The credit card industry is much bigger than just the credit card companies and the banks. There’s an entire ecosystem of payment processors, service providers, and would-be disruptors from Silicon Valley fighting over the space.
Continue reading… “Who the main players are in the credit card payments industry”
A new report, Sharing is the New Buying, offers important insight for big brands who are grappling with the emergence of the Collaborative Economy, and for the startups that are driving this growth. The collaborative economy is a powerful movement in which people are getting the things from each other, it’s a combination of trends like the sharing economy, maker movement, and co-innovation. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “Sharing is the new buying: Insights into the Collaborative Economy”
Wage discrimination isn’t a problem women face in the tech industry.
For a long time, Silicon Valley has suffered the reputation of being unwelcoming to women, from brogrammer attitudes to sexist apps to gender inclusivity. Whatever problems women may have with the tech industry, wage discrimination isn’t necessarily one of them. New research shows that there is no statistically significant difference in earnings between male and female engineers who have the same credentials and make the same choices regarding their career.
Futurist Thomas Frey: I’ve always loved ideas and I think it stems from the fact that I’ve had so many to choose from. But it wasn’t about the sheer number of ideas I got to play with. Rather it was finding that one truly remarkable gem, the golden epiphany, hiding in amongst the others.
The Maker Movement Encompasses all kinds of activity from traditional crafts to high-tech electronics.
In recent years, one of the more significant trends is the impact of technology on homemade manufacturing. The Maker Movement, a diffuse entrepreneurial community, has been using open source design to drive a telling resurgence in American manufacturing. Encompassing all kinds of activity from traditional crafts to high-tech electronics, linked by the adoption of digital tools, not just for design, but increasingly for manufacture through 3-D printing, technology has transformed DIY enthusiasts operating on their own at home into real communities.
Continue reading… “Homemade goods could become the global brands of tomorrow”
Next generation of wearables needs to focus more on keeping users engaged in the long-term.
Companies such as Sony, Pebble, Meta, LG, Garmin, Razer and others introduced at least 10 new wearable devices at CES in January. Yet despite the enthusiasm in the market, the dirty secret of wearables remains: almost all of the current generation of products fail to drive long-term, sustained engagement and behavior change.
Continue reading… “3 critical factors wearables need to be successful”
The Hershey Company is hiring a futurist.
The Hershey Company is it the largest chocolate manufacturer in the United States, selling 40 percent of domestic dark chocolate. But Hershey also operates a store/museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And one in Times Square. And one in Las Vegas. And they also operate an amusement park.
Continue reading… “Hershey’s looking to hire a chocolate futurist”
Thanks to the disruption that the Internet, mobile phones, and social media are all bringing to the shopping experience retail is at a reset moment. It means the entire supply chain — retailers, suppliers, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) — has to become more efficient, competitive, and knowledgeable to be able attract and keep customers.
Continue reading… “Retailers should be embracing the omnichannel”
The UK is currently far ahead of countries like the US and China.
The UK doesn’t get enough credit for its pioneering work in offshore wind power. They have helped push forward the industry and everybody else will benefit from these advances, in the same way that Germany helped turbocharge the solar industry over the past decade and now everybody benefits from cheaper solar power.
Lifestyle, fitness and medical are the most popular market areas targeted.
Wearable tech research and consulting firm Vandrico has put together this an overview of the wearable landscape — tracking the number of devices in existence; areas of market focus; and even which parts of the body are being targeted most.
Continue reading… “There are 118 wearable devices on the market and counting”
What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?
Quote of the Day: “Golf is more fun than walking naked in a strange place, but not by much.” – Buddy Hackett
We saw such a change in web design over the last couple of years that it is unbelievable to anticipate what could possibly the next hot things. What trends will flourish this year and which ones will fade off? This year the design scene will be very interesting to watch as there will be a bunch of changes going on making for some exciting new trends actually.