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It’s a week of technological innovation, connectivity, and potential legislation in eCommerce. Our top stories of the week:
- Will the “Amazon Tax” Launch Next Year?
- Amazon Transparency Aims to Cut Counterfeiting
- Federal Reserve Concerned over Libra Cryptocurrency
- Royal Mail Adopting Electric Vans in Scale
- Size? Brings the High Street’s Big Advantage to eCommerce
- Asos Introduces Virtual Catwalk
- New Report from BigCommerce Shows Why Cart Abandonment is High
- Cloud Seller Pro Achieves Google Premier Partnership
Will the “Amazon Tax” Launch Next Year?
A digital services tax which would levy 2% of revenue on companies making £500 million or over, with £25 million or more coming from the UK, has been seen in the next finance bill’s draft legislation.
The so-called “Amazon Tax” (as Amazon and Google are two of the most obvious targets of the legislation) was first discussed last year, but seemed unlikely to make it to the draft stage. After all, the phrase ‘too big to tax’ has occasionally floated around in reference to the world’s biggest firms since ‘too big to fail’ went out of fashion. The idea of keeping these multi-nationals from operating in your country is one that most governments aren’t comfortable with, even as a risk.
Now, however, unless the draft radically changes, the Amazon Tax will begin in April 2020 – and the government claims this legislation will bring in £400 million per year from Amazon, Google, and similar businesses.
There is a real chance that things will change – France’s introduction of legislation covering the same basic goal, has seen them threatened with tariffs on US trade as a result. The current White House position is that legislation like this targets US companies more than others.
There’s probably an interesting discussion here about the point where a company stops being an American company and starts being a global one, but the time to have that discussion isn’t during trade negotiations.
Amazon Transparency Aims to Cut Counterfeiting
Following the traditional pattern of testing a new process or service in America and then rolling it out elsewhere, Amazon Transparency has ended its time as a US exclusive.
Part of Project Zero, Amazon Transparency is designed to cut down the risk of counterfeit items on Amazon. Brands that sign up will be given unique codes for their products. These can be scanned by customers through a mobile app to confirm that what they’ve bought is the real deal.
Through 2019, brands using Transparency have received zero reports of counterfeiting. Amazon estimates
Federal Reserve Concerned over Libra Cryptocurrency
The Chairman of the US Federal Reserve has indicated that Libra may have to be put on hold. According to Chairman Powell, Libra “raises many serious concerns regarding privacy, money laundering, consumer protection, and financial stability.” He has urged a slow, careful review of the project before it goes forward.
At the same time, he’s acknowledged that digital currencies will have to be handled differently to traditional money. You could read his remarks – made during his regular testimony to a House subcommittee on monetary policy – as a call to develop new legislative frameworks designed for cryptocurrencies.
Ideally, such a framework would permit cryptocurrencies to do what they do best while ensuring privacy, data security, and consumer protection. But to do that there would have to be some mechanism for oversight, either of the currencies themselves or the entities that create them.
It’s possible that currency founders will become, effectively, banks in the future.
Royal Mail Adopting Electric Vans in Scale
For our British customers, the Royal Mail is a crucial part of shipping logistics. Small surprise their fleet is huge – around 49,000 vehicles are reported to be under their umbrella.
Which makes their trial of nine fully electric vans a potentially major step.
These vans – sleek, smooth, and clearly emblazoned with the signature Royal Mail livery – are supplied by Arrival. Arrival used to be Charge Auto – a company you might associate with Roborace or Formula E.
Arrival can produce a little under 1000 electric vehicles a week at its new Banbury factory, and this trial represents the facility’s first test.
This isn’t Royal Mail’s first investigation of electric vehicles – they’re also committed to an order of 100 electric vans from Peugeot, following a trial in February. But it seems that the company wants to diversify its supply and designs in the future.
We could be looking at a much greener Royal Mail over the next few years as older vehicles are decommissioned and replaced.
Size? Brings the Hight Street’s Big Advantage to eCommerce
As eCommerce gets more sophisticated, more and more businesses have begun trying new ideas to add value to their website and help them stand out.
Streetwear brand Size? has gone in the other direction – instead, software developed by Hero will link customers shopping online with a staff member from Size? to get the same kind of consultation and advice you’d expect in the shop.
Since eCommerce began, the one thing it hasn’t been able to measure up to the high street on is advice and expertise. If this idea catches on, that might finally be about to change.
At that point, the only real advantage left to bricks & mortar shopping will be instant gratification.
As you read that, you’re probably thinking of at least one other advantage of physical shopping. Well, read on.
Asos Introduces Virtual Catwalk
Asos have added a new feature to their app. Called the Virtual Catwalk, if gives you the chance to see what products look like on models of different sizes. Asos customers will have a clear picture of how a given outfit looks on their body type.
The Virtual Catwalk is currently available only on iOS 11.3, but is expected to roll out to other devices over time. It also covers only 100 of the newest Asos Design items – but that will also grow.
Users will have to point their device toward a flat surface and the ‘model’ will appear in that spot on the screen.
By moving around, you’ll be able to see the outfit closer-up or further away, or move around the spot to see it from different angles.
Models will move as if posing on the catwalk, unless paused.
We reported on something similar a couple of months ago, coming from Argos, but this launch is too close to have been inspired by it. That may mean other companies will be launching similar services in the none too distant future.
New Report from BigCommerce Shows Why Cart Abandonment is High
A detailed report on global shipping from Big Commerce offers some statistics every eCommerce business should take some time to consider.
According to the report, one in two shoppers in the UK shops online at least once a week, whether for clothes, furniture, DVDs, stationery and other small items, or groceries. The size of the potential audience for an eCommerce business is huge – but they’re also picky.
BigCommerce’s big focus in this investigation was cart abandonment. We shouldn’t have to tell you how much is potentially lost in abandoned carts every year (although almost half the retailers BigCommerce contacted admitted they weren’t sure what their cart abandonment rate is), but it’s big enough that many businesses spend on remarketing directly to shoppers who abandoned their carts.
In theory, a customer who adds an item to their shopping cart should be as high-intent a customer as it’s possible to have. But only one in four have never abandoned a cart when they looked over shipping options and decided none were acceptable.
This figure probably includes the 44% of shoppers who avoid retailers without free shipping.
There’s more to shipping options than cost, of course. Everyone finds cancelling an order because it can’t arrive in time perfectly reasonable. And some customers refuse to accept certain shipping couriers.
To get around that last one (and to help with the second), Cloud Commerce Pro customers can always set up integrations with more shipping providers and couriers.
Cloud Seller Pro Achieves Google Premier Partnership
In our final piece of weekly news, we report on our child brand Cloud Seller Pro, which yesterday became a Google Premier Partner.
This comes only a few weeks after becoming a Google Technical Partner, one of only fifty in the UK, and only two dealing with shopping ads.
As a Google Premier Partner, Cloud Seller Pro has even more reach and access with Google.
“We are pleased to have Cloud Seller Pro on board as a Google Partner,” said Adrian Blockus, Head of Channel Sales for Google in the UK and Ireland. “Cloud Seller Pro has demonstrated the product knowledge, technical expertise, and drive to help their customers build online success through Google Ads.”
Cloud Commerce Pro – Multichannel Order Management Software
Scale your eCommerce business with dedicated order management software and expert support.
Cloud Commerce Pro is a leading multi-channel order management software powering hundreds of UK brands, SMEs and retailers. Since 2003, we have supported entrepreneurs and business leaders to increase their profitability by simplifying the entire commerce journey. Today, we are led by some of eCommerce’s most renowned thought leaders and are proud to be a WPP company.
We embed our expertise and best practices in eCommerce throughout the onboarding process and through every interaction with our customers. Start scaling with Multi-Channel Order Management Software that includes access to dedicated shipping and data specialists and ongoing UK-based support. Seamlessly connect customer acquisition and multi-channel commerce, with warehousing, inventory, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Sell Direct to Consumers (DTC) by integrating Shopify, Magento and other eCommerce platforms with global marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, and multiple international couriers. Grow faster with Cloud Seller Pro leading Marketing Agency and Web Development services.
Book a discovery call to learn more.
#ecommerce #multichannel #ordermanagementsoftware #ebay #amazon #woocommerce #integrateshopify #integrateebay #integrateamazon #integratecourierservices #cheapestcourierservices


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GM Forum ’21 Highlights: Keynote Speech by Rajesh Mehta, Director Enterprise, Ooredoo Maldives
Rajesh Mehta, Director Enterprise, Ooredoo Maldives gave a keynote speech at this year’s GM Forum, held on 23rd September at Paradise Island Resort, Maldives.
Rajesh talked about the major challenges faced by enterprises in adoption of digital technologies, such as lack of trained professionals and adapting to market dynamics, and offered solutions to these challenges. He also highlighted the current digital trends and how Ooredoo Maldives helps customers achieve greater automation and productivity through digital solutions.
Furthermore, he introduced the Ooredoo Experience Centre, where customers are given demonstrations of applications such as Ooredoo Meet. Ooredoo Maldives also features a tier 3 data center in the country that takes care of all the secured data requirements.
Ooredoo Maldives is a Platinum Sponsor of GM Forum 2021.
Watch the full keynote speech here.


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‘Twas August 23, 2015, and the Orange Concourse at Sunway Pyramid was already jampacked when I arrived. I barely was able to get a glimpse of what was going on at stage, which is a good sign because it means that something exciting is happening. And there certainly was!
The new infotainment program, “All Things Girl”, was launching that day, and Hong Kong big shots were there to grace the event! Priscilla Wong, Elana Kong and Joyce Tang flew all the way from HK to launch the new program, which will be aired on Astro’s Wah Lai Toi and Wah Lai Toi HD channels starting September 6 every 9pm. No wonder the venue was filled to the brim!
“Each of us will host each episode and would cover a topic relevant to women today. And there will be special guests invited for every episode to speak on the topic.” Elana said.
The HK superstars also shared their beauty tips while doing some beauty demo with Pure Beauty products (exclusively at Watsons). The event also served as a special meet and greet session for their fans here in Malaysia.
“All Things Girl” is made possible in Malaysia by Pure Beauty exclusively by Watsons. According to Danny Hoh, Head of Marketing (Watsons Malaysia), “(We) are adopting the concept aired in Hong Kong, but the content is tailored and suited for the local audience.”
All Things Girl airs at 9pm everyday on Astro’s Wah Lai Toi and Wah Lai Toi HD channels. This is a joint collaboration between Astro and TVB sponsored by Pure Beauty exclusively at Watsons.


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Japanese giant Sony, which is well known in the film industry and gaming community, is now going to conquer the car market. At the CES 2023 technology exhibition, the company presented a review video with a demonstration of Sony’s electric car capabilities.
The published video is dedicated to demonstrating a prototype of Sony’s first electric car, called Afeela, which was created in collaboration with the manufacturer Honda. Among the interesting features of the car is the claimed integration with the Unreal Engine from Epic Games. In addition, Afeela will boast different modes of autonomy and a built-in PS5 ecosystem.
Sony promises to open pre-orders for the electric car only in 2025, having previously disclosed the car’s full features and functionality. The car will be on sale in spring 2026 at the earliest.


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The New York Times
Date: NOV. 29, 2017
By PAUL MOZUR
SHANGHAI — D.J.I., the popular drone maker, stands as a symbol of China’s growing technology
prowess. Its propeller-powered machines dominate global markets and buzz regularly over beaches, cityscapes at sunset and increasingly, power plants and government installations.
Now D.J.I. is fighting a claim by one United States government office that its commercial drones and software may be sending sensitive information about American infrastructure back to China, in the latest clash over the power of data in the growing technological rivalry between the two countries. It also shows how consumer technology companies have become increasingly central to debates about national security.
The company, formally named Da Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Company, put out a statement this month contesting the allegations made in a dispatch from United States customs officials. The memo, from the Los Angeles office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, was dated in August but had begun to circulate online more recently.
It said officials had “moderate confidence” that the D.J.I.’s commercial drones and software are “providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government.” It cited what it called a reliable source, who it did not identify, in the drone industry “with first and secondhand access.”
In a statement, D.J.I. said the report was “based on clearly false and misleading claims.”
“The allegations in the bulletin are so profoundly wrong as a factual matter that ICE should consider withdrawing it, or at least correcting its unsupportable assertions,” the company said.


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June 18, 2015
Couple Opens Business, Develops Innovative New Beehive
In 2011, Sunshine Coast Couple Ann and Jeff Ross found a large infestation of bees in the one of the walls of their mechanical business. While many business owners would have called an exterminator to have the bees destroyed, the Rosses did not want to have the insects killed. Instead, the two saw this as an opportunity to dive into a new hobby and purchased a beehive, which gave them a glimpse into the world of beekeeping and some of the struggles that honeybees in Australia face.
In an articles posted on SunshineCoastDaily.com.au, the Ross’ explain how they discovered that honey bees were actually very vulnerable creatures. They found that bees are very susceptible to a range of spore-based diseases that can infiltrate the traditional hives beekeepers use and can often become victim to heat stress. When Jeff Ross realized that a better beehive could lead to a longer bee life and more sustained populations, he put his engineering skills to work to design new beehive prototypes.
Jeff was able to design a wide range of new beehives using only recycled material, He actually went a step further to produce a hive specifically manufactured to keep native stingless bees thriving and safe. These native bees are able to product honey that, in today’s market, could bring up to $100 per kilo. The prototypes being used by Jeff and Ann were created by the small 3D printer available at the University of the Sunshine Coast to demonstrate their design – Ann is a student at the university.
Currently, the Rosses are running a crowd funding campaign to help raise money for the University of the Sunshine Coast to purchase a larger 3D printer in order for them to produce full-scale hives to sell on the market. Currently, the couple has been able to raise $3,000 toward their $11,000 goal just 20 days after the campaign began. The couple’s end goal is to excite an interest in the honey production industry and produce their own version of the highly popular Manuka honey coming from New Zealand.
Ann believes that Australia’s melaleuca tree has the ability to produce the same quality of honey as New Zealand’s Manuka tree. This combined with the areas preferable climate for native, stingless bees means that Australia has the potential to cultivate and produce “world-class” Sunshine Coast honey. This can then be leveraged with the country’s Natural Advantage which will help to rejuvenate an interest in honey production and bring the industry back to life.


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Shanghai,China (TNO) ZTE Blade S7, the successor to ZTE’s Blade S6 smartphone, has been launched in Shanghai. The USP of the new ZTE phone is the 13 mp selfie camera. “We are delighted to confirm the availability of the ZTE Blade S7, a device packed with a range of fun and innovative features,” said Jacky Zhang, CEO of Asia Pacific, ZTE Mobile Devices. “ZTE is constantly listening to its customers and we wanted to deliver a device that takes the selfie experience to a new level.”
It features a Qualcomm 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor, 3GB DDR3 RAM, and 32GB of eMMC internal storage.
Blade S7 runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop customized with ZTE’s MiFavor 3.2 UI. The new ZTE phone will come in four colour variants: Lemon Green, Rose Gold, Diamond White and Space Gray. Blade S7 will first go on sale in Thailand, and be made available later in other markets across Asia-Pacific.


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Good morning Rumour Relishers. Here at Macworld Australia, our cups positively runneth over with rumours these days, so you may have noticed we’ve started bringing you even more regular round-ups of the latest gossip on each (so far mythical) future product in Apple’s line-up (like this one). But, never fear, the Rumour Mill will still be here on a Friday morning to let you know the very latest
crazy flights of fantasy drops of wisdom.
And as this year the world will celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of the most glorious family movies of all time, this week the Rumour Mill is brought to you courtesy of Dorothy and friends. Yes, the wonderful Wizard of Oz. But a quick caveat, before you start humming your way through any of the wonderful melodies composed by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, just check there’s no one around that may find your musicality insensitive. Or you may find yourself in an unfortunate situation like this one…
Right, now that’s out of the way, what’s had the iOSphere all of a twitter this week?
First, it’s goodbye to a product that we never actually said hello to. MacRumors spread the sad news that the iPad Pro has been ditched. No, not the iPad 2 – that’s an actual product that really existed and has this week genuinely been sent to that great tablet pasture in the sky by Apple. We’re talking instead about the larger sized tablet, expected to measure around the 12.9in mark, dubbed the iPad Pro by ‘those in the know’ and earmarked for release for a possible launch date early next year.
Now, shock horror, the tablet that had never been mentioned, let alone officially confirmed by Apple, has now apparently been shelved, according to a report from Digitimes.
“Most of the large-size tablet projects face difficulties because of lack of support from related platform developers and ecosystems. Apple has also been said to [have] shelved its large-size tablet project,” writes Digitimes, dabbing away a tear.
Don’t know about you, but we’re gutted. Such a brief acquaintance. Such a candle in the wind…
Among the veritable torrent of contradictory rumours about the next iteration of Apple’s smartphone (many of which you could trawl through here) comes this from Paul Briden, writing for Know Your Mobile (‘Nice to meet you Phone, how’s it hangin’?). Actually, he’s talking about tablets. Or is it smartphones? Or is it smartphones and tablets? Oh never mind.
Briden asserts that the laws have changed over in Europe, and that means that from now on tablets will be required to use microUSB chargers. This idea has been mooted before, last September in fact when members of the European Parliament’s internal market committee on Thursday voted unanimously for a new law mandating a universal mobile phone charger. But that legislation didn’t cover tablets. Now it does.
According to a report from ALDE Group, EU member states have a couple of years to comply. As Briden says, “Apple has still stuck to its proprietary Lightning connector, although to comply with EU law has supplied EU iPhones with USB adaptors. You can probably expect this practice to extend to the iPad Air and iPad mini now too.”
Meanwhile, in iPhone 6 rumour land, good old John Cox at Network World has a few more meaty morsels to set you masticating – including this from ZDNet‘s Larry Dignan, who reckons the iPhone 6 will have a 5in screen and this “will lead to a big replacement cycle that may poach customers of Samsung.”
MacRumors goes further. It references analyst Brian Marshall of the ISI Group, who released a note to investors reiterating suggestions that Apple will release two new smartphones this year, a 4.7in and a 5.5in one. Marshall’s conclusions regarding this echo Dignan’s. Such phones “could spark a massive upgrade cycle”.
“‘Large-screen envy’ is prevalent among the iPhone installed base and we believe a ~5in form-factor iPhone would spark a massive upgrade cycle as well as many ‘Android switchers’ returning back to the iPhone (we refer to this as the ‘mother lode’ of all Apple upgrade cycles),” writes Marshall.
Yep, a fraction of an inch will be enough to entice the hordes to toss away their old Galaxies, Omnias and Waves like yesterday’s newspapers and descend on Apple stores in their millions. Stand back, or get mown down in the rush. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
And before we leave the future of the iPhone for this week, there’s also this little snippet suggested by MacRumors following an announcement from Imagination Technologies (IT). Now, it’s a bit detailed, this one, and probably for the technically minded, so the rest of you pay attention. IT has released a new version of its PowerVR graphics architecture. And it includes ray-tracing capabilities. This is not a Mr Charles tracking device, apparently.
We’ll let IT explain. “For the better part of the last eight years, we have been busy developing unique hardware and software technologies to radically lower the cost and dramatically increase the efficiency and performance of ray tracing.
“This work culminates at GDC 2014 with the official launch of the PowerVR Wizard GPU family, a range of IP processors that offer high-performance ray tracing, graphics and compute in a power envelope suitable for mobile and embedded use cases. This opens up the potential of highly photorealistic, computer generated imagery to a host of new real-time applications and markets not previously possible.”
Further, this will “allow game developers to view lighting changes in near real time, accelerating the development process”.
And what does this all have to do with the iPhone 6, we hear you ask?
Glad you asked. “Apple has not been explicitly mentioned as interested in taking advantage of the new Wizard GPU designs, but the company has used Imagination GPUs in all of its iOS devices and is a minority investor in Imagination, holding an approximately 10 percent stake in the company,” says MacRumors.
But wait, “As for timing, it seems that Wizard GPUs will not be making their way into products until 2015, indicating that they are not candidates for the iPhone 6, which is expected to debut later this year.” Oh, so not the iPhone 6, but ‘future’ iPhones. That’s OK, we can wait.
There’s been a frightful lot of column inches filled this week with reactions to the latest book about Apple, Haunted Empire by Yukari Iwatani Kane. A lot of them not very positive reactions, it must be said. Time magazine called it simply a “bad book”. Rene Ritchie’s succinct review is, “Skip it.” (Well, there is more, but the first two words say it all.)
And Tim Cook’s response was reported widely. “This nonsense belongs with some of the other books I’ve read about Apple. It fails to capture Apple, Steve, or anyone else in the company. Apple has over 85,000 employees that come to work each day to do their best work, to create the world’s best products, to put their mark in the universe and leave it better than they found it. This has been the heart of Apple from day one and will remain at the heart for decades to come. I am very confident about our future. We’ve always had many doubters in our history. They only make us stronger.” Whoah, you tell her, Tim.
But our favourite so far comes from Benjamin Mayo at 9to5Mac, who emailed Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue regarding a passage in the book that purports to explain how Cue went from worker bee to one of the heads of the hive. The story basically had Cue speaking up in a meeting twice and being shot down by Steve Jobs, who also threw a pen at him. When he had the
balls tenacity to try a third time, Jobs capitulated and decided he was the man.
True story? asked Mayo. “No, it’s not,” replied Cue, concisely.
I’ve been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now… well, being a Christian woman, I can’t say it!
And finally comes the report today that Jesse Eisenberg is feeling a little huffy and ‘what did I do wrong?’-y. Actually, the rumour to which we refer doesn’t mention young Jesse at all. It’s just that with David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin supposedly ramping up to make the definitive Steve Jobs movie (our italics), the star of their previously hugely successful tech film, The Social Network may have been looking forward to rejoining them in the sandpit*. But no, Christian is their boy. As we reported here in Macworld Australia this very morning, Fincher has told the world that he’ll only agree to helm the film if Oscar winner and Batman star Christian Bale is cast in the lead.
Why are we telling you this again? Well, mostly because a/we love a movie reference and b/ it gives us a chance to share this response to the rumour from CausticPuppy on MacRumors‘ forums.
Best. Comment. Ever.**
And that’s the Rumour Mill for the week ending 21 March 2014. “A place where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It’s far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain…”
* Again, utter conjecture on our part. In all likelihood, he couldn’t give a (flying) monkey’s…
** Well, not ever perhaps. But this morning definitely.


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December 23, 2012
Advertising Guru Sells Hamptons Estate: ‘I don’t Want My Money Going To Obama’ ~ GOOD for him! Good idea!
Advertising Guru Sells Hamptons Estate: ‘I don’t Want My Money Going To Obama’
He got taxed out of town.
Legendary advertising guru Jerry Della Femina is the latest Hamptons fat cat to unload his East End spread at the precipice of the dreaded fiscal cliff, The Post has learned.
The flamboyant Madison Avenue guru has sold his 8,500-square-foot estate — the host of many legendary Hamptons bashes — for $25 million, and blames his flight squarely on President Obama’s fiscal policies.
“I want the proceeds of this sale to go to my kids and my grandkids,” said the man behind iconic ad campaigns for Meow Mix and Absolut Vodka. “I don’t want my money going to Obama, and that’s what’s going to happen in the New Year. That’s why I sold right now, that’s why I wanted to get this done.”
The listing broker for the East Hampton oceanfront property, Corcoran’s Susan Breitenbach, declined to comment on the megabucks deal.
Sources said that the buyers are a New York based family.
Della Femina’s buzzer-beating sale is just one of many big-ticket closings sweeping the Hamptons as affluent homeowners seek to move their blue-chip digs before taking a capital-gains beating in the coming year.
Wild Thing's comment..................
Good for Jerry Della Femina and I am glad others are doing the same thing.
Posted by Wild Thing at December 23, 2012 02:55 AM
The new taxes and tax increases we will see in the next 5 to 6 years will be mind boggling. Two thousand pages of obamacare taxes, 16,000 new IRS agents and purchase of millions of rounds of ammunition for the IRS mean that this govt. is not kidding. Hang on to your hats, if you can afford a hat. Take care of your ass because it is about to belong to obama.
Posted by: TomR,armed in Texas at December 23, 2012 12:25 PM


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Microsoft Has Reportedly Laid Off More Workers 🚨
Scott D. Clary | Daily Business, Tech & Finance Newsletter
Hi there 👋. This is a daily newsletter that covers the top business, tech and finance stories for today.
If you’d like to suggest topics, provide some feedback (much appreciated), update your email preferences (unsub 🥺), reply directly to this email.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Spotify is reorganizing its app
- Chipotle to Pay $20M to NYC Workers
- Crypto bank Nuri files for insolvency
- Boulevard gets Series C funding
Microsoft Has Reportedly Laid Off More Workers 🚨
Microsoft has reportedly laid off its Modern Life Experience (MLX) team that has been working on consumer-focused features for a couple of years.
- The MLX team was created in 2018 to win back the non-enterprise customers it let down to focus on professional consumers (prosumers).
- The team later partnered with Microsoft’s Family Safety group to build the first version of the Family Safety apps for iOS and Android.
- In June 2020, MLX launched Money in Excel — a template that lets users connect to bank, credit card, investment, and loan accounts to Excel.
- Overall, the team’s goal was to create new products and experiences that would appeal to consumers living in the Microsoft ecosystem.
But now, the tech giant is laying off nearly 200 employees from its customer-focused R&D projects.
The fresh layoffs come just weeks after Microsoft laid off 1% or 1,800 employees in the last month, with job cuts in consulting and customer & partner solutions.
FCC Rejects ❌ Starlink’s Bid For Rural Internet Subsidies
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has denied SpaceX’s bid for nearly $885 million 💰 in subsidies to support rural broadband customers through the Starlink satellite internet network.
The FCC has also denied the subsidy awarded to LTD Broadband.
But why did the FCC deny the subsidy? 🤔
The FCC says Starlink “failed to meet program requirements and convince the FCC to fund risky proposals.”
- The funding is part of the broader $9.2 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which offers an incentive for telecom companies to extend internet service to rural and underserved locations.
- SpaceX sought funding to provide satellite internet service to nearly 650,000 locations in 35 states.
- In 2020, Starlink had won an initial $885.5 million subsidy as part of a Phase 1 rollout of the funding program.
What did FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel say?
“We must put scarce universal service dollars to their best possible use as we move into a digital future that demands ever more powerful and faster networks. We cannot afford to subsidize ventures that are not delivering the promised speeds or are not likely to meet program requirements.”
Crypto Criminals Laundered Money 💰 Through RenBridge 🌁
According to new research from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, the cross-chain bridge RenBridge has been used to launder over $540 million over the past two years.
This claim from Elliptic comes two days after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Tornado Cash’s decentralized privacy protocol for allegedly facilitating money laundering.
How did RenBridge launder money?
According to the report, RenBridge facilitated the laundering of at least $540 million in proceeds of crime since 2020 through a process known as chain hopping — converting one form of cryptocurrency into another and moving it across multiple blockchains.
What’s more interesting is that the amount includes over $153 million in ransomware proceeds as well as crypto assets believed to have been stolen by North Korea.
Elliptic noted that decentralized cross-chain bridges provide “an unregulated alternative to exchanges for transferring value between blockchains.”
Why does this issue matter?
Elliptic says that blockchain bridges such as RenBridge pose a challenge to authorities trying to stop individuals and groups from using the emerging crypto technology for illegal activities.
Finix Raises $30 Million in Fresh Funding 💰
This payments technology company for software platforms has raised $30 million in fresh capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $133 million.
Who invested money in Finix?
New and existing investors, including The General Partnership, Franklin Templeton, Insight Partners, Inspired Capital, American Express Ventures, Acrew Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Cap Table Coalition, Homebrew, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Precursor Ventures, PSP Growth, and Vamos Ventures participated in the round.
How will this funding help Finix?
Finix is dedicated to becoming the payment provider of choice for software platforms.
Over the next few months, the company plans to announce more features to help software platforms manage their payments and merchants better.
Founded in 2015, Finix is trusted by startups and publicly traded companies to build and scale their payments infrastructure.
The company makes it easy for software platforms of all sizes to process payments while increasing revenue and reducing costs.
Since its inception, the company has powered billions of dollars in total annual payments volume. It has grown to support over 12,000 active sub-merchants each month.
That’s a wrap for today, ladies & gents. See ya next week!
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Uber has caved in to pressure from drivers and MPs to increased its fares. According to the drivers this will benefit thousands of independent contractors and provide a more level the playing field for other players in the taxi industry.
It will now cost Sh42 per kilometer in Nairobi, up from Sh35. The minimum fare has been increased by Ksh 100 to Ksh 300. The base fare will remain at Sh100 with the fee on time during the trip remaining at Sh3 per kilometer.
In Mombasa, the price per kilometer is also up to Sh42 while the minimum fare was increased by Ksh 50 to Sh 200. Base fare was increased from Sh50 to Sh70.
“We have always promised to closely monitor driver partners economics; keeping cognizant of how inflation and fuel prices can affect drivers using our app. We continue to stand by that promise because Uber succeeds when our partners succeed. That is why today we are raising our prices in Kenya. We believe driver-partners will earn more as a result of these changes and that riders will continue to enjoy access to a safe, affordable and reliable service,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The price increase was arrived at after a meeting between officials from the company and the chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Transport.
The company dropped the fare to Sh35 per kilometer from a previous Ksh 60 when it entered the Kenyan market. Though the drop came just a day before competitor Little Cabs came into the picture, Uber said that that was a bid to get more people using the app.
This led to a significant decrease in the take-home amount by car owners and the independent contractors who use the app to get customers.
Last month, they submitted a petition to the committee chaired by Starehe MP, Mr Kamanda.
Members of the Kenya Taxi Cab Association also piled Pressure on the company by the submission of a petition to the same committee. The members also asked the MPs to come up with ways to regulate the sector.


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Following the shocking news of Final Fantasy XIII going multiplatform, Square Enix has taken the opportunity to address its plans in regards to keeping Final Fantasy Versus XIII exclusive to the PlayStation 3.
In an interview with Square Enix Executive Shinji Hashimoto, it was revealed that not only will the game remain a PS3 exclusive, but game director Tetsuya Nomura (Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy VII) is developing another game outside of Versus called "One Goal Spirit."
"We won’t change policy," said Hashimoto. "Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still a PlayStaion 3 exclusive."
Hashimoto also revealed that due to Nomura putting all his time and resources into Final Fantasy XIII, Noruma won’t be able to devote much into "One Goal Spirit" as of yet.
We are hoping that Square Enix sticks to their word this time with Versus XIII, as the loss of Final Fantasy XIII’s exclusivity will undoubtedly add to the hardware sales that "could’ve been" for the PS3.


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ODENSE, Denmark — Mobile Industrial Robots A/S has announced that Søren E. Nielsen will replace CEO Thomas Visti Jensen as its president as of Aug. 1, 2020. Visti plans to pursue new career paths, said the company. Since January 2018, Nielsen has been the chief technology officer of MiR.
“Søren E. Nielsen is an excellent leader who will ensure continuity of our strategy and continued business momentum,” he said. “MiR is a still a young company, with tremendous opportunity for transforming the way the world works by optimizing logistics at thousands of companies worldwide.”
“Our new president is an articulate leader [who] also has a balance of organization, process and pragmatism to effectively get things done and grow our business,” stated Jagiela. “He has a rare balance of solving immediate real-life customer needs and creating a roadmap for long-term innovation and leadership.”
This is the second executive change among the Danish robotics companies owned by North Reading, Mass.-based Teradyne. Last year, Esben Østergaard, co-founder and CEO of Universal Robots A/S, stepped down. The collaborative robotics pioneer has since created accelerator REInvest Robotics.
MiR continues growth during coronavirus crisis
Nielsen is a mechanical engineer and received management training at McKinsey & Co. He has 25 years of experience in managerial positions at international corporations such as Danfoss and Siemens. Nielsen said that he is ready to take on the challenges of leading MiR during a period of extensive unpredictability on global markets because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite the current situation, MiR continues to grow in 2020,” he said. “We have not put on the brakes – which makes us relatively stronger than other industry operators. Our flexible robots help global industries such as health care, manufacturing and logistics make up for lost revenue by increasing productivity and efficiency. We also improve work environments at customer companies by relieving staff from manual transportation tasks.”
“During the corona pandemic, our rate of hiring has gone down,” said Nielsen, who was the 50th employee when he joined the company, which now has 220 staffers. “However, until then, our staff rate has grown exponentially since the foundation of the company. This means that we have been able to consolidate our organization and optimize production processes in numerous ways. ”
Nielsen brings different managerial style to MiR
Visti helped raise MiR’s visibility in Denmark and worldwide in a short time, but Nielsen said his personal style is different.
“It is ‘Mister MiR’ who is stepping down,” he said. “I have some very big shoes to fill. Thomas Visti has been extremely skilled at branding MiR on a global scale – which means that we have had far more media exposure than could be expected for a company our size. I’m not that kind of person; however, I will do my very best.”
Visti expressed confidence in his successor. “When Søren was brought on board, we needed a leader with international industry experience,” he said. “He has made a very significant contribution to the optimization of processes and procedures, so I am very happy to hand over the reins to Søren.”


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Globalfast Launched by SilverYachts
Having launched predecessor BOLD to widespread international acclaim in 2019, Australian shipyard SilverYachts successfully launched 85.3m explorer Globalfast in September 2022.
Continuing the historic collaboration with renowned designed Espen Oeino, Globalfast became the second yacht launched from SilverYachts’ all-aluminium Silver World Explorer series.
The striking monochromatic finish gives Project Globalfast her own distinct personality, while the layout has been optimised and the interior tailored to suit the preferences of the client.
The 85.3m explorer yacht also features a 24/7 commercial helipad, hangar and refuelling facilities, as well as a large multifunctional deck complete with an 8-tonne crane.
Icon Begins 70m Explorer Yacht Conversion
Icon Yachts began work on its latest superyacht conversion project this year in the form of 70m Project MASTER.
A 66m Offshore Rescue and Support Vessel will be used as the platform of an exciting modern explorer yacht, designed by Espen Oeino International.
Espen Oeino International was contracted in 2021 to develop the design and styling, working alongside the shipyard to repurpose a significant proportion of the vessel. Not only is this advantageous for the client in terms of environmental impact, but it also reduces the lead time and overcomes the great supply chain hurdle.
The 70m superyacht will accommodate up to 12 guests in six opulent suites, comprising of two VIPs, three Twins, and a sublime 135 m2 Master Stateroom and private Owner’s Deck. The Owner’s spaces come with additional privacy located three decks above the guest suites.
B.YOND: Benetti Launch 37m Voyager GOGA
Benetti’s latest revolutionary voyager, the 37m B.YOND, was launched at the beginning of July from the iconic Italian builder’s Livorno shipyard.
Described by Benetti's main innovators as "the greenest yacht in the world", the B.YOND is the purest example of the Italian shipyard's dedication to the green agenda in recent years.
With 9 units already sold and zero units physically in the water, it is clear that yacht enthusiasts have connected with Paolo Vitelli and Stefano Righini's shared passion and collaborative dream that is now their legacy to the ocean and fellow yacht owners alike.
Boasting four decks, the B.YOND completely redefines the yachting experience and offers a brand new concept of space. Rather uniquely for a yacht of 37m, guest cabins have been elevated on to the main deck, a feature more common of a much larger yacht. Her bridge can also have a veranda or a private owner deck, which is rare for a yacht of her size, and more typical of yachts 55m+.
On Board Arksen’s Revolutionary Explorer
Arksen is certainly one of the most exciting and progressive innovators in the explorer yacht sector. This year, we spoke to Ben Bowley, Captain of Arksen 85, to get some insight into what makes these yachts so special.
Captain Bowley described to us in detail about what makes this vessel the perfect long-range explorer, for all weathers, all destinations, and most importantly, for all yachting enthusiasts and adventurers around the globe who dare to venture to new regions for the purpose of personal and scientific discovery.
With 2 builds currently being constructed in Arksen’s Wight Shipyard, and a third hull expected to be unveiled in Summer 2023, it is clear that Arksen are well under way in their voyage to becoming a beloved, eco-conscious brand that protects product, people, and planet.


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Seven Berkeley chiefs pocket a £28m windfall between them sparking a mini shareholders' revolt
Berkeley chief exec Rob Perrins pocketed £7.8m, including £7.1m in bonuses
Housebuilder Berkeley has warned stamp duty is suffocating the London housing market as it saw a revolt over a £28million payout to its bosses.
Official figures have shown prices in the capital are falling at the fastest pace since the financial crisis, which Berkeley blamed on stamp duty rises introduced in 2014 by then-chancellor George Osborne.
It said: ‘London remains constrained by high transaction costs, restrictive income multiple limits on mortgage borrowing and prevailing economic uncertainty, accentuated by Brexit.’
Its warning came as nearly 8 per cent of shareholder votes were cast against a pay report at its annual general meeting.
Berkeley’s seven executives were handed £28.3million overall for the year to April 30.
The group has warned of a profits dip next year of around 30 per cent after a 15 per cent surge in the year to April.
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Agents are told to pay as little as possible for gold. It’s appalling
The unscrupulous agents offer rock bottom prices in the hope sellers will snap up the cash.
We launched an investigation after being tipped off about the website postgoldfor cash.com, which advertises online and on TV, claiming to offer a “safe, secure and speedy way” to cash in on valuables within 48 hours.
Sending off a selection of necklaces, bracelets and rings, valued by a reputable dealer at £220, we were initially offered just £31 – an eighth of its value.
When our investigator baulked at the figure, we were told: “This is for the cash to be couriered to you today.
“You’ll have the money in your hand and we have to pay £9 to the courier. We are a TV-based company with a lot of overheads.”
We were then offered £40 for an instant bank transfer, which went up to £50 when we declined.
Our reporter explained that she had been offered £220 elsewhere and the call centre worker went to “check” the findings with her manager.
She came back and said: “We can now offer £97. I have to explain that our overheads are high.”
Our reporter told her she was staggered that the offer had trebled in the space of a few minutes and asked for the gold to be sent back immediately.
But she was stunned by the response.
The worker said: “We haven’t seen your gold so we valued it based on it being scrap, which is why the initial offer was low. But we have spoken to our jeweller in Devon who has assessed it and says it could be resold as jewellery and we can now offer £210.”
This was a staggering seven times the initial price quoted.
We insisted our gold was returned and received two more calls from the company trying to persuade us to let them keep it.
At Tesco Gold Exchange, the same jewellery, which was 9ct and weighed 21g, was valued at £225.02.
Another online company, cash4mygold.co.uk made an initial offer over the phone of £190.74 and when told it hadn’t reached the expected price, upped its bid to £220.
At the Warrington, Cheshire branch of Abermarle and Bond pawnbrokers, which has shops nationwide, the same items were said to be worth £153.
After saying a higher offer had been made online, we were warned: “Be careful dealing with websites. They don’t pay what they say they will and you may not get your jewellery back.”
Another jeweller at the Cheshire Gold Exchange said he would be happy to buy the gold for £220.50 and advised the price of precious metal could fluctuate.
A whistle-blower who worked at postgoldforcash.co.uk said: “It’s terrible. You have old ladies sending off the family jewels after seeing adverts on the TV and being thrilled when they offer them a tiny amount for a piece of jewellery that may have been in their family for years.
“If they push for more money, eventually they will be offered a fair price. But desperate people won’t do that. They take the first offer.
“Agents are told to pay as little as possible for gold. It’s appalling.”
Kerry Patton, marketing manager for postgoldforcash.co.uk and cash4mygold.co.uk, said: “It is important to us that our customers are happy with the offer we make, which is why we contact every single customer to discuss it before sending out a payment.
“This gives customers the opportunity to reject our offer and have their items returned, which we do at our cost.
“We do allow our agents a certain amount of flexibility so they can negotiate with customers to try and meet their expectations as much as possible and within reason.”
She added: “We have paid over £14million in marketing and customer acquisition costs to create the postal gold-buying market. We do need to be able to cover our costs and make some profit.
“We believe we offer fantastic customer service and again this comes at a cost.”


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New Delhi: Aircel plans to approach the Reserve Bank of India for a payment bank licence after completing the merger of Reliance Communications’ wireless business with itself, a top official said.
“We intend to approach RBI
once this current thing (merger) is over. We do aspire to become a bank,” LV Sastry, business head for Aircel’s mobile banking and commerce business, told ET. “We’re trying to understand the value we can bring to our customers with this licence.”
The company also proposes to convert all its post-merger data customers into users of its mobile wallet over the next two to three years, Sastry said. Aircel, owned by Malaysia’s Maxis Group, operates its mobile wallet through subsidiary Aircel Smart Money, which will be integrated with the Unified Payments Interface within a few weeks, enabling payments to be made directly from a customer’s bank account.
Aircel, like leading carriers Bharti Airtel
, Vodafone India
and Idea Cellular, has had a mobile wallet or financial payments system since 2015, although with a limited base of users. About 35% of Aircel’s 91 million customers - primarily in Jammu & Kashmir and the southern and eastern states - use data and of them, 10% are wallet users.
The RBI started payment banks to widen the availability of financial services in the country. While such banks can’t lend, they can accept deposits, issue ATM/debit cards, offer payment and remittance services, and distribute simple financial products like mutual fund units and insurance products.
Bharti Airtel was the first to launch payment bank services in January, followed by India Post. Seven companies including FINO PayTech, Jio Payments Bank, PayTM and National Securities Depository Ltd. have received final approval from the RBI to start payment bank services. Idea Cellular, which is undergoing a merger with Vodafone
India, plans to launch payment bank services by June.
Sastry said that while Aircel missed applying for the first lot of licences, it will approach the regulator during the next round, by when the merger of RCom’s wireless business with the Chennai-based company would be complete.
The merger, which will create the country’s third-largest operator with more than 190 million customers, is entering the final phase, with both companies seeking shareholder approval in the coming days.
“There is a push to convert voice users to data users within the company and once that happens, that’s my target audience and I believe we will be able to get 100% of that population in the next 2-3 years,” Sastry said. RCom has about 35 million data customers.
“We will introduce UPI integration in the next few weeks,” he added. At the same time, the company is strengthening its presence in local markets by getting dairies, newspaper vendors, community kirana stores and cable and internet operators to use its wallet to receive payments from customers.
“For this, we have built various tools which make on boarding instant, easy and secure such as Aadhaar-based registration, online digital signature for agreements, online KYC validation and dynamic QR codes for payments enabling both ‘pull’ and ‘push’ payments,” Sastry said.
Aircel is also approaching institutions such as local schools and colleges to make transactions through its wallet.


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Netflix replaces live TV as youngsters’ viewing choice
July 23, 2015
New findings from Hub Entertainment Research show that while cord cutting remains low, online TV is becoming the default for key TV segments and scenarios.
In a very short time, online TV sources have become more common than not: more than three-quarters of TV consumers watch online to some extent, and the average pay TV customer uses two or more online TV sources in addition to their MVPD subscription. So now
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NEW YORK — VeriFone Systems, RSA and Ingenico are poised for a gain in sales as U.S. retailers turn to makers of payment terminals and security software for help shoring up their anti-hacking defenses.
Ever since Target disclosed in December that hackers stole financial data from 40 million customer accounts, companies as disparate as casinos, grocers and luxury-goods stores have requested help to make customer data more secure, say payment-technology executives. Interest surged anew when Neiman Marcus said it too had been hit, and Michaels Stores also reported its customer data may have been compromised. Concerns over consumer data took center stage again last week as Target and Neiman Marcus executives began testifying before Congress.
VeriFone’s revenue from point-of-sale hardware bought by big retailers in North America will surge 15 percent this year starting in April, estimates Wayne Johnson, an analyst at Raymond James & Associates. By the end of 2014, as many as 50 percent of U.S. retailers will have installed terminals capable of handling more secure chip-based cards, Gil Luria, a Wedbush Securities analyst, said in a note.
“This will get retailers to spend more on security, which is good for VeriFone and Ingenico,” Luria said. “These hacks will encourage retailers to buy more new chip-enabled terminals.”
For retailers, options include beefing up efforts to stave off phishing attacks, accelerating a move to credit cards with chips embedded, rather than magnetic strips, and encrypting data as it moves from checkout terminals to remote servers.
Such purchases would indicate an increase in spending by U.S. chains, which for years have invested far less than other industries on data security, making them more vulnerable to attacks than retailers in Europe. The U.S. accounts for almost half of $12.42 billion in annual global fraud losses on payment cards, according to the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter in Carpinteria, Calif.
Constrained by thin margins, U.S. retailers traditionally have focused technology investments on building customer-friendly websites, among other priorities, said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Group, a retail-technology consulting firm based in Franklin, Tenn.
They also were aware that the impact of data breaches typically faded fast, including one at TJX — parent of retailer T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods — that affected more than 100 million people last decade.
U.S. chains can shrug off data breaches no longer. Last month, the FBI warned some retailers that attacks are on the rise, said Jenny Shearer, a spokeswoman.
There is evidence that the attacks are spooking some consumers. While many retailers struggled to lure shoppers the past holiday season, Target said sales at its U.S. unit were “meaningfully weaker” after disclosing the data theft.
John Mulligan, chief financial officer of the chain, apologized to U.S. lawmakers at the hearing Tuesday for the data breach and said security will be improved as Target speeds up implementation of chip-enabled card technology.
“I want to reiterate how sorry we are that this has happened,” Mulligan said.
The chain also could face as much as $1.1 billion in payments to banks related to the data breach, Jason Kupferberg, a Jefferies analyst, said in a Jan. 29 report.
“All the large retailers are looking to ensure this doesn’t happen to them,” said Thierry Denis, president of Ingenico North America, a French maker of payment terminals. “Before they would have said, ‘No, we don’t want to spend money on security.’ Now they know they’d better spend more.”
Chains may now accelerate installations of EMV — Europay, MasterCard and Visa — terminals, which work with chip-based cards, Luria said.
He expects the surge in the technology’s adoption to increase VeriFone’s sales by $50 million in fiscal 2015, and another $50 million in fiscal 2016. That would add about 15 cents to VeriFone’s earnings for each of those years, Luria said in a Jan. 28 note.
Industry analysts say chip-based cards wouldn’t have stopped the hackers from gaining access to Target customer data. In that case, the criminals likely sneaked in after the cards were swiped and during the brief period unencrypted data moved to the chain’s servers, Kupferberg said in the report.
“Encryption may not have been at the forefront of discussions, as EMV was,” he said. “Now they’re asking about both.”


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Tablet sales up 65% in Q2
July 24, 2013
Tablet sales reached 51.9 million units worldwide in Q2 2013, representing 65 per cent growth over Q2 2012, and a 17 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase. Futuresource anticipates total tablet sales will exceed 252 million units in 2013, an annual growth rate of 63 per cent.
Growth is beginning to be driven more by emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil, South East Asia, Middle East and Africa where penetration is much lower than more developed markets such as the USA, which is approaching 33 per cent population penetration (as of end Q2 2013). Growth in emerging regions exceeded 110 per cent in Q2, versus 64 per cent in North America, and 73 per cent in Western Europe.
Rapidly falling prices are helping to accelerate global tablet uptake, particularly with the continued popularity of sub $199 (at retail) tablets. The average tablet trade price of $272 in Q2 2013 was 25 per cent lower than in Q2 2012.
Despite facing increasing competition from brands such as Samsung, Amazon, Asus and other PC brands, Apple still retains a dominant lead in the tablet market.
Smaller-screened devices continued to gain market share in Q2 2013, making up more than 50 per cent of total shipments in the quarter compared to fewer than 25 per cent in the same period in 2012.


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Retailers can look forward to heightened holiday sales according to a new report from global information company NPD Group.
The NPD Group’s “2016 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey,” revealed that consumers plan to spend an average of $636 on holiday-related expenses, up 3% from what they anticipated last year.
When questioned more broadly, 14% of consumers plan to spend “more” than they did during last year’s holiday season and 17% say they’ll spend “less”—virtually unchanged from 2015 results. Consumers are also less concerned about the economy spoiling their holiday fun: when asked how the state of the economy will influence their holiday purchases in 2016, 12% said it will have a ‘significant impact’ is down from recent years (14% in 2015, 19% in 2014).
“All signs point to a holiday retail season that will outperform last year’s,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “The unvarying holiday spending intentions expressed by consumers are a sign that even this year’s intense election cycle has done little to dampen consumer confidence going into the holiday season, which we forecast to grow moderately.”
Best laid plans
Planning to spend less and actually tightening the purse strings are hardly one and the same. Case in point: 16% of consumers were planning on cutting back during the 2015 holiday season, but more than 20% of consumers reflected that they actually spent more than they’d planned on their 2015 holiday purchases.
Some may be more determined than others to keep their spending in check this year – particularly those still dealing with the ghosts of holiday purchases past. More than half (57%) of consumers used credit cards for at least some of their holiday season purchases last year, of whom 22% still have at least some of that debt hanging over them. In the end, over a quarter of those still paying for their last year’s holiday purchases say they’ll spend less on Holiday 2016.
Growth across purchase channels and product categories
Retailers with online purchase channels stand to gain, as consumers plan on shopping more through online channels this year. On average, shoppers plan on doing 38% of their holiday shopping online (up from 33% last year and 29% in 2014).
Looking more specifically at where consumers plan to shop during the 2016 holiday season, growth is apparent across the marketplace, from online-only “e-tailers” to toy stores to specialty retailers in the beauty category (and most other purchase channels in between):
A similar rising tide is evident looking at what consumers expect to buy this holiday season. Though outlooks vary among individual products (for example, purchase intent for movies/DVDs, music, and video games/ systems are all unchanged from 2015), aggregated product “supercategories” all show rising interest.
“Consumer response is suggesting growth across retail channels, despite the growth and dominance of online shopping, which points to a sense of optimism,” said Cohen. “The lack of stand-out, must-have products this holiday season is benefiting the categories that are delivering on basic consumer wants, but marketers need to find new ways to engage and excite holiday shoppers to drive significant growth.”
Off to the races
Two in 10 consumers have already started their holiday shopping, and how early – or late – they kick things off can tell us a great deal about their shopping habits and plans.
For starters, earlier shopping correlates with bigger spending. Twenty-seven percent of heavy spenders (those planning to spend $750 or more) have already started shopping; this drops to 24% among midlevel spenders ($300-$749) and 17% among low spenders (<$300). None of this should be taken to mean that early shopping causes higher spending – from a causal standpoint, those with longer lists are more likely to feel a need to get an early start.
Just because they’re spending more, doesn’t mean they’re not spending carefully. Early shoppers are more likely to say they comparison shop before they buy gifts (45% vs. 30% of late shoppers) and that they plan on buying all their holiday gifts on sale (38% vs. 21% of late shoppers).
Oh, and in all the last minute rush, late shoppers may not have time to pick up a little something for themselves – they’re less likely than their early shopper counterparts to say that when they shop for others, they also shop for themselves (15% vs. 26% of early shoppers).
What holiday fatigue?
While there may be cynics among us, six in 10 consumers are looking forward to the holiday season, and nearly half say the simple act of going out shopping during the holidays puts them in the holiday spirit.
“Consumers are ready to spend this holiday season. However, more than ever before, how much they spend will be determined by their own perception of the products and promotions they are presented with, rather than the simple fact that the products and promotions are there,” added Cohen.
The Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey is designed to better understand consumers’ shopping and spending intentions for the upcoming holiday season. An online survey was fielded in September, 2016 among a U.S. representative sample of NPD online consumer panel members. The survey was completed by 3,499 individuals aged 18 and older.


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CHULA VISTA (NEWS 8) – After 35-years in business, the Chula Vista RV Resort will be shutting its doors on February 1, 2019.
The RV resort sent out a notice to customers this week informing them the park will close and anyone with reservations after February 2019, will be issued a full refund.
Cathy Butler said she has come to the RV resort for years. “Everybody is sad it is going to be gone. We are definitely going to miss this place. We come down here once a year with our group. We potluck, we swim, we play games.”
The park will be closing to make way for the new billion dollar Bayfront project that was approved by the Chula Vista City Council and the Port of San Diego. The project will include a 1,600 room hotel, a 275,000-square-foot convention center, two parks and a fire station.
The makeover has been in the works for several years.
“I hope they bring in industry that will help the community of Chula Vista financially, but I also hope they take into consideration [that] people have worked here for many, many years,” said Butler.
Another RV park is expected to be build a few blocks away by the group Sun Communities Inc.; however, some fear it just won’t be the same.
News 8 reached out to the resort's management, but they declined to comment.


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Outriders Coming Summer 2020, Developed by People Can Fly, New Trailer
Square Enix's E3 2019 press conference had a lot of JRPGs and smaller games this year, but there is always room for bigger, more hotly anticipated titles. Among those are games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, and of course, People Can Fly's latest, Outriders.
People Can Fly is a Polish developer, most well known for games such as Bulletstorm, and Gears of War: Judgment. Outriders is in the same vein as those two games, being a big, AAA shooter.
There still isn't too much information to go off of at this time, as there are no gameplay trailers, and what we have seen has been fairly tame and predictable.
Though, the trailer that they gave us at E3 2019 was very impressive indeed, even if it is CGI. As a proof of concept, it's very effective, with a mix of serene devastation, forests, and warzones, certainly making the game look incredibly intense.
One shot in the trailer, in particular, has stuck with me, displaying three warriors stood before a giant door as it slowly swings open. The three characters indicate your max party size, as this is, of course, a co-op shooter.
There's still plenty more for us to learn about Outriders, and I'm sure we'll discover plenty more before the launch in Summer 2020.
Check out the trailer embedded in this article, and stay on Wccftech for more news from E3 2019.


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Analysts have confirmed for a second year in a row that they prefer to work with top agencies like Destrier AR. As voted by industry analysts, Destrier moved up from third to joint second place in the IIAR’s 2019 AR Agency of the Year poll.
Measuring direct analyst influence is a critical objective for Analyst Relations teams, with the sub-text being: “Can you justify all the time, effort and money we’re spending on talking to industry analysts, by proving that they really are linked to deals?”
Too many companies are still missing a trick or two when it comes to engaging in industry analyst relations in Germany - a major factor influencing technology customers’ buying decisions.
To kick off 2018, we’re introducing Destrier AR, a new dedicated practice focused on analyst relations, in response to growing vendor recognition of the influence wielded on deals by industry analysts.
It’s sometimes hugely tempting, but technology vendors should be cautious of 'glamalyst' relations, the growing trend of glamming up presentations submitted to analyst firms in the hope of simply dazzling their audience.


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Supply chain snarls are probably here to stay. That’s not to say that today’s specific challenges won’t abate at some point. But there will be new ones — different from our current variety of chip shortages and a dearth of truck drivers.
Why it matters: Pandemic-driven turmoil may have put supply chains on the public’s radar, but major disruptions were picking up even before COVID — think trade wars, Brexit, and an increasing number of extreme weather events.
Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets.
Meanwhile, some of the most disruptive events of the COVID era were not COVID-related: the Texas freeze, Hurricane Ida, cargo ships stuck in canals.
What they’re saying: “Supply chain disruptions will continue to happen both more frequently, and with potentially larger magnitude,” Dan Swan, co-lead of McKinsey’s operations practice, tells Axios.
For companies, these issues have grown from being a responsibility handled by operations teams, into a CEO-level priority — and that’s likely to continue, he says.
State of play: In McKinsey’s latest survey of global supply chain leaders, released today, 92% of respondents said they had changed their supply chain footprints in the last year to boost resilience.
That compares to the less than three-quarters who thought they’d do so, as of the same survey last year.
What’s next: Almost 90% of survey respondents expect to pursue some sort of regionalization — moving certain operations, like factories, closer to customers — during the next three years (Ford and GM, for example, are both forging deals with chipmakers to produce domestically).
And it’ll be more common for companies to ask for information about their suppliers’ suppliers — because breakdowns there can ripple through the chain, Swan says.
We’re not there yet: Less than half of the company leaders in McKinsey’s survey said they understand the risks their key suppliers face.
To read the full article on Yahoo News, please click here.


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April 23: Netflix says it suffered its first quarterly loss in seven years as it dealt with rising licensing fees and the bill for an international expansion. The first-quarter setback, however, was far smaller than analysts expected. In another encouraging sign, the company's subscriber growth accelerated during the first three months of the year, further evidence that the company is recovering from the price-hike backlash.
July 3: Netflix announces that subscribers watched more than 1 billion hours of online video in June, an indication that streaming video is getting more popular.
July 12: One-year anniversary of price-hike announcement. Subscriber growth has returned, but even after a recent rally, Netflix stock remains more than 70 percent below its peak price of nearly $305 about a year ago.
Aug. 15: Netflix announces that its international expansion will continue with a rollout in four Nordic countries - Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Service became available in mid-October.
Oct. 31: Activist investor Carl Icahn discloses he has used some of his $14 billion fortune to accumulate a 10 percent stake in Netflix.
Nov. 5: Netflix moves to protect itself against hostile takeovers by adopting a shareholder rights plan, also known as a poison pill. Such a plan is designed to make it difficult or even impossible for someone to take over the company without an agreement from the board. Netflix says the provision is triggered if a person or group acquires 10 percent of Netflix, or 20 percent in the case of institutional investors, in a deal not approved by the board.
Dec. 4: Netflix announces that its video subscription service has trumped pay-TV channels and grabbed the rights to show Disney movies shortly after they finish their runs in theaters. Netflix's streaming service will have exclusive U.S. rights to offer Disney's first-run movies during the period normally reserved for premium TV network such as HBO, Starz and Showtime. It will start after Disney's current deal with Starz ends in 2015.
Jan. 23, 2013: Netflix surprises investors by reporting a fourth-quarter profit as it warded off stiffer competition to add 2 million U.S. subscribers during the final three months of 2012.
The Associated Press


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Apple Podcasts has removed all 1,000+ episodes of conservative pundit Glenn Beck’s show, “The Glenn Beck Program,” without prior notice and without providing any explanation for its decision.
In a tweet, Beck sounded the alarm about Apple’s move, sharing a communication he received from the tech giant. “This is from Apple. ‘We found an issue with your show, The Glenn Beck Program, which must be resolved before it’s available on Apple Podcasts. Your show has been removed from Apple Podcasts,’ from the Apple Podcast team,” quoted Beck.
The provided link for further details did not offer any clarification. Beck remarked, “And the link only says your show has been removed from Apple Podcasts. Well, we got that one dummy.”
Beck expressed his bewilderment to his team, stating, “I mean — I cannot imagine what they are — what they’re basing this one on. I mean, have we even had strikes. Nothing, right? This is crazy.”
Beck urged his followers to rally behind him. “You need to please retweet this and start a campaign to Apple to say put the podcast back on. This is absolutely freedom of speech. There’s nothing that we have said that would warrant any removal.”


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With Chinese travel restrictions set following the recent corona virus epidemic, concerns have been raised by Australia’s tourism industry about a potential revenue loss of one billion dollars.
Following the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, the Department of Home Affairs announced in late January that Australia will deny entry to anyone who has left or transited
mainland China from 1 February.
Mainland Chinese travellers who managed to reach Australia from 1 February 2020 have had their visas cancelled and have been placed in a detention area for quarantine.
The travel advisory to China currently stands at Level 4 – Do Not Travel – and includes travel to all of mainland China. Travel operators have already begun to feel the crunch.
Simrranjit Siingh of the Sydney-based Fortune World Travel told Indian Link, “With cancelled operations, passengers who had booked have been affected already. The advisory against travel is until 29 March so until then we will feel the impact for sure.”
He added, “The travel industry is usually the first to feel an immediate impact by issues such as communicable diseases or terrorism. With China involved, it is even more impactful, given they are a huge market in our industry. The China-US trade wars alone saw IATA projections down 25-30%. In recent weeks, we’ve seen the Chinese New Year traffic affected.”
Sudhir Warrier, Executive Chairman of the Australian Cruise Group, a major Sydney-based travel business, agrees there are there are significant concerns at this point.
“The impact I believe could last upwards of three months,” he told Indian Link. “In fact I think it has been underplayed for two reasons: one, the travel ban could be extended, and two, no one in China is booking a holiday currently. With this double effect, it will be some time before we regain momentum.”
Warrier’s fleet of cruise boats – including Sydney Showboat, Magistic Cruises and Clearview Glass Boat – take a significant share of the China tourist business.
“Travel is down from other countries like Japan and Korea as well,” he noted. “There’s a level of paranoia. Other destinations within the country such as Cairns that don’t see much domestic travellers will be severely impacted.”
“My other concern is for the huge logistical infrastructure in our industry; the travel buses, the tour guides, the support staff, the supply chains – there will be significant disruption there.”
That the coronavirus has come on top of the bushfire crisis has been an added worry for the travel industry.
Simrranjit Siingh observed, “With the bushfires, we could influence the consumer by saying you won’t be travelling to the interior. But when there’s a global health issue, travellers are rightfully wary, no one wants to risk it. To have had such a bad start to the year, the next six months will be difficult.”
Luckily, he notes that there’s been no change in passengers coming inward from India. As well, the T20 World Cup is round the corner, and there are hopes from there.
The government has announced that the travel ban will be reviewed soon. Extension of the ban is subject to the advice of medical professionals.
Latest reports show that 12 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Australia.


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The long-awaited Rolls-Royce Cullinan is expected to bolster an already buoyant sports utility vehicle (SUV) market in South Africa.
According to George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader, the SUV sector in South Africa is already showing strong growth. However, the Cullinan, which was conceived four years ago in the form of an idea and sketch, will undoubtedly propel this market to even greater heights, he predicts.
Rolls-Royce’s first-ever SUV has special significance to the South African market because it is named after the world-famous Cullinan diamond, discovered by mine superintendent Frederick Wells on January 26, 1905.
The 3,106-carat stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the diamond mine in which it was found.
Naturally the Cullinan is a niche vehicle. “It is expected to represent the ultimate in luxury. And, when it arrives in South Africa, we know that it will carry a hefty price tag. However we are certain that many South African motorists will search for this vehicle – because it is enormously aspirational,” Mienie said..
While the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is expected to be at the very top of its game – in true Rolls-Royce tradition – the vehicle will be up against some stiff competition from established SUVs.
According to Marek Letowt, GM of Rolls-Royce Sandton, the distributor of Rolls-Royce in South Africa, four Cullinans will arrive in South Africa in November 2018. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Mienie said that, “when it comes to SUVs with a R1-million plus price tag, the BMW X5 rules the roost. It is the most searched-for SUV in this sector over the past 12 months (March 2017 to Mar 2018).
“It is followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLE, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Range Rover Sport,” he said.
This is the full list of most searched-for premium SUVs:
BMW X5 – from R1,030,889
- BMW X5 x Drive 25d SAV
- 170 kW
Mercedes-Benz GLE – from R1,238,309
- GLE 350 d 4MATIC Coupé
- 190 kW
Jeep Grand Cherokee – from R786,900
- Laredo 3.0L V6 Multijet
- 179 kW
Range Rover Sport – from R1,115,200
- 3.0 Litre TDV6 Diesel
- 190 kW
BMW X6 – from R1,187,767
- BMW X6 xDrive35i Sport Activity Coupé
- 225 kW
Audi Q7 – from R1,098,400
- 3.0 TDI quattro tiptronic
- 183 kW
Porsche Cayenne – from 1,192,000
- Cayenne 8-speed Tiptronic S
- 250 kW
Maserati Levante – from R1,650,000
- Levante Diesel
- 202 kW
Mercedes-Benz G-Class – from R1,650,000
- G500 4.0-litre V8 engine
- 310 kW
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 – from R1,010,900
- 4.5D V8 GX
- 195 kW


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Cooperation between fiat currency card issuers and the blockchain industry appears to be proceeding apace.
On Feb. 24, sports fan token project Socios announced the launch of an integrated membership and fiat-crypto prepaid debit card, which also provides blockchain-based global ID functionality.
Ahead of the product’s launch, Socios says it is continuing to review several crypto and non-crypto partners before determining who the card issuer will be. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Socios CEO Alexandre Dreyfus said the firm had previously been contacted by and been engaging with partner firms of Visa and MasterCard.
Live debit card planned for summer
As previously reported, Socios runs a crypto fan token ecosystem, which includes a tokenized voting platform and blockchain-based mobile app. The venture is operated by sports blockchain firm Chiliz, which counts the backing of high profile crypto industry players such as Binance and OK Blockchain Capital.
Tokens ($CHZ) are used to drive fan engagement by conferring voting rights in polls, as well as granting holders access to merchandise, rewards and games.
As it evolves this platform, Socios has now integrated a blockchain-based global ID number for the Socios mobile app, which serves as a Know Your Customer (KYC) identity tool. Dreyfus said:
“One of the most important developments for us will be the ID on the blockchain, this could be critical in the next years with sports events who need to check your ID.”
Once launched, the prepaid card will include this blockchain ID and link directly to users’ wallets, enabling them to spend $CHZ, but also other currencies. Which currencies these will be exactly, crypto or otherwise, has not yet been announced.
The prepaid card will also serve as a membership card, so that it can be used both for regular payments and to redeem blockchain token rewards or access various offers and discounts.
Socios says it plans to follow up the prepaid version with a fully-fledged live debit card this summer, with rollout planned first for the European market, then Latin America, Turkey and Asia.
Widening the base
With major U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase recently announcing its principal membership of Visa, the field of crypto debit cards continues to diversify, making the pitch of a more flexible and familiar, “legacy” interface for accessing cryptocurrency holdings.
The spread of tokenization into mass industries such as soccer — as well as Coinbase’s, Socios’ and other crypto debit cards — suggest the once-niche sphere of blockchain is making headway with popularization efforts.
Dreyfus recently told Cointelegraph in an interview that the 3.5 billion soccer fan base globally was a powerful draw for the firm to launch its fan-focused tokenization drive.
Earlier this month, Chiliz announced a partnership with major marketing agency Lagardere Sports and Entertainment as part of a bid to spread its blockchain fan engagement ecosystem to the United States.


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Xiaomi are the darlings of China’s tech and mobile industry. Customers are calling out for them to go global and it appears they are listening!
Chinese Android phones are in a league of their own. The speed of development, the ideas and most of all the prices are all driving sales through the roof. However the main issue for many a fan is that Chinese phone makers create their products for the local market and have no desire to release their wares elsewhere.
Xiaomi could be different! The Beijing based phone start-up have already done what no other Chinese phone maker has done, design and manufacture high-end products at low prices and even put some hurt on the larger names, and now it looks like they are almost ready to spread their wings and head for pastures new.
Gizchina News of the week
Xiaomi have already launched their phones in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but according to Tech in Asia, Xiaomi could be looking to launch online sales of their products in North America!


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‘Specialised’, ‘Leadership’ and ‘Passionate’ – top list of words which could tank your career prospects as UK’s most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles are unveiled.
One of the world’s best-loved social media channels, Instagram, recently announced that its advertising base had more than doubled over the last six months, now exceeding 500,000.
Setting up your own business in 2016 is a much different process than it was a decade ago. While there was certainly an “online” vibe flowing through the business world back in 2006, the way in which we now connect to the Internet has changed dramatically since that time.
For businesses, platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have become essential components of their customer service and marketing strategies.
Twitter is overhauling some of its rules to try to make itself simpler to use and more attractive to newcomers.
The popularity of social media channels as a tool to engage with employees is waning, according to a survey of Communications professionals.
Whether you like it or not, social media is becoming increasingly important for companies in many different sectors, law being one of them! One of the primary benefits that social media brings is that of being able to reach a much wider audience with virtually zero investment, as well as being able to reach people in various different ways.
Twitter has launched a new curation tool called Moments, which lets users keep up with the best of what’s happening at any given time — without having to follow loads of new people or watch local trends like a hawk.
Millions of small businesses now have access to Twitter’s buy-button integration at an important point on the path of purchase: organic conversation.
For any company, becoming the focus of a story which features in the Google ‘News’ tab is either a blessing or a curse. When it comes to positive PR, the former is true: featuring in a publication which has the sufficient credibility to register under this particular section is a huge plus point.


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That's clever timing. The April 28 reveal is expected to give us our first official glimpse of the LG G4, the South Korean company's next flagship smartphone.
When is LG G4 release date?
The simplistic invite doesn't hint at the actual LG G4 release date, however, so it could be a few weeks to a month and a half out from the launch event in the US and UK.
That's what happened with the LG G Flex 2 when it made its debut in the more carrier-friendly South Korea one month before traversing to the west.
Before that, the wait time was even longer. LG announced the LG G3 at a May 27 event last year and it didn't make its debut until a month and a half later in mid-July.
The good news it may be worth the wait. We got a taste of the powerful specs of the curved LG G Flex 2, and there's word of a more stable CPU and an even better camera in the new phone.
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Huawei 5G forecast seems a little bit crazy but hold on… Shoichi Tosaka, CEO of Japanese capacitor manufacturer Taiyo Yuden, said yesterday that demand for the company’s components will grow rapidly next year, as China is actively adopting 5G technology.
He said that they received a large number of orders for capacitors for 5G equipment and that most orders came from Huawei and ZTE. Shoichi Tohsaka also said that Huawei forecasts to sell more than a 100 million 5G smartphones in China alone next year.
2019 was also a very good year for Taiyo Yuden, the company’s stock price has doubled over the past 12 months. But next year, they expect rapid growth all thanks to the growing popularity of 5G smartphones.
The source noted that 5G smartphones use about 30% more capacitors than 4G mobile phones, 5G modems consume a lot of energy, so they need a larger battery, which leaves less space for other components. This raises the demand for high-quality capacitors that can store more energy in less volume.
Analysts believe that with its 5G forecast, Huawei will become the leader in the 5G-smartphone market, and Samsung will follow it.


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In a support article, Apple has acknowledged that the recently-disclosed Meltdown and Spectre exploits, which affect virtually every CPU in computers, mobile devices, and other platforms, also impact every Mac and iOS device. Although there are no known exploits of the vulnerabilities, Apple advises that users proceed with caution and download apps from trusted sources only.
Mitigations to defend against Meltdown have already been shipped by Apple in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2. watchOS is unaffected by Meltdown. Development of mitigations for both exploits is ongoing and new defenses will be released to each Apple OS as they become available.
The support article published by Apple provides a high-level explanation of how each exploit works. If there’s any good news to be found in the widespread concern caused by these exploits it’s that Apple says the recently-released mitigations have no measurable impact on performance:
Our testing with public benchmarks has shown that the changes in the December 2017 updates resulted in no measurable reduction in the performance of macOS and iOS as measured by the GeekBench 4 benchmark, or in common Web browsing benchmarks such as Speedometer, JetStream, and ARES-6.
Our current testing indicates that the upcoming Safari mitigations will have no measurable impact on the Speedometer and ARES-6 tests and an impact of less than 2.5% on the JetStream benchmark.
The gravity of the exploits, which affect virtually all computing platforms, cannot be understated, but it’s reassuring that the initial mitigations released and those coming in the days ahead should have little or no impact on performance. It’s also worth noting that this is probably not the last we’ll hear about Meltdown and Spectre. As Apple notes:
We continue to develop and test further mitigations within the operating system for the Spectre techniques, and will release them in upcoming updates of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.


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Ashneer Grover, former co-founder and managing director of BharatPe, on Wednesday, January 31, criticised the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for imposing additional curbs on Paytm Payments Bank "persistent non-compliances". In a post written on X (formerly Twitter), Ashneer Grover said the RBI does not want FinTech companies to grow. His reaction came after the RBI imposed a set of restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank starting February 29.
The RBI barred Paytm Payments Bank from accepting deposits into prepaid instruments, wallets and FASTags after February 29. However, it allowed the bank to credit interests, cashbacks and refunds. "I don’t understand RBI. Clearly RBI does not want FinTechs in business - of late all regulations/moves are against Fintechs. Such moves will kill the sector altogether (sic)," Grover commented on the news.
Seeking intervention of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Grover said it is government's "doglapen" that it is "tom-Tom-Ing" UPI payment system to the world and "punishing" pioneers in the space. "Startups have been biggest creators of market cap and employment in last decade. Today IIM and IIT are struggling to place people - we as a country cannot afford such overreach," he added.
Ashneer Grover On RBI Action Against Paytm Payments Bank:
RBI Restrictions On Paytm Payments Bank:
Earlier today, the RBI said Paytm Payments Bank cannot accept deposits or allow credit transactions, or top-ups, in customer accounts or prepaid instruments - such as wallets and FASTags - linked to those accounts, after February 29. However, customers will be allowed to use balances from their accounts, including savings and current, prepaid instruments, FASTags, National Common Mobility Cards, etc. up to their available limit.
In March 2022, Paytm Payments Bank Ltd had been ordered by the RBI to stop onboarding of new customers with immediate effect. The additional restrictions on Paytm Payments have been imposed due to "persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank", said the RBI.


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Blue Protocol won’t be expected to release before March 2021, as a job listing shares new details. including possible console versions.
This week in RPG news: Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Darkest Dungeon 2, Bloodstained and More!
This week in RPG news: Baldur’s Gate 3, Nioh 2, Diablo IV and More!
Top RPG News Of The Week: July 7th. This week in RPG news: Blue Protocol, GreedFall, Crystar and More!


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Sometimes ideas for companies come after months and months of careful deliberation.
This is not one of those times.
“It was two or three months ago when I was in front of a closet with my friend who said ‘What’s the point of trying to lose weight if I can’t afford a new wardrobe?’,” Katherine Yarbrough, of Bloomfield, said.
From that moment in front of the closet came the idea for the website ChicandBeautiful (formerly BeBeautiful) and Yarbrough took that idea and ran with it all the way to a second-place finish at Startup Weekend Stamford. Yarbrough lived in Texas until July 2010 when she moved to Connecticut for grad school at UConn to get her masters in public health. While in Texas, she was a Teach for America corps member and taught seventh grade science.
ChicandBeautiful aims to help women college-aged and above who are working on losing weight deal with having to buy an entirely new wardrobe with every size decrease. Users with clothes that no longer fit can request a box for those items to send back to ChicandBeautiful. ChicandBeautiful will then inspect the items and award that user credits to use towards clothes that fit their new, slimmer figure that others have submitted. Users who don’t wish to sell any their clothes can still buy with a credit card.
ChicandBeautiful is only looking for higher quality apparel (think: J.Crew or Banana Republic) that would still have some value despite their used condition. High-end designer apparel will be accepted, too.
Yarbrough believes one of the main reasons ChicandBeautiful did so well at Startup Weekend was because of how hassle-free the structure of the site is. ChicandBeautiful will provide free shipping and returns and will take care of uploading photos of the clothing, so once the box is sent in the user’s work is done. Yarbrough also hopes to be able to ensure that all clothes sent in are dry cleaned before they are resold.
Yarbrough presented what she called “very conservative” estimates in her final pitch at Startup Weekend but believes that ChicandBeautiful has the ability to explode and potentially make money sometime in year two.
Some future goals for ChicandBeautiful include focusing on the wellness aspect of the site once it gets off and running. Yarbrough would like to eventually employ registered dietitians and PhDs to write for the site on a freelance basis and also try to form partnerships with companies like LA Fitness and Weight Watchers. Additionally, future plans also include expansion into maternity, children’s and men’s clothing and a mobile application.
At this time ChicandBeautiful is working on constructing their website and is looking for investors. Any questions or suggestions can be sent to email@example.com.