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Roughly 14 percent of food produced each year is lost during distribution, while retailers and consumers end up wasting an additional 17 percent, meaning almost a third of food is wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Addressing such inefficiencies and breaking the vicious cycle between food loss and waste and climate change, especially at a time when food prices are inflated, is a top priority on the eve of International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day.
The FAO estimates that there are 3.1 billion people worldwide who do not have access to a healthy diet and some 828 million continue to go hungry.
How much food does Mexico waste?
In Mexico, a yearly waste of 94 kilos of food in each home is estimated; compared to 59 kilograms in the United States and 79 kilograms in Canada, according to the 2021 Food Waste Index of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Retailing is an area of opportunity to reduce this problem, since in Mexico it is estimated that up to 50 percent of retailing is informal, that is, in open-air markets.
Food loss and waste also account for 8 to 10 percent of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), contributing to unstable climates and extreme weather events such as droughts and floods.
These changes have a negative impact on crop yields; reduce nutritional quality; cause disruptions in the supply chain, and threaten food security and nutrition.
Inflation in food prices
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said companies from Wal-Mart de México SAB to corn flour producer Maseca have agreed to freeze the prices of key goods at a specific level, extending a pact to curb food inflation.
The president said last Friday, September 23, that he met with the largest producers, distributors, and retailers in the country earlier this week to discuss the details of the price pact, which renews and deepens an agreement announced in May. Attendees included chicken, egg, beef, and tuna producers.
The move comes after inflation in Latin America’s second-largest economy spiked in August to the highest level in more than 20 years, reaching 8.76 percent in early September, even as some regional peers including Brazil, have started to record slow price increases.
The Mexican president last week invited the participants of the most recent inflation pact, which include retailers such as Organización Soriana and Grupo Comercial Chedraui, to present the plan to the press on October 3.
López Obrador argues that the agreement cannot be considered a price control because the companies will decide the prices for themselves.
In March, the Federal Executive and the private initiative began the application of the Pacic, with which it is sought that 24 products of the basic groceries such as oil, tuna, rice, milk, eggs, and tortillas, among others, do not increase, while the government reduces tariffs for imported products, among other actions.
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That, in a nutshell, is the storyboard of the latest television commercial (TVC) from Dominos India (2004 turnover: Rs 120 crore), hawking its new offeringthe cheese-burger pizza, which has a burger patty tucked between the two thin pizza crusts. We wanted to identify a situation which besides being entertaining, was also relevant to the masses, says Contract Advertising, the agency on the account.
Adds Ajay Kaul, chief executive officer, Dominos India, The product brings together two of the most popular fast food concepts (burger and pizza) in an innovative manner. Indeed. Dominos has been relentless in launching innovative offeringsand not just in terms of toppings/flavours, but also in tweaking the concept of the basic pizza. Case in point, the Double Cheez Crunch pizza that was launched in May this year. With a dominating 60 % share of the Rs 120-crore pizza delivery market (the total pizza market in India stands at Rs 275 crore), Dominos clearly knows how to keep the phone ringing.
Consumers are looking for value - and definitely not more of the same, says an executive with a rival fast food company. Constant innovation is the only way you can stay in the game, he adds. Regular promotional offerings like these have also kept the Dominos brand top-of-mind and competition on the backfoot.
But the market didnt fall on its lap just like that. For those who have tracked Dominos history in India the two clear phases that emerge are the pre- and post-2000 years. When it entered India in the mid-nineties, Dominos had little idea about what consumers wanted and the price they were willing to pay for it. The company brass admitted that in so many words in various media interviews.
Since then, Dominos has rewritten its rate- and menu cards, and as a result, its scorecard in India. In the last five years, while the prices have been cut by as much as 40 per cent, more desi flavours have joined the ranks to lure customers unaccustomed with the ways of the traditional pizza.
The companys seriousness about the Indian market can be gauged from the fact that as much as 35 per cent of its offerings are typically Indian (such as peppy paneer, tandoori chicken and chicken chettinad pizza).
Its advertising has reinforced the shift in the companys strategy. Dominos launched its first TVC only in 2000 asking consumers Hungry Kya. The idea was to establish the pizza as an alternative to home-cooked food. In the next phase, the company drummed up the 30-minutes-or-free proposition, followed more recently by an effort to promote the pizza as an anytime snack.
The cheese burger campaign successfully weaves in two other messages in the story. The 30-minutes-or-free and the highly recalled tana na na ree score, in a way, reinforce the Dominos effect. The new campaign will run for the next three months. It will target television and print extensively with an investment of around Rs 5 crore.

domain: news


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In the new TVB game show Battle of the Senses produced by Chin Kwok Wai, Chin Kar Lok goes out for a drifting with 34.5 cup former Miss HK contestant, Gemma Choi. They were drifting so much, Gemma's breasts appeared on screen too. Netizens exposed that the show copied off of a clip found on a Russian website. In the clip, a foreign female was sitting in a drifting car and the force burst the buttons on her shirt and her breasts were exposed. Producer Chin has history of copying ideas, and this time it goes all the way to Russia. Recently TVB productions, variety shows and series have lost creativity and often times, the clever Netizens catch them plagiarizing.
This variety show is in fact a hot topic on the internet, Netizens already posted the foreign female's drifting clip on Youtube in November. Because the car was going at a high-speed, the buttons on the girl's shirt burst open and her breasts were exposed. The clip came from a Russian website that exclusively sells automobile products and there are often big breast girls seen on the site. Producer Chin may have saw that clip on the website last year and decided to follow their idea.
Chin Kwok Wai directed the game show Super Trio before and it was discovered the show madly copied a Japanese game show. Regarding Battle of the Senses criticized of being a ripoff after just the first episode, and with evidence, yesterday Chin said over the phone: "I'm going through Customs now, can't talk." Then he immediately hung up.


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With 50% less footfall for many cities and towns in the UK, both hair salons and barbershops are feeling the devastating effects of this on their businesses post lockdown. With a fast changing environment like never seen before for businesses, theirs a big dilemma facing the hair industry. Is that dilemma reducing outgoings, keeping the doors open or maybe pivoting the business model???
Returning back to the show today to discuss this topic in an open and very honest way is Joe Mills, a highly respected mens session stylist and owner of leading London hairdressers ‘The Lounge Soho’ and ‘Jo and Co Barbershop’. With workers and tourists not coming back into London in a COVID-19 world, Jo is seeing all around him the devastating effects of high street brands – big and small brands – closing down. And this is spreading to all areas of the UK.
As Joe says, “If the hair industry doesn’t change soon then we’re heading for a car crash!”
Rather than sitting there and waiting for that magic day when footfall comes flooding back into his business, Joe is fighting back through a new partnership with Shortcut App. This app is allowing him and his team to taking the professional outfit of his barbershop businesses directly into the clients homes. Joe will be sharing with us all today how this works, along with the debate on why now, more than ever, one voice is needed for an industry battling to keep it’s head above the water, just!
It’s a gripping and honest listen on the harsh realities facing the UK high street in 2020.
A podcast produced by Hairy Media Productions.
Thanks for Listening
To share your thoughts:
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Thank you to Joe Mills for joining me on todays podcast.
Until next Monday, Peace, Love and Smiles all the way… Goodbye!


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The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is priced to rival hybrid versions of RAV4, CR-V, and Escape. Kia’s EV6 electric car, a cousin to the Ioniq 5, is teased. The 2022 Audi Q4 E-Tron will use augmented reality as part of its interface. And Hyundai has laid out a plan for replacing battery packs in the Kona Electric. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
The 2022 Audi Q4 E-Tron EV will arrive with an augmented reality head-up display and a fresh version of Audi’s familiar interface—above a platform shared with the VW ID.4.
Pricing revealed Monday for the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid suggests that this high-mpg hybrid SUV will closely rival the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, and Ford Escape Hybrid.
Hyundai has detailed its recall effort and planned full battery-pack replacement due to fire concern in the Kona Electric models from the 2019 and 2020 model years. It’s expected to start April 30, and in the meantime owners can install another battery-management update and are encouraged to park outside.
Kia has released first teaser photos of the 2022 EV6 electric car, due by the end of 2021 for the U.S. As Kia’s first model built on the E-GMP dedicated EV platform, the EV6 will set the design direction for many more models yet to come and will offer 20-minute DC fast charging and an expected range of about 300 miles.
And over at Motor Authority, with the GMC Hummer EV SUT due this fall, GM has set a date for the reveal of its GMC Hummer EV SUV, built on a somewhat shorter wheelbase, that will arrive a bit later: April 3.


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This is the third of a five part treatise seeking to highlight the enormous potentials and impact of the ongoing revolution in Agriculture and Industrialization by the Senator Benedict Ayade’s administration in Cross River State.
In the first and second parts, we were able to put in perspective, the gains expected to accrue to the state in terms of job creation, revenue generation, foreign exchange and gross domestic product from many of the investments.
We took a look at some of the investments including the Rice Seed and Seedlings company in Calabar, the Vitaminized Rice Mill in Ogoja, the Calabar Pharmaceutical Company in Calabar, the Toothpick factory in Yakurr, the Instant noodles factory in Calabar and the Cocoa Processing Factory in Ikom.
In this third part, we will take a look at the Ultra modern Poultry and Frozen Chicken for Export company in Calabar and the Cross River Garment Factory also in Calabar.
Recently, Cross River State took delivery of ultra modern chicken processing plant equipment ready for installation at the Ayade Industrial park. The people of the state were elated to see the governor receive these as they were a confirmation that his vision for industrializing the state was coming to reality.
In the words of the governor; “The equipment is a special system that will process, freeze and prepare chicken for export. It is very digital, modern and highly sophisticated that takes into consideration the bio-medical status of our chicken.”
The governor added; “So, this gives us the opportunity as a government to create jobs through the instrumentality of the agro-industrial value chain and I am happy that today we have taken delivery of all this equipment to fast track the process of wealth and job creation.”
It is these wealth and job creation and other economic benefits of the investments that we wish to highlight and bring to the fore their potential in changing the fortunes of Cross River State and its people.
In the poultry sector, Nigeria’s annual demand for the poultry value chain is over NGN500bn. Presently it stands at 165 million birds and 650,000 metric tonnes of eggs and 290,000 metric tonnes of meat are demanded annually according to records.
Beyond the local consumption, export of the poultry meat is expected to further raise this expected demand.
Consumption data compiled by the FAO reveal that global poultry meat uptake had increased from 11kg per person in 2000 to a record 14.4kg in 2011. Global poultry meat uptake was also forecast to increase by 1.7kg per person from around 13.2kg to in 2013 to 14.9kg in 2023.
With a prevailing market price for poultry meat in Nigeria being about NGN1,000 per kg and the demand of expected to reach NYN1 trillion locally, if the state targets just 10 percent of the market share, it is expected to earn over N100 billion from the plant annually.
The poultry farm and the frozen chicken plant is expected to provide about one hundred direct jobs and more than one thousand indirect jobs in the state. The export of the product in addition will earn foreign exchange for Nigeria.
Next let us consider the Cross River State Garment Factory which is also located in the Ayade Industrial Park in Calabar.
Recently also, the governor’s industrial revolution received a major boost with the international recognition for the Cross River State garment factory which secured Federal Government license for the exportation of its products.
This followed the presentation of export registration certificate by the Executive Director/CEO of Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo to the State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade.
With this, Cross River Garment Factory is expected to set the standard internationally as the focus will not just be the local market but ultimately export, taking advantage of the African Growth And Opportunity Act (AGOA)
The global garment industry is one of the great economic success stories of the past few decades. Over that period, the industry has grown at 5.5 percent annually, according to the McKinsey Global Fashion Index, to now be worth an estimated $2.4 trillion.
With the state targeting only a fraction of a hundred of this market share annually, it woukd be earning over 200 billion Naira annually.
The garment factory has created about one thousand direct and more than five thousand indirect jobs in Cross River State with promise of about two thousand more jobs to come.
With all these, it is clear that Senator Professor Ben Ayade is set to take Cross River State to economic eldorado, create jobs for its citizens and wean it off federally allocated revenue. This is worthy of the support of all Cross Riverians.
Emmanuel Etim is SSA to Governor Ayade of Cross River State on Creative and Knowledge Economy.
NOTE:Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Emmanuel Etim, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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Kam Chancellor shows off the Seahawks' new-look gloves. The helmet… (Seth Wenig, Rod Mar / Associated…)
Nike revealed its new NFL uniforms Tuesday. And unlike the somewhat unconventional looks of the company's college apparel, the pro football garments are sticking with a mostly traditional look ... with one exception.
The Seattle Seahawks were the only team that requested a new look from Nike, which took over the NFL clothing license from Reebok on April 1. And, boy, did they ever get a new look. Anyone who thinks neon went out in the '80s with lip gloss and plastic bracelets may need to think again.
OK, it's not that bad. The uniforms are actually a deep blue, but there's a decent amount of bright, lime-green highlighting on the jerseys, pants and helmets (in the bird's eye, no less). The fingers and thumbs on the gloves are also the same, seemingly glowing color.
Also, the Denver Broncos will switch to an orange jersey from navy blue. Other than that, the uniforms of the other teams are mostly unchanged -- at least in appearance.
“The difference is in the feel, and it’s lighter,” said Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, one of 32 players wearing his new uniform for the first time for the unveiling at a Brooklyn film studio. “I don’t know if it will make me faster, but I hope so.”
The NFL: Sam Farmer's mock draft
Is Tim Tebow too good to by true and yet not good enough?
Philip Anschutz committed to bringing NFL back to L.A., aide says


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Staff working for popular coffee shop chain Caffe Nero, have been left disappointed after the company announced it was no longer giving employees a free lunch when they were on shift.
The move has come as part of a pay review across the company, brought in following the introduction of the new National Living Wage of £7.20 per hour for over 25s.
The food allowance gave staff a free panini while they were working. Although the free lunch has been withdrawn, most of the staff will still get paid break times and will receive a considerable discount on drink and food purchased during their shift. They can also have unlimited free drinks while working.
There have been reports that other similar businesses have also had their meal allowances reduced recently.
A Caffe Nero spokesperson said: “The introduction of a new National Living Wage is a huge potential cost to the business, but also a great opportunity to review pay, and reward employees for their investment in Caffe Nero”.
All staff, whatever their age, will see their wages increase to at least the same level as the National Living Wage if they are currently earning below it. Staff paid more than the new National Living Wage have all been subject to a pay review and most will be benefiting from a pay rise.
DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS? FIND OUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOU BY CALLING 0844 324 5840 OR CONTACT US ONLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION.


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Apple has released a routine bug fix and security update for all Apple Watches. watchOS 3.2.3 is now available as a software update from the Watch app on iPhone for all users.
We’ll update if any other changes are discovered in watchOS 3.2.3 as well.
Later this fall, Apple will also release watchOS 4 for Apple Watch which brings improvements to Activity, Workouts, Music playback, new watch faces, and more.
While all Apple Watches can run watchOS 4, the update does require iOS 11 which won’t run on iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c so iPhone 5s or later will be required to run the update this fall. watchOS 3.2.3 may be the final software update for Apple Watches paired to iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c for that reason.
For a look back at the changes included in watchOS 3.2 like Theater Mode, check out our hands-on video below:
For more on watchOS 4 and what to expect, check out these stories:


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Can Sales and Marketing Ever Get Along?
Everyone knows the legendary feud between sales and marketing -- in many organizations, the Hatfields and McCoys would have been considered Facebook buddies, by comparison -- but more and more companies are taking steps not just to call a truce, but to work toward an amicable and productive integration. According to a recent study published by technology research firm the Aberdeen Group, the integration of sales and marketing technologies is becoming a huge priority within enterprises. Surprisingly, 73 percent of Best-in-Class companies reported using a "formalized process" to communicate and share information between sales and marketing, a number much higher than anticipated. But Best-in-Class enterprises only represent 20 percent of the market, which means the rest of the industry has a ways to go.
The study, entitled "The Convergence of Sales and Marketing Technologies," surveyed 315 organizations earning annual revenues that ranged from under $50 million to over $1 billion. The top 20 percent of the respondent pool -- Aberdeen's Best-in-Class performers -- shared three key traits:
- 49 percent increase in year-over-year annual revenue;
- 33 percent improvement in return on marketing investment (ROMI); and
- 21 percent increase in year-over-year lead-to-sales conversion rate.
According to Ian Michiels, the author of the report and senior research analyst of sales and marketing at Aberdeen, the Best-in-Class companies are not only leading the way -- they're likely to "exemplify where we're heading in the future."
The idea is spreading that the turf warfare may be headed for a ceasefire, according to Michiels. "It's what everyone's talking about now," he says. "They're talking about integration because there's value in this proliferation of marketing channels out there." The average organization has at least two to four marketing solutions (marketing automation, email, analytics, etc.); when each solution is provided by a different vendor, that organization has a very difficult time getting a holistic view of its processes. Sounds logical enough -- you need to see where your money's going in order to gauge returns and to determine if you're spending those dollars properly. Of the Best-in-Class, 60 percent said they wanted integration to drive top-line revenue growth, and 58 percent wanted to improve ROMI.
But just because it's logical doesn't mean it'll be easy. "It's expensive to try to pull together a solution," Michiels says. "You need IT support right now and that's why marketing is starting to adopt a lot of solutions that are on-demand, things that they can own and manage by themselves."
Unfortunately, many companies now are pitted with the challenge of digging themselves out of their inflexible -- not to mention expensive -- existing systems. "It's hard to pull out a legacy system because it's rooted in the organization," Michiels explains. "But to try to make these legacy systems work -- put Band-Aids on them, stick toothpicks and rubber bands like MacGuyver -- it doesn't work." Instead, companies should look to invest more in technology to find the necessary components that will tie everything together. According to the report, Best-in-Class companies are making investments to not only improve existing technology, but also to fill in any gaps within and between existing applications. The future is likely to see far less customized, in-house technology and a greater reliance on outside vendors and integration modules.
In the report, Best-in-Class performers showed impressive numbers after integration:
- Marketing effectiveness -- or at least respondents' perception of it -- increased an average of 36 percent.
- Sales productivity increased by 26 percent.
- Time-to-close was reduced by an average of 16 percent.
Almost every technology vendor is likely to claim the ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing platform. However, the reality of the industry, Michiels says, is that integration isn't as easy as end users were led to believe -- though he's quick to point out that integration can
work: Some Best-in-Class companies have managed to put their puzzle together and have achieved great results.
Ultimately, the integration of sales and marketing is what companies should be striving for. Currently, Michiels isn't aware of any one vendor that can provide an overarching solution. The industry has seen many acquisitions as companies get increasingly specialized, focusing on what they're good at and strategically adding functionality. This approach, however, has yet to prove itself.
Eventually, perhaps, integration will involve the entire organization. But as of now, for companies of any size, the integration of sales and marketing is more than enough to get a leg up. "[Business is] all about sales. It's all about generating leads. So how do you do that more effectively?" Michiels asks. "Through integration."
Feature: The 2007 Market Awards: Marketing Automation
This has been the year of the end user in marketing automation.
Will Marketing Platforms Ever Outperform?
A new Forrester Wave reveals vendors boasting growing functionality, but a comprehensive, easy-to-use solution remains elusive, even for leaders Unica and Aprimo.
Tech Solution: Internet Marketing Solutions
Business Problem: Marketers lack the ability to launch targeted, analytics-driven marketing campaigns online.
Marketing Automation Grows at Autobahn Speeds
Marketing automation is soon to be come a marketing must, according to a new study released by Gartner.
Integrating CRM and ERP
Why it makes sense to unify now.
Brainshark Clears the Sales and Marketing Channel Waters
With the release of its Marketing and Sales Effectiveness Suite, the company attempts to facilitate clear communication between marketing and sales.
Marketing Automation Hits the Mark
Marketers are seeing solid ROI from new technologies.
Market Watch: Marketing Tools Emerge as Comprehensive Solutions
Marketing resource management, a combination of workflow and knowledge management, helps with the planning, coordination, and collaboration of marketing resources.
Easing the Pain of Integration
New technologies will bring together data and business processes.
The Quality Is Missing in Data Quality
Integration of marketing and sales data is still the biggest challenge facing businesses; a survey at DM Days reveals that companies have tuned out the breakdown-the-silos mantra.
Cisco Targets CRM Integration
The company plans to release Customer Voice Portal Version 3.0 at the end of the year.
Getting IT Together
Integration is a four-letter word in the world of CRM, but it doesn't have to be. What follows are the real issues behind integrating CRM solutions with an enterprise's existing systems, and how to simplify what could otherwise grind CRM initiatives to a halt.
¡Viva la Revolucion!
It's been a long and wasteful battle, but are we nearing the end of the war between marketing and sales?
Sales and Marketing: One Big Happy Family?
Maybe someday. In the meantime, Genius.com has unveiled a solution that strives to bridge the departmental divide.


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SUNx Malta, in collaboration with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a climate resilience campaign called ‘Bend Our Trend’.
Led by a 90-second animated video, the campaign is designed to encourage travel and tourism companies and communities to adopt climate-friendly travel, create climate-neutral ambition plans and file these on the SUNx Malta UNFCCC-linked registry.
With the support of Malta’s minister for tourism and consumer protection, Julia Farrugia Portelli, who has declared her country to be a global centre of climate-friendly travel, it is deploying tools to help the entire tourism sector in its essential transformation to a 2050 Paris 1.5 trajectory.
Farrugia Portelli said: “Our commitment to climate-friendly travel is even more important in a world where we need to plan our post-COVID19 future to also respond to the existential climate crisis – the effects of which are already upon us. Malta is a strong supporter of the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU Green Deal: through our work with SUNx Malta we will help bring travel and tourism to the table.”
Gloria Guevarra, president and CEO of WTTC said: “This is another important step to encourage the tourism sector to support the Paris Climate Agreement, in line with our long-standing engagement with UNFCCC to achieve Climate Neutrality by 2050. The present COVID-19 crisis has highlighted more than ever, the importance of ensuring sustainable travel as a key enabler to future recovery and growth. WTTC members are committed to play a leadership role.”


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Apple may be in the midst of developing AirTags a new type of locating device for tracking devices without chips and geolocating.
In 2020 apple has announced numerous devices, including over-ear headphones, new iPhones and even Mac.
However, they didn’t reveal something, which could be the most curious of gadgets, similar to the Tile, a locating device.
There are many rumours regarding the so called AirTags, with code noticed in the iOS 14, which allowed connectivity to the handset.
It is considered that the AirTags will be small Bluetooth devices, likely plastic and very small, which could be slipped into wallets, attached to keys and even hidden in shoes.
Once these devices are then connected to the iPhone the user could be made aware of the location of the lost article.
It is believed the devices will likely only work with Apple products, but will also be multidirectional giving you the ability to find a lost phone with just the touch of a button.


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Food delivery riders in Dublin are to strike on Valentine’s Day in protest over levels of pay that they say are too low. The planned action will coincide with similar demonstrations in the UK and the US.
A group of riders plan to meet at the Spire on O’Connell Street at 5pm on Wednesday and say they will switch off their delivery apps between 5pm and 10pm, potentially leaving customers without available couriers.
The riders, many of whom are from Brazil and other South American countries, have cited the poor rates of pay offered by Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats for their protest. A union representing riders says payment has fallen to as little as €1 per order.
Riders say that payments have decreased over time and many are paying-off loans for bicycles and renting accounts from others with the necessary visas.
Earlier this month, hundreds of riders protested in London, causing food orders to be delayed and cancelled, prompting a meeting between riders and a delegation from Deliveroo management.
Portuguese-speaking riders seeking to achieve better pay rates have galvanised their colleagues into action through social media posts, with momentum spreading to Ireland.
It is unclear what proportion of Dublin-based riders will participate in the strike, but an informal WhatsApp group on which the protest is being organised has more than 600 members. There are an estimated 3,000 delivery riders working in Ireland.
Fiachra Ó Luain, labour rights’ officer for the English Language Students’ Union of Ireland, an informal, multilingual network seeking better working conditions for English language students, said many of its members engage in delivery work and are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week.
“St Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to express love and appreciation for our fellow human beings,” Mr Ó Luain said. “Members of the public are urged to express their support in practical ways as well as bringing these important issues up with their elected representatives and any candidate they interact with in the run up to the local and European elections.”
A spokesperson for Deliveroo said the company “aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections”.
“Rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us. We are pleased to also be able to offer riders free insurance, sickness cover, financial support when riders become new parents and a range of training opportunities.”
An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose. We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app, and we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”
A spokesperson for Just Eat said: “This issue has not been brought to the attention of Just Eat Ireland through our courier network. However, we take the concerns of all couriers extremely seriously. Their welfare is important to us, and we welcome their feedback.
“Just Eat consistently engage with couriers through a number of channels, including regular pulse surveys, emails, chat function in the app while on a delivery, and offline messaging with courier support.”


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How do you make a biryani? With chicken, beef or simply veg?
Well, one Twitter user has tried an entirely new version of the popular Indian dish – the so-called ‘strawbiryani’, made with rice, warming spices, and topped with strawberries.
Home chef Saad, based in Pakistan, shared the unusual creation on the social media site, where he asked followers for their honest feedback. ‘We made strawbiryani at home today and I am curious to know what Twitter has to say about it,’ he wrote.
The tweet, which has been viewed over 5,000 times, drew some frank opinions – with one user declaring the dish ‘so painful’ and another saying: ‘Yuck.’
Others, however, were less grossed out by the unconventional combination of fruit and rice. ‘Why stop? Add egg, pineapple, apples and cherries too!’ said one, while another said he was ‘waiting for someone to make an ice cream out of this’.
Others still pointed out that the strawberries in Saad’s biryani looked undercooked, with some suggesting they’d been added on top at the end just to freak his followers out.
‘I see some sort of protein, so that’s OK – it’s still a biryani,’ said another user. ‘I’m glad you added fruit; looks like a balanced diet now.’
It’s not the first time fruit has been added to a biryani, either. Jackfruit – a stringy meat substitute – is often added to vegetarian versions, while dried fruits such as sultanas, mangoes and apples are also included in many traditional recipes.
Creator Saad, meanwhile, is enjoying his new-found viral fame, which has seen his recipe celebrated – and debated – around the world.
He even added a strawberry emoji to his Twitter profile name, ‘to show which side I am on’.
Compiled by Sarah Rainey


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Indian consumers can now make payments to merchants and to friends and family using Chat and Pay, a messaging service built into the main FreeCharge mobile wallet app. “Merchants can now accept payments by registering their bank account number, geolocation and choose a custom identifier — a #paytag to allow customers to identify their service area through their FreeCharge app,” the company says.
- Mammut uses NFC to create next generation customer experiences for outdoor sports fans
- Visa seeks product manager for cryptocurrency team
- Xiaomi expands its Mi Pay mobile payments service to India
- Decathlon adds RFID tags to make in-store self-checkout easier for customers
- Ysplit makes money from split bill payments


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At WWDC 2022, Apple's annual developer conference - on now until June 10 – the tech giant announced iOS 16, which brings a plethora of new features with it, including a buy now pay later service. Apple Pay Later, a new feature in Apple Pay, will be available to iPhone and Apple device users in the US, allowing them to spread the cost of a purchase into four payments over six weeks, with no fees or interest. Its Apple’s entry into the huge buy now pay later market.
Apple Pay Later: Where you can use it
You can use Apple Pay later is everywhere that Apple Pay is accepted, as it’s a feature in Apple Pay. Apple Pay is a part of Wallet – the app where can store digital versions of your debit and credit cards – allowing you to check out with Apple Pay and with iOS 16, Apple Pay Later, too. Users can make payments in both physical shops and online via websites and apps, assuming they allow Apple's contactless payment system.
Apple has said that Apple Pay Later requires no integration for merchants – it will just work using the standard Apple Pay implementation – so Apple Pay Later looks to be widely available in the US.
Apple Pay Later: How to use it
Apple Pay Later will be super simple to use – users will authenticate their identity on their device via Touch ID or Face ID, then once verified be prompted to either pay in full or use Pay Later. When Apple Pay Later is chosen, users will then see how much is due immediately and what the payments will be every fortnight.
Subsequent payments from using Apple Pay Later will be tracked and managed through the Apple Wallet app – you can see what’s due and when. Apple Pay also offers order tracking, which lets shops provide customers with receipt and tracking information within Apple Wallet, which will make it easy to keep tabs on purchases.
Apple Pay Later: Charges and fees
Apple has confirmed that there are no charges or fees for customers using Apple Pay Later, so it’s basically a 0% interest short-term loan from Apple.
Apple Pay Later will only be available in the US initially and come into use when iOS 16 is launched – the public beta of the free software update is due this summer, with the official rollout due in the autumn.


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A new set of virtual headsets called the Virtual Reality Headset is set to hit the market this year, with Google’s new VP of product design John Hanke revealing at the GDC event that the company has plans to sell hundreds of thousands of headsets by the end of 2018.
Hanke was speaking about the company’s upcoming VR headset, Google Glass.
Google Glass has been available since the end-of-year launch of the device, which allows users to project their digital images on the display of their smartphones.
Google’s VP of Android product management told me that Google Glass is “coming to the Windows platform very soon” and that it will be “coming very soon to the Android platform.”
In the past, Google has been known to ship products like Google Glass in limited numbers, but this is the first time that it has gone ahead with a mass release.
The first Google Glass release was in October 2016, and Hanke said that “at least 100” Glass units have shipped worldwide.
According to the VP, the company is currently working on a “next-generation” version of Glass that will include better augmented reality capabilities and will eventually support augmented reality content.
In other words, Google hopes to eventually bring Glass to other platforms like the Xbox, the PlayStation and the Oculus Rift.
While Google Glass was the company to release Glass in the first place, Google also has other products that are designed to run on Android.
In the past two years, Google have released several devices that are powered by Android and run on the same operating system.
Google has also released a number of third-party Android smartphones that run on an Android OS that is called Android Wear.
According a spokesperson for Google, Google is already working with third-parties like Asus, Acer and Motorola to produce “next generation” Android smartphones.
“We’re going to continue working on our Android partners to ensure they get the best software and hardware, including with the new Android Wear,” the spokesperson told me.
Google is also working with the HTC team to build a new version of the Nexus line of smartphones that will be available in a few months time.
The HTC team is working with Google on an open platform that allows third-level OEMs to offer a smartphone for Google that will run Android Wear-powered devices, and Google will be able to support that handset with Google Glass as well.
If you’re interested in the new Google Glass product, you can check out our in-depth report from last year.


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Milk supplier Dairy Crest has announced plans to close its glass bottling dairy at Aintree.
The decision to consult on the closure of our Aintree and Fenstanton facilities has not been taken lightly, but we believe that this proposed restructuring of our dairies business is the right decision for the long term.
More top news
Staying predominantly settled for the next few days. Cooler on Sunday
A British soldier has become an overnight multimillionaire after scooping more than £13.2 million on a 25p stake.
Three puppy dealers who raked in up to £35,000 a week have been jailed after sick and dying dogs were found dumped in buckets.


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Instagram Stories has been shaking up the world of social media ever since it launched. Abra Dunsby asks the experts how to make the most of it as a marketing tool.
Owned by Facebook, Instagram Stories launched in August 2016 and has had huge success – the feature is often what users navigate to first, before looking at their own Instagram feed. Today, Instagram Stories is watched by 400 million people a day, meaning it has huge marketing sway.
The feature allows users to take photos and videos, enhance them with notes, gifs and stickers, and upload them to their Instagram Stories, which then expire after 24 hours.
Travel brands and influencers are able to share temporary, live, real and experiential content, offering consumers an experience that can influence their decision-making during the travel-booking journey.
Oli Yeates, chief executive of digital marketing agency Clicky Media, believes the influence of Instagram Stories is set to rise this year.
“We work with a number of big players in the travel industry, including Global Travel Group and Elegant Resorts,” he says.
“Compared with 2018, Instagram Stories is on everyone’s marketing agenda this year. The travel sector is such an experiential sell. Using Instagram Stories to connect people with a more detailed and daily insight into their desired holiday destination has become a priority.”


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December 1, 2017 - 7:09 pm
Updated December 1, 2017 - 7:52 pm
A record 10,262 people caught an Uber or a Lyft at McCarran International on Nov. 26, but the mark isn’t expected to last long, airport officials said Friday.
Along with travelers coming home from the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the figures were likely bolstered by the Amazon Web Services re:Invent convention, which drew roughly 40,000 attendees to venues along the Strip this week, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said.
The previous record of 9,636 ride-hailing trips originating from the airport was set Friday Aug. 25 — one day before Floyd Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor by technical knockout at T-Mobile Arena.
Crews said the record could fall when more than 165,000 people are expected to visit Las Vegas for the Consumer Technology Association’s convention scheduled for Jan. 7-12.


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Losing Kinect could improve Xbox One performance
Dropping Kinect has done more than lighten the price tag for Xbox One. It seems it could also free up valuable CPU power to be put toward running games.
Corporate Vice President Yusuf Medhi said (in an interview with Polygon) that it’s a matter of directing reserve CPU power once occupied by Kinect functions toward game processing. How exactly that would be handled, however, remains unclear.
“We are in discussions with our game publishers about what we might do in this space and we will have more to talk about soon,” he said.
Reallocating processing power from Kinect sectors could work to close the performance gap currently seen between PS4 and Xbox One—most recently demonstrated by Watch Dogs' performance—bringing the systems that much closer to parity. And with both systems now sitting pretty at $399, parity truly is the word to keep in mind, especially with Microsoft’s new Deals with Gold program bumping elbows with PlayStation Plus.
Microsoft won’t be abandoning Kinect, mind you. Medhi made a point to affirm the company’s intent of keeping Kinect in the foreground:
“We remain deeply committed to the Kinect as a core component of a next-generation console. We think that the bio-metric sign-in, voice controls of the menu, ability to say ‘record that’ and capture a moment of gameplay are all critical to the experience. We have never wavered from that since launch.”


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In the money: Esprit on long road to transformation
Esprit is planning to close its US stores as part of transformation plans
While fashion brand Esprit is taking steps to get back on track by exiting North America and disposing of its retail operations in a number of other countries, it still has a long way to go before it regains a steady footing.
Esprit yesterday (15 September) said it will divest its North American operations, exit from its retail businesses in Spain, Denmark and Sweden, and close down certain under-performing stores worldwide.
MF Global analyst Mohan Singh believes the moves will have a beneficial impact on the company's profits, which fell 98% in the year to 30 June.
"Esprit has been losing money in the US for a number of years, the disposals will help the bottom line. The move is a positive step to help reduce losses," he says.
Describing the challenges the retailer faced in the US, Singh says: "They brought in new management every three-to-four years, as each new strategy to establish a clear footprint in the US had not worked out."
These moves saw the company shift its focus from department stores, then retail, then back to department stores again. "But they still had those retail stores because in the US they entered into long-term leases," he adds.
Speaking about the motivation behind Esprit's plans to shutter stores in other countries, Singh says that Esprit struggled to gain a "critical mass in countries like Spain", where it has been "difficult to establish itself".
CLSA analyst Aaron Fischer suggests that further market exits could be on the cards, saying he would "welcome" any such moves, especially as the brand is loss-making in other "very competitive apparel markets such as the UK and Australia".
Fischer even suggests that the brand is "not doing particularly well in less sophisticated markets such as Indonesia".
Long wait for recovery
While the moves were welcomed, Societe Generale analyst Anne Critchlow believes there will be a "longer wait for earnings recovery than anticipated".
Indeed, the company's turnaround will be more extensive than simply exiting unprofitable markets. It will also need to transform its brand, product, channels and geographies and supply chain.
Over the next four years, Esprit is planning some HK$7bn in capital expenditure, with HK$72.7bn in retail store expansion, HK$3bn in retail store refurbishment and a further HK$1.3bn in other projects.
Additionally, it plans a further HK$11.5bn in operating expenditure which will include HK$6.8bn in branding, HK$3.9bn in wholesale and a further HK0.8bn in other projects.
In terms of its branding, the company itself acknowledges that it has "gradually lost its soul over the past few years" and the "heritage of the brand has been neglected and the company lost its customer focus".
Esprit says it is now taking "bold and decisive steps to rebuild the brand emotionally, inspired by our Californian heritage," a move that Fischer describes as "ironic" given that they have pulled out of the North American market at the same time.
The fashion firm also plans to improve its collections which, it says, will be given a more "distinct and fashionable profile". It plans to re-group its divisions around women's and men's, with apparel centred around knits and wovens. It will set up a trend division in Paris and a design hub in China for the Chinese market. Esprit expects the moves will mean trends can be implemented into the collections more quickly.
It also plans to consolidate all buying functions into one sourcing operation, with sourcing offices to be opened to accelerate its sourcing strategy.
The CLSA analyst says he suspects the stay-and-buy ratio at Esprit over the last few years has been "very low" relative to other mass market apparel brands due to a "disappointing product range".
High growth markets
In terms of geographies, Esprit said it will now focus its energies on developing higher growth and profitable markets and "avoid incurring further losses from non-performing markets and stores".
Germany, its biggest market, along with neighbouring Benelux and France, are set benefit from this attention. And China, its second largest market, will also be a target for growth.
Esprit says turnover in China is set to double over the next four years to around HK$6bn, with the store network increasing from approximately 1,000 to 1,900 points of sale.
The move was welcomed by Singh. "While Germany is their strongest market, growth is likely to come from emerging markets like India and China. They just bought out their joint venture partner in China. They have a strong base there and they can now expand on that base," he says.
The final elements of the turnaround strategy include plans to refurbish its stores over the next four years and improve its wholesale channel. Esprit is currently developing three pilot store concepts for the first quarter of the 2012 financial year, of which it will choose one to roll out across its estate.
According to Fischer, in the wholesale channel Esprit plans to "eliminate unprofitable distribution accounts and recover selling space productivity through increasing sales force effectiveness and refurbishments."
These significant, and much-needed changes are bound to take time, with the company highlighting that it does not expect to complete the transformation until the 14/15 financial year.
Indeed, it forecasts that sales will fall 3-5% in the 11/12 financial year, with operating profit set to sit at around 1-2%. The company expects recovery to begin in the 12/13 financial year, with a compound annual growth rate of around 8-10% between now and the 14/15 financial year.
"These measures need to be taken to recharge the profit potential of Esprit and to re-establish Esprit again as an inspiring fashion brand," the company explains.
"With this we will bring Esprit back on track. The results of our work will gradually become visible over time, but the full transformation process will take until FY14/15 to complete."
An interactive databank with intelligence on the major apparel sourcing countries
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In September last year, fashion retailer Esprit revealed a bold turnaround strategy. In an update yesterday, the company revealed how these extensive plans are set to touch all areas of its business....
US investment fund TA Associates is reported to be in discussions with Zadig & Voltaire (Z&V) on taking a minority shareholding in the French fashion label....
US clothing retailer Aeropostale saw fourth-quarter earnings plummet by 68.8% as expenses rose and sales fell....
India's prime minister is to reconsider the country's decision earlier this week to halt all cotton exports after calling a group of senior ministers to a meeting tomorrow (9 March) to review the ban....
Maidenform has swung to a fourth-quarter loss as margins were hit by product discontinuations and other costs....
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- Aeropostale to close 154 stores amid bankruptucy
- US Q1 in brief: Wolverine Worldwide, Weyco


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Cary, NC — Yesterday afternoon I caught wind of a pop-up market unlike any I had heard of before; a flea and farmers market designed to be enjoyed at night, under string lights.
Cary, NC — There’s only one independent, female veteran-owned fitness facility in Cary with a highly personalized approach, 24/7 access and its own superfood smoothie and coffee bar. It’s ExPo LIFE Fitness.
Cary, NC — The same Cary agritainment business known for its seasonal strawberries, sunflowers, corn maze and Christmas trees is bringing the town’s newest Farmer’s Market to northwest Cary.
Cary, NC — Good news, cider lovers — the variety of hard ciders in downtown Cary is soon to spike with the addition of Bull City Ciderworks late this summer.
Cary, NC — This St. Patrick’s Day 2021, we’re highlighting one of Cary’s newest businesses, the Kilpatrick Irish Dance School.
Cary, NC — Owners of Wegmans have canceled their plans of bringing a second Wegmans to Cary.
Cary, NC — Cary’s future is looking mighty vertical through the lens of the developments on the horizon.
Cary, NC — As Fenton continues in its first phase of construction, announcements of upcoming tenants continue to surface.
Cary, NC — Two days before COVID-19 made its way into the U.S., sisters Rachel and Amy Stewart signed a lease to start up their own fitness business in Morrisville’s Park West Village.
After a long wait, the doors to Elite Core Studios opened on January 2, 2021.


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Honda and Porsche has taken the lead in theJD Power and Associates' annual ranking of initial vehicle quality in the United States.
Porsche is the top brand, with the fewest reported problems per vehicle. Honda has winners in three segments, more than any other carmaker. The Honda Civic, Fit (Jazz) and CR-V all got awards.
The study released on Wednesday measures problems in the first 90 days of ownership. It questioned 81 500 people who bought or leased vehicles from the 2008 model year.
JD Power says overall quality improved to an average of 118 problems per vehicle from 125 problems last year.
Jeep was the worst performer, with 167 problems per vehicle.


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US Propanol to Come Under Anti-dumping Investigation by Chinese Commerce Ministry
Arslan Butt • 1 min read
The Chinese commerce ministry is all set to investigate possible dumping of US propanol into its markets. The anti-dumping investigation will look into propanol and related products exported by the US into China in 2018, and could last up to a year or even get extended.
Just when we thought US-China trade talks were making progress, a move like this is sure to escalate tensions and possibly even disrupt the discussions. Several domestic propanol producers had submitted a formal application requesting an anti-dumping investigation to be carried out by the Commerce Ministry. These domestic companies account for 50% of China’s production of propanol and related products.
In another potentially problematic development, the US government is set to impose economic sanctions on a Chinese state-owned oil trading company for violating the US ban and purchasing crude oil from Iran. This move could further fuel tensions between US and Iran as well.


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WSJ: Federal antitrust probe about Apple's iAd service, too
AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
Citing "people familiar with the situation," authors Thomas Catan and Yukari Iwatani Kane reported Tuesday that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are both considering a formal inquiry into Apple for changes to its iPhone developer agreement. The potential antitrust inquiry was first reported Monday by the New York Post.
While the Post cited Apple's banning of intermediary development tools for App Store software, which has caught the ire of Adobe, the Journal said the interest from regulators has also stemmed from new language in the agreement that forbids iPhone software from transmitting analytical data. Existing mobile ad networks reportedly complained to regulators, and said the changes could give Apple's forthcoming iAd service a leg up by making it impossible for competitors to effectively target their advertisements.
The report said that Apple could "head off trouble" by revising the terms of its developer agreement and addressing the sections that have come under scrutiny, according to one person familiar with the situation.
Separately, the FTC has also inquired about iAd as it looks into Google's $750 million purchase of mobile advertising firm AdMob. Developers told the Journal that they were contacted by the FTC, and that the commission is looking into iAd as well as the Google-AdMob deal.
AdMob has also been asked about the iAd service in the course of the FTC investigation. In the last few months, Google has used iAd and Apple's $275 million acquisition of mobile ad firm Quattro Wireless as evidence that there is sufficient competition in the advertising market. The search giant has approached the strategy as rumors have suggested FTC staff will recommend the federal government block Google's purchase of AdMob for anticompetitive reasons.
Apple has seen increased scrutiny from the government in the last year, with the Securities and Exchange Commission having reviewed disclosures made by Apple about the health of its chief executive, Steve Jobs, and whether the company knowingly withheld information from shareholders.
The FTC also investigated potential antitrust ties between Google and Apple, an investigation that led Google CEO Eric Schmidt to resign from the Apple Board of Directors, while former Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson, who previously served on both boards, resigned from the Google Board of Directors last October.


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Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) VP Timothy L. Rose Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) VP Timothy L. Rose sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.12, for a total value of $604,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 51,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,713,920.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) opened at 150.15 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $65.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.17 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $153.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.08. Costco Wholesale Corp. has a 52-week low of $138.57 and a 52-week high of $169.73.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 29th. The retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale Corp. had a net margin of 1.98% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The business earned $35.73 billion during the quarter. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corp. will post $5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 4th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 2nd. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. Costco Wholesale Corp.’s payout ratio is currently 33.71%.
Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $179.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. in a report on Friday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank AG reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. in a report on Sunday, July 10th. Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. restated a “buy” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. in a research note on Saturday, July 9th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. in a research note on Tuesday, July 5th. Finally, Nomura restated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale Corp. in a research note on Thursday, August 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $172.74.
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. FCM Investments TX purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corp. during the second quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Zions Bancorporation boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corp. by 88.2% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation now owns 890 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Global X Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corp. by 276.6% in the second quarter. Global X Management Co. LLC now owns 983 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. PineBridge Investments L.P. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corp. by 11.5% in the second quarter. PineBridge Investments L.P. now owns 1,078 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corp. by 81.4% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. 73.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Costco Wholesale Corp. Company Profile
Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) is engaged in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States (U.S.) and Puerto Rico, Canada, United Kingdom (U.K.), Mexico, Japan, Australia, Spain, and through majority-owned subsidiaries in Taiwan and Korea. The Company operated 663 membership warehouses and an average warehouse is approximately 144,000 square feet.
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Survey data collected by PC Data Online found that teenagers represented a considerable part of May’s online shoppers.
Individuals in the 13-19 age group accounted for 17.4 percent of the overall online traffic for home-based non-AOL users, and 16.4 percent of the May online shopping traffic. PC Data defines shopping traffic as the total number of visitors who went to at least one of the top 200 shopping-related sites in the month of May. In raw numbers, this means that approximately 5,042,000 teens went to at least one of the shopping sites in the month of May, from a total of 30,777,000 shoppers.
According to PC Data, the impact of teens was even more pronounced at several of the top 200 shopping sites. Nearly one-third of the traffic at two music-related sites, bmg.com and ubl.com, was made up of teenagers, PC Data found. Other sites with a high concentration of teens include gaming, ticket, and music sites such as CDnow.com (28 percent) and ticketmaster.com (25.6 percent).
Auction sites, such as firstauction.com and ubid.com, were less popular among adolescents, as each received less than 10 percent of their traffic from the 13-19 age group. eBay’s online auctions did rank high with teen shoppers, according to the data.
|Top Shopping Related Sites Among Teens|
|Rank||Site||Users age 13-19|
|Source: PC Data Online|
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Election 2016 is already like no presidential race before it, and one of the most striking aspects of this year’s race is the disparity ... read more


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The upcoming Lenovo Legion-branded Android gaming phone has now appeared at China’s CNIPA patent website, complete with a few new details. That listing also happens to hold full-color photos of the handset, pulled down from the site by Pricebaba. The images reveal a design take that’s uniquely suited for gamers.
For starters, the entire rear panel appears to be transparent. The images show the handset in a metallic grey color, with what appears to either be a second red variant. Conversely, the images showcase LEDs under the panel that light up through the see-through backing. In the images, the coloration highlights a shuriken-shape at the center of the design
The detail is consistent with the Legion branding, which stretches across the device from the bottom to the fingerprint scanner — set just below its triple-camera array.
Near the right-hand edge at the center of the rear panel, a physical fan is visible. Lenovo’s Legion division has included the word “Cool” next to the fan. That hints that the fan is likely integral as part of the device’s previously reported “disruptive” cooling solution.
What details does CNIPA give for the Lenovo Legion gaming phone?
Aside from the confirmation of cooling features and a triple-camera array over a transparent backing, there are at least a few other details the patent images reveal. To begin with, the Lenovo Legion gaming phone will feature larger-than-average bezels above and below the display.
That will house a selfie camera and earpiece. But it will also make room for a second USB-C port. One USB-C port is in place at the bottom-center of the handset but there’s another in the left-hand edge.
That will undoubtedly be utilized to attach accessories or secondary displays. For instance, it may be used chiefly for the now-expected Lenovo Legion gamepad. That follows recent reports that the company will release such an accessory to compete with other gaming smartphones. It may also be usable with other accessories such as earphones.
With two ports, users will additionally be able to use their handset while charging in two different configurations. Lenovo has already said the Legion gaming phone will feature at least 55W fast charging technology. And that’s going to be useful since the rear of the device also denotes a relatively huge 5,050mAh battery is in place here.
The larger-than-average battery will not only be useful to drive a more optimized gaming experience. Rumors have stated that the device will utilize a battery-draining 144Hz refresh rate for the display panel. That’s alongside LPDDR5 RAM and the very latest in UFS fast storage.
Finally, the under-panel markings note one key discrepancy. Previous reports have confirmed the use of a Snapdragon 865 chipset for this phone. But the unexpected images show designation for the Snapdragon 855 SoC. It’s not clear whether that’s a misprint or if it points to a deeper problem with prior reports.
When is this phone expected to arrive?
Aside from reports and hints from Lenovo that a powerful, 5G-ready, Legion-branded smartphone will drop “soon,” details about its probable launch date are fairly slim. The device has been appearing in reports since at least the middle of December, last year.
Given the current global coronavirus pandemic and its limiting-effect in terms of large gatherings and smartphone demand, Lenovo may choose to hold off on any announcements. Or the company may choose to do a soft-launch in select regions where the market is beginning to rebound — launching later to other regions. If that happens, the company may choose to launch via a virtual announcement.
If Lenovo stages a larger launch event, that’s not likely to happen for at least a few months.


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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Pizza Hut said Wednesday it will offer its customers a low-fat alternative to its regular line of pizzas in order to target an increasing number of health-conscious consumers.
"The product offering is consistent with the important trend of getting in shape and getting healthy," said Doug Christopher, an analyst at Crowell Weedon & Co. "New products typically help to add incremental sales. The question is whether it's a great product, and only time will tell."
The new line of pizzas, dubbed Fit 'N Delicious, have half the cheese of the company's regular Thin 'N Crispy recipes and leaner meats, including chicken and ham, the company said.
A slice of the new pizza contains 3.5 to 5 grams of fat, which is 25 percent less than the regular-recipe pizzas.
"As the nation's largest pizza restaurant chain, we must consider consumers' changing lifestyles and provide them with lower-fat alternatives and great-tasting menu options," Pizza Hut spokesman Tom James said.
Shares of Yum! Brands (YUM: up $0.10 to $32.72, Research, Estimates), parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell, were little changed Wednesday afternoon.
The company also said it will offer new, bagged, family-size salad kits in some cities including, Orlando, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Duluth, Minn., Rochester, Minn., and Salt Lake City beginning in November. While the company has offered a salad bar at its locations for years, this new offering is intended for take-out customers.
Growing demand for low-fat options
Several fast-food chains have begun responding to health-conscious consumers, and discussions about growing obesity, in recent months by introducing lower fat and calorie options. Taco Bell and Burger King both launched such new menu items in September.
The growing trend of fast-food restaurants creating lower-fat products has resulted from consumer demand for the lighter fare and a fundamental shift in the way consumers are viewing food, nutritionists said.
"I'm delighted the industry is doing this," said Susan Finn, chairwoman of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, and a registered dietician. "Because of the obesity epidemic, I think the industry recognizes people want healthier choices and they are responding."
The push for lower-calorie fast foods has also been quickened by recent lawsuits over obesity. Many of these claims allege that certain foods were responsible for making the plaintiffs overweight. Though the claims largely have either been withdrawn or dismissed by judges, the publicity surrounding them has heightened concerns.
Earlier this month, McDonald's (MCD: down $0.37 to $24.02, Research, Estimates) appointed a new director of worldwide nutrition.
"With McDonald's, the healthier options have really been part of its turnaround," Christopher said.
McDonald's shares have soared 51.7 percent in 2003. Last week the company said its sales at stores open at least a year jumped 10 percent in September, up for the sixth-straight month, helped by its new premium salad line, which was introduced last spring.
Meanwhile, shares of Yum! Brands have jumped 34.7 percent since the start of the year. The company posted third-quarter earnings last week that rose from the same quarter the prior year and beat Wall Street's average expectation by a penny.


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Younger travelers often have champagne tastes on a beer budget.
With its new Red Collection concept, Columbus-based Red Roof is creating a boutique hotel chain for those on a craft-beer budget.
The first Red Collection hotel is expected to open in downtown Chicago by the spring. Reservations for the St. Clair Hotel, which had been a traditional Red Roof Inn, will be handled by the Red Roof reservation network, but the property will have the appearance and vibe of a stand-alone historic hotel.
The St. Clair is undergoing a complete "down to the studs" renovation into the new concept, but photos of what the completed rooms will look like include modern, monochromatic decor and "spa-inspired" bathrooms. Being tech-friendly is emphasized by providing plenty of power outlets and network connectivity.
"Millennials and Generation Z value experiences. They like to experience the unique things in a city, and they want more money in their pockets to spend on experiences," said Marina MacDonald, chief marketing officer of Red Roof.
"Our customers usually aren't coming to town to stay at the Red Roof Inn," said Andrew Alexander, president of Red Roof. "They're coming to do something else. Their reason for being there is related to the city. These hotels will be an instrumental part of that experience. They'll be unique and hyper-local."
MacDonald added that younger travelers in particular like a hotel that's stylish but not pretentious.
"Our research showed that the terms 'hip' and 'trendy' are out," MacDonald said.
The St. Clair is owned by Red Roof. The company has a combination of owned and franchised properties.
The company will start offering the Red Collection concept to franchisees in January, MacDonald said, so the company doesn't yet know where other such hotels will be. But the brand has been positioned for cities where it can compete favorably on price with hotels commanding more than $200 per night.
In Ohio, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland would be likely candidates for a Red Collection hotel, MacDonald said, but none is in the works.
The appeal of the concept for Red Roof, besides commanding higher room rates — roughly $140 to $150 per night for the St. Clair, for example — is attracting new customers and creating a step-up category for existing customers.
Eric Belfrage, senior vice president of CBRE Hotels in Columbus, said other hotels that traditionally compete on value are creating more upscale boutique "soft brands" to use in urban areas. He mentioned Hotel RL by Red Lion, which has hotels with a local flavor in such places as Brooklyn, New York and Washington, D.C.
"It makes sense," Belfrage said.
He added, though, that there's some irony in big hotel chains creating boutique brands.
"Boutique hotels started as the 'anti-brand,'" Belfrage said. "This is like branding the anti-brand."


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Airtel Photo Service, Powered by Zoomin.Com
Airtel has partnered Zoomin.Com to allow Airtel broadband customers to store unlimited number of photos and print the photos on calendars, t-shirts, mugs and photobooks.
The Airtel Photo Service enables customers to import photo albums from Facebook or upload unlimited number of photos directly from their computer to their account.
Photo products available on Airtel Photos range from Rs 65 to Rs 595 inclusive of taxes and delivery charges. Charges of the service will reflect in the customers monthly postpaid bill.
Email : firstname.lastname@example.org


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Cotton subsidies hamper trade relations
KAI RYSSDAL: Tomorrow in Washington American trade officials will be talking cotton subsidies with some African counterparts. Specifically, they'll be defending U.S. cotton subsidies. The World Trade Organization outlawed those kinds of payments to growers two years ago. But American farmers are still getting government checks. And they're a major reason wider trade talks between the U.S. and Africa have cooled. Gretchen Wilson reports from South Africa.
GRETCHEN WILSON: In a dark corner of Johannesburg's Rosebank Market, amid the local musicians and informal vendors, Thobeka Koyana makes her living selling traditional clothing.
THOBEKA KOYANA:"I'm from Xhosaland, so I'm using cotton they call 'umpaxho' in Xhosa. That's the cotton I use most of my clothes."
As she adjusts garments on her mannequins, Koyana says most clients make a point to demand local cotton, which they call "real" cotton.
KOYANA:"Cotton is very important to people. That's the first word coming out of a customer. They will ask: 'Is this a real cotton?'"
That real cotton also supports the more than 10 million Africans who rely on it as a cash crop. Yet in an irony common in the global age, imported cotton is cheaper than local cotton. A lot of it's from the U.S., the world's leading cotton exporter. The U.S. spends $4 billion a year to subsidize its own cotton industry, creating more supply than the global market demands. It's driven cotton prices down 50 percent since the mid-1990s.
That's why trade representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali — also known as the Cotton Four — are eager to meet with US officials.
Philip Alves is an economist at the South African Institute of International Affairs. He explains why African farmers say they can't compete:
PHILLIP ALVES:"The subsidies that Washington pays to cotton farmers in the United States materially affects their ability to sell their produce on world markets. Because internal domestic markets in Africa are so small and fragmented, world markets is all these producers have."
U.S. farmers say that's all they have, too. They say that while they do get subsidies, their costs are much higher than other countries. They won't agree to lower subsidies unless a trade deal compensates them with better access to new markets. US politicians are unlikely to eliminate subsidies in next year's farm bill, in part because it would cause a major backlash from voters.
But the international backlash is already happening. Months after the collapse of the Doha round of talks, the world's poorest countries are rallying behind the Cotton Four.
ALVES: It's so heavily supported because it's symbolic of everything this round is supposed to be trying to achieve, which is, in very simple terms: rich countries protecting their farmers less, to the benefit of poor farmers in other parts of the world.
U.S. officials want to liberalize trade. Experts say today's meeting is largely ceremonial, but it will take meetings like this to get trade talks back on track.
In Johannesburg, I'm Gretchen Wilson for Marketplace.


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by Tech in Asia
Thais really love their social networks. Thailand’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) reports that over 90 percent of web users in Thailand use social media. In addition, a mall in Bangkok is the number one most Instagrammed location in the world, while the city itself is known as Facebook’s capital city. The top three social media channels in Thailand as of last July were Facebook (92.2 percent), YouTube (63.7 percent), Line (61.1 percent).
Some might argue that Line is a chat app, while Facebook is a social network. But we can’t deny that chat apps are becoming more and more like social networks, considering the design and functionalities.
There’s no official information on Line’s latest local numbers yet, but we can be sure that it isn’t just waiting around to become a dominant player in Thailand.
Here are some indicators that the Japan-based chat app could be taking over Facebook in Thailand:
1. Line is devoting more resources than Facebook to growing its market share
While the closest Facebook office to Thailand is in Singapore, Line has just recently opened a new office in the heart of Bangkok on Sathorn road, making this the fourth office after Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Although Facebook can work remotely to support users in Thailand, a local presence shows the commitment Line has for the market. In addition, Line also announced that the company is looking to hire more people to support the team in Thailand.
2. Line is catching up with Facebook in its Thai user base
Line and Facebook have very close user numbers in Thailand. According to Facebook Ads, it still leads with roughly 26 million users, while Line now has 24 million users. The gap has shrunk considerably.
Line is also extremely successfull at monetizing its games platform.
3. Line knows stickers; Facebook is clueless
Admit it, Facebook is kinda late to the game with its stickers. Yes, it finally realized that emoji and stickers are one of the ways to win the hearts of Asian users. But Line has done it better and more successfully. It has already partnered with several big brands in Thailand to create special-edition stickers while Facebook is just starting to get into it. Line also knows the credit card issues that Thai people have and have begun offering alternative ways for Thai people to buy stickers.
4. People are shopping like crazy on Line
Thais don’t only rely on online marketplaces like OLX to find products, they use Facebook and Instagram to browse too. Since it’s still a grey, untaxed market, there’s no absolute value on how big it is. But it’s safe to assume that any Thai on Facebook or Instagram must have seen one or two merchants trying to sell their products on these channels.
So far, there doesn’t seem to be merchants who have conducted flash sales of this scale on Facebook.
5. Facebook is no longer cool worldwide
The Global Web Index says that Thais are moving away from Facebook and into China-made app WeChat. However, it seems like WeChat is far from being number one in Thailand, which means, with the games and stickers, Line could be the one winning Thai teenagers’ hearts.
Of course, it would be naive to say that Facebook is going away anytime soon. However, with the momentum that Line has gained in the past year, if Thailand is an important market, Mark Zuckerberg might have to re-evaluate this rival from Japan in order for it to maintain its status as the number one social media platform in the country.
The post 5 indicators why Line could soon topple Facebook in Thailand appeared first on Tech in Asia.
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Summary In The New York Times article titled “Amazon’s Monopsony Is Not O.K,” journalist Paul Krugman argues that the popular online website Amazon “has too much power, and it uses that power in ways that hurt America.” He goes on to give examples of how Amazon is ruining the economy and hurting America. Krugman states that Amazon believes it is the top online sales website even though it is not. He compares Amazon’s online book sales to Standard Oil sales and states that “Standard Oil nonetheless had too much power, and public action to curb that power was essential.” Krugman then goes on to explain the huge debate between Amazon and Hachette “a major publishing house.” Amazon is accused of back stabbing Hachette due to their refusal of giving Amazon “a larger cut of the price of Hachette books it sells.” To get Hachette back, “Amazon began disrupting the publisher’s sales” by “delaying their delivery” “raising their prices” and “steering customers to other publishers.” Krugman goes on to
It’s not the very idea that is in the basis of their astonishment, but the rumors of negotiations between Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, the US bookseller, over using their Nook device. Although there are a lot of criticisms, as people look at this deal as a big win for Amazon Kindle and a lost for Waterstones, Daunt sees a lot of perspectives for the company in this collaboration, calling it a "digital revolution". "If they choose to read digitally, I have to become involved in that game," he explains, with obvious reference to the current trend of reading books on digital devices. Mr Daunt suggests the critics simply misunderstand his methods. "All that we have to do is encourage people to come into our shops and to choose the books," he says.
While consumers prefer smaller companies for better prices, The AT&T and Time Warner merger should proceed because it makes financial sense for AT&T to do so, many mergers like this have occurred before this with little to no government interference, and It is not violating any of the antitrust laws. Large corporations and the government have been at odds ever since the days of U.S. Steel and Standard Oil . Monopolies and Oligopolies are harmful to the economy and consumers because they allow for companies to corner markets, artificially inflate prices, and keep operating and manufacturing costs detrimentally low. To prevent this, several anti-trust laws have been created. With the increased interconnectivity of today, various industries are
With the uproar about net neutrality many people had started to speak against it. As the days go by that number increases. This shows how much people love the internet the way it is and that it doesn't have to change. As the authors of my sources can agree on is that internet providers should not be allowed to change the prices on the service they provide. As well as not charge per the amount of times the search bar is used.
Despite O ́Reillys (Reilly’s) view on advertising, the consumer should not be held to the standard of the ̈Great Unwritten Contract. ̈ Hulu for example, is one of the most popular online streaming services. Hulu charges its consumers about eightdollars for their services, but they still include commercial that last up to two minutes. These two minute long commercial become redundant and overplayed and their is no way around them. It would seem that Hulu still holds all their consumer which actually pay for the service to this so called ̈contract.
Justice Department to block health insurance giant Anthem Inc.’s acquisition of rival Cigna Corp., saying he believes it will lead to higher premiums and less access to care," according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The commissioner also made the point that Anthem (now the nation’s second-largest insurer), and Cigna (No. 4), "if combined, the resulting company would control more than half the insurance market in 28 California counties." What's the response from the Government? “I remain very concerned about the rapid rate of consolidation among health-care providers,” Edith Ramirez, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, said in a speech in May, the Washington Post reports.
There is little start up elements. One big problem for Cisco would be companies taking over and merging other companies into one. However it is extremely important for these companies to have the technological information and know how that Cisco has to be as successful as they have been throughout the years. It would be very hard for every company to come out of an economic global downturn like Cisco did and say that they have learned from their mistakes and have turned this crisis into an opportunity and have in fact gained more market share. Cisco is one of the main dealers in the area of revenues therefore it minimises any new competition even if the barriers to entry are
Connective Capital Management 's, a hedge fund firm, Rob Romero says, "Groupon is expensive. The $12.8 billion valuation is only achievable because of the low float. Today 's reaction to LinkedIn floating additional share supply is an indication of how tight supply-demand of shares can distort valuation for a new IPO." In addition, Josef Schuster, founder of IPO research and investment house IPOX Schuster stated, "The post-IPO investor will be taking a risk on this deal. It 's maybe a good trade for a day trader, in and out in a single day, but I don 't want to be in it for the long run."
5 – Main risks going forward for Amazon.com are to loose its competitive advantage because of opportunities that Internet offered to its competitor : low prices, deliver, costumer’s service, etc. Moreover, if the business develops, it may encounter logistical problems and limits : geographical and logistical constraints (energy, delivery and connection and some contries) and legislative constraints (censorship, taxes and state agreement : Corea, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, etc). Founded in 1994, Amazon started as an online bookstore and quickly became popular as it received high marks on several Internet rankings. Today, Amazon.com, Inc. is the world's largest online retailing company headquartered in Seattle, WA During the period 2007 to early
mo·nop·o·ly noun the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service. Amazon is currently one of the biggest growing companies and is slowly owning the game. So let 's take a deeper look at the company and see how it resembles a monopoly. Monopoly’s have been quite a bad thing in the past becoming extremely corrupt buying other companies and then just shutting them down. That is why there is a law preventing for a monopoly existing.


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SPRINGFIELD — To increase awareness about Illinois food products this holiday season, the Illinois Department of Agriculture is sponsoring a 25 Days of Christmas Contest. One winner will be selected randomly each day from the department’s Facebook and Twitter fans and will receive the Illinois food product or products featured that day.
“I’d encourage anyone looking for a unique gift to consider giving an Illinois food product,” Agriculture Director Bob Flider said in a press release. “Illinois is a leading food processing state and offers a wide assortment of delicious items to choose from. Plus, every purchase helps not only our agriculture industry, but also our state economy.”
To be eligible, individuals must join the department’s Facebook page or follow the agency on Twitter. Individuals must be 21 years old to win gifts donated by Illinois wine companies.
Last year, the department launched a similar promotion called the 12 Days of Christmas. Due to its overwhelming success and the number of Illinois companies volunteering this year to participate, the contest was expanded to 25 days.
To sign up for the 25 Days of Christmas Contest, visit and “like” the Illinois Department of Agriculture Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IllinoisDepartmentofAgriculture or sign up to follow the department’s Twitter account at https://twitter.com/#!/ILAgMarkets.
For more information about the contest, please contact Jennifer Tirey, Bureau Chief of Marketing, Promotion and Grants, at 217-782-8146 or visit the department’s home page for a complete listing of Illinois Products at www.agriculture.illinois.gov.


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Millions of small and medium-sized businesses still operate inefficiently due to reliance on manual processes, which limits their capacity to grow and scale; this is despite contribute to approximately 48% of Nigeria’s GDP in the past five years,
But the tide is turning. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a wave of new entrants launching solutions aimed at digitizing small businesses. In the latest development, bumpaone of them who says they are building the infrastructure to enable online commerce and enable African small business owners to start, manage and grow their business from their mobile devices has raised a $4 million starting round.
The company, which announced that $200,000 pre-seed last September, said it plans to use the investment to hire talent, build, structure and scale its processes into new African markets.
Founded by Kelvin Umechukwu and Adetunji Opayele, bumpa plans to use the investment to hire talent, build its processes and structure and scale up to new African markets. It announced a $200,000 pre-seed last September.
The platform’s origin story can be traced back to 2018 when the founders Kelvin Umechukwu and Adetunji Opayele – while running another startup that provided advice for small businesses – built websites for small business owners looking to get online for the first time. Later versions were tailored to Shopify’s image: a simple website builder that small businesses could use without much help.
However, after it gained little traction, it was clear that Bumpa needed to evolve to meet the growing demands of businesses on the platform, including sales and accounting logging, inventory management and customer data storage. It also helped that both founders came from families of small business owners so they could get a first-hand look at these issues.
And as businesses flocked online when COVID hit in 2020, Bumpa went back to the drawing board, revamped its product, and released a new version the following year. With this version, companies can create websites in “60 seconds”, accept payments, manage inventory, handle accounting, fulfill orders and engage customers.
“We are trying to solve the inefficiencies that small businesses face, as most of them have been working in a black hole for the longest time. They don’t have enough data and insights into what’s happening, what’s being sold and how their products are being sold,” CEO Umechukwu said during a conversation with londonbusinessblog.com. “Although many startups try to solve this, we do it differently. We are evolving and we see our features as the foundation of what is possible with Bumpa.”
Bumpa 2.0: Integrating an ecosystem of products
Today, in addition to Bumpa, small businesses in Nigeria are spoiled for choice for products that can digitize their operations, including accounting, invoicing, and inventory management. Some include Pastel, Kippa and OZE.
In August, Bumpa took a move that delivered a message: It approached its relationship with small businesses differently as a retail automation company, not an embedded financial platform.
“I think the ideology and product direction differ between Bumpa and other companies. Most have fintech elements; we’re not trying to be a fintech – we’re in the retail automation space,” said CEO Umechukwu. “In fintech, we don’t try to solve things that have already been solved. There are new things that have not been tested before, such as the Meta integration.”
Bumpa’s integration with Meta allows its merchants to connect Instagram and Facebook accounts to their Bumpa app, receive DMs from their customers, and respond through the Bumpa app. The integration also allows them to share and sell products, share invoices/receipts, record sales, store buyer information and request payments through the Bumpa app while displaying it on their customers’ Instagram DMs. All these transactions take place without the sellers leaving Bumpa and the buyer leaving Instagram.
Several tech onlookers have praised the Meta integration, which Umechukwu believes will take Bumpa to the next stage: bringing various digital solutions essential to the day-to-day operations of small businesses and integrating them into the social commerce and retail automation platform.
“There is so much fragmentation in space. A business owner is likely to use up to 10 solutions, including social media, payments, billing, logistics, and marketplace apps. But none of these solutions communicate with each other,” he said. “We want to be that connecting platform on the continent. The idea now is to bring all these solutions and channels that small businesses use together with the click of a button and basically facilitate the transfer of information for efficiency.”
That said, Bumpa wouldn’t blindly embark on this Herculean task. It will prioritize based on orders and activities completed on the platform. For example, what drove the Meta integration was that 40% of all orders on Bumpa come from Instagram and WhatsApp. And in a subtle effort to bring conversational commerce to more than 50,000 small businesses on its platform, the following integrations will include WhatsApp, Messenger, and Google My Business. The piece is similar to what Charles has in Europe.
However, these integrations are not free. Bumpa has linked them to a subscription to supplement the first income stream: commissions on online transactions. Umechukwu said subscriptions have doubled Bumpa’s revenue from Q2 to Q3 this year. Overall, since its inception, Bumpa has completed over 200,000 orders and registered a GMV of over $20 million.
Base10 Partners, the world’s largest Black-led fund, is the lead investor in Bumpa’s seed round; it is the company’s second investment in Africa after Okra, a Nigerian API fintech. Other participating investors include Plug & Play Ventures, SHL Capital, emerging markets-focused fund Magic Fund, Jedar Capital, DFS Labs, FirstCheck Africa Angel Program, E62 Ventures, Club14 and Fast Forward Ventures.
Fast Forward Ventures’ managing partner Opeyemi Awoyemi said Bumpa is doing what Shopify did in North America for Africa. And referring to why his company is doubling down on the social commerce platform after an initial $30,000 pre-seed check, he said Bumpa “unlocks wealth (and massive GDP) for millions of new and existing sellers.” The company’s operating partner, Omolara Awoyemi, is Bumpa’s chief operating officer.
Meanwhile, Luci Fonseca, a director at Base10 Partners, said in a statement that Bumpa enables e-commerce and reduces friction for millions of SMBs. “The more we spent time with Kelvin and Adetunji Opayele (Teejay), the more we saw that they are very special founders and have a powerful mission to build the defining ecommerce platform in Nigeria and across Africa,” she added .