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All Business Content
MATTOON – Mattoon City Administrator Alan Gilmore said he hadn't heard about the FutureGen power plant two weeks ago.
Now his community is one of four Illinois finalists for the $1 billion power plant.
CHAMPAIGN – Curley Lee recently interviewed a job applicant at his Ford of Champaign dealership and was surprised by one of the man's questions.
"What kind of car do I get to drive?" the eager applicant asked.
SPRINGFIELD – A site just west of Tuscola is one of four Illinois finalists for a $1 billion project touted as the "coal plant of the future," according to Brian Moody, executive director of Tuscola Economic Development Inc.
The FutureGen project is expected to create 1,300 construction jobs at its peak and about 150 permanent jobs at the plant, plus as many as 750 permanent indirect jobs, Moody said.
CHAMPAIGN – Construction should begin within a few days on a luxury residential subdivision, Trails at Abbey Fields, west of Champaign.
Hallbeck Homes is developing the 100-acre subdivision, on farmland located north of Kirby Avenue between Staley and Rising roads. The Champaign City Council last week approved an annexation agreement and area general plan for the subdivision.
Three Hallmark stores in Champaign, Urbana and Danville have changed hands and have been renamed Dena's Hallmark, after their new owner, Dena Gaudio.
Gaudio bought the two former Andi's Hallmark stores at Urbana's Lincoln Square and Champaign's Market View Shopping Center at the end of March, and the former Karen's Kottage in Danville on Feb. 1.
CHAMPAIGN – It took grief and the thoughtfulness of friends to convince Jodee Stevens to start her own greeting cards company.
Fourteen years later, her company, Champaign-based Cardthartic, is producing cards sold in thousands of gift shops nationwide.
RANTOUL – A Rantoul-based company plans to build a new warehousing facility on the west side of Rantoul that could eventually employ up to 220 people.
The Rantoul Village Board on Tuesday night recommended passing a budget that calls for spending more than $2.7 million on infrastructure work to serve a new warehousing development on 40 acres at the southeast corner of Evans Road and U.S. 136.
URBANA – A proposed $4 million, 57-unit apartment project at the northeast corner of Main and Harvey streets was put in jeopardy Monday night when the Urbana City Council rejected a zoning variance request.
The council's 4-2 vote to deny Urbana developer Howard Wakeland's request to have the building encroach 8 feet into the required 15-foot setback along Main Street went against the unanimous recommendation of the city's Zoning Board of Appeals and the recommendation of city planning staff.
SAVOY – Come this summer, Champaign-Urbana air travelers will no longer be able to fly Delta directly to Cincinnati – but they will gain direct service to Atlanta.
Delta Air Lines announced Monday that on June 8, it will discontinue its three round-trip flights a day from Willard Airport to Cincinnati and add two round-trip flights a day from Willard to Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport.
Starbucks to put third C-U shop by Wal-Mart
After leaving local folks wondering for years why Champaign-Urbana didn't have a Starbucks, the coffee monster isn't wasting any time spreading its lattes around – at least on the Champaign side of the community.
In the past year, Starbucks has opened shops in Campustown and Market Place Mall, and now a third one is coming to Champaign's North Prospect Avenue.


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Hundreds of people braved the wind, rain and cold to celebrate a town’s magical Christmas fair.
Crowds mingled with 13th century characters and famous witchfinder general Matthew Hopkins at Manningtree’s Magical Christmas on Friday.
Organiser Jenine Collier, of the Manningtree Chamber of Trade, said: “It was an excellent night.
“The rain stopped bang on six o’clock when the event started and started again after it had ended.
“I don’t know if it was better than last year but everybody has been raving about it and people are saying it should happen again next year so there has been a lot of positive feedback which is nice.
“I was running around and getting very nervous and seeing all the bad bits but I’ve been very happy with what people were saying about it.”
More than 500 people attended the event which also featured street magicians, craft stalls, cooking demonstrations and traditional music.

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Nigerian music stars, Phyno and Flavour just got on board as brand ambassadors of Life Lager Beer. Though Flavour has been the brand ambassador for some years now, we are not too sure about that of Phyno as we couldn't lay hands on such information.
But be that as it may, the two singers just signed a new deal with the beer brand, which is one of the hottest brand in the country at the moment.
The connect crooner took to his Instagram page few hours ago to share photos from endorsement signing ceremony. He was even seen in one of the photos enjoying a can of the Life Continental Lager beer as Flavour watches with so much delight.
Phyno's official DJ, DeeJay Masta has congratulated the duo on their new deal. Reacting to the news, Masta wrote: "Bags on bags. Phyno and Flavour more blessings."
Phyno and Flavour has remained on top of their game for years now, dishing out back to back hits. The duo have equally done a couple of successful collaboration, which further prove of their inseparable relationship.
Congratulations to Phyno and Flavour on their new feat. Wishing you greater blessings.
Photo credit: Phyno's Instagram.
Content created and supplied by: Nollymoviesplanet.com (via Opera News )


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Tuesday, September 22, 2020 2:01 PM
After roughly six months of living amid a pandemic, many Americans expect their lives to remain changed even after the COVID-19 outbreak
is over, according to an August Pew Research Center survey of 13,200 Americans. About half of U.S. adults (51 percent) say they expect their lives will remain changed in major ways after the pandemic is over, while about the same share (48 percent) expect a return to normalcy.
It has also affected where some Americans live: In a June survey,
around one-in-five U.S. adults (22 percent) said they either changed their residence due to the outbreak or know someone else who did. And as of July, a majority of adults under 30 are living with their parents for the first time on record,
Census Bureau data shows.
Large shares of Americans across most major demographic groups say their lives will remain changed after the pandemic, according to the August survey. Even so, there are some notable differences.
Roughly two-thirds of Black adults (64 percent) say their lives will remain changed in major ways after the pandemic is over. That compares with 56 percent of Asian adults, 53 percent of Hispanic adults and 48 percent of White adults.Click here
to read the full story from Pew Research Center.
Monday, September 21, 2020 5:04 PM
Two-thirds of eyecare professionals in the U.S. say the incidence of myopia among children in their practices has increased over the past 5 to 10 years and 81 percent of those practitioners recognize it as one of the biggest problems impacting children’s eyesight today, according to a 2019 study published in the American Academy of Optometry’s journal, Optometry and Vision Science.
The study was recently cited by CooperVision when it announced Sarah Michelle Gellar, the popular US television actress, producer and entrepreneur as the spokesperson for its Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program.
Thursday, September 17, 2020 2:57 PM
WASHINGTON—Like many holidays this year, Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The autumnal holiday may look a little different this year, but consumers are finding ways to safely mark the occasion.
According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than 148 million U.S. adults plan to participate in Halloween-related activities. Among those celebrants, safe at-home activities ranked highest: 53 percent plan to decorate their homes, 46 percent plan to carve a pumpkin and 18 percent will dress up their pet.
More than three-quarters say the virus is impacting their celebration plans, with overall participation down to 58 percent. Plans for parties, trick-or-treating, handing out candy and visiting haunted houses have all dropped, due largely to the fact that some activities do not easily adhere to social distancing. Even so, 17 percent say they plan to celebrate virtually.
Consumer spending is expected to reach $8.05 billion, down slightly from $8.78 billion in 2019, due to the drop in participation. However, consumers are spending more on the activities that will ensure a memorable holiday. Those who are celebrating plan to spend $92.12 on average compared with $86.27 in 2019. Consumers are doing what they can to still make it a special event by spending a little more on home decorations, candy and greeting cards. Click here
to read the full story from the NRF.
Monday, September 14, 2020 4:24 PM
One of the most immediate and profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the shape rise in teleconferencing throughout the world for both business and personal use.
Statista’s Felix Richter notes that despite security concerns and reports of possible links to China, Zoom Video Communications has to be considered one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic. “As much of the world has been working from home and relying on technology to stay in touch with colleagues and loved ones amid strict stay-at-home orders, video conferencing apps saw an unprecedented surge in usage…”
Friday, September 11, 2020 4:58 PM
NEW YORK—From the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers across the U.S. have shifted to ecommerce for essential goods and personal care products. One result of this trend is that consumer packaged goods companies (CPG) continue to invest in digital advertising, but at a reduced rate, according to a recent analysis
of the CPG sector by eMarketer.
The firm now said it expects the CPG industry to increase its digital ad spending 5.2 percent this year to $19.4 billion. But this is a downward revision from the pre-pandemic forecast of 15.1 percent growth.
The CPG vertical spans multiple subcategories. Some subcategories like essential goods and personal care products did well amid the pandemic, while others faltered. According to a March 2020 survey conducted by OnePoll for tech firm Red Points, more than three in five U.S. internet users said they were more likely to purchase cosmetics, personal care products, and food and beverage products online during the pandemic, according to the eMarketer report.
Across the spectrum of U.S. retail sales, a decline of roughly 10.5 percent is expected this year across all retail channels, yet overall sales of health, personal care, and beauty products will rise 6.9 percent. Food and beverage sales (much of which fall under CPG) will grow 12.5 percent, according to a recent eMarketer forecast.
Food and beverage ecommerce sales will grow 58.5 percent this year to $41.5 billion. Health, personal care, and beauty product sales will increase 32.4 percent to $72.1 billion, the research firm noted. While these categories make up a fraction of total ecommerce sales (a combined 16.7 percent), they continue to be the fastest-growing, as they have been since 2018.
Thursday, September 10, 2020 5:24 PM
The current coronavirus pandemic is making future business planning difficult at best for many companies. Many traditional purchasing channels, such as distributor branches, shut down as a result of the pandemic, but one channel remained open: digital commerce. Organizations of all sizes are expanding the pace and diversity of their B2B digital commerce activity, according to a new survey of about 85 purchasing executives conducted in July and August 2021 by Digital Commerce 360 B2B.
Today 51 percent of all companies purchase at least 50 percent of their goods and services online, according to a new DC 360 B2B survey. The survey also shows that about 40 percent of all businesses now make at least one digital purchase weekly or multiple times each week.Click here
to read the full story from DigitalCommerce360.com.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 4:24 PM
The coronavirus outbreak has pushed millions of Americans, especially young adults, to move in with family members. The share of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents has become a majority since U.S. coronavirus cases began spreading early this year, surpassing the previous peak during the Great Depression era.
In July, 52 percent of young adults resided with one or both of their parents, up from 47 percent in February, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of monthly Census Bureau data. The number living with parents grew to 26.6 million, an increase of 2.6 million from February. The number and share of young adults living with their parents grew across the board for all major racial and ethnic groups, men and women, and metropolitan and rural residents, as well as in all four main census regions. Growth was sharpest for the youngest adults (ages 18 to 24) and for White young adults.
The share of young adults living with their parents is higher than in any previous measurement (based on current surveys and decennial censuses). Before 2020, the highest measured value was in the 1940 census at the end of the Great Depression, when 48 percent of young adults lived with their parents. The peak may have been higher during the worst of the Great Depression in the 1930s, but there is no data for that period.
to read the full story from Pew Research Center.
Thursday, September 3, 2020 11:00 PM
A new study from Juniper Research
has found that the number of vehicles with embedded connectivity will reach 200 million globally by 2025; rising from 110 million in 2020. One of the main beneficiaries of this growth will be mobile operators. The incorporation of eSIMs (embedded SIM) into the vehicle will enable operators to leverage their existing network infrastructure to claim $3 billion of additional service revenue by 2025, by acting as an M2M (Machine-to-Machine) connectivity provider.
Thursday, September 3, 2020 3:33 PM
Shaking patients’ hands may become a fad from the past after the COVID-19, says many respondents to a recent Women In Optometry Pop-Up Poll, which asked readers to access the lasting impact from the pandemic. Indeed, 59 percent said that they may never shake patients’ hands again. Some safety precautions may stay for the long haul, as well, with 57 percent saying that they may never ease back on disinfecting protocols, and 51 percent stating that they may never remove acrylic shields that they have installed in their offices.
More than a third of respondents have stopped wearing face shields (37 percent), returned to pre-COVID exam schedules (34 percent) and returned to pre-COVID workwear (36 percent). Yet 38 percent said they may never return to their pre-COVID workwear. Fifty-six percent said that they anticipate wearing masks for at least another six to 12 months.
On a scale from 1 (not very safe/protected) to 5 (extremely safe/protected), respondents were asked to rate how they feel at work now in terms of potential exposure to COVID-19, and many cited that they do feel quite safe at work: 23 percent rated 5, 47 percent rated 4 and 25 percent cited 3. Just 5 percent cited 2, and no one selected 1.
to read the full story from Women In Optometry.
Monday, August 31, 2020 2:00 PM
A substantial proportion of U.S. consumers have become more focused on sustainability in their shopping journey due to Covid-19, according to a new survey by Coresight Research.
For the survey, which was conducted August 26
, Coresight asked consumers about their attitudes toward environmental sustainability in retail, including any impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. They found that 29 percent of respondents said the pandemic has made environmental sustainability more of a factor when shopping.
Thursday, August 27, 2020 12:35 PM
Products traditionally associated with e-commerce are still among the fastest growing segments in global online sales
, but other product categories are also moving online in rapid speed. According to the Statista Consumer Market Outlook
, online sales of consumer electronics and apparel were still growing fast as a share of total sales. Around every fifth household appliance is also already bought online according to the data and that share is expected to grow to 31 percent by 2023.
Eyewear, which currently only has an online sales share in the single digits, is projected to catch up with more established categories by 2023, more than doubling online sales within the segment in six years. OTC pharmaceuticals, also a newer market for e-commerce, is expected to grow online sales almost as fast.Click here
to read the full story from Statista.com.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 2:35 PM
Consumers spent less than expected in July as a pullback in auto sales helped cool an economy struggling to shake off the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Retail sales rose 1.2 percent for the month, against the expected increase of 2.3 percent from economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
The news wasn’t all a letdown, however—excluding autos, the gain was 1.9 percent, ahead of the 1.2 percent estimate. A separate report also showed that worker productivity rose at its fastest pace in 11 years, up 7.3 percent annualized for the second quarter and well ahead of the 1.5 percent Reuters estimate.
Overall, it was the third straight monthly increase. The 1.2 percent increase follows an 8.4 percent month-over-month increase in June. Retail sales have been climbing after a record monthly drop while most stores were closed in April.
Read the full story
Monday, August 24, 2020 1:23 PM
As the restaurant industry faces continued operational challenges and indoor dining constraints loom across the country, many consumers are turning to food delivery apps, according to eMarketer, which estimates
that the number of smartphone food delivery app users will rise 25.2 percent to 45.6 million this year.
eMarketer’s Rimma Kats reports that this figure is expected to decrease slightly in 2021, to 44.1 million, as restaurants likely reopen to indoor diners.
Friday, August 21, 2020 2:04 PM
NEW YORK—In what a research firm calls “an unlikely development, B2B digital advertising spend is leading a recovery charge in 2020, with projected growth of 22.6 percent over last year, according to a recent forecast by the firm eMarketer. “The disappearance of in-person events, and a pause in the use of traditional tactics, has led to significant digital growth – especially in the health care, tech and financial services categories,” the eMarketer forecast noted.
Business-to-business marketers, often criticized for being laggards, have sprinted ahead when it comes to digital ad spend, The Drum newsletter reported.
According to eMarketer, B2B digital ad spend will hit $8.14 billion this year, an increase of 22.6 percent. Comparatively, U.S. digital advertising spend, as a whole, will only rise 1.7 percent this year, to $134.7 billion.
Long reliant on events and traditional channels, “the conditions of Covid-19 are really forcing B2B marketers to realize that they need to accelerate their transformation into digital,” Jillian Ryan, eMarketer’s principal analyst covering B2B and marketing transformation at Insider Intelligence, said in the forecast.
Search, virtual event sponsorships, podcasts and spending on LinkedIn are replacing TV, print, out-of-home and in-person events, Ryan said. In fact, LinkedIn will secure one-fifth of all B2B ad dollars in 2020. “They are the supreme social network in terms of share.”
Thursday, August 20, 2020 1:58 PM
WASHINGTON—Most families still don’t know what supplies students will need for school and college this year, but more expect at least some classes to take place online than a month ago and say they are buying more computers and other items to be ready, the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics said earlier this week.
“Consumers still face a great deal of uncertainty even as school begins to start and are further behind in their back-to-school spending than they have been in years,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “At this point, the majority of families expect to spend as much as they thought earlier this summer if not more, and it’s largely because of the need to spend more on electronics.”
An update of NRF’s annual back-to-class survey conducted in early August found 63 percent of consumers expect at least some school and college classes will take place online this year, up from 55 percent when the original survey
was conducted in early July. Of those, 76 percent plan to make purchases specifically because of online learning, up from 72 percent.
While the number planning to buy laptops is essentially unchanged at 37 percent rather than 36 percent, the number buying accessories such as a mouse or flash drive is up at 26 percent from 21 percent and the number expecting to buy desks or chairs to furnish home classrooms rose from 17 percent to 23 percent.
Parents with children in elementary school through high school say they plan to spend an average $789.49 per family, topping the previous record of $696.70 they said they would spend last year. College students and their families expect to spend an average $1,059.20 per family, which would top last year’s record of $976.78.
to read the full story from Pew Research Center.


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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change traditional military training schedules, anything that brings some sort of reliability and comfort can be a welcome reprieve.
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service personal shopper program has become a dependable source for quarantined Soldiers and civilians at Fort Bliss—a program that’s been in progress for nearly a year.
Since March, all incoming and departing units have been required to quarantine as part of the COVID-19 mitigation protocols. This measure has prevented troops from leaving their barracks to pick up their own basic necessities.
That’s where the personal shopper program steps in by providing online shopping catalog options to quarantined personnel via email or phone. Once shopping lists are submitted, they’re routed to a dedicated staff of AAFES associates who call each customer to review their list and process payments. Depending on the influx of emails, items are typically packed and delivered within a 24-hour time frame.
“When you’re quarantined and unable to go anywhere, sometimes you just need a small piece of home,” said main post Exchange manager Pat Tinker. “I’ve been deployed and know how it feels not being able to get those familiar things to help ease the day. Small gestures make a difference and we get to take care of our Soldiers who take care of us.”
AAFES general manager Michael Brennan said he’s watched the program evolve from three designated quarantine buildings located on west Bliss into a full-scale operation supporting Doña Ana, McGregor, and Westbrook training sites, in addition to designated buildings throughout the installation. To date, more than 22,000 orders have been delivered—making it the largest personal shopping program in the Army.
“We never charge any type of delivery fee and there’s no minimum purchase,” said Brennan. “AAFES is here to help take care of their basic needs. We’re all they have out there, and it’s up to us to do our part.”
Shopping orders can include bags of chips, energy drinks, military clothing items, toiletries, laptops, luggage, and electronics. If something’s not readily available, associates will find comparable items or check inventories at other military stores.
“There’s really no set category on the types of requests that come into the store,” said McGregor Troop Store manager Tina Bretz. She recalled a Soldier requesting yarn to complete a crochet project. After reaching out to other stores and making countless calls she finally found the “right material.”
“A week after delivering that Soldier’s supplies we received a photo of the finished project….a blanket,” said Bretz, adding that there’s so many moving pieces that go into packing the right items, and she’s grateful to team members for making the program work.
“These are challenging times for all of us right now, but this program really reminds us that it’s the everyday things, and seeing people smile that will help us get through it,” she said.


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The following is a continuation of Margaret Brackett’s column that ran on May 7 in The Newberry Observer.
It’s hard to miss the rise of the e-cigarette. Marketing materials indicate that they are safe and may offer a viable avenue to quit smoking. Recent studies are beginning to show that e-cigarettes are not as safe or effective as they may appear.
A study presented to lung cancer researcher’s shows that e-cigarettes appear to have a similar health effect on throat/lung cells as traditional cigarettes. A separate study shows that youths who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke and to smoke more cigarettes in addition to the e-cigarettes, and that e-cigarette maker’s marketing is targeting kids.
The nation notes an increase in the number of child nicotine poisonings resulting from their access to the e-cigarettes refill cartridges.
A new Cancer Study Found E-Cigarettes affect cells the same as tobacco. Electronic cigarettes have taken a pounding in the press lately. First there was the revelation that the liquid nicotine in the device is poisonous and potentially deadly if consumed, and that some children have died from drinking liquid by accident.
Then there are the stories of rechargeable e-cigarettes exploding while they are being charged. Just the past few weeks have brought forth stories from a woman’s living room, inside a car, a bar in the UK, and, horrifyingly, reports of an e-cigarette exploding in a man’s face. These are not the first of these types of stories. Now to cap it off, one of the first studies to look at the biological effects of the digital sticks found “striking similarities” between the effects vaporizing e-liquid and traditional tobacco smoke on human cells. Researchers found that when bronchial cells were exposed to e-cig vapor containing nicotine, they showed similar, potentially cancerous, gene mutations as the cells exposed to tobacco smoke.
The lead researcher says, “They may be safer than tobacco, but our preliminary studies suggest that they may not be benign.” Further study is needed, but the similarity suggests vaping could increase the risk of cancer versus not using tobacco at all.
E-Cigarettes don’t discourage smoking among teens. As reported by Time Magazine, contrary to popular assumption, adolescents who ‘vape’ or use e-cigs are more likely to smoke cigarettes and use other tobacco products. This suggests that e-cigarettes may not be the lesser of the two evils that some had hoped.
Researchers also found that while teens that used e-cigarettes were more likely to say they want to quit smoking, they were actually smoking more cigarettes since they have begun using e-cigarettes. Adolescents who use e-cigs are more likely to smoke other tobacco products and regular cigarettes, a new study finds, suggesting that e-cigarettes may not be the lesser of the two evils that some had hoped. The researchers also found that teens who used e-cigarettes were more likely to want to quit smoking the next year, but they were also less likely abstain from cigarettes altogether..
Congressional Report Details Marketing that entices kids, underscores urgent need for FDA Regulation An investigation report provides detailed evidence that e-cig manufactures are selling to youths. These companies have widely varying policies regarding sales to minors, and are using the same slick marketing tactics long used to market regular cigarettes to kids.
These tactics include:
•Kid-friendly flavors with names like cherry crush, chocolate treat, and grape mint,
•TV and radio ads that through youthful appeal and scheduling, reach youth audiences,
•Sponsorships and free samples at youth-oriented events such as auto races and music festivals
The report also finds that many e-cigarette companies use social media to promote their products. Given rising questions around the safety and addict-ability of e-cigarettes, this underscores the urgent need for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate e-cigarettes and take action to prevent their marketing and sales to kids.
E-cigarettes accidents prompt poison warning. As mentioned earlier, many are not aware that nicotine is a deadly poison. E-cigarettes, unregulated by the US government, heat a liquid into a vapor that is inhaled. The liquid contains nicotine as well as chemicals and flavorings such as chocolate and bubble gum. Users buy liquid in refill containers which can resemble conventional cigarettes or clear containers of brightly colored liquids that a child may find appealing.
The FDA is tracking reports of illness from using e-cigarettes, and these reports mount, they note another problem: child poisonings from e- cigarette liquid. More than half of the reported exposures occurred in children younger than 6, some of whom became very ill and required emergency visits. U.S. poison centers are now warning parents to store the liquid nicotine away from children.
As we learn more about the widespread dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, and the new dangers about the e-cigarettes, it becomes more important to choose not to use tobacco in any form and to act to protect our population from predatory products and marketing practices.”


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- December 29, 2020
- Posted by: administrator
- Category: Credit Cards, e-Commerce, MicroSoft
A recently discovered multi-platform credit card skimmer can harvest payment info on compromised stores powered by Shopify, BigCommerce, Zencart, and Woocommerce.
While usually designed to target a single type of e-commerce platform, this new type of web skimming malware can take over the checkout process on shops using multiple online store management systems by injecting a malicious checkout page.
Displays errors as distraction
This new skimmer (also known as a Magecart script) can also abuse hosted e-commerce systems such as Shopify and BigCommerce, as researchers at Dutch cyber-security company Sansec found, even though they do not provide support for custom checkout pages scripts.
It does that by displaying a fake payment page before the customers land on the real checkout form and using a keylogger to intercept payment and personal information.
The skimmer will also throw an error after the customers hit the “Proceed” button to submit their credit card information to evade detection and not raise any alarm flags., redirecting them back to the legitimate checkout process and payment form.
“It is remarkable that so many different platforms are compromised in the same campaign,” Sansec said.
“Typically, criminals exploit a flaw in a single platform. Attackers may have breached a shared component, eg software or a service that is used by all affected merchants.”
Campaign active since August 2020
Another interesting technique used by this skimmer is the way it exfiltrates data to automatically generated domains based on a counter and encoded using base64 encoding (examples of such domains are zg9tywlubmftzw5ldza[.]com, zg9tywlubmftzw5ldze[.]com, and so on).
This also offers a hint on how long this Magecart campaign has been running for, given that the first such programmatically generated exfiltration domain was first registered on August 31st, 2020.
“To summarize: this campaign shows that platforms are no boundary to the profitable fraud of online skimming,” Sansec added. “Wherever customers enter their payment details, they are at risk.”
During the last few months, Sansec researchers have discovered several Magecart campaigns using innovative tactics for evading detection and gaining persistence on hacked stores.
For instance, they found a credit card stealer script hidden in plain sight using CSS code to avoid getting discovered, a web skimming malware able to camouflage as SVG social media buttons, and an almost impossible to get rid of credit card stealer bundling a persistent backdoor.
They also spotted a stealthy remote access trojan (RAT) malware used by Magecart threat actors to maintain persistence and regain access to the servers of hacked online stores.
However, the malware dropper used to load the RAT on infected online shops also inadvertently spilled the beans on a list of dozens of compromised stores.
NOTE:: This article is copyright by bleepingcomputer.com and we are using it for educational or Information purpose only


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Lark Mason Associates achieved outstanding sales in a charged auction of Fine and Decorative Works of Art that concluded on July 7. Of the 209 lots sold, the top 10 lots approached a third of $1 million total.
An impressive Russian Silver and Silver-Plate Plique-à-Jour and Enamel Desk Set captured the uppermost price-point. So energetic was the bidding that the buying was lengthened by more than an hour, and 56 bidders eventually drove the grand total for the piece to just under $98,000, including buyer’s premium.
Another Russian objet d’art, a Silvered Figural Commemorative Award dated 1856 and marked Vaillant, went for nearly $50,000 after the auction was extended for over an hour to accommodate determined bidding on the part of 42 buyers.
In addition, more than 70 bids competed for four lots of Chinese and other Asian works of art, including a oil-on-canvas titled Girl and Flowers by the contemporary Vietnamese-French artist Le Pho (1907-2001) that hauled in close to $21,000.
A long-established auctioneer in New York City, Lark Mason, the renowned author, appraiser and “Antiques Roadshow” expert, recently expanded his operations to include a division in New Braunfels, Texas, where the rich array of antique firearms that were part of the sale also aroused strong enthusiasm.
At the conclusion of the event, both the New York and Texas offices of Lark Mason Associates sold more than 81 percent of the fine and decorative art pieces on offer, well exceeding the typical performance for an auction. “I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Mason. “Fine furniture, Asian art, firearms-there was something for everyone, and the high prices are clear evidence that our sale was a smashing success!”


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Flexible printed circuit board maker MFLEX told investors it changed the timing of its production ramps, and will be reporting more sales in its December quarter. The company just so happens to supply parts to Apple, and Wells Fargo Securities analyst Maynard Um thinks that hints at the production schedule for the next generation iPhone.
Assuming the company’s production schedule is linked to the next iPhone, that could mean limited supplies if it launches in September, or it could mean Apple is planning on an October release.
“Although MFLEX did not provide customer detail, we believe the December ramp is iPhone 5 related,” Mr. Um said. “Timing change commentary, if related to Apple, could suggest some limit to volumes if launched in September (the increasingly likely scenario) or a launch in the October timeframe (which is what we forecast in our model), though we also note that it’s possible that the impact from new program ramp delays could be due to non-Apple customers.”
Rumors that Apple is planning a September 12 media event to introduce the next iPhone along with a smaller form factor iPad surfaced at the beginning of the week, along with reports that the new iPhone model would ship on September 21.
Following those reports, Mr. Um said, “Given our anticipation for an October launch, a September launch time frame would be ahead of schedule and likely result in upside to our current September quarter forecasts.”
While a September iPhone launch would make consumers that have been waiting for the next model to ship happy, it could also mean very limited availability at first — assuming MFLEX will be ramping up parts production for Apple after September.
Despite the potential for product constraints, Mr. Um still sees Apple selling plenty of its iOS devices. “We are expecting iPhone unit sales of roughly 22.5 million and 42 million in September and December quarters, respectively. We are modeling iPad unit sales of 18.5 million and 19.2 million for the September and December quarters,” he said.
Mr. Um has an “Outperform” rating and a US$640- $660 target range for Apple’s stock. Apple is currently trading at $617.26, up 9.47 (1.56%).


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Usdaw “deeply disappointed” as government rejects new laws to protect shop workers from violence
Usdaw has expressed deep disappointment that the government yesterday rejected proposals for a new law to protect shop workers from violence, threats and abuse, despite evidence that incidents have doubled during the coronavirus emergency.
It has now been over a year since the Home Office consultation on violence against shopworkers closed. Usdaw surveying estimates more than 150,000 shop workers have been assaulted since then. Usdaw responded, along with a broad range of retailers, calling for a new law to tackle this growing problem. The government responded only yesterday to the overwhelming evidence they received and rejected extending the law to protect retail staff.
Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “We are deeply disappointed that the government has rejected legislating for stiffer penalties for those who assault workers. They have failed to listen to the voices of shop workers and retailers, who had jointly called for a simple stand-alone offence that is widely recognised and understood by the public, police, CPS, the judiciary and most importantly criminals.
“Retail staff have a crucial role in our communities and that role must be valued and respected, they deserve the protection of the law. We are shocked that violence, threats and abuse have doubled during this national emergency. At a time when we should all be working together to get through this crisis, it is a disgrace that the people working to keep food on the shelves for their local communities are being abused and assaulted.
“Our message is clear, abuse is not part of the job. Life on the frontline of retail is normally pretty tough for many shopworkers and has become much worse during the coronavirus emergency. Shopworkers are on the frontline of feeding the country, providing an essential service in very difficult circumstances, working long hours in busy stores, facing abuse from customers and of course concerned they may contract Covid-19.
“The safety of our members is absolutely paramount, but they tell us that some of the shopping public are resisting social distancing measures in stores and can become abusive when asked to queue and maintain social distancing. Our message to the public is there is no excuse for abusing shopworkers and they deserve to be respected and appreciated.”
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You've probably already heard about the first brands to have Apple Watch apps. But some strange, more obscure apps have been popping up ahead of tomorrow's official launch.
Marketers are split about whether Apple Watch will have lasting power, but it seems developers and startups already are having some fun with the new device. Need to check your blood alcohol level? Looking for some motivation to get in shape? There are apps for that.
BACtrack makes personal breathalyzers—BAC is an acronym for blood alcohol content—a few of which work with smartphones.
Now there's a Bluetooth Apple Watch app that lets you do BAC tests on the go. After blowing into the breathalyzer, your BAC pops up on the touchscreen.
"We hope this will encourage people to test themselves and their friends more often, and inspire others to do the same, so that more people will make smart decisions while drinking," CEO Keith Nothacker told Adweek.
It's not hard to imagine the app turning drinking into a game of who can make their smartwatch buzz more.
Spin O Wrist
A quick search for "Apple Watch" in the App Store shows that someone has made a smartwatch version of Spin the Bottle.
The app, based on every middle school student's favorite game, doesn't appear to do a lot more than ... spin a bottle around in a circle.
Runtastic's rump-shaping app puts folks through a set of workouts and training plans designed to tone your backside.
With its app, you can set your training goals and check your progress with small bits of information on your Apple Watch.
"Who would have imagined that videos of lifelike avatars on your watch could guide you through a workout?" said Florian Gschwandtner, CEO and co-founder of Runtastic.
Need to track the status of a peculiar mole? Modiface has you covered.
The company is an augmented reality app that lets you test makeup and skin products. But its newest app, Skin, scans the skin in hard-to-reach places like the back of the neck. Skin then analyzes how dry the patch of skin is and gives it a score from zero to 10.
"We believe an app that allows you to scan any part of your body while providing a real-time camera view on a watch would be very useful," Modiface's founder and CEO Parham Aarabi told The Daily Dot.
It's actually a pretty neat idea if used correctly, but constantly monitoring your skin could also be disconcerting, particularly for hypochondriacs.
Parents who want to get their kids off the couch can now do it from their wrist.
PlayKids is a subcription-based mobile app that plays 200 kid-friendly videos from series like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Sid the Science Kid.
The smartphone app is controlled by the Apple Watch version, which pings kids messages when it's time to take a break.


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KFC and Mtn Dew have teamed to launch a Sweet Lightning soda, available exclusively in KFC's US restaurants starting July 1. A teaser spot shows a new spokesman named Sweet donning a yellow suit and shoes, picking up a yellow briefcase and then putting on a lightning-shaped ring, concluding with the copy: "Something sweet is coming."
KFC, Mtn Dew create new mascot for Sweet Lightning
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Obama still touting WaPo story, on WaPo
Two-and-a-half weeks on, the Obama campaign is still touting The Washington Post's June 21 report on Bain Capital's investments in outsourcing firms — in advertisements across WashingtonPost.com.
"Romney's companies were pioneers in shipping jobs overseas," the ad reads. But unlike the initial TV spots, the biggest words in this frame are now "Washington" and "Post." The emphasis is meant to attract Post readers into the oft-ignored advertisement space — the way some businesses use New Yorker-like cartoons for ads in the New Yorker — but there is an added sting there for Team Romney, since the paper decided to deny its request for a retraction.


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New guidelines have been issued by the European Commission requiring clear labeling on certain products from Israeli settlements.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, olive oil, eggs, poultry, organic products and cosmetics must now be labeled as originating in an "Israeli settlement" to be sold throughout the European Union. For prepackaged food products and most industrial products, the labeling will be voluntary.
The EU recognizes the illegality of settlements built on Palestinian land occupied in 1967 under international law, viewing them as an obstacle to peace and a two-state solution. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision "hypocritical" while Palestinian leaders hailed the decision positively.
Many turned to Twitter to express their support of the new decision, which will allow consumers in the EU to more easily avoid products that support the illegal occupation and oppression of Palestine.


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XAutoplay: On | OffThe Dow Jones industrial average, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 all downshifted 0.1% at the starting bell.
JPMorgan, Citibank, Netflix Climb, Domino Dives
On the Dow, Walt Disney (DIS) dropped 1.4% as Guggenheim pared its rating on the stock to neutral, from buy.
JPMorgan inched up 0.1% after reporting third-quarter sales and earnings comfortably above analysts' targets. But a 2% drop in investment banking revenue and a 16% dive in markets and investor services revenue raised concerns.
JPMorgan shares remained in a buy range, above a flat base buy point at 95.32.
Citigroup stepped up 0.9% as its third-quarter results exceeded expectations. The stock is extended above a 69.96 buy point in a flat base.
Apple (AAPL) edged up 0.2% and all of the FANG stocks opened higher. Netflix (NFLX) topped the group with a 1.5% gain. Bernstein reiterated its outperform rating on the stock, and raised its price target to 230, from 203.
Amazon.com (AMZN) ticked 0.4% higher. The e-commerce juggernaut announced plans to add 120,000 employees for the holiday season. The release said thousands of temporary workers were converted to full-time employment after last year's holiday season, and it expects similar results at the start of 2018.
Amazon shares ended Wednesday back above support at their 10-week moving average, up 7% from a late September low and working to build the right side of a possible three-month base pattern.
Domino's Pizza (DPZ) fell 4% despite beating targets for third-quarter sales and earnings growth, and announcing a $1.25 bil share buyback initiative. Domino shares have advanced for six straight weeks off a late-August low, building the right side of a four-month cup base.
Blackhawk Network (HAWK) dived 18% at the open. The credit card payment processor reported mixed third-quarter results late Wednesday, and offered fourth-quarter revenue guidance below consensus views. The move sent shares sharply below the stock's 10-week moving average in heavy trade, triggering a sell signal.
Producer Prices, Jobless Claims Drop; Nikkei Aces New High
Prices paid by producers rose 0.4% in September, the Labor Department reported, doubling August's 0.2% gain and in line with consensus views. Food and energy had little impact on the increase, with core prices minus those factors rising 0.4%, and surprising economist estimates for a 0.2% gain.
Unemployment claims dropped sharply, down 7% to 243,000 for the week ended Oct. 7. That was far below forecasts for a dip of roughly 3% to 252,000 applications. The prior week's estimate was revised downward to 258,000, from 260,000. The four-week moving average also saw a steep drop, to 257,500, from 268,250.
The Energy Information Administration delivers weekly natural gas inventories at 10:30 and oil inventories at 11 a.m., and the Treasury Department's September budget is due out at 2 p.m. All times are ET.
Federal Reserve Board governors Lael Branard and Jerome Powell speak at separate conferences in Washington, D.C., at 10:30 a.m. ET.
In Japan, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% in a landmark session that lifted the index above its prior high, set in June 2015, to close at its highest mark since July 1996. China markets booked another mixed session with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index up 0.2%, ending less than 1% from its April 2015 high.
Europe's markets were midway through another mixed session with London's FTSE 100 up 0.2% and Paris' CAC-40 down 0.2%.


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MYSPACE NOW WANTS YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR SH*TTY MUSIC INTERFACE
Metal Insider‘s Melinda Dolezal tell us that the floundering social network’s music division is considering a subscription model to help offset their plunging traffic numbers and their soon-to-expire ad deal with Google. This is stupid, stupid, stupid thinking!
If the price were right — say, $5.00 a month for unlimited streaming — maybe I’d pay for it. But the fact that there are so many other shortcomings of MySpace such as eye-bleeding page designs, a clunky interface and an overabundance of spam, I’d think bands and labels would instead look to other solutions that offer the same services to their visitors for free.
More and more emails we receive from bands have links to Bandcamp pages, and I have to say that I’m a big fan: the interface is super-simple without any bullshit or clutter, it’s fast, and it works well. From a band’s perspective, it’s easy to set up and it offers the ability to sell downloadable tracks in a variety of formats instantly.
So I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that a paid subscription model for MySpace would be its death knell. Of course the big four major labels — who all have a monetary stake in the MySpace Music venture — are going to do everything possible to push any such model to try to eek profits out of it. But it won’t work. People have come to expect streaming music for free. That’s just the way it is now.


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A ceremony honored the unclaimed remains of our fallen heroes to make sure their sacrifice is never forgotten.
Dogs and cats from all walks of life huddled alongside their owners at the Berman Memorial Pet Gardens for the “Blessing of the…
UPDATE: Two people have died in fire at St. Anne & Vierge Miracle Botanica, according to West Palm Police Department.
Riviera Beach city workers responded to a sewage spill on Singer Island Saturday morning.
Consumer Watchdog Jenn Strathman shows you where you might be dirty dining.
Before you fire up the grill this Fourth of July, we're showing you the hidden problem you need to look for. The Consumer Watchdog…
Drivers are frustrated as paint chips off cars piece by piece. The Consumer Watchdog shows you how to protect your car.
Three restaurants temporarily closed for roaches.


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Stock indexes end mixed after Alibaba debuts
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are ending mixed on a day when the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba made its big debut in the market.
The Dow Jones industrial average edged up 13 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 17,279 Friday, the third straight day the blue-chip index closed at an all-time high. The Dow is up 1.7 percent for the week.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell less than one point, or 0.1 percent, to 2,010, but finished the week up 1.3 percent.
FILE - This Aug. 9, 2011 file photo shows a Wall Street street sign near the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. The British pound jumped and world stock benchmarks rose Friday Sept. 19, 2014 as Scotland voted to stay part of the United Kingdom, avoiding a messy breakup that could have roiled financial markets. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
The Nasdaq ended down 13 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,579.
Alibaba soared 38 percent on its first day of trading. The Chinese e-commerce giant rose $25.89 to close at $93.89.
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China calls US move to limit access to EV tax credits 'non-market' practice
The U.S. move to limit Chinese content in batteries eligible for electric vehicle (EV) tax credits is typical non-market practice, He Yadong, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday. The discriminatory policies of the U.S. violate the basic principles of the WTO, seriously disrupt international trade and investment, He told a regular press conference in Beijing.
China will continue to assess the implementation of the measures and take action if necessary, he added. The Biden administration on Friday issued-long awaited guidance that will limit Chinese firms and battery parts from winning EV tax credits starting next year.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Dive into an exhilarating distillation of key happenings defining the cutting-edge of finance technology. An impressive acceleration in venture investments accompanies surprising market maneuvers, signaling an interesting era ahead for the fintech sector.
1. Plaid’s Quest Towards an IPO
Plaid, the plug-and-play platform for the financial services industry, is making strides towards launching an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This potentially significant milestone for the fintech sector could mark a drastic change in how technology and finance intersect, setting a precedent for similar platforms eyeing public floatations in the future.
2. The Increasing Attraction of Fintech for Venture Capitalists
A notable uptick in venture investing activity within the fintech sector is apparent. It seems that investors are becoming increasingly aware of both the potential growth and the innovative disruption that these businesses carry. This reinforces the assertion that advancements in fintech could be responsible for the next wave of pivotal financial evolution.
3. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Company Performance Reveals
Switching tracks to delve into the performance of BNPL companies, we encounter noteworthy financial results. This paints a fascinating picture of a sector that demands attention, both from consumers and investors alike. Such a trend could imply that traditional lending is perhaps starting to lose its grip on the financing sector as new, consumer-centered models gain traction.
4. A New Era for Fintech
The exciting spree of developments indicate that fintech is on the cusp of a breakthrough. A new era, set to redefine how consumers interact with finance, is possibly on the horizon. A blend of technological innovation and adaptable business models is making waves and potentially carving a new path for the industry overall.
5. The Role of Fintech in Financial Evolution
It is becoming increasingly evident that fintech holds the key to the next era of financial evolution. From transformational payment systems to cutting-edge lending models, fintech’s impact on the broader financial ecosystem is impossible to overlook. It’s influencing not only how consumers bank, but also how businesses flourish, redefine strategies, and adapt to an ever-evolving financial terrain.
In summary, fintech is proving to be a game-changer in the financial world. While Plaid makes strides towards an IPO, elevated venture capitalist interest, and enlightening BNPL performances depict a sector teeming with innovation and growth. These occurrences hint at a dynamic and disruptive period ahead for traditional finance, setting up an intriguing backdrop for the future of banking and commerce.
Credit: BBC. TechCrunch, Reuters


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Posted: 22nd December 2014
As part of Abingdon Health’s rebranding exercise Molecular Vision’s website has now been fully incorporated into the new Abingdon Health website, www.abingdonhealth.com.
When searching for Molecular Vision’s assay reader design and development service and its patented disposable point-of-care diagnostic BioLED™ technology, which combines low-cost Organic Light Emitting diodes (OLEDs) and Organic Photodetectors (OPDs), customers will be automatically redirected to Abingdon Health’s Multiplexed Rapid Diagnostics section.
The redirection of Molecular Vision’s website to is the latest phase in the integration of the Abingdon Health group of companies. 2015 will see the completion of this project with all group companies being fully incorporated and with the simultaneous launch of the new e-commerce facility.
© Abingdon Health 2019


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U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee held an open meeting Feb. 28 in Miami, Fla. In a keynote address, Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan highlighted CBP’s improved enforcement authority under the Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2015. McAleenan said this legislation, which created “over 100 new mandates and requirements,” has in many ways “reshaped the interaction between CBP and the trade community.” He added that CBP has made “significant progress” in enhancing U.S. enforcement efforts and has “aligned operations with today’s complex trade environment.”
According to a CBP press release, the COAC subcommittees provided recommendations to improve automation along with better ways for CBP to collect revenue. Also on the table were proposals to improve internet commerce, while a working group gave updates on “block chain” technology that enables certificates and licenses to be electronically submitted. CBP noted in this regard that foreign governments generate seals and signatures that must be shown before their goods can enter the country and, without proper protections, those documents risk being manipulated or fraudulently produced.
The meeting also considered measures to protect intellectual property such as the Report IP Theft campaign that encourages reporting violations through a newly established toll-free hotline. Participants urged CBP to work with e-commerce stakeholders to develop an automated online survey for customers who believe their shipments contain phony products as well as to look for better ways to handle cargo that arrives without a logo or trademark (known as “blanks”).
Copyright © 2022 Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; WorldTrade Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.


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- Why it matters: Temple & Webster is Australia’s largest pure play online retailer of furniture and homewares.
- AI-enhanced product descriptions across more than 200,000 products has led to an increase in conversion rate, add-to-carts and revenue per visit during the 2023 financial year.
- No dividends were declared by Temple & Webster.
Temple & Webster is using artificial intelligence software to avert what boss Mark Coulter called the “retail recession” by writing AI-enhanced descriptions of the home furnishings it sells online, and convincing more customers to convert their browsing to purchases.
Its next feature will be to offer AI-interior design to match customers’ tastes with Temple & Webster products.
The e-commerce group which sells everything from wall art to bath linen defied the wider retail slowdown and restored sales growth to double-digits in the new financial year after its revenue and profit tumbled over fiscal 2023.
Mr Coulter said the AI product descriptions across more than 200,000 items led to an increase in add-to-carts and revenue per visit thanks to its investment in Israeli start-up Renovai, which provides products like personalised mood boards. It first invested in Renovai in 2020.
“We’re working with it to do things like interior design chatbot, so you will be able to speak to an AI interior designer and get solid advice about your home,” Mr Coulter told The Australian Financial Review.
Temple & Webster has also beefed up its software engineers, data scientists and product managers to implement AI technology across all customer interactions, such as live chat, and internal processes. AI will help drive productivity gains to lower its overall cost of doing business.
“We are working on AI solutions for logistics, and even pricing. The more we can do in terms of optimising processes using AI, the more efficient our teams become, and we will redeploy that capacity into more growth,” he added.
Temple & Webster is aiming to slash its fixed costs as a percentage of sales from 12 per cent to 6 per cent over the next five years.
Mr Coulter said while consumers are looking to value-for-money options to counter the cost-of-living squeeze, non-discretionary items are selling strongly, such as kids furniture.
“I don’t think the economy can take more [rate hikes],” he said.
The company told shareholders on Tuesday it expects full year 2024-25 EBITDA margins to be in the range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent, after absorbing additional marketing spend. Profit margins reached 3.7 per cent in 2023, within its guidance range. Mr Coulter has longer-term aspirations of 15 per cent-plus EBITDA margins.
Financial 2023-24 revenue as of August 13 was up 16 per cent.
UBS said the marketing investment will squeeze margins and earnings this year, with consensus implying a 4.3 per cent margin. The stock fell 6 per cent to $6.63 on Tuesday.
Sales were 7.2 per cent softer over the full year to $396 million. Temple & Webster’s bottom-line sank more than 30 per cent to $8.3 million in the 12 months to June 30, hobbled by the prior year’s tax adjustments.
Orders from repeat customers now make up 54 per cent of the total, and revenue per active customer (those who have purchased in the past 12 months) was up 6 per cent for the year. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the year reached $14.8 million, 9 per cent lower. Temple & Webster does not pay a dividend.
Inventory well managed
Mr Coulter said the business has never been in a stronger financial position and the company’s $30 million on-market buyback would improve shareholder returns.
The business runs a drop-ship model where products are sent directly to customers by suppliers, so it holds little stock. About 30 per cent of sales are private label products sourced directly by Temple & Webster from overseas suppliers.
Australia’s furniture and homewares market is valued at around $19 billion, but only about 18 per cent of that is online compared with 28 per cent in markets such as the US and UK. Mr Coulter is targeting $1 billion-plus sales in three to five years.
Its retail home improvement website, The Build by Temple & Webster, is on ice for now.
Mr Coulter’s lofty sales target will also be supported by the B2B division structured to provide a full-service offering to business customers, including a newly established design projects division.
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Indonesia-based iSeller, an omnichannel sales software-as-a-service player, announced that it has secured an undisclosed amount in its series A round of funding led by Singapore-based VC firm Openspace Ventures and Mandiri Capital, the VC arm of Bank Mandiri in Indonesia.
Photo credit: iSeller
The capital injection will go toward business expansion including the acceleration of merchant acquisition and onboarding. The company is also doubling down on technology development to add additional omnichannel merchant solutions and features, it said in a statement.
Founded in 2017, iSeller offers a cloud-based platform for omnichannel businesses, which integrates in-store point of sale, online storefront, payment processing, order fulfillment, and inventory management into a single interface.
With increasing online distribution models and multiple payment methods in Indonesia, small and medium-sized enterprises are finding it hard to keep up.
The company said it aims to help these merchants take advantage of the online ecosystem by providing more ways to sell and accept payment across online and offline channels (in-store, online, apps, and marketplaces). Merchants can also manage sales across branches, covering Tokopedia, Shopee, Lazada, GoPay, Ovo, Dana, GoSend, and GrabExpress, among others.
With a pay-as-you-go subscription model, iSeller serves consumer businesses in sectors including retail, food and beverage, and consumer services, catering to clients like Geprek Bensu, Ixobox, Agung Sedayu Retail Indonesia (ASRI), United Bike, and Yogurtland.
See also: Does Indonesia lack an ESOP culture?
Despite current economic conditions, the company claims that it has doubled its revenue and its active merchant pool year on year and currently processes more than 5 million transactions a month. In fact, it attributed this growth to the higher online transaction volume among existing customers amid the pandemic’s lockdown period.
- Indonesian logistics startup Logisly bags $6m in round led by Monk’s Hill Ventures
- Hiring platform Betterplace bags $10m in Jungle Ventures-led series B round
- KKday bags $75m in series C round to expand in Asia
- Indonesia’s jobs marketplace AdaKerja bags $1m in seed round from Beenext
- BRI Ventures’ fund invests $2m in drink brand Haus in series A round
- Accel, Vertex Ventures infuse fresh funds into Indian social commerce startup GlowRoad
- Grab leads Indonesian fintech LinkAja’s $100m series B round
- Singapore’s fintech firm Syfe bags $18.6m in series A money from Valar Ventures
- Vietnam’s fintech startup bags series A money from East Ventures, others


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GASPORT, NY- If you've gone to the grocery store or farmer's market for apples lately, you know you're paying more. But some growers are calling this the worst season for apples ever.
Go to Becker Farms in Gasport at the start of Fall and most years the apple orchard looks like a sea of red. This year it's not uncommon to find one lonely apple hanging from a tree.
"A normal tree would have 100-200 apples on it, a dwarf or semi-dwarf tree. And this year we've picked 6 to 10 off each tree," said Melinda Vizcarra, partner at Becker Farms.
The quantity and quality is so bad Vizcarra says for the first time ever, she had to make the painful decision to cancel the very popular U-Pick apples for families.
"We would love to have a u-pick if we had the crop but we just don't have the apples," she said.
The problem isn't just here, it's statewide, and it's all because of the very warm March, followed by a deep frost.
"[The trees] were in full bloom at the end of April which is a full two weeks early. The last three nights in April it got below 25 [degrees], and three nights in a row of that cold weather really damaged 90 percent of the flowers," said Vizcarra.
With short supply and high demand, consumers will feel it in the wallet. At Becker Farms last year, a half bushel of apples was $12. Now it's $20. A full bushel was $20, and now it is $30. And a gallon of apple cider went up from $4.50 last year to $8.99 this year.
The prices of cherries and peaches have also skyrocketed. Becker Farms didn't even buy any peaches to sell this year.
Most farmers are raising prices not to make a profit, but just to stay afloat. "Apples are our largest crop so it's a big hit. And it's really devastating for farmers that are apple growers primarily," said Vizcarra.
This summer's drought made irrigation a necessity for other fall crops, like pumpkins, which are bountiful and ready for picking.
"Our raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and pumpkin crop are good for the most part, but then again it was an increased input, the cost of irrigation," she said.
And that cost, once again, trickles down. Pumpkins everywhere will be more expensive. At Becker Farms they used to be 39 cents per pound, now they 49 cents. The U-Pick season for pumpkins at Becker Farms is continuing as usual.
We talked to the spokeswoman for Wegmans and she says they have 25% to 50% fewer apples right now, and they'll be even harder to come by in the Spring.
As for grapes, the hot and dry weather has been great for grapes for wine, but grapes for eating, juicing and jam, aren't doing so well. One grower tells us grapes from the Finger Lakes are down 70 ton this year.


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Designer Kelly Proxmire of Bethesda created this holiday mantel.
Photo by Jessica Yurinko
Light Up the Season
Through Dec. 20
Four Seasons in Georgetown
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Those still looking for inspiration for holiday décor are in luck thanks to some of the area’s top tastemakers. The lights and shapes of Christmas trees, holiday mantels, a menorah and other décor, designed by some of Washington’s top interior designers, are on display.
The designers donated their time to create festive displays for an event called “Light Up the Season” to benefit for Children’s National Health System. The designs were unveiled earlier this month at a festive event that included activities such as holiday cookie decorating, ornament making, a visit from Santa and Children’s National Dr. Bear mascot, musical performances and youth entertainers, silent auction.
Each original piece is a collaboration between patients of Children’s National and area designers and businesses. The Creative & Therapeutic Arts Services at Children’s National worked with the Children’s Health Board to pair designers with patients for inspiration
The holiday décor will be on display and available for purchase at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown through Dec. 20.


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Although Mahindra hasn’t received the complaint yet, they have already reviewed the filing.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had recently filed a complaint against Mahindra with the U.S. International Trade Commission. FCA was claiming that the Mahindra Roxor has been “modelled after the original Willys Jeep.” Now, even though Mahindra hasn’t officially received the complaint, they have taken the proactive measure of reviewing the filing. It claims that “Mahindra is well within its rights to both manufacture and distribute the Roxor off-road vehicle.”
FCA in its Complaint No. 3330 was seeking to ban the sales of the Mahindra Roxor in the United States. But Mahindra has defended itself saying that “Our action, products, and product distribution (including Roxor) both honor the legacy of the relationship and the terms of our agreements with FCA. Mahindra has co-existed with FCA (and the Jeep brand) for over 25 years in India and in many other countries. The Roxor is a derivative of Mahindra vehicles distributed in those markets.”
It is apparent that Mahindra won’t take this complaint from FCA lying down. The company has just begun to get some success in the U.S. with its Roxor model and they will not want it to fade away. An investment of $600 million has also been planned for its Michigan manufacturing plant where the Roxor is produced as a knocked down unit. By 2020, the Indian manufacturer will also be employing 670 workers there.
The Mahindra Roxor is a 4×4 off-road vehicle that is powered by a 2.5-litre, diesel engine producing 62 HP at 3200 RPM and 195.2 Nm of peak torque between 1400-2200 RPM. It doesn’t come with too many advanced features as Mahindra wants to keep its costs down and also increase reliability.
It will be interesting to see how the U.S. International Trade Commission will pursue this complaint which also states that the “boxy body shape with flat-appearing vertical sides and rear body ending at about the same height as the hood” of the Mahindra Roxor is an identical copy of the Jeep models. The complaint has been filed under the Matter of Certain Motorized Vehicles and Components Thereof.
FCA Complaint Against Roxor
– The company has claimed the complaint to be baseless
– It says that it is fully under the right to manufacture and distribute the Roxor in the U.S.
– It remains to be seen how the U.S. International Trade Commission pursues this case
Source – AutocarIndia.com


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In recent years, bioprinting methods have advanced the scientific community's means to produce three-dimensional (3D) tissues. In cosmetics R&D, they are finding application in the development of skin equivalent models for the safety and efficacy assessment of cosmetic ingredients. While still in their early days of application, such models have gained the attention of big players in the industry.
Take specialty chemicals giant BASF, for example. Two years ago, the firm joined forces with Poietis, an expert in 3D physiological models, to advance cosmetics research and development. Today, the company announced it will continue this partnership to further improve 3D laser-assisted bioprinted skin models to evaluate cosmetic ingredients for skin care applications.
According to BASF, the laser-assisted 3D bioprinting technology can accurately reproduce organic tissues, allowing for the precise positioning of skin cells in 3D structures. Further, it can produce fully printed skin equivalents in just two weeks.
"These models reproduce the cell environment in vitro by having mechanical and metabolic functionalities close to the vivo," said Fabien Guillemot, founder and president of Poietis, in a press announcement.
"During our cooperation, we gained important insights like the parameters and kinetics of dermis maturation," added Sebastien Cadau, who is responsible for tissue engineering development at BASF. "A mature and thick dermis is an essential condition to obtain optimum results in epidermal printing."
In a first step, the technology was used to automatically reproduce BASF’s Mimeskin skin model. In a second step, the companies aim to improve the model by increasing its structural complexity and adding new cell types. BASF ultimately intends to use this 3D substrate to introduce new actives such as Dermagenist (INCI: Maltodextrin (and) Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract), which the company launched at this year's Cosmetagora event.
As an aside, it's interesting to see a specialty chemicals company playing in the bioprinting game—but perhaps no surprise, as Technavio predicts the global 3D bioprinting market will grow steadily between 2017-2021 to post a CAGR of more than 25%. According to the research firm, the penetration of companies providing low-cost 3D bioprinters is one of the key factors in the growth of this market.


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Vail Valley: Longtime local barbers opening new shop Monday
Vail, CO, Colorado
EDWARDS ” Like a lot of Vail Valley residents, Janice Cetera and Jim Carlton found themselves without jobs recently. So, like a lot of people, they’ve decided to open their own business.
Carlton and Cetera ” life partners and longtime barbers in the valley ” are ready to open the Riverwalk Barbershop. From pink slip to opening day, the process took about six weeks. It’s also given them a new appreciation for their friends and neighbors.
“It’s just been a whirlwind,” Carlton said. “We haven’t had a minute to spare.”
As soon as the couple decided they wanted to stay in the valley and stay in the barber business, other locals came to their aid.
Cetera’s sister, Judith Evans, is a local real estate broker. She started showing Cetera and Carlton possible shop locations.
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“We knew we wanted to be in Edwards,” Cetera said. “We have so many of our customers there.”
Evans quickly found a storefront in Riverwalk, and helped negotiate a lease.
Old friend Rik Heid is in the construction business, and was able to make the barbershop a priority, once another friend, architect Steve Rider, drew up plans for the interior.
“They had to do everything in the space,” Cetera said. They’ve built walls, put in sinks, and it’s really gorgeous.
“It’s really a reminder of why we live here,” Cetera added. “There’s not a better place on the planet to live.”
Other friends stepped up, too, from drywallers to lawyers.
But even friends can’t work for free ” or even for free haircuts ” so Cetera and Carlton needed operating money, which means they needed a business loan. That took a little bit of luck.
“We refinanced our home last year, so we had all the paperwork for that,” Cetera said. “They wanted to know just everything.”
Between talking to bankers and doing a lot of work on the new shop themselves, Cetera and Carlton needed to keep a little cash coming in, so they kept cutting hair.
For the past few weeks, though, they’ve been on the road, trimming up longtime clients in their homes.
Then, when time was tightest, Cetera crashed her car in Glenwood Canyon the other day. She’s all right, but the car’s a total loss.
Still, the shop’s set to open on Monday.
“It’s been fun and exciting the last few weeks, but it’s going to be nice to get back to cutting hair full-time again,” Carlton said.
Business Editor Scott N. Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930 or email@example.com.


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Moshi Monsters make video game debut
Children’s virtual world Moshi Monsters, which currently boasts more than 50 million registered users in more than 150 territories worldwide, is making its move to the Nintendo DS thanks to a partnership between brand-owner Mind Candy and Activision.
Available this fall, Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo will build upon the concept of the game’s adoptable pet Moshlings while offering new content and a new Moshling character, which is yet to be revealed.
The Moshi brand is centered online but has experienced success with its real-world offerings that include toys, books, trading cards and a magazine.
Check out our latest issue of iKids Digital! We've got the scoop on the latest social media marketing tactics, the tablets that kids and parents can't put down, and new insights on how youth are using social networking sites.


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Home Tags Snapdragon 845
Tag: Snapdragon 845
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will go live in just a few days in New York. Here's how to watch the live event from the comfort of your home/office.
OnePlus is celebrating that your going back to school by offering a duo of excellent OnePlus 6 bundles starting at $529.
The affordable flagship category is getting even more competitive as ASUS starts pre-order of its ZenFone 5Z in the US. But can it take the OnePlus 6?
Ahead of the official announcement, Samsung today opened up reservations for the Galaxy Note 9 which is expected to go live on August 9.
IFA 2018 is due to begin next month in Berlin and the tech industry's top players are expected to announce new products during the event.
The LG V40 will come soon to replace the V30. But unlike it's soon-to-be predecessor, the new phone will probably launch at a later date.
Your next flagship might come from ASUS. The company just unveiled unveiled a new premium phone called the ZenFone 5Z with a Snapdragon 845 and a Notch design. Prices start at $499.
After being rumored for ages, Samsung is apparently getting ready to launch the Galaxy X foldable phone. We might get to see the device as soon as CES 2019.
The OnePlus' OxygenOS is full of tricks even if it looks from the outside like it's just a pure version of Android. Here are some you need to try out.
In recent years OnePlus mostly launched devices in black and white (with variations), but that’s the past. OnePlus 6 in Red just went official.
Sony just introduced a beefed up version of the Xperia XZ2. The main differences are that the Xperia XZ2 Premium comes with a 4K display and a dual-camera setup.
The OnePlus 6 is tremendous device that continues to follow the company's creed: offering premium specs and features, while keeping prices low.
Looking for a new phone this summer? Samsung wants you to consider getting the new Galaxy S9 in Sunrise Gold. The phone launches in the US on June 24.
OPPO just unveiled the Find X flagship. And according to the company, it's going to be the first OPPO phone to land with North American carriers.
We bet you didn't know that the OnePlus 6 comes with Dirac Power Sound and Dirac HD Sound audio optimization solutions? Well now you do.


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This is well worth watching. The folks at Snap AV must be very proud of their latest products in order to have the courage to go through with this video.
By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
New York — The Anti-Defamation League’s National Consumer Technology Industry divisio
Los Angeles — Fifteen industry leaders were inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of
If you are having trouble accessing TWICE content or wish to subscribe to TWICE Online please email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 866-71-PRESS (866-717-7377).


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(ZIZ News) — The Ministry of Tourism is pulling out all the stops to make the inaugural St. Kitts and Nevis Restaurant Week memorable.
With Restaurant Week just one month away, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Diannille Taylor-Williams said, during Monday’s launch party, that the organisers are engaged in an intense marketing campaign.
“This launch reception is our marketing kick off so, in addition to enjoying the delicious, special menus that we have, we will be organising some special promotions and fun ways of taking advantage of the excellent deals and giveaways during Restaurant Week so we want you to stay tuned,” she said.
The use of the social networking site, Facebook is among the marketing strategies being used for St. Kitts and Nevis Restaurant Week 2015.
“For those of you who do not know, Restaurant Week is already on Facebook so we invite you to find us and like our page and follow us daily for updates about the exciting events and promotions associated with Restaurant Week,” she encouraged.
Restaurant Week will be observed in four weeks, from July 16th to 26th.
Monday evening’s launch party was held at Nirvana Restaurant and attended by Minister of Agriculture Hon. Eugene Hamilton and Tourism Minister, Hon. Lindsay Grant.


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Nicola Tomatis, Managing Director of BlueBoticsdiscusses AGV interoperability and what to consider before investing in automated vehicles.
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are among the hottest topics at trade shows these days, and for good reason, considering what the pandemic has caused: a shortage of labor and a huge increase in e-commerce orders.
Not only do companies need to move things around more, but they also need different types of vehicles and models, Tomatis says. “And sometimes you struggle to find a supplier that has all the models you need.”
This is why interoperability is crucial. “The key question is which integrator will make sure that I have a smooth operation with all these AGVs,” says Tomatis. “That’s the key role. The integrator is the one who will ensure that everything is installed correctly during commissioning.
A big mistake new investors in automated technology make is assuming the technology will solve all the problems, Tomatis says. Realizing that you need to match the technology to the process you want to automate is the first step to take before investing in automation technology. “You really have to understand what the process to automate is,” he says. “And this is where the integrator will help the end customer determine how to adapt the technology to their needs.”
Obstacle avoidance is a great example of technology fitting properly, he says. A cleaning machine, for example, moves everywhere. Making him stop and wait when he encounters an obstacle could be counterproductive. It might not be cost effective to have avoidance capability in such a machine.
Production lines are another example. Avoidance detection may not be necessary when everything is sequential and needs to be extremely precise in time. Admittedly, these are extreme examples, but they underline that the choice of technology must be carefully considered.


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Seagate jumped into the SSD (solid state drive) market today with the unveiling of its Pulsar drives. SSD drives have been a growing segment, but Seagate adds significant credibility and opens up new possibilities for the nascent technology.
There are dozens of players in the SSD market, but none of them have the name recognition and instant credibility of Seagate.
Teresa Worth, senior product marketing manager for Seagate, also points out that the smaller players aren't prepared to handle the enterprise market. "If your iPod drive dies, that's a bummer; if your enterprise-level drive dies, that's an oh-my-god situation."
Toward that end, Seagate didn't just create a "me too" copycat SSD drive. Seagate wanted to ensure that its SSD drives provide superior reliability and dependability. The Pulsar series of drives include a supercapacitor which holds enough power to enable the drive to complete any write operations without losing data in the event of a power outage.
According to Joseph Unsworth, research director at Gartner, "The enterprise SSD market is now primed and well-positioned for growth from both a revenue and unit perspective." Unsworth stated that Gartner estimates sales of SSD hardware to reach $1 billion in 2010.
SSD drives have been found mainly in the high-end range of low-end equipment--providing faster and more reliable storage for upper end netbooks. Seagate brings a solid reputation and credibility in the storage industry to the SSD market to build some bridges to more high-end applications in enterprise data centers.
Seagate's Worth says "What's needed out there is a level of expertise that's truly enterprise-class, with a global presence to support larger OEMs." Seagate has established enterprise and OEM relationships it can leverage to promote the Pulsar SSD drives.
Seagate's executive vice president for sales, marketing, and product line management, David Mosley, said in a press release "Seagate is optimistic about the enterprise SSD opportunity and views the product category as enabling expansion of the overall storage market for both SSDs and HDDs."
Western Digital, and other Seagate competitors, are not far behind. As the drive vendor big boys move into the neighborhood, smaller SSD drive manufacturers could end up squashed. That will be bad for them, but the increased visibility and respectability of mainstream vendors like Seagate and Western Digital will help SSD technology move into mainstream enterprise adoption .
Seagate's Pulsar SSD drives are available in 50Gb, 100Gb, and 200Gb models. The drives have previously been available for select OEM's, but Seagate has now opened them up for all OEM partners.


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The company said the Bronco Raptor will have an upgraded suspension and a fully boxed, high-strength steel frame for off-road durability. Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company/UPI
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Ford on Monday unveiled a new version of its Bronco sport-utility vehicle, which it called a "desert racing beast" and the most powerful street-legal Bronco it's ever produced.
The automaker revealed the 2022 Bronco Raptor and said it will go on sale later this year with a sticker price around $70,000.
"Raptor is the apex of our off-road lineup and is now a full lineup with race proven content and design that you can't get from anyone else," Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. "Only Ford could create a Bronco Raptor."
Ford said the Raptor's twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine produces more than 400 horsepower. It also has an upgraded suspension and a fully boxed, high-strength steel frame for off-road durability.
"It's our ultimate vehicle for hardcore off-road enthusiasts who demand something more," Carl Widmann, Ford Performance chief engineer, said in a statement.
"Like the Ultra4 desert race trucks, the 'Raptor of SUVs' conquers desert dunes at highway speeds and is equipped with competition-level off-road technology and hardware."
Ford said it will begin taking orders for the Bronco Raptor in the spring and deliveries will begin in the summer.
Ford first introduced the Bronco in 1966 and sold them for 30 years until it discontinued the model in 1996. The automaker resurrected the SUV last year in styling reminiscent of the 1960s and early 1970s models.


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NEW YORK: American companies face more than a legal bill if they get involved in litigation without communication - risk losing 50% of their customers.
That is the bottom line from a survey commissioned by Hill & Knowlton.
The survey - conducted over the last month by Opinion Research Corporation - found that the public mistrusts companies, a situation exacerbated by failure to communicate during a trial.
A total of 2606 interviews found that 62% believe businesses do everything to make a profit regardless of the public's needs, while 48% said they would be less likely to buy a company's products if they are involved in a major lawsuit. In addition, 62% of interviewees thought a 'no comment' statement meant the company was 'covering up wrongdoing'.
'This is further evidence that lawsuits are not simply about the court room, they are about stock price and sales as well,' said Mike Buckley, senior managing director at H&K.
Buckley feels the negative effects of litigation could be countered with good PR. He cited America's current number one trial, Microsoft versus Uncle Sam.
'Microsoft communicated very aggressively early on. It might not have won them favor with the Government but it worked with the public.'
He also noted the case of Republic Industries, which was sued by Toyota.
Republic retained 23 state attorney generals who attended a press conference where they told journalists Toyota had no case and Toyota settled two days later.


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More from Coolsmartphone
- DC-HSDPA – Just how much better is it?
- JollaMobile are set to give Meego the life it deserves!
- IFA 2016 – Smartwatches galore!
- Microsoft travel back to 2002 and release a phone with a numeric keypad.
- GPS Jammer usage revealed
- Deal – Get an Oppo N1 looky-likey for not much cash at all actually
- Google Asus Nexus 7 Tablet seems like it could be real
- Coolsmartphone Podcast 191 Service Pack Three 2016 for Mobile


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Across the Caribbean, the impact of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism industry has been very apparent. The impact was particularly evident during the period of April to about mid -June when there was literally no activity in some of our destinations.
This was characterised by empty hotels and restaurants, deserted attractions, shut borders, laid-off workers, grounded airlines and crippled cruise lines. While we saw some fluctuations in the levels of visitors for the remaining months of the 2020, the influx of visitors has not reached levels even closely comparable to those being experienced prior to March 2020. In fact, some destinations remain closed to visitors, with limited airlift primarily for repatriation of locals and cargo.
Cruise lines plying Caribbean routes remain non-operational due to a strict ban imposed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).
With government restrictions both in the Caribbean and globally reducing, and in many cases, preventing travel for large periods of time, the Caribbean had a significant drop in arrivals in 2020, although the region performed better than any other region in world.
Data received from Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries reveal that tourist arrivals to the region in 2020 fell to just over 11 million, a declined of 65.5 per cent when compared to the record 32.0 million tourist visits in 2019. Still, this was better than the world average of 73.9 per cent decline during the same period.
This lower rate of decline in the region can be attributed to two key factors: a significant portion of the Caribbean’s winter season (January to mid-March 2020) saw average levels of tourist arrivals when compared to 2019, and the fact that the main (summer) season in other regions coincided with the period where there was normally very limited international travel.
A period of virtually no tourism began in mid-March – the second quarter was the worst-performing with arrivals down by 97.3 per cent. But tourists began visiting again in June as the sector began to reopen. Still, the fall-off in stayover arrivals continued through to September – when a gradual reversal began – and continued right up to December. Destination initiatives such as the long-stay work programmes, other promotional activities and efforts of regional organisations such as the CTO, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Public Health agency, contributed to the gradual rise in arrivals.
Like stayover arrivals, cruise was buoyed by the performance in the first three months of 2020, particularly the month of February, when there was a 4.2 per cent rise in visits. However, a 20.1 per cent fall in the first quarter was followed by no activity for the remainder of the year as ships remained non-operational. The overall result was a 72 per cent slide to 8.5 million cruise visits, when compared to the 30 million visits in 2019.
The limited travel beyond the first two-and-a-half months of the year, resulted in difficulties in compiling visitor expenditure numbers in 2020. However, based on information derived from international partners such as the UNWTO, and the limited reporting by Caribbean countries, we estimate that across the region visitor expenditure declined by 60 to 80 per cent, in line with the decline in stayover and cruise arrivals.
Preliminary data indicates that the average length of stay for 2020 remained at roughly seven nights, the same as in in 2019.
The Caribbean’s performance in 2021 will depend largely on the success of the authorities in the marketplace and the region in combatting, containing and controlling the virus. Already, there are some encouraging signs like the vaccine roll-out taking place in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
However, this must be tempered by some other factors such as: lockdowns in our key source markets which are expected to continue into the second quarter, international travel confidence not expected to pick up until the summer 2021, a steep fall in the number of people planning to travel abroad and the possible requirement by the authorities in our key markets for their citizens to vaccinate before travelling abroad.
With these factors taken into consideration, our initial forecast is for a 20 per cent rise in arrivals in 2021, with a similar increase in visitor expenditure, when compared to 2020.