Amazon Reverse-Engineers the Neighborhood Grocery Store

After conquering e-commerce, Jeff Bezos is working to take over the physical world, too.

Everything old is new again. Nearly one year after announcing plans to open its first brick-and-mortar bookstore, Amazon, having conquered e-commerce, is now planning to establish a beachhead in another corner of the physical world: convenience and grocery stores. The Wall Street Journal reports that the small storefronts would be stocked with perishable grocery items like milk and produce, and would allow for curbside pickup of groceries. Customers could also possibly use their smartphones to order nonperishable goods like cereal to their homes for same-day delivery.

Continue reading… “Amazon Reverse-Engineers the Neighborhood Grocery Store”

There’s a Dog Version of Airbnb, Uber and Almost Every Other Service You Use

casper-dogbox

Casper is the latest startup to chase the pet market.

You may have heard of Casper, the flashy startup that’s been credited with “waking up” the sleepy mattress industry by selling direct-to-consumer. Casper, as you probably guessed, makes mattresses for humans.

Continue reading… “There’s a Dog Version of Airbnb, Uber and Almost Every Other Service You Use”

The Future of the Internet of Things: 16 Stunning Statistics

Internet-of-Things-IoT-Wearable-Technology1.jpg

When we started this decade, the Internet of Things was a basically a buzzword, talked about by a few, acted upon by fewer, a challenge to save for the future, like 2015 or 2020. Continue reading… “The Future of the Internet of Things: 16 Stunning Statistics”

The biggest Product Design trends set for 2016

ringly

Winners of Inc.’s Iconic Design Awards come from all varieties of categories this year, including toys, sportswear, environment-saving home goods, and more. However they all share one key quality: they nail what customers want now.

Continue reading… “The biggest Product Design trends set for 2016”

The Internet of Things is becoming a surveillance nightmare

surveillance_1

Security guru Bruce Schneier said, “Surveillance is the business model of the Internet. We build systems that spy on people in exchange for services. Corporations call it marketing.” The nature of these services tends to obscure our true relationship to companies like Facebook or Google. As the saying goes, if you don’t pay for a product, you are the product.

Continue reading… “The Internet of Things is becoming a surveillance nightmare”

Google search becomes smarter using artificial intelligence

7946386402_347e7bbfd6_z

Google’s got a special way to improve the quality of search results: artificial intelligence (AI.) Using machine learning, Google will be able to figure out what its users really want to search for.

Continue reading… “Google search becomes smarter using artificial intelligence”

Here’s what it take to deliver breakthrough customer experiences

customerexperience

Seven minutes is all it takes for financial-technology start-up Kabbage to approve a small-business loan. That’s almost 5,000 times faster than the 20 days it takes a typical bank. It’s no wonder that customers’ experiences with technology companies have not only altered their behavior but also raised their expectations about how interactions with all businesses should work. As a survey conducted by Ipsos and LinkedIn found, some 67 percent of affluent millennials are open to using non-financial-services brands.

Continue reading… “Here’s what it take to deliver breakthrough customer experiences”

1099 or W-2? Uber, changing the way we think of transit

14674675588_80572de32c_z

The success of companies like Uber can be attributed to one factor: independent contractors. A business model built around the sharing economy, it’s brought about a boom of cash flow in niche markets. But with new territory comes new challenges, and already these industries are feeling the heat for their approach to labor management. Continue reading… “1099 or W-2? Uber, changing the way we think of transit”

The 5 trends that will change how social media is used in 2015

9082209356_2b5dd9d01d_z

According to a recent Duke University study, social media spending at companies, currently represents 9% of marketing budgets, and that’s forecast to rise to nearly 25% within five years, but half of marketers interviewed said they couldn’t show what impact social media had on their business – at all.   Continue reading… “The 5 trends that will change how social media is used in 2015”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.