Trends

In order for SMBs to compete with larger firms when it comes to customer reach, they need to approach their marketing plan with a strategic mindset. Marketing automation not only provides important opportunities for interaction with the customer, but also saves time.

After 10 years of fully supporting Windows 7, Microsoft ended its official support for the out-of-date Windows operating system on Tuesday. The popular classic Windows 7 OS still runs on some 200 million PCs around the globe, according to industry estimates. Users include small business owners, some...

As most security pros know, application containers -- Docker, rkt, etc. -- and the orchestration elements employed to support them, such as Kubernetes, are used increasingly in many organizations. Often the security organization isn't exactly the first stop on the path to deployment of these tools.

Consumers are on social media constantly, scrolling through posts from both friends and brands. Many have begun clicking on some of those brand posts and making purchases. "Social commerce is becoming increasingly popular for brands," noted Darin Archer, chief strategy officer at Elastic Path. "Even...

No matter how good a product or service is, the e-commerce Web and mobile design surrounding it will play a key role in maintaining engagement and ensuring consumers complete their shopping journey. Even the slightest friction, such as poor load speeds, can drive users away from a site, resulting in...

PR companies long have been known for reshaping perceptions to favor their clients. Some now engage in "black PR" -- the calculated spread of disinformation and misinformation online. For example, entrepreneur Peng Kuan Chin's "Content Farm Automatic Collection System" harvests online articles and p...

Facebook has promised to remove certain "misleading manipulated media": videos edited or synthesized in ways not apparent to an average person, which likely would mislead viewers to believe that video subjects said words they did not say; products of artificial intelligence or machine learning that ...

Companies across industries are shifting toward an automated approach to customer relations. With the help of chatbots, businesses can reduce their customer service costs by up to 30 percent and save both employees' and customers' valuable time. Many customers welcome chatbots in the customer servi...

The service speed average among U.S. broadband households has increased steadily over the last four years, but only 6 percent of U.S. broadband households currently have plans with speeds of 1 Gbps or higher.

Recommerce -- or the online sale of used clothing and other goods -- is booming, with companies like thredUP and Poshmark meeting consumer demand for more affordable and sustainable alternatives to buying new. "I believe recommerce is popular because there is an alignment amongst people who see that...

With the rise of electric cars, it was only a matter of time before electric trucks hit the market. Several electric vehicle startups -- including Bollinger, Lordstown Motors, Rivian and Workhorse -- have been working on developing electric pickup trucks for several years, but none have come to mark...

If 2019 was the year we identified the most acute challenges facing various industries -- in the form of macroeconomic trends as well as industry-specific factors -- 2020 will be the year we confront those issues. For most companies, this looks like addressing a skills gap that grows at the same rat...

To succeed on Amazon, brands need a tailored marketing strategy that includes optimized listings, targeted advertising, and data analysis. Utilizing third-party partners can offer proactive insights to stay ahead of Amazon's ever-changing landscape.

"Digital transformation" is not a new term or concept. While it has taken on multiple definitions, one thing is for sure: Companies view it as a top priority, so much so that enterprises are projected to spend in excess of $2 trillion through 2019, according to IDC. This insurgence of digital transf...