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InsideOffice

  • Sprint, T-Mobile Merger Could Happen in October

    Sprint, T-Mobile Merger Could Happen in October

    The U.S. telecommunications landscape is about to drastically change once more. If rumors are correct, Sprint and T-Mobile, two of the country’s largest telecommunications players could merge by October this year.

    Of course, talks of T-Mobile merging with Sprint have been around for years. This time, however, it looks like there’s more meat to it than mere idle speculation. According to Reuters, T-Mobile, the U.S.’ third largest carrier, is on the brink of agreeing to a merger with the country’s fourth-largest carrier, Sprint, citing unnamed sources familiar with the deal.

    Timing is important in mega-merger deals. Previously, plans of a merger between the two telecom giants fell through when it became apparent that the Obama administration’s anti-trust stance would object to the deal. With the Trump administration, however, a T-Mobile-Sprint merger could push through and deal makers are not likely to let this window of opportunity pass by, according to Engadget.

    At the moment, neither Sprint nor T-Mobile has officially commented on the leaked merger plans. However, company officials from both camps have already given previous hints of such agreement.

    For instance, T-Mobile CEO John Legere gave indications last January that the company is open to a possible merger in the near future saying, “It may make sense from a scale standpoint.” On the other hand, Sprint CEO and President Marcelo Claure hinted that it would make announcements about merger discussions in the near future.

    Should the transaction push through, Japan’s SoftBank Group will end up controlling between 40 to 50 percent of the merged entity while German firm Deutsche Telekom and the rest of T-Mobile shareholder will own the majority of shares. SoftBank controls Sprint while Deutsche Telekom owns a majority of T-Mobile.

    The combined entity will likewise become the second biggest telecom player on the block. Combining T-Mobile’s 69.6 million subscribers with Sprint’s 53.7 million will create a telecom titan with 123.3 million subscribers, enough to overshadow Verizon’s 114.5 million (the current number 2) and placing it firmly behind AT&T’s 135.7 million.

    Aside from the advantage of scale, a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint could also improve the combined entity’s bottom line. According to research firm MoffetNathanson partner and senior analyst Craig Moffett, a merger could mean as much as $4 billion in savings due to cost-cutting opportunities. The combined entity could then invest those savings in areas like 5G which is critical if it wants to maintain an edge over rivals in technology.

    [Featured Image via Youtube]

  • Amazon Plans to Open Second Headquarters, Starts Bidding War Among 100 Cities

    Amazon Plans to Open Second Headquarters, Starts Bidding War Among 100 Cities

    In what is being touted as the “Olympics of the corporate world,” Amazon has set off a ferocious bidding war among North American cities to host the online retailer’s second headquarters. While deals of this kind are usually done behind the scenes, Amazon has publicly solicited bids from cities to become the location of its second home, dubbed as “HQ2.” As a result, cities are now trying their best to outdo each other to come up with enough enticing perks to woo the internet firm.

    And it’s not hard to understand why cities would be motivated to bag Amazon’s HQ2. Aside from the prestige of having one of the world’s largest firms, the chosen city’s economy would receive a giant boost from the $5 billion Amazon intends to invest in the project.

    But that’s not all. The biggest impact would come from the high-paying jobs that Amazon’s second headquarters will create. According to the company’s solicitation, it plans to hire around 50,000 full-time employees for the new location with annual salary projected to be in the $100,000 range.

    With a month to go before the October 19, 2017, deadline, the list of cities vying for Amazon’s HQ2 has ballooned to over 100. Currently, the top contenders include Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, Toronto, and Ottawa.

    Amazon has revealed some requirements for a city to qualify as a possible second headquarter location. For instance, the company prefers a metro area with over a million in population. Accessibility for transportation and communication are also important as the company requires that a city should be close to an international airport, with a mass transit system in place, must be located near a major highway and must have good internet access.

    Since every business must have an eye trained on its bottom line, Amazon states that it prefers a “stable and business-friendly environment.”  It is probably the company’s way of saying that an attractive financial incentive–which could include reduced business fees, grants for relocation and some tax cuts–will be a major factor in its final decision, adding that “the initial cost and ongoing cost of doing business are critical decision drivers.”

    Understandably, cities are trying to highlight their strengths along the lines of Amazon’s requirements. For instance, Aurora Economic Development Council VP Yuriy Gorlov asserts that “Colorado is perfectly aligned with the company’s culture of collaboration and innovation and focusing on its customers.” Meanwhile, Scott Levitan or North Carolina-based Research Triangle Foundation says “We have sites that are ready, that are transit-oriented. We have tremendous fiber backbone at our site and we have a region that is absolutely focused on being the best possible location for HQ2.”

    But not everyone is very optimistic about the prospect of living next door to a global behemoth. One major concern is that the swarm of high-paying Amazon workers will eventually wreak havoc on the local standard of living, driving up the cost of housing and exerting an upward force on wages which is bad for local businesses, according to Globe columnist Evan Horowitz as quoted by Business Insider.

    And then there is the company’s approach that had some quarters fuming. According to Los Angeles Times’ Michael Hiltzik, “The company’s approach is arrogant, naive and more than a teensy bit cynical. Rather than be offered bribes to move its headquarters into a community, Amazon should be made to pay for the privilege.”

    [Featured Image by Amazon]

  • Optimism of U.S. Small Business Owners Rises to its Highest Level in 10 Years

    Optimism of U.S. Small Business Owners Rises to its Highest Level in 10 Years

    Since the start of the Trump administration, there has been a noted increase in optimism among small business owners regarding their future prospects. In fact, data from both Gallup and the US Chamber of Commerce confirm that U.S. small businesses haven’t been this upbeat about the current situation in almost a decade.

    Gallup Inc., the American research and consulting firm also known for its public opinion polls, recently released its latest data on small-business owners’ optimism index. Apparently, life is good for these businessmen as the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index is now at +106, an 11 point improvement from second quarter’s figure. In fact, optimism in the segment is the highest since 2017 when the index was measured at +113 for the second quarter of that year.

    Gallup got their data by interviewing a random sample of small business owners nationwide last July 10-14. In the survey, businessmen were asked to evaluate their current situation as well as weigh in what they expect the future scenario of their businesses could be.

    Apparently, the surveyed group feel that their current business situation has generally improved. They gave a +45 rating on average, up 6 points from second quarter’s +39 rating. However, their future expectations only increased minimally with the third quarter rated at +61 points compared with the second quarter’s +59.

    Meanwhile, small business owners reported a net increase of jobs in their respective companies for the past 12 months, which is a reflection of the decreasing unemployment rate announced by the Trump administration. Twenty-one percent of those interviewed say that they have increased the number of jobs at their establishment. On the other hand, only 10 percent say that they have reduced the number of workers for the past 12 months.

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also released data on what they call the MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, which basically agrees with the Gallup report. Among the major trends the report uncovered is that a whopping 60 percent expect their revenues to increase next year, which reveals the prevalent optimism in the segment. The poll also revealed that only nine percent are expecting a decrease in revenue.

    According to the poll, small business owners are also planning to hire more employees in the near future. For every small business owner saying that they might reduce their manpower, five business owners are likewise saying they will definitely hire more to meet their needs.

    The surging optimism among small business owners is seen as a result of President Trump’s promises that are business-friendly. These include increases in infrastructure spending, regulatory relief as well as tax reforms.

    [Featured Image by Investment Zen/Flickr]

  • Here’s How Apple Could Become the World’s First Trillion Dollar Company

    Here’s How Apple Could Become the World’s First Trillion Dollar Company

    The race to become the first trillion-dollar company is on as three of the tech industry’s behemoths, Apple, Amazon, and Google, continue to rake in profits recently boosting their market value. However, the latest reports seem to favor the Cupertino based iPhone manufacturer in beating its rivals in the race. Buoyed by positive investor sentiment, Apple shares just reached a historic high last month and, for the first time, catapulted its market capitalization to $800 billion, just 200 billion dollars shy of the 1 trillion mark.

    Just last May, Apple shares soared to its highest of $156.10, breaching the previous all-time-high record of $153.50, BGR reported. That is a massive, almost 50 percent increase in value since the start of 2017. Of course, that translated to a substantial increase in its market cap as well and, for the first time, the company’s value hurdled past the 800-billion dollar mark, well on track to becoming the first company to reach the trillion dollar level.

    Powering up the surge in share prices is the upcoming release of iPhone 8, Apple’s latest iteration of its iconic phone line, which is expected to come out by October this year. Sales of the upcoming smartphone are expected to be brisk as usual since fans of the brand have been known to gobble up Apple’s latest product even if they have a slightly older version in perfect working condition.

    Of course, it also pays to have the world’s most savvy investor on your side. Berkshire Hathaway, the holding firm managed by famous billionaire investor Warren Buffet, more than doubled its holdings of Apple shares. The firm increased its investment to the iPhone manufacturer to $19.2 billion, a substantial rise from the previous amount of $7.1 billion. This can only be seen as Buffet’s seal of approval on the long-term prospects of Apple.

    So just how soon will the device manufacturer earn the prestigious title of being the first trillion dollar company? Well, estimates vary but Fortune projects that, if things continue as they are, Apple may reach the figure by early 2021, less than four years from now. On the other hand, MacRumors paints a very rosy picture saying that the company could be valued at a trillion dollars in as little as 12 months from now.

    While the common consensus is that Apple will eventually make it, moving from its current $800 billion to the coveted $1 trillion market cap will not be an easy task. According to Fortune, one possible reason that could make its 1 trillion dollar journey a bit slower is that Apple has always returned most of its profits to its shareholders via dividends and buybacks instead of reinvesting it for future growth. While the company has ramped up its R&D spending recently, it is still small relative to the company’s size, especially when compared to Google and Microsoft. A breakthrough product via a more aggressive research and development spending could potentially launch the company to the 1 trillion dollar mark sooner.

    Another way for Apple to reach the trillion dollar mark ahead of its rival is to get its hands on new products, niches and technologies by buying other companies that are offering products and services complementary to its own. A few companies that come to mind are Netflix, to make it a TV powerhouse and boost content for its iPhone, or PayPal, to strengthen its Apple Pay’s reach.

    [Featured Image by Pixabay]

  • Skype Partners With PayPal, Users Can Now Send Money Even While Chatting

    Skype Partners With PayPal, Users Can Now Send Money Even While Chatting

    With the new Skype Send Money feature in place, the “I’m on the phone” excuse for not paying someone quickly becomes obsolete. The popular online messaging app just entered into a partnership with PayPal making it possible for people to send money to each other even in the middle of a chat.

    Skype launched its Send Money feature yesterday just last week, allowing its users to make peer-to-peer payments. The feature, which is activated by a mere swipe to the right and tap on the Send Money option, is only available in 22 countries at the moment.

    Aside from the U.S. and Canada, most of the countries where the Skype Send Money feature works are located in Europe. These list of countries include Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and U.K. Skype is making payment extra convenient by allowing users in these regions to send funds even in the middle of a conversation.

    For the feature to be activated, the latest version of the Skype mobile app needs to be installed on the sender’s phone, Tech Crunch reported. The receiving party, on the other hand, may use any version of Skype and still receive the funds. Of course, the receiver must have a PayPal account for the transfer to work.

    Skype and PayPal will not charge for the transfer if the funds come from the user’s PayPal balance or from a U.S. debit card. On the other hand, transfers funded by a credit card will be slapped with a 3.4 percent transaction cost plus a fee of 30 cents.

    Send Money on Skype

    PayPal has been busy positioning itself to retain its market share amidst emerging threats to its business like Apple Pay and Zelle, a service offered by U.S. banks that works like Venmo. The U.S. based online payment system even partnered with rivals Apple, Visa and MasterCard to make financial transactions for its users as seamless as possible. The recent partnership with Skype will allow it to have access to the latter’s 300 million active users, a sizable potential boost to its client base.

    [Featured Image by Skype]

  • How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Startup

    How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Startup

    Launching a startup is exciting for entrepreneurs, especially in this day and age where technology has made doing business easier and more efficient than ever before. Technology has opened up a ton of marketing methods that allow you to sell your products and services and build your brand. These days, a startup may be able to bypass traditional marketing tactics via print and TV but most will need to utilize a digital marketing strategy to reel in and retain customers.

    If you have noticed the term “digital marketing” being used more often recently, it’s because this is the engine that drives today’s businesses, big and small. Digital marketing uses digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also mobile phones and other digital mediums to reach customers. According to Google, companies that use digital marketing strategies have 2.8 times better revenue growth expectancy than those that don’t. This is because customers rely heavily on the internet when it comes to making purchasing decisions.

    With all the opportunities that exist online, startups should be asking the following questions: what are the digital marketing activities that require low investment but let you reap maximum benefits, and how can you create a digital marketing plan for your startup? Here are some useful insights to help you in creating a digital marketing strategy that will bring you closer to your goals.  

    Establish Brand & Web Presence

    Image result for brand

    In creating a digital marketing plan, it is crucial to define a category for your product or service and map out its key benefits. Ask yourself this, “who is my customer and what exactly should they buy from me?” This is a necessary step in order to structure the right look and feel for your brand, from the name, logo, URL address, and others. You can then apply it to your digital marketing strategies.

    Next is to establish your web presence. At least 80 percent of consumers use the internet to make their search for information more convenient. Create not just a functional website for your brand but also one that is accessible in multiple platforms including smartphones, tablets, and Smart devices.

    Blog, Digital PR & SEO Marketing

    Part of digital marketing is promoting brands and services through one or more forms of electronic media. This means you will need a rich blog site, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account at a minimum. Some businesses even create an Instagram account. These channels allow you to regularly communicate with your customers. Whatever it is you share on your profile, your followers will see, increasing brand visibility and retention.

    Blogging should also be part of your plan. Around 53% of marketers say that blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority. Why not, when it is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your site. To further support your web presence and social media activities, you will need to plan out your digital public relation efforts, which include techniques like crowdsourcing. This will allow you to monitor your online reputation.

    Digital marketing won’t be complete without incorporating search-engine optimization (SEO) and link building strategies. The main goal is to top the rankings in the search results when a customer types in keywords associated to your business. Early-stage companies should start with the on-page optimization of their site. Combine it with a strong social media presence, an engaging company blog, and strategic keywords and you’re looking at a plan that has a high potential for success.

    Online Advertising for Greater Exposure

    Image result for your ad here

    Lastly, your digital marketing plan should include the development of an effective online advertising program. Startups can take advantage of Google AdWords since it’s cost effective, flexible, and results-oriented. It is also highly-scalable, as it allows you to measure traffic to your site. You will know in real time what is or is not working for your online business. Thus, you will be able to find immediate solutions to improve your results.

    Technological advancement has enabled more consumers to rely on handheld devices, web searches, and other online tools to make purchasing decisions. In today’s startup industry, you need to be competitive for your brand to be a hit. Get into the trend with digital marketing solutions. If you are not the strongest marketer, you can hire a professional outside of your organization.

  • Amazon Prime’s Rapid Growth Could Soon Make Cable TV Obsolete

    Amazon Prime’s Rapid Growth Could Soon Make Cable TV Obsolete

    Cable TV is on the decline while the number of Amazon Prime subscribers has increased rapidly since last year. One estimate reveals that nearly a quarter of the U.S. population are Amazon Prime subscribers and the numbers are steadily on the rise.  However, can it make cable TV obsolete?

    The Rise of Amazon

    Amazon Prime had 66 million subscribers at the end of 2016 and a whopping 79 million subscribers to date. Meanwhile, the number of households subscribed to cable TV has decreased by nearly 5 million in the last seven years.

    The modest decrease in cable TV subscriptions coupled with the increase of Amazon Prime subscriptions paints a rather vivid picture of the future of home television viewing. If this trend continues, Amazon Prime will have more subscribers than cable or satellite TV by next year. The chance of this overhaul happening in the near future is high.

    In an attempt to be more accessible to everyone, Amazon is now coaxing lower-income American households with a discounted service. The company is offering monthly payment options to cater to those who are not willing to fork over $99 for the annual subscription.

    Main Reason for Subscribing

    Looking at the Amazon Prime’s impressive increase in memberships, it’s easy to conclude that the service will soon render cable TV obsolete. However, it is important to consider the reason behind Amazon Prime’s growing subscriber base.

    Business Insider reports that Amazon Prime’s video service isn’t the main reason why people are subscribing. The growth in subscriptions is mostly due to the company’s impressive delivery service which is relatively fast and reliable.

    That being said, cable TV isn’t directly threatened by a competitor in the same service field. It is likely that a household can subscribe to Amazon Prime while still enjoying the perks of having cable TV.

    Other Competition

    Although Amazon Prime’s main catch is not home entertainment, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t working on building a subscriber base using that platform in the near future. Currently, Amazon Prime isn’t directly battling with cable TV – or at least, not yet.

    Image result for amazon prime vs netflix statistics

    The service has to compete with other streaming services including Netflix and Hulu. A recent report suggests that Amazon Prime is gunning to become a major player in the streaming market and has already spent $4.5 billion on video this year.

  • Ways to Effectively Promote Your Business With Video Marketing

    Ways to Effectively Promote Your Business With Video Marketing

    From search engine optimization, the next evolution of online marketing is video. While mobile phones and social media are invaluable, they have created a generation with a relatively short attention span. A one-minute clip can explain a topic more than a three-page thesis can.

    This is probably why 70% of businesses that use video marketing for their ad campaigns have reported an increase in the amount of traffic to their sites. In fact, people tend to be more patient watching a video than sitting down to read text. According to statistics, the average length of an internet video is 2.7 minutes. Imagine what you can do with uninterrupted audience attention in that amount of time?

    Facebook knows full well the value of video marketing. A staggering eight billion videos are being watched on the social media platform every day. And 45% of people worldwide spend more than an hour every week on Facebook or YouTube watching videos.

    A video is much more likely to go viral in a short amount of time compared to written content or photos. In terms of organic reach, a clip is 135% better than photos.

    But what type of video marketing should your company make? Here are some suggestions:

    Company Information – This could also be your About Us video. In this clip, you should be able to sum up what your company is all about. Apart from being short—a maximum of five minutes would be ideal—your video should exude fun to retain the interest of your audience.

    Employee Profiles – BuzzFeed is a great example of a company that includes its employees in their videos. As a result, they have developed their own respective fanbases. Customers also feel that they are part of the company after getting to know each staff member.

    Raising Awareness – Another good use of video marketing is to educate your customers regarding the industry that you are a part of. It doesn’t matter if you belong in petrochemicals, education, or engineering. One example of useful content is to correct common misconceptions about the industry, or to educate them regarding your product.

    Recruitment – If you are recruiting, video marketing would be a good platform to tell potential applicants what you are looking for. In this short clip, you should be able to share your company culture and vision. Another idea is to take a video of new recruits expressing their expectations for the company and why they applied for a job in the first place.

    Virtual Tour – A virtual tour will give your customers the opportunity to view your business establishment or facilities. A short introduction of the employees and description about who does what will also be helpful.

    Message From the CEO or Top Execs – It doesn’t have to be profound. Even a simple greeting during the holidays would be a great idea for a video marketing campaign. More than anything, this will present a “human face” to your company. People are always in awe of the CEO, but by letting people see that he or she is human like everybody else, it will make your business more relatable.

    Video marketing is your best tool for rising above all of the social media noise. Of course, this means you may have to outsource this job to professionals. You can expect to pay somewhere between $1,000 to $5,000 per video minute for a low-cost option.

    For small businesses, video productions will more likely be DIY clips, which can save an enormous amount of money. The good news is the huge number of downloadable apps online that you can have for free. With these programs, you can edit your clips for a more professional-looking video marketing campaign.

  • How Will AI Affect Project Management in the Future?

    How Will AI Affect Project Management in the Future?

    Companies are just discovering the potential of AI to unburden project managers, who are already spending too much time on paperwork or management tasks rather than crafting strategies and future plans on the macro level.

    The average project managers today have so many responsibilities that it’s any wonder they can get things done other than filing and signing documents, making sure everybody follows the schedule, crafting budgets, and other administrative duties.

    This routine has been maintained for so long that companies take the delay as par for the course. In public organizations, a large bureaucracy can add to the Gordian knot to the point wherein a project submitted on time is now sometimes greeted with surprise.

    According to the Harvard Business Review, over half of the project manager’s time is wasted on administrative tasks. In fact, if they have their way, almost nine in 10 of the survey respondents replied that they could benefit from AI support so they wouldn’t have to focus so much on administrative tasks.

    The good news is that there are already AI tools on the market today that can help project managers unclog their desks. Kono.ai, for example, has an app that can work as an effective smart assistant. The Monte Carlo app, meanwhile, can submit a risk analysis through probabilities. Admittedly, developers are just scratching the surface of what AI can really do for project managers.

    Scott Middleton, the CEO of Stratejos, a smart assistant software maker, says that despite skepticism by employees about AI stealing their jobs, the future of machine-learning in relation to business tasks is bright.

    “AI isn’t to be feared,” he explained. “It may even be your best team member, especially for project managers. AI for project management is on the rise, and the way things are going, it’s going to help teams make smarter decisions and move faster.”

    A survey from software developer Atlassian revealed that more than 70% of those surveyed claimed that half of their tasks can be done by robots or AI tech. Right now, almost 40% believe that they are already utilizing AI in their office.

    Middleton predicted that developers—and companies in general—would place more focus on smart assistants for project managers to relieve them of some of their more menial tasks. In the future, the amount of complicated tasks assumed by robots will have increased.

    But the AIs of today are severely limited in scope. For instance, they still rely on data collected and input by humans. These robots are not self-updating, nor do they make corrections automatically if they spot a mistake.

    That will change in the future, of course.

    To allay the fears of middle managers, as well as the rank and file, it seems unlikely that machines will take over whole organizations because they lack the capacity for creative thinking in solving complex problems.

    What they do, however, is cut back the amount of errors committed in the implementation of the project until its submission. As the technology advances, they will become invaluable tools in reporting and monitoring.

    Instead of project managers defining the scope of the work, assigning tasks to the teams, analyzing the data, adjusting timetables, documenting the process, predicting outcomes, and gauging the risks, these can all be done through machine-learning.

    This is the reason why companies are well advised to start thinking about investing in AI as an assistive tool in everyday tasks. In the same vein, instead of being viewed as a threat to human jobs, project managers should teach themselves to better harness today’s advances in machine-learning to come up with solutions to their core project problems.

  • 5 Ways Data Visualization Benefits Your Business in 2017

    5 Ways Data Visualization Benefits Your Business in 2017

    The challenge for businesses is how to interpret and break down big data in a manner that is easily understandable not just from top to bottom of the organization, but also for their clients as well. This is where data visualization comes in.

    The internet—or at least Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon—hold about 1,200 petabytes, or about 1.2 million terabytes, of data. There is no way human beings can process this amount of information without breaking them up into cute visual presentations that will explain the small and big picture.

    There are actually data visualization software apps available on the market today that automatically interpret, find patterns, cross-match results, and provide context. This gives businesses a macro and micro view of the situation so they can make changes accordingly.

    Below are some of the benefits of employing data visualization for your organization:

    1. Optimizes Performance

    People process information more quickly through visual presentation. All of your sales, performance benchmarks, and analytics can be arranged in interactive maps, which can easily be interpreted even by your customers.

    This is certainly better than giving your rank and file a thick book with a ton of numbers in Word or Excel format. These software applications have the capability to pinpoint weaknesses in the workflow that may affect day-to-day operations. Client demographic and marketing statistics are laid out in easy-to-understand graph, chart, cartogram, geospatial, or histogram format. Using these visuals, you can easily determine dips and highs in your performance over the past weeks, months, or even years.

    2. More Comprehensive Report

    Since the dawn of time, civilization has processed its environment through the senses, particularly the eyes. Presenting relevant company data through data visualization will give everybody a more comprehensive picture of the company’s present situation against its goals. It also prevents redundant tasks, as personnel can immediately see if a specific task has already been accomplished or not.

    Some companies even allow those in the frontlines to make changes in the data based on the information they cull from the field. This includes updating old data, correcting erroneous stat, and others.

    3. You Can Optimize the Potential of Visual Learners

    The University of Alabama in Birmingham says more than six out of 10 people in the U.S. are considered visual learners. It has been proven in studies that people have different learning styles. Some people learn better while listening, others perform better through reading, while a majority prefer to see data in the form of visuals. With over half of the population being visual learners, the only way to optimize their capabilities is through data visualization.

    4. Communicates Core Message Better

    Among the videos that went viral in 2016 were commercial ads from Nike, Samsung, and Shell. This underscores the importance of visuals for companies to drive home a point. The use of data visualization will only see more positive changes in the years to come. Blue chip corporations already have their entire IT department devoted to making use of the technological advancements to promote the brand through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.

    5. Real-Time Updating of Data

    Unlike weekly, monthly, or quarterly business reports, data visualization software allows synchronization of your data with real-time updates. You no longer have to base your decision on old metrics when new numbers are constantly coming in. For instance, if your office in Seattle is struggling, you can immediately study whatever statistics are at your disposal to find the reason why. You can implement solutions immediately and address the problem before it becomes worse.  

  • Apple’s Quarterly Report Offers No Surprises

    Apple released its quarterly reports on Tuesday, affirming most analysts’ projections on the financial status of the Cupertino-based tech giant at this point in the year.

    For the first three months of 2017, the company recorded $52.9 billion in revenues, which fell just short of the estimated $53 billion predicted by analysts. Still, the windfall topped the company’s own projection of at least $51.5 billion for the same period.

    The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus actually performed well in terms of sales, bucking the negative projection set by market analysts who believed that consumers will forego purchasing to wait for the release of the iPhone 8.

    In an interview with CNBC, Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned that there was a “delay in purchasing behavior” concerning both iPhone 7 models as a result of “rumors and reports about future products.”  

    “However, if you look at iPhone outside of greater China, iPhone units grew very nicely,” Cook said. “We had more upgraders in the first half than ever before.”

    Apple has been secretive about the release of the iPhone 8. In fact, the company even refrained from naming its new mobile phone model. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop people from speculating that the new product is going to be released in September 2017, and that it would feature ultra-thin bezels, a bigger OLED display, and TouchID.

    Meanwhile, Apple’s quarterly report also brought good news to shareholders and investors as they can expect a return of capital to the tune of $50 billion, which was already approved for release by the company’s Board of Directors. According to the plan, Apple would have released $300 billion under the expanded program of returned capital by the end of March 2019.

    Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, said they have already returned $10 billion to their investors for this quarter, on top of the $50 billion that will be distributed soon. Since the capital return program was implemented five years ago, the company already gave back more than $211 billion to investors and shareholders.

    In addition, Apple’s Board of Directors has given the go signal for the proposed 10.5% increase in dividends. According to a company press statement, the common stock rose to $0.63 per share for this quarter. Dividends will be paid by May 18 of this year to shareholders who are listed on record as of May 15.

  • Google Image Search Takes On Pinterest

    Google Image Search Takes On Pinterest

    Google recently launched “Similar Items,” a rich product feature for Google Image Search. The new feature enables users to browse and shop inspirational fashion photography and find product information about items they’re interested in.

    Similar Items is an obvious competitor to Pinterest and users will find the feature familiar. Using machine vision technology, the Similar Items feature identifies products in lifestyle images and displays matching products to the user.

    Similar Items currently supports handbags, sunglasses and shoes and will expand to other apparel and home & garden categories in the coming months. Google says that, “Finding price and availability information was one of the top Image Search feature requests from our users.”

    The feature is currently available on mobile web and the Android search app globally and expansion to more platforms is planned this year.

    Want to get your products listed? To make your products eligible for Similar items, make sure to add and maintain schema.org product metadata on your pages. The schema.org/Product markup helps Google find product offerings on the web and give users an at-a-glance summary of product info.

    To ensure that your products are eligible to appear in Similar items:

    – Ensure that the product offerings on your pages have schema.org product markup, including an image reference. Products with name, image, price & currency, and availability meta-data on their host page are eligible for Similar items
    – Test your pages with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to verify that the product markup is formatted correctly
    – See your images on image search by issuing the query “site:yourdomain.com.” For results with valid product markup, you may see product information appear once you tap on the images from your site. It can take up to a week for Googlebot to recrawl your website.