COVID-19

New research from Hiver highlights how consumers perceive customer support in 2020, and the cost of sub-par customer support As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, more than 80% of consumers in the US expect customer support to get more empathetic or more responsive, and in some cases, both, according to the findings of the report 'Customer Support Through The Eyes of Consumers in 2020' published by Hiver. Hiver, a global customer service solution, surveyed 1000 respondents in the US to give organizations insights into…

A new survey from OverDrive Education, creator of the K-12 Sora reading app, found that ebooks have become even more essential for learning during the 2020-2021 school year. Because of remote and hybrid learning during COVID-19, 80% of administrators state that ebooks are very or somewhat valuable in the ability to offer remote learning. Survey respondents included administrators and teachers across the United States. It's clear there is a connection between COVID-19's disruption to the classroom and the adoption of…

AI Platform Delivers Solution to Content Marketing's ROI Problem inPowered.ai, the AI platform built to deliver business outcomes with content, introduced today Content Intelligence: a SaaS offering created to solving content marketing's ROI problem. Developed in response to COVID-19, Content Intelligence is able to decipher what content is resonating most with consumers while driving them down the funnel to take action and deliver real ROI -- changing brand perception, increasing actions taken onsite, lead generation and…

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to negatively impact retail holiday shopping plans this year.  According to the latest survey findings, more than half of consumers (54%) expect to participate in sales events and 42% plan to spend less than a year ago. 91% of those who will participate will shop for deals online exclusively rather than doing it in a physical brick and mortar store. However, these online holiday shopping plans differ significantly across markets,  categories and products that the users shop for. The…

The tech leader sees a 42% increase in valuation in 2020, to more than US$450M Rokt, the global leader in e-commerce technology, announced an investment of US$80M. The capital will help accelerate research & development and support the expansion of its client base into new verticals and geographies as Rokt continues to make e-commerce smarter, faster, and better. The funding round was led by Rokt's largest institutional shareholder TDM Growth Partners, and supported by other existing investors including Square Peg.…

As YouTube vlogger Joe Wicks found out earlier this year, copyright surrounding music is a complicated beast. The Body Coach - who shot to fame during lockdown - was forced to conduct his workout sessions without backing music after he was initially banned from playing George Ezra tracks by the musician’s record label, until Ezra’s mum stepped in. The complexities around music copyright laws are further exacerbated by the fact that the law differs depending on where you are in the world. Just this last week we read about…

Respondents in Brazil, France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. express heightened price sensitivity, economic insecurity, and suspicion of unfair retail prices For retailers already navigating gale-force winds caused by the whipsawing shopper, competitors, and market changes, there is no end in sight. A recent global shopper study conducted by Progressive Grocer and its parent company EnsembleIQ uncovers startling shifts in shopper behaviors occurring during the COVID-19 era, many of them likely to persist well beyond the…

The Company Also Adds Key Executives and Sets Plans to Grow From 650 to Over 1000 Employees by the End of 2021 to Fuel Continued Customer Success and Growth ActiveCampaign, the leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), has surpassed 120,000 active customers on its CXA platform. This announcement comes shortly after its announcement of $100 million in ARR and 100,000 customers in May 2020. While businesses across the globe faced challenges and instability due to COVID-19, ActiveCampaign has consistently grown its…

AI and expert review drive the verification process, and each session is recorded to provide a defensible audit trail for regulators Jumio, the leading provider of AI-powered end-to-end identity verification and eKYC solutions, announced the launch of a new video-based verification solution for financial institutions and other regulated businesses. This solution is designed for banks, fintechs, cryptocurrency exchanges, digital wallets and other regulated businesses looking to pivot from branch-based onboarding to an…

Leading Airline Improves Sales Conversions by 50%, Gains an All-New Window Into Online Customer Behaviors and Interests With Genesys As passengers scoured Ethiopian Airlines' website to adjust or cancel flight itineraries amidst COVID-19 travel restrictions and bans, its contact center agents knew precisely how and when to intervene. Genesys Predictive Engagement, an application that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, helped the airline use real-time statistics and data to engage passengers in…

Despite ongoing turbulence of COVID-19, many brands are doubling down on their investment in social media ad spend, according to new Q3 2020 Social Media Trends Report Socialbakers, the leading social media marketing platform, released a comprehensive report on Social Media Trends for Q3 2020. The report reveals that despite a turbulent three quarters of COVID-related challenges in 2020, social media ad spend rose sharply in Q3 to pre-pandemic levels, led by increased investment in e-commerce ads. The Socialbakers data…

Blis, the trusted leader in location-powered advertising and analytics has launched a new global report, 'Behaviour change is real: how brands can harness it', in advance of the upcoming holiday season. The report looks at three key indicators for behavior change that are impacting consumers and being impacted the most: geographical location, modifications to mobility and the psychological need for interaction. The analysis highlights how these three factors interact and impact consumer behavior, as seen both in our foot…

The new solution helps governments navigate the distribution and administration of vaccines with automated workflows on a single system. It integrates with existing health systems to accelerate vaccine adoption and build community trust EY has signed on to co-deliver the implementation services of the Qualtrics vaccine management solution Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the experience management (XM) category, announced it is releasing a vaccine management solution to help governments…

Warning for retailers to be vigilant after a huge rise in false consumer claims More than a third (36%) of consumers in the United Kingdom admitted to filing false claims in order to get ecommerce orders for free, according to a Signifyd consumer survey. 32% of respondents admitted to breaking discount or promotion rules in order to receive a price break they were not entitled to. Retailers expected to see record levels of fraudulent orders, as online orders soar ahead of Christmas and  number of false claims…

A first-rate business management software to assist merchants in offering customers new online ordering methods Zuza, an innovative business management software provider, proudly announced the release of its new e-commerce platform. It is a user-friendly online ordering management system designed to help merchants provide an utterly contactless purchase experience to customers. The e-commerce platform works together with Zuza's technology to help restaurants, and retail stores manage their operations under one symbiotic…

New platform represents the future of sales by offering more than $10 million in opportunities to sales professionals hobbled by the pandemic Bravado, the online community for sales professionals, launched "Warm Intros," the first marketplace of its kind for sales professionals to transform their networks of trusted contacts into a new opportunistic revenue stream. Bravado has already identified more than $10,000,000 in potential income-generating opportunities that are available right now on the platform. Sales…

New research from Narvar, an intelligent customer engagement platform, illustrates how COVID-19 has affected consumer behavior and expectations, particularly around deliveries, returns, and omnichannel shopping, in ways that will be long-lasting and influence loyalty. The report, "State of Returns: New Expectations," analyzes the sentiments of online shoppers in the U.S. market. COVID-19 has clearly accelerated some shopping behaviors while slowing others. Consumers have been forced to shift towards online shopping to the…

Two-Thirds Still Plan to Travel for the Holidays & Nearly Half Expect to Journey the Same Distance or Further Than Last Year While Holiday Shopping Preferences Have Altered, New Brands Have Opportunity to Get in the Mix The out-of-doors has taken on new resonance in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns, with nearly half (45%) of American adults saying they are noticing OOH (out of home) advertising more than before the pandemic began. This heightened awareness and receptivity are particularly prevalent among those ages…

A new study released by AppDirect, the leading subscription commerce platform company, details the pace and pressures of digital transformation in the COVID-19 era. As the global pandemic speeds an enterprise-wide shift to digital commerce, more than two-thirds of companies (69%) report that they have accelerated digital plans or launched new projects, according to the AppDirect study "The State of B2B Subscription Commerce in the New Normal." Marketing Technology News: Dun & Bradstreet Enters Into Agreement to Acquire…

Pega Intelligent Automation and Robotics solutions support Chancellor's measures designed to help UK businesses and individuals during pandemic Pegasystems Inc.,, the software company empowering digital transformation at the world's leading enterprises, has announced that it has been working with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to support the UK government's COVID-19 initiatives by helping it to mitigate against fraud and risk with businesses and individuals applying for support. The government programs aimed…