digital tools,” he added


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It’s no secret that Microsoft has tied much of its future to the cloud. With its all-in approach to Dynamics Online, its unbundling of services through Office and Dynamics 365, and its major investments in Azure, it’s gunning for every cloud company ranging from Amazon Web Services to Salesforce. Early signs indicate that this strategy is paying off; it reported a recent doubling of its Azure cloud revenue YoY.
Although the Redmond, WA company has made significant headway into the still-nascent cloud market, there’s still one area where it comes up short: eCommerce. With all the integrations within its CRM and ERP services, it still doesn’t have a major eCommerce option for its cloud customers, and this will make it especially difficult to target the small-to-midsize companies that need such an integration.
It used to be that the enterprise software behemoths could focus solely on servicing the Fortune 500 companies that could not only afford hefty license fees, but also had the programming resources necessary for integrating best-of-breed software solutions. A large company, for instance, could buy a separate CRM, accounting system, and eCommerce platform all from different providers and then integrate them under a single umbrella.
However, the Fortune 500 market has since become saturated, and enterprise software companies are now looking at small and midsize businesses if they want to keep growing their revenue. But unlike the larger corporations that can afford the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars needed to integrate multiple software solutions, these smaller companies can’t, so they’re therefore turning to cloud technologies with out-of-the-box integrations. This makes them more likely to go with a company that offers all these services under one banner.
Other large cloud companies have already recognized this trend and acted on it. Last month, Oracle announced it was purchasing NetSuite, arguably one of the earliest cloud technologies, for $9.3 billion. Why? As Bloomberg reported in the wake of the sale, “Oracle has been trying for years to shift from selling software installed on corporate customers’ gear the old way to delivering it over the internet. Yet in its most recent quarter, the company said the cloud division accounted for less than 10 percent of sales.” One of NetSuite’s biggest offerings is SuiteCommerce, its eCommerce platform used by thousands of online businesses.
The CRM giant and Dynamics competitor Salesforce likely also saw the writing on the wall when it decided to buy Demandware earlier this year. “Salesforce’s $2.8 billion acquisition of Demandware plugs a big hole in its portfolio–eCommerce,” wrote ZDNet, “and likely forces marketing rival Adobe into a similar purchase with a company such as Shopify and Magento.”
[LIKE THIS ARTICLE SO FAR? THEN YOU’LL WANT TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER TO GET THE LATEST CRM AND SALES INSIGHTS]
These acquisitions represent the new expectations for what a CRM should offer. Even though CRM has been around for 20 years now, it is now being delivered over the Internet and at a price point where it’s affordable to everyone, including small businesses. And, in my opinion, the next evolution in CRM will lead to businesses looking for an application platform that can maintain not only that customer data but can also serve as their eCommerce platform as well. Under this integrated approach, the businesses can mine their customer and prospect data so they can constantly iterate their product and website presentation in real time.
So when is Microsoft going to wade into eCommerce, especially since it’s gone to such great pains to expand its Dynamics CRM software into new markets? So far, it hasn’t done much in this area. In some cases, developers have leveraged the Dynamics CRM API to add an eCommerce layer to the platform. Cobalt, the CRM consulting company I run, built our own eCommerce platform for Dynamics CRM after several of our customers requested payment processing and accounting solutions.
But while these add-ons have proved valuable for some Dynamics CRM customers, it’s not until Microsoft either acquires or builds a robust eCommerce platform that it can lay claim to being the best CRM solution on the market. With the eCommerce market growing upwards of 15 percent a year and most retailers moving into the cloud, it’s not a matter of if Microsoft makes its eCommerce move, but when.


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Italian universities added to YouTube
A couple of months ago YouTube Edu launched in the US. Video content from US universities like Stanford and UCLA was made available online. Now the service has also reached Italy.
Now two Italian universities have started sharing their video content: Bocconi University and Polytechnic of Milan. Other Italian universities are urged to also start sending in their videos.
Tagcloudsocial interview europe matt cutts sem search engine searchcowboys gmail microsoft internet blogger search engines sea china google tools baidu ses event browser google maps maps youtube yandex research a4uexpo google wave adwords funny google earth advertising twitter apple russia video facebook business bing search engine strategies analytics realtime


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A Bangladeshi Cleaner who was ridiculed online for a photograph of him looking wistfully at expensive jewellery has been showered with gifts by strangers.
A cleaner from Bangladesh working in Saudi Arabia was ridiculed online by an Arab Troll who took a picture of the 65 year old Nazer al-Islam Abdul Karim with a with the cruel caption ‘This man only deserves to look at rubbish.’
The photo was circulated on a Private Instagram account which caught the attention of twitter user Abdullah Al-Qahtani, 38, who runs @ensaneyet twitter account, Who quickly started asking people online to help track Nazer al-Islam Abdul Karim.
Following this mean-spirited Instagram post by the troll, there was an outpouring of support for Abdul Karim who has since received gifts including Rice, pure honey gold jewellery and an 2 iPhones.
Al-Qahtani’s post was retweeted more than 7000 times and people who recognised the area started investigating from the reflection from the shop window to locate and pin point the exact location. Karim was not even aware that his picture was taken.
He told CNN: ‘I was just doing my job as a cleaner in the municipality and found myself in front of the gold shop. I am very happy about the gifts. I am Very Thankful.’
So many well-wishers have donated items for Karim money, food and return tickets to Bangladesh. Al-Qahtani is still in the process of sending these items to this now famous Bangladeshi Cleaner Nazer al-Islam Abdul Karim.


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Hours after Smart Communications unveiled their 30MB Free Internet promo, Globe Telecom issued statement dismissing the competitors announcement as a threat.
In a press statement, Globe reiterated their commitment in giving their valued customers wonderful digital experience they deserve. They also reminded the public that they are the pioneer telco to offer FREE Facebook access to its subscribers. They also banner their great partnership with Spotify, Google and Viber. With that they were flattered and honored that their competitors followed suit in a wider coverage.
Towards the end, Globe hinted on coming up with a new and exciting innovations that will up the competition as they said “We look forward to more vigorous competition to come! STAY TUNED.”


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Android is the operating system by Google powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Google says, since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean and the latest version of Android is named KitKat.
Indian developers have come up with a suggestion for the next version. they have suggested that the next version of Android should be named ‘Ladoo‘. Ladoo is a round shaped sweet made of flour, sugar and clarified butter and is served on festive occasions and religious ceremonies.
This group of developers wanted the KitKat version to be named as KajuKatli but as they were late in putting forward the suggestion they have started a campaign to call the next version as Ladoo.
If you support this suggestion then visit http://ladoo.co/ … Lets Make Android Delicious


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Best Buy is pulling internet security software from a Russian company off its shelves and from its website amid outside concerns that Kaspersky Lab could have links to the Russian government.
The decision was prompted by media reports, congressional testimony and industry discussion raising questions about Moscow-based Kaspersky, a respected cybersecurity firm. The Richfield-based retailer, which has not conducted its own investigation, felt there were too many unanswered questions and so has decided to discontinue selling the products, according to a person familiar with the decision.
Kaspersky Lab, which boasts it has more than 400 million users, said in a statement that it does not have any unethical ties or inappropriate affiliations with any governments, including Russia.
“The only conclusion seems to be that Kaspersky Lab ... is caught in the middle of a geopolitical fight, and it’s being treated unfairly even though the company has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyberespionage or offensive cyber efforts,” the company said.
Kaspersky added that it has had a good relationship with Best Buy and that the current suspension of its products could be re-evaluated in the future. In the meantime, its software continues to be sold through its own website and through other retailers such as Target, Walmart.com, Amazon.com and Staples.com.
At the same time, some federal lawmakers are pressing for legislation that would ban the U.S. government from using Kaspersky’s software. They are on heightened alert about Russian hackers in the wake of their interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Company e-mails from Kaspersky that have surfaced in the media also have raised suspicions of a link between Kaspersky and the Kremlin.
In an op-ed that ran in the New York Times this week, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., noted that six top intelligence officials, including the heads of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, recently testified that they would not be comfortable with Kaspersky Lab software on their agencies’ computers.
“Beyond the evidence of direct links between [Eugene] Kaspersky and the Russian government, we cannot ignore the indirect links inherent in doing business in the Russia of President Vladimir Putin, where oligarchs and tycoons have no choice but to cooperate with the Kremlin,” she wrote.
A Best Buy spokesman confirmed that the products will no longer be sold at Best Buy but offered no further information because the company doesn’t comment on its relationships with vendors.
“In light of what we know about Kaspersky Lab and Russia’s cyberattacks on our private and public networks, this is a very sound decision,” said U.S Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Best Buy had carried three internet security software brands, including Kaspersky’s. The Kaspersky software, which it sold for more than a decade, does not come preloaded on computers that are sold at Best Buy. Rather, it is an extra product available for purchase that customers can load themselves.
Best Buy will allow customers who have bought Kaspersky software from it, and who still have active subscriptions, to exchange it for free for another product in the next 45 days. Customers also can uninstall it themselves or have a Geek Squad agent do it for free within that time window.
The Kaspersky Internet Security software has received generally positive reviews from Best Buy users with a 4.3 star rating among more than 1,800 reviews. The software is aimed at protecting computers from malware, hackers, banner ads and spam.


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The U.S. post office at Colonial Promenade Beechwood shopping center twice ran out of 2-cent stamps on Monday, the day that the cost of mailing a first-class letter rose from 39 to 41 cents.
In fact, the postal center sold 12,000 2-cent stamps by Monday afternoon to lines of customers, said station manager Arnez Mayberry.
"Every time we have a rate change, we have a rush," Mayberry said.
Though the station ran out of stamps twice, it was able to replenish its supply from the main office on Olympic Drive.
Donna Stallings of Amtrust Mortgage Corp. in Athens joined the rush on Monday, and bought a quantity of the new "forever stamps" as a hedge against future postal rate increases. The forever stamps, now priced at 41 cents, remain valid regardless of any future postage hikes.
Stallings said she makes 200 to 250 mailings every month and on a quarterly basis mails about 800 pieces.
"(Two more cents) will impact us, but not seriously," she said.
The U.S. Postal Service also changed other rates Monday. Letters sent in an 8x12-inch flat envelope increased from 63 cents to 97 cents, and a 2-ounce package in a box will go from 63 cents to $1.30.
The additional per-ounce cost on letters weighing more than an ounce will decrease to 17 cents from 24 cents for each additional ounce. International rates are also going up. Letters to Canada and Mexico will rise to 69 cents and to most other countries to 90 cents.
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INFLATION in the 17-county eurozone area fell slightly in April, to 2.6 per cent, new figures suggest.
The Eurostat flash estimate said the rate was down modestly from the 2.7 per cent estimate in March.
The slight fall in inflation throughout the eurozone means that Ireland’s rate is slowly converging with that of the rest of the currency bloc.
When measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices methodology favoured by the EU, Irish prices rose by 1.0 in March, and by 2.2 per cent in the 12 months previous – its highest since 2008.
The drop in European inflation comes despite the continual increase in fuel prices.
Separate statistics published today show the average home in eurozone countries saw its disposable income fall by 0.4 per cent in the last quarter of 2011, new estimates have suggested.
The Eurostat figures said household savings had increased in the final three months of last year, due to a 0.7 per cent fall in consumption spending and the fall in disposible incomes.


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Proposed Expansion for Alltech Vietnam in 2006
[Vietnam] - A growing demand for Alltech's natural products in the Asia-Pacific region has instigated the proposed development of a new facility in Vietnam. At present, the Asia-Pacific region represents 29% of sales for Alltech and is the fastest growing region for Alltech, growing at a rate of over 40% per annum for the last 3 years.
Alltech will invest US$5 million in the production facility and support services which is expected to open mid 2006. The production plant will be 1,500 square metres and it will have the capacity for manufacturing and packaging in a size relative to both the feed industry and farm sector and their growing needs.
Dr. Pearse Lyons, President of Alltech, explained that, "We are a global company committed to having a local presence for each one of our customers". Steve Bourne (Vice President Asia Pacific) added that, "Alltech intends to establish offices over the next eighteen months in Hanoi, Nha Trang and South of Ho Chi Minh to provide more local support in line with regional expansion plans".


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The Caffeine Buzz
Google's search-engine algorithm update, Caffeine, is fraught with uncertainty and causing search-engine-marketing agencies to lose a little sleep in anticipation of its rollout.
Caffeine was unveiled last summer, and as of December, Google had stated that only one data center was running 50% of searches on the new Caffeine-based algorithm.
Google is serious about continually strengthening its search algorithm in an effort to be more efficient for its users, and Caffeine reflects Google's latest attempt to maintain search dominance.
Despite Google's claims that rankings will not be significantly affected, an update with Caffeine's magnitude hasn't been implemented since 2006. With the purported goals of increasing size, indexing speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness, the newly implemented update could have a major effect on search results.
What Is Caffeine?
Caffeine is yet another in a long line of periodic algorithm updates that Google implements to keep its search results relevant.
Of all the updates Google has made, including those necessary to maintain relevance and those that many suspect are only to keep search-engine optimization (SEO) specialists on their toes, Caffeine falls into the category of updates intended to be invisible to the user yet improve the overall search experience.
Many think that Caffeine is one of the first steps toward semantic search, because of its increased understanding of related words and synonyms, and because it will display results that are not entirely dependent on the verbatim phrase of the search term used.
As with most Google updates, faster is better, and Caffeine is expected to introduce a site's load speed as a factor for ranking.
The updated algorithm is also expected to index more pages than the current version, giving searchers more options and potentially leading to search that is tailored to personal interests. As a whole, those changes suggest Google's new focus is supporting real-time search.
Caffeine's Impact on Search
Personalized results are daunting for some SEO agencies. If everybody has different results displayed on the same keyword search, per their interests, establishing rankings and ranking reports will become nearly impossible.
Beyond personalized search, new SEO challenges include an increased local focus, which is particularly useful for mobile users, and the inclusion of social media as a potential factor in search-engine-results pages (SERPs).
Currently, links from Facebook are largely no-follow, resulting in a negligible impact when compared with the relative strength of "follow" links. However, Google's inclusion of social media could increase the importance of even no-follow links as a ranking consideration, making social-marketing success a key subset of SEO campaigns.
Despite the potential impact of the Caffeine update, Google is sticking to its MO of claiming that the user experience will not be significantly affected. In this case, Google might be telling the truth.
The user's personal results are going to be primarily negligible. Keyword searches will be personalized, but with most keywords the same results will be displayed for all users.
For example, a search for "red roses," if not a geographic search, will display the same sites with the same rankings for most users. The second user-oriented factor, increased speed, will also probably not be overtly noticeable. Displaying search results one-tenth of a second more quickly, though a significant infrastructure achievement, will most likely not be discernible to the average user.
Real-Time Search Is Essentially Useless
Despite Google's push to make real-time search user friendly and, in fact, a user's only option, people are more likely to use Google news, RSS feeds, and their own social-media networks to find buzz than they are to use a search engine.
That inference is further supported by the underwhelming effect of the introduction of Google Buzz, which was generally ignored by most users. Google will probably continue to emphasize real-time search, but the current lack of user interest suggests that Google might want to give up that pursuit.
With Caffeine's implementation, Google has the option to continue its real-time-search emphasis but can also be prepared for the functionality's failure.
Caffeine provides a timely and necessary infrastructure update for mobile search. With faster, more personalized, and more extensive results, and if the real-time-search focus falls through, Google can easily adjust Caffeine to continue Google's dominance in the mobile-search market.
Google updates can be quite significant or relatively minor in the scheme of things. Those who have been in the business for a while will remember the Florida update, when rankings fell off the charts. However, the Caffeine update is not meant to be a SERP game-changer.
Even after Caffeine is supporting 100% of search queries, we don't expect to see any people jumping off buildings because their rankings have disappeared.
Overall, Caffeine is more of a preparatory infrastructure update than it is a revolutionary new ranking definition. In the end, algorithm change or not, SEO efforts will adapt, and rankings will rise again.
Note: Contributors to this article include Emily McClendon, interactive marketing specialist at NeboWeb; Kimm Lincoln, director of search engine marketing at NeboWeb; Chris Allison, SEO and social-media specialist at NeboWeb; and James Charlesworth, senior SEO specialist at NeboWeb.
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Much has been made of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max silicon and Apple’s switch from Intel’s processors. However, with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, Apple’s new MacBook Pro models still feature Intel silicon inside.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro models have been long-awaited by pro users and prosumers since Apple announced its transition to Apple Silicon at WWDC in June 2020. With the transition, Apple has stopped releasing new Macs with Intel processors with many making much of the switch.
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Apple today introduced the new 2021 MacBook Pro. It comes in two sizes, a 16-inch model as well as a Read more
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Last week, Apple officially announced that it will hold its fall product event at 1am Beijing time on September 15 Read more


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Dairy product processor Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) shares are down 0.2% to $6.91 at the time of writing after yesterday’s announcement of a share purchase plan giving investors the opportunity to acquire up to $15,000 of new shares.
Bega completed a placement of new fully paid ordinary shares to institutional and professional shareholders on September 11, raising around $200 million.
Bega hopes to raise $50 million from the share purchase plan, but with the share price now lower than the $7.10 offer price this could be an issue.
Bega plans to use the funds to reduce debt following the Koroit Facility acquisition and prepare for future growth opportunities.
Elsewhere in the food sector Freedom Foods Group Ltd (ASX: FNP) shares are on the rise after hitting an all-time high earlier this month with investors seemingly pleased with Freedom’s FY18 results report.
Retail Food Group Limited (ASX: RFG) shares are up 1% to 48c per share at the time of writing, but have plummeted in the last 12 months, after 123 store closures and net debt eclipsing its market capitalisation.
Earlier this year, millions of Australians set alarms and watched the world's biggest sporting event, the World Cup, play out. But did you know there was another Australian representative quietly succeeding as the world watched?
It's the start-up who have positioned themselves as the global leader in sports analytics. Motley Fool's resident tech expert has already upgraded the recommendation of this company's stock to a rating of simply "Buy More".
Motley Fool contributor Carin Pickworth has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Freedom Foods Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.


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Verizon Enterprise Solutions doesn't want to miss out on more consumers and hardware manufacturers embracing the Internet of Things (IoT), strategically preparing new partnerships and alliances.
The enterprise IoT market already has more than 1 billion devices, and that number is expected to dramatically grow in the coming years. Also, the consumer market - with end users purchasing more Things - will provide a great opportunity for Verizon and other wireless carriers to provide Internet connectivity to more products.
"With limited resources, municipal leaders are being tasked with finding ways to make their communities more efficient," said Dan Feldman, director of IoT Smart Cities for Verizon, in a statement. "Towns and cities can start with projects like energy-efficient smart streetlights, car sharing and smart parking. The cost savings and revenue from those projects can then be used to help fund bigger projects, including tackling pollution and upgrading transit infrastructure."
It's hard to envision where exactly the IoT market is going, but now is the time for companies to make sure they aren't left out of the fun.
Last updated: Jun 16, 2020 at 04:29 pm CDT
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The finance ministry is looking into the legislative provisions needed to be incorporated into the Income Tax Act on which the Union Budget may touch upon, according to the reports.
A grouping of 136 countries including India, on October 8, under Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s two-pillar approach, struck a consensus on taxing technology giants like Google, Facebook etc.
The two-pillar solution, under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), seeks to address tax challenges that are an outcome of the digitalisation of the world economy. If fully implemented, large US companies would pay less to the US government and more to overseas governments, while the foreign earnings of companies would face higher taxes.
Large companies would pay more taxes in countries where they have customers and a bit less in countries where their headquarters, employees, and operations are. Additionally, the agreement sets up the adoption of a global minimum tax of 15 per cent, which would increase taxes on companies with earnings in low-tax jurisdictions.
The deal will put an end to the various digital taxes that have proliferated around the world similar to the equalization levy in India and paves the way for changes in global tax treaties pursuant to the consensus being reached.
The tax pact is path-breaking, especially for large and developing countries like India which would always find it very difficult to keep corporate tax rates artificially lower in a bid to increase much needed foreign direct investments in the country.
India is likely to gain with the rules of requiring a physical place of business to exist in a source country (where income is derived from customers located there) to have a legal right on taxation of such income giving way to ‘digital’ presence as a threshold for taxing such income.
The Tax Justice Network estimates the country to gain at least $4 billion (Rs 30,000 crore), equivalent to an estimated 6% of FY21 corporate tax collections. Besides, it would not hurt FDI to India or create any adverse or incremental tax liability in the hands of foreign investors, given that the minimum tax rate for new manufacturing business has recently been legislated at 15%.
At the same time, in respect of outbound investments, it will prevent base erosion of tax in the country as the government will be able to claw back any shortfall in tax paid below 15% by an overseas business owned by an Indian resident, once the global threshold rule becomes operational.
India being one of the world’s foremost digital powers among emerging economies, over 70% of the CFOs consider the implementation of digital technologies as their topmost priority. On the other hand, rise in stringent regulatory policies has also contributed to enterprises digitally transforming their finance function. Lakshmi Nair, Partner, IBM chats with finance leaders S Tirumalai, CFO , Tata Chemicals, Tanushree Bagrodia, CFO, Laxmi Organic Industries , Yogesh Patel, CFO, Mahindra Logistics to know Are CFOs Digitally Ready For The Future?


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Gogoro extends its battery-swapping e-scoot reach into Latin America
Taiwan's battery-swap and e-scoot company Gogoro is about to land on South American soil, thanks to a partnership with energy company Copec. The move will see GoStations and electric Smartscooters roll out in Chile and Colombia.
Along with manufacturing electric Smartscooters, such as the recently-announced Pulse, Gogoro has operated a bunch of battery-swap hubs – called GoStations – since 2015. So instead of riders needing to mull around at charging points while their batteries get topped up, they just roll up, remove a battery pack that's running low and pop in a fresh one.
The company reckons that there are some 1.3 million smart batteries in the wild in Taiwan, supporting almost 600,000 riders and notching up more than 535 million battery swaps so far.
Though there have been a few attempts to move westward, including setting up an Experience Lab in Amsterdam, much of Gogoro's attention has been focused closer to its home turf. The company now has thousands of GoStation battery-swap hubs in Taiwan, China, Israel, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Indonesia.
The expansion into Latin America in partnership with Copec is due to kick off from Q2 of this year, and will see GoStations installed at service stations in Santiago, Chile, and at Bogota in Colombia (which is operated by Copec subsidiary, Terpel).
"The implementation of Gogoro’s battery swapping system in Chile and Colombia is our first entry into two-wheel electric mobility, which means that sustainable mobility will reach many more segments of the population," said Arturo Natho, Copec's CEO. "The partnership with Gogoro will allow us to extend the benefits of electrification and generate a positive impact on people through this pioneering service in the region."
Gogoro's Smartscooters will also be launched in those regions at roughly the same time, and battery swapping will be made available to both individual consumers and delivery riders. "On average, last-mile delivery riders ride more than six-time the distance as consumer riders, so enabling these delivery riders to adopt smart sustainable electric transportation can have an accelerated impact on cities," said Gogoro CEO, Horace Luke.


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Teen take: Why Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill puts America on shaky ground
During unprecedented times, the volatility of America’s economic system is often more concerning than the destabilizing event itself. The china-doll fragility of economics makes enacting monetary and fiscal policies extremely risky, since many societal variables play a role in their success.
To predict how the economy will respond to such policies, economists have to take into account both short-term and long-term effects. When a fiscal or monetary policy fails to acknowledge either one of these effects, it can be detrimental to the entire economic structure.
On March 10, Congress voted to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. This fiscal stimulus sought to provide the economy with an influx of money while it was trying to rebuild from the effects of the pandemic.
More from Alex:Reality: In virtual learning era, what happens to snow days?
Although many economists believe that adding more money into the economy was the right thing to do, it’s hard to ignore the many short comings and unintended consequences this bill possess.
The COVID relief bill’s inability to acknowledge repayment, timing of the stimulus, and political motives all make it clear that $1.9 trillion may be too much money for America to handle.
Although there are many concerns that if the government does not spend enough, we will see a similar economy to that of 2008, it is arguable that the $1.9 trillion (on top of the CARES Act and other COVID-related expenditures) is too much.
In comparison, the total amount spent by President Obama in 2008 totaled to about $800 billion and the economy reacted by falling just short of the natural inflation rate target range of 2-3%. For Biden to nearly triple that spending amount in one stimulus bill makes it difficult to predict just how much inflation will rise and to what extent it will affect the economy.
While many economists argue that it is easy to deal with high inflation, to continue to blindly pump money into the economy is not financially responsible and implies that short-term stability is inherently much more important than long-term consequences.
A common argument posed by proponents of government spending is that the Federal Reserve is better equipped to deal with the implications of an inflationary gap than that of a recession. But with responsible government spending and differentiating between politics and economics, these tools would not have to be implemented.
When playing any guessing game, it’s imperative that one recalls previous moves — such as prior spending — and uses these measures to implement the correct changes necessary. The turmoil created by unnecessary government spending could send inflation into overdrive in the upcoming years and leave the Federal Reserve to deal with the inflationary mess.
High inflation rates caused by the excess government spending will send the Federal Reserve to slam on the breaks and enact contractionary monetary policy and halt economic growth. By slamming its breaks, the Federal Reserve essentially drives the economy back in reverse, halting any previous spending encouraged by the fiscal stimulus.
This back-and-forth movement between expansionary and contractionary policies may create an unstable market that deters investment and creates a saving rather than spending environment.
To be 17 and see all of these changes occur in the economy, I often think about what my future will look like. When I am old enough to make financial decisions on my own, how will Biden’s actions and statements impact me and what will the new economy look like?
If inflation surges, causing interest rates to reach levels that haven’t been seen in over forty years, it will be interesting to see how the current government will handle these adjustments.
No economist holds the market's crystal ball, but any fiscal or monetary policy should be researched and analyzed before being acted upon.
It’s hard to deny that that the next few years will be filled with volatility, but by making sound judgments and learning from our past mistakes, we can create a stronger and more sound economic system in the long term.
Alex Miller is a junior at Central Bucks High School West. This is her second year on the Teen Takes panel.


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Amazon Joins SFIA’s Board of Directors
Silver Spring, MD, June 22, 2017 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announces today that Amazon has joined the SFIA Board of Directors, to be represented by Fouzan Mansuri, Director and Category Leader for Sports & Fitness at Amazon.
“As our industry navigates unprecedented disruption of business models, the SFIA Board of Directors is excited to welcome Amazon. We look forward to Amazon’s insight into how SFIA can be attuned to the changing needs and expectations of customers, SFIA member companies, and industry partners,” said Chris Clawson, SFIA Chairman of the Board.
“Sports & Fitness is a vibrant category for Amazon, as well as an integral part of connecting with customers,” said Fouzan Mansuri, Director and Category Leader for Sports & Fitness at Amazon. “We’re thrilled to join the SFIA Board of Directors, and are excited about the opportunities Amazon and SFIA will have in working together.”
“As one of the leading consumer-facing companies in the United States, Amazon brings an invaluable perspective about how our industry can grow a strong sports, fitness, and active lifestyle culture,” said Tom Cove, SFIA President and CEO. “We’re particularly happy to welcome Fouzan Mansuri, who comes with experience working in several high-level positions within Amazon.”
The SFIA Board approved this interim appointment at its recent board meeting in Washington to address a Board vacancy, and Amazon will be included in the formal slate for election to a full three-year term during the annual SFIA election in fall 2017.
Amazon and Fouzan Mansuri will be joining existing SFIA board members Chris Clawson (Former President; Life Fitness), Dan Arment (CEO; Riddell), Rawleigh Grove (VP & General Counsel; PING Golf), Jason LaRose (President, North America; Under Armour), Gene McCarthy (CEO; Asics America), Scott McDonald (CEO; Body Solid, Inc.), Marco Zambianchi (VP, North America; Technogym), Robert Puccini (Board Member; Mizuno, USA), Jennifer Bendall (Sr. Director of Government Affairs; Nike), Michael Savage (CEO; Empower Fitness), Brian Anderson (President, North America; 2XU), Jim Baugh (President; Jim Baugh Consulting), Brian Jennings (Chief Marketing Officer; NHL), Sal LaRocca (President, Global Operations & Merchandising; NBA), Nathan Pyles (Johnson Health Tech North America), Jonathan Ram (Executive Vice President, North America; New Balance), Kurt Tandan (Associate General Counsel & Senior Director Corporate Affairs; adidas America, Inc.), Melissa Dawson (President; Molten USA), Jeff Padovan (CEO; Bite Tech, Inc.), Jim Weber (CEO; Brooks Running Company), and Mike Zlaket (President & CEO; Rawlings Sporting Goods).
To learn more about SFIA and its Board of Directors and executive committee, please visit https://www.sfia.org/about/board.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.


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American manufacturing is coming back (to a degree) but not without a few caveats in exchange.
The new normal of American manufacturing: Less pay and paying more for received benefits.
U.S. manufacturing is experiencing a bit of resurgence (nothing grand) but is reporting some positive growth in the sector. General Electric recently spoke about bringing manufacturing jobs back to its United States division from overseas.
Te rationale for this perceived “in-sourcing” that is occurring in manufacturing has to deal with a few key points:
- Currency fluctuations (the decline in the value of the Dollar and the increasing value of the Yuan currency).
- Oil prices (cargo ship fuel has increasingly become more expensive since 2000 and as a result increases the cost of shipping manufactured goods from abroad).
- Wages increase in China (wages paid to workers overseas in manufacturing are nearly five times greater that they were a decade ago; as wages increase, this lowers the profit that can be earned on manufactured goods).
- Natural gas production is up and cost are down (the boom in the natural gas industry has pushed the cost of it below the cost of oil, in turn, this lowers the operational cost of the machinery used in manufacturing).
- American unions have become more “agreeable” (from the 1980’s to 2000’s unions have often been identified as a factor that has complicated U.S. manufacturing i.e. (driving cost through wage increases and strikes); unions today are much different than they were 20 years ago. Their membership is down and they have negotiated lower wage agreements with manufacturers to secure jobs).
- U.S. labor is more productive (U.S. labor has continued an upward climb in productivity measures; U.S. labor can produce more than it once good before which lowers operational and production cost and improves profit).
One particular factor to draw attention to is #5; unions facing a decline in membership and losing bargaining power through recent right to work legislation in states have become more agreeable with manufactures in accepting concessions in regard to wage and benefit agreements for their members.
One example of this new “modern U.S. manufacturing” is taking place in Michigan (the former bastion of the automotive industry) where companies like American Axle are bringing back investment in U.S. manufacturing and with it new jobs.
The caveat is that the jobs being created are only paying half of what they used to almost 20 years ago.
New employees hired at New Axle are being compensated $10.50 an hour and are required to contribute more to their health benefits and retirement than their counterparts did 20 years ago. The company itself almost went bankrupt in 2008 at the beginning of the recession but has in the last few years been able to spring back thanks to increases in consumer demand for automotives.
With the increase in consumer demand and new agreed upon concessions with the United Auto Workers Union has created new opportunities for manufacturing in the United States to be more competitive with their global counterparts.
Whether or not this trend will remain to be seen in years to come is a discussion of contention among analyst, but, one thing is for sure, manufacturing is returning to the U.S. slowly but surely.
Courtesy of The Curious Capitalist
Courtesy of Forbes Leadership Forum
- Economists only care about one kind of inflation – and it’s not coming (forexlive.com)
- American Axle needs 200 new workers in Three Rivers; 100 more workers than it thought (mlive.com)
- U.S. Manufacturers Gain Ground (madeinusanews.com)


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Telemarketing complaints are on the rise and continue to top the annual list of consumer complaints collected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Department spokesman Jerad Albracht says more than two out of every five complaints received by the agency last year were regarding calls from unknown numbers, unwanted sales calls or scam calls.
Landlord/ tenant complaints held steady at the second spot, telecommunications remains at number three and home improvement moved up one spot to number four on the list.
In only its second year as a formal complaint category, Medical Services jumped two spots to number five on the list with 255 complaints, an increase of more than 30 percent from 2017.
Rounding out the top ten are identify theft at number six, motor vehicle repair, gas pumps,including credit card skimmers, motor vehicle sales, and fuel quality complaints.


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Pokemon Go March Community Day
Pokemon Go fans are counting down to the March 2021 Community Day event.
The next Pokemon Go Community Day event takes place between 11am GMT and 5pm GMT on March 6.
As part of the latest Community Day event, Fletchling will be appearing more frequently in the wild.
Some lucky fans will even be able to encounter and catch a Shiny Fletchling during the March 6 event.
Earn enough Fletchling Candy and you can evolve the Pokemon into Fletchinder, and then Fletchinder into a Talonflame that knows Incinerate.
Fans can earn even more special rewards by taking a few snapshots during the course of the event.
Elsewhere, Niantic has detailed some of the other rewards and bonuses available as part of the March Community Day event.
This includes a special Community Day Box available from the in-game store, as well as a special Research Story.
Niantic explains more: "There’ll be a special one-time-purchase Community Day Box available for 1,280 PokeCoins, featuring 50 Ultra Balls, five Lucky Eggs, a Poffin, and an Elite Fast TM.
"For US$1 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), you’ll be able to access the Fletchling Community Day–exclusive Special Research story, The Bravest Bird."
"Stay tuned for when tickets for the The Bravest Bird Special Research story go live! Please note that this Special Research will not include an in-game medal."
Finally, Niantic has confirmed that players will earn triple XP for any Pokemon caught during the event.
Likewise, Incense activated during the event will last for three hours, instead of 30 minutes.
Pokemon Go teases release of new Team Rocket balloons
In other Pokemon Go news, Niantic has announced plans to collaborate with the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
"In part 1 of the collaboration, Professor Willow will appear as a Pokemon TCG card in summer 2021, which marks the five-year anniversary of the release of Pokemon GO!
"We plan for this card to be obtainable in regions around the world where the Pokemon TCG is sold.
"Starting in late May 2021, we plan to announce the art and content of the Professor Willow card and details on how to get the card in each area. We will make announcements as further collaborations are determined, so we hope you will look forward to those!"


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Dairy major Amul has decided to harness potato-producing areas of Gujarat. The north of Gujarat is a major potato growing region and accounts for most of Gujarat’s 16 lakh (1.6 million) tonnes potato production.
Talking to journalists about the new business initiative at IIM Ahmedabad GCMMF MD R S Sodhi said “We will launch potato products such as french fries and burger patty in the second week of October.”
GCMMF will soon begin producing frozen French Fries. The dairy cooperative’s entry into the market will greatly boost potato cultivation as the cooperative will directly buy potatoes from farmers, reports India Times.
GCMMF is launching frozen french fries, potato wedges, hash browns and burger patty (aloo tikki) products under their Amul and Taste of India brand. It has already set up a shop in North Gujarat.


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Affluent Consumers Like Saving at Aldi, Too
Aldi is moving to a better neighborhood.
Dan Gavin, a divisional vice president for the limited assortment grocery chain, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that changes in the marketplace have led the company to expand its real estate horizons.
“Early on, even 15 years ago, we were definitely in class B real estate market,” Mr. Gavin told The Enquirer. “But in the past year we have moved our real estate to Class A sites. All types of incomes like to save money. And we want to be by our competition.”
Today, Aldi has 12 stores in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area and the combination of low prices with high quality products is drawing consumers from across various demographic boundaries.
Martha Kidd, 69, is among Aldi’s happy customers. She’s especially happy since a new store in her area has cut down on the commute she used to make to shop at Aldi.
“We used to travel all the way to Middletown once a week to go to Aldi, and I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore,” Ms. Kidd said. “Their prices are very, very good. And the quality is decent, too. I don’t think there’s anything I’ve bought there that isn’t tasty.”
According to Mr. Gavin, Aldi is scouting additional locations in the area as part of its steady national growth strategy. The grocer will open roughly 65 stores this year and another 100 next year.
While Aldi sticks to its limited assortment heritage, it has broadened its selection as new, more affluent consumers frequent the chain’s stores. The company has expanded perishables, including moving into more fresh meat, and added wine in select locations.
Aldi has been successfully picking off pieces of business from both independents and grocery powerhouses such as Kroger and Wal-Mart.
“They are feeding off the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club shopper,” Al Ferrara, a partner and retail expert for BDO Seidman, told The Enquirer. “For a no-frills customer and from a merchandising standpoint, finding the right real estate is the most important thing Aldi can do.”
Discussion Question: Is there a competitive answer to Aldi? Does Aldi have the ability to make a significant move across demographic lines to bring in more affluent consumers? Does Aldi share some of the coolness factor of its cousin, Trader Joe’s?


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NBCUniversal is making a push into “original, digital-first” programming, which it plans to broadcast across its different digital platforms – including NBC.com and the jointly-owned Hulu.
Among the shows due to debut online is an online Heroes spin-off called Heroes Reborn: Digital Series, as well as show about super-fans who wait in line for Saturday Night Live, called Saturday Night Line.
Other shows reportedly being lined up by Universal Cable Productions are: comedy series Tesla and Twain, which will be loosely based on the friendship between inventor Nikola Tesla and writer Mark Twain, but transported to modern-day California; and coming-of age show Last Single Girl.
“This original, digital-first programming, scaled with the unmatched resources of our company and our production partners, underscores the unparalleled opportunities we can create,” said NBCUniversal’s president of advertising sales, Linda Yaccarino.
“The combination of digital video alongside television content is extremely powerful and becoming an increasingly important part of the connection advertisers make with consumers.”
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