Strategy in TECH...
In new research from a think tank based in Bentonville, AR called Heartland Forward, we learn that innovation in the U.S. is largely happening on the east and west coasts of the country – not in America’s heartland where entrepreneurship is lagging. And that they hope to change by influencing state policymakers to go on the offensive to launch new entrepreneurial initiatives.
While there were many horrible ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic that sickened and killed many Americans and people around the world, one interesting byproduct has been a renewed look at our world of work and how it can be changed and/or improved. News organizations around the world are just now talking about the results of a recently concluded study in Iceland that may change our world of work forever.
In new data from market researcher eMarketer, we learn more details on just how well e-commerce sales are doing both overall and for specific players such as Target and Amazon. It is pretty well known that as the pandemic rolled out in early Spring of 2020, Americans were thrust into quarantine and a 24/7/365 existence at home. This caused many to order their supplies from online retailers, even those consumers who had not previously ever purchased online before. Clearly, COVID was horrible for America (and the world) but good for the e-commerce business.
All online retailers did well, with companies like Walmart and Target seeing their e-commerce operations really gain some traction. But did some do better than others? Oh yeah…
Many political observers have declared the end of bi-partisanship, as the political right and left seem further apart than ever before in the history of the country. Yet there is one area where both parties agree, it is time to rein in the big tech players. Ironically, in a new poll of the 15 most trusted brands in the world, we find a lot of tech represented – including some of the Big Tech players. Is Congress out of step with the American people? And how important is “trust” to a company or brand anyway?
Whether you are a manufacturer designing tech gear for the residential market, or an integrator designing systems for your client’s homes, it can be helpful to better understand how they wish to use the gear or systems to consume media content. New statistical research shows that – no surprise – the average daily time U.S. consumers spent consuming media hit an all-time high in 2020…the year of COVID-19. You probably already knew this fact or at least suspected it to be the case. Now the data is in and between digital media and traditional media, the average consumption moved up by almost an extra hour a day.
But what you likely don’t know is – which specific media category saw increased use, which specific media category saw decreased use? And, most importantly, what happens now?
New research from global researcher IPSOS and published by Quirks shows Americans are anxiously anticipating the post-pandemic period with a strong desire to reconnect with a ‘normal’ lifestyle. What do they crave? In some cases, the answer to that is predictable – and in other cases the answer is a surprise. But I found one thing interesting, the mood of their answers changes dramatically when Americans are asked about the topic of returning to work.
A new Axios-Ipsos poll has shown a marked turn towards more consumer optimism in American’s attitude about the condition of their lives under COVID. They are becoming dramatically more hopeful as the administration takes actions to step-up the availability of vaccines.
New data shows that consumer content consumption trends are changing dramatically…and at a quickening pace. Fresh reports from eMarketer and separately from Axios show that people are unplugging from traditional cable and satellite TV in huge numbers. If traditional pay TV is losing, who is winning? And what does this mean for the Tech industry?
A new poll shows that the latest flare-up of COVID-19 – which is generating infections, hospitalizations, and deaths at a rate that exceeds those of the worst of readings from this last Spring – are causing an outbreak of another type…anxiety and dread amongst consumers. This sobering data suggests that an increase in anxiety in consumers could result in stalling our economic recovery.
Political newsletter Axios ran a surprising graph this week showing a stunning disconnect between the confidence of consumers – measured by the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index – versus the confidence of CEOs (tracked separately by the Conference Board). While it is not entirely clear just what the ramifications may be of this huge disparity in how these two groups are feeling about the economy – it is nonetheless a notable disconnect.
