Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Internet of Things invades Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic Tennis WimbledonNovak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his match against Kevin Anderson of South Africa at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 6, 2015.REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

The historic Wimbledon tennis tournament in London is taking advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2016.
The tournament, one of four major events in pro tennis, will use two IoT solutions this year, reports Gemalto.
Connected cameras will take pictures of the facial expressions of spectators at the event and will send those photos to IBM's Watson, which will then analyze the pictures to determine which players the fans prefer. Wimbledon wants to use this information to more effectively market its merchandise and sell tickets.
Players, meanwhile, will use connected tennis rackets with built-in sensors that will collect data on swing velocity and angles, as well as the player's overall performance. The players can immediately access this information through an app that analyzes the data and offers recommendations on how to improve their game.
Sports is actually a rapidly growing area of IoT adoption, as Wimbledon is not the first sports organization to use it. Last fall, Wilson released a connected basketball, and Russell Brands LLC made a bid last week for a bankrupt startup that provides information about a player's ability to handle the basketball.
The IoT Revolution is picking up speed and when it does, it will change how we live, work, travel, entertain, and more.
From connected homes and connected cars to smart buildings and transportation, every aspect of our lives will be affected by the increasing ability of consumers, businesses, and governments to connect to and control everything around them.
Imagine “smart mirrors” that allow you to digitally try on clothes. Assembly line sensors that can detect even the smallest decrease in efficiency and determine when crucial equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. GPS-guided agricultural equipment that can plant, fertilize, and harvest crops. Fitness trackers that allow users to transmit data to their doctors.
It’s not science fiction. This “next Industrial Revolution” is happening as we speak. It’s so big that it could mean new revenue streams for your company and new opportunities for you. The only question is: Are you fully up to speed on the IoT?

After months of researching and reporting this exploding trend, John Greenough and Jonathan Camhi of BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, have put together an essential report on the IoT that explains the exciting present and the fascinating future of the Internet of Things.  It covers how the IoT is being implemented today, where the new sources of opportunity will be tomorrow and how 16 separate sectors of the economy will be transformed over the next 20 years.
The report gives a thorough outlook on the future of the Internet of Things, including the following big picture insights:
  • IoT devices connected to the Internet will more than triple by 2020, from 10 billion to 34 billion. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.

  • Nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years.

  • Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they will use IoT to 1) lower operating costs; 2) increase productivity; and 3) expand to new markets or develop new product offerings.

  • Governments will be the second-largest adopters, while consumers will be the group least transformed by the IoT

Walgreens pushes for in-app coupon convenience, adds deals to product pages

By 

June 29, 2016
Walgreens commercialsWalgreens is making clipping coupons much easier by allowing paperless coupons to be used for online purchases and displaying them on product pages within its application.
The digital coupons were previously only available for in-store use, but now customers can redeem the deals online to better appeal to loyal consumers. Walgreens is now featuring relevant coupons within the product pages on its app and Web site, which only need to be tapped to save.
“Walgreens digital coupons have been extremely popular, with more than 135 million coupons clipped to date, because they are so simple and convenient,” said Adam Crouch, director of digital commerce and product management at Walgreens. “We are now making them even easier in two ways.
“When a customer is looking at a product on Walgreens.com or in our app (say to check inventory in a store near her), if there is a manufacturer coupon available, we will proactively tell the customer right on that product page, and make it easy to digitally clip it with just a tap, and have it automatically applied when she buys the item in store,” he said. “Coupons were previously only visible in the coupons hub, but now that we proactively show customers coupons on the product pages, it opens it up to a whole new set of people who do not regularly use coupons.”
Mobile coupons
Paperless coupons through mobile have now become a staple for bricks-and-mortar retailers such as Walgreens, as they provide convenience while promoting an eco-friendly outlook. Walgreens customers on all platforms can now redeem its paperless coupons.
walgreen coupons
These coupons will now be much more visible, and allow all users perusing products to see available deals on the specific item. In the past, coupon visibility was limited to the coupons tab, which meant a wide range of users were missing out on the opportunity to use the deal.
Now, customers who are looking up product information or are interested in purchasing online will directly see available coupons for Walgreens items. When a user is interested in a deal, he or she can just tap the coupon and add it to his or her coupons, which will be automatically applied for Balance Rewards customers.
walgreens coupons
In-store shoppers can present the coupon via mobile at checkout and online shoppers can add it to their purchases.
Walgreens’ mobile efforts
Walgreens also streamlined the in-store checkout process as the first retailer to intertwine Apple Pay with its loyalty program, enabling customers to scan only once to pay and receive rewards (see more).
Also, the retailer’s latest update to its iOS app includes 3D Touch and Touch ID integrations as well as the ability to search certain keywords from the Web to directly access specific in-app features (see more).
“The announcement is another step in our omnichannel retail approach that conveniently connects customers to stores though the Walgreens mobile app or Walgreens.com,” Mr. Crouch said. “Walgreens was one of the first retailers to offer digital coupon in 2014.
“Since the initial launch, we have seen a continual increase in monthly redemptions, with more than 135 million total coupons clipped through the program,” he said.

Johns Hopkins partners with startup Flirtey to test medical drone delivery

Enterprise Drone ShipmentsBI Intelligence
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine partnered with Flirtey, a Nevada-based drone delivery startup, to conduct a recent test flight of a drone carrying medical supplies in Cape May, New Jersey, according to Fortune and The Detroit News.
About 100 observers were there to witness the test, including several members of the United Nations' humanitarian arm, according to Tech Crunch.
Drones could eventually deliver medical supplies to stranded victims of natural disasters, helping aid organizations get supplies to victims more quickly. If roads and bridges are unusable, drones could deliver small, life-saving packages of medical supplies like vaccines, George Fenton, director of humanitarian innovations at World Vision International, a humanitarian aid organization, told The Detroit News.
Many agencies involved in disaster relief agree that drones have already been very helpful in collecting data and taking photos of damage from disasters, such as during Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
The test involved delivering a package of medicine and medical testing materials from an offshore vessel to an onshore location, marking the first time a drone has completed such a flight in the US, according to Fortune. Many disaster-prone areas are close to shores, where hurricanes, typhoons, and flooding are more common, making deliveries from offshore vessels a likely scenario for disaster relief operations using drones. 
However, there are still concerns with using drones to deliver medical supplies. For example, blood samples carried by a drone could easily be ruined by vibrations or movement, Dr. Timothy Amukele, a co-organizer of the test, noted in an interview with The Guardian. Despite this, Amukele believes that in five years drones will be used regularly in disaster relief, as organizations and regulators will have a clear understanding of what types of medical supplies drones can deliver safely.
US regulations do not yet allow for long-range drone deliveries without a special waiver from the FAA. However, the FAA may be more willing to grant waivers for drone deliveries involving medical supplies because they could potentially save lives. Gaining regulatory approval for more use cases for drones will be an important factor in driving growth in the US commercial drone market.

This is the best research we've seen on the state of the US consumer, and it makes for a grim reading

The US consumer is having a tough time of it.
That's the message from Matthew Mish and Stephen Caprio at UBS, who put out a research report on Tuesday about why US consumer defaults are rising.
The note is full of interesting stats, but the short version of it is that US consumers are struggling to pay their debts, and that is going to have a bigger effect on the bond market than people realize.
"Rising consumer delinquencies are another structural headwind that we believe should place a floor on credit spread tightening and a cap on government bond yields rising," the note said.
The note also hits on a really interesting big-picture point: The rise of inequality post-financial-crisis is fueling a credit boom that could do damage further down the road.
The argument here is that as the pool of wealth becomes more concentrated, the greater the asymmetry between the haves, who typically want to invest and get a return on their money, and the have nots, who are typically borrowers.
That pushes down the creditworthiness of the average borrower. Add in a low-interest-rate environment, where investors are searching for yield, and you have a problem.
Here's UBS:
"The overall mosaic is, in an environment characterized by substantial inequality, higher income earners are inclined to save and invest, rather than spend. Ultimately their funds translate into capital or loans provided to the rest of the private sector: the higher the concentration of income and wealth, the more asymmetry between savers and borrowers — in terms of numbers and creditworthiness. Too much capital may be chasing too few creditworthy borrowers, particularly in an environment of abnormally low interest rates and where non-bank loan growth has been aggressive."
And with that, let's go into the data:

The rich are getting richer, and the poor are still poor.

The rich are getting richer, and the poor are still poor.
UBS
It's pretty well known at this point that income inequality has gotten worse over the past decade. The rebound from the financial crisis disproportionately benefited the wealthy, the owners of capital, while wages have remained stagnant.
"Indeed, from 2007-2012 income and wealth gains were highly concentrated among the highest income households, in part due to the lack of sustained government tax/transfer policies to redistribute income," UBS said in the note.

Two-thirds of lower-income earners are struggling to cover their expenses.

Two-thirds of lower-income earners are struggling to cover their expenses.
UBS
UBS' Evidence Lab, a research team at the Swiss bank, surveyed 2,100 US adults over age 21 and found that roughly two-thirds of lower-income and one-third of middle-income consumers said their income either did not cover their expenses or barely did so.

Credit growth has been driven by nonbank lenders.

Credit growth has been driven by nonbank lenders.
UBS
Banks have, in many cases, pulled back from lending, with nonbank lenders stepping in to fill the gap.
"Bottom line, we continue to believe early warning signals with respect to shifts in lending conditions and changes in delinquency trends will come from the nonbank rather than the bank sectors," UBS said in the note.

Nonbank lenders have a much higher exposure to subprime lending.

Nonbank lenders have a much higher exposure to subprime lending.
UBS
The distribution of credit scores across the US is fairly even, according to UBS. Around one-third of the population is prime plus or super prime, one-third is prime or near prime, and one-third is subprime.
The distribution of risk across different types of lenders is not even, however. Subprime makes up less than 10% of 2015 originations at banks, but more than 50% at independent lenders.

There has been a deterioration in lending standards.

There has been a deterioration in lending standards.
UBS
It is striking that auto-loan delinquencies are much higher for loans issued in the past couple of years.
"We document a significant easing in lending conditions to US households post-crisis, driven predominantly by the surge in lower quality, nonbank lending," UBS said.
We should note here that stress in the auto-lending market is a concern for many. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently took a look at hardship in oil-producing counties and recorded a spike in delinquencies in the oil patch.
UBS points out that while consumer nonperforming loans are higher for oil-dependent states, consumer nonperforming loans are rising in over 90% of the 50 states.
"In consumer loans, we outline clear signs of performance deterioration across loan categories by vintage, credit tier, and lender type — and energy is not the principal cause," UBS said.

And credit card delinquencies are also picking up.

And credit card delinquencies are also picking up.
UBS
"Credit card originations — bank card and private label — have also involved a rising share of riskier borrowers based on credit scores," UBS said in a note.
There is a similar story in personal (unsecured) loans, according to UBS, which notes the number of lenders has grown from 70 to 121 since 2010, primarily driven by fintech companies.
"While nonbanks dominate market share in higher risk loans, delinquency rates for subprime and near prime personal loans originated by fintech and finance companies were as much as double those originated by banks for recent vintages," UBS said in the note.
"This illustrates the point that nonbanks are making riskier loans, even when one normalizes for credit scores, relative to banks."

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

CPG KILLED IT IN ECOMMERCEMARKET SHARE REPORT [BLOG]

2015 was a massive growth year for most consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories online. According to estimates from 1010data, retail e-commerce sales grew by 30% over 2014. In store sales for most categories remained nearly flat (U.S. Census Dep’t). 
While total e-commerce grew by 30%, CPG grew at an even faster pace of 42% year over year. Much of the growth was fueled by Amazon’s Subscribe and Save feature (SNS) being the default selection for many Amazon users as they check out. Over 20% of all growth in CPG came from SNS. 
Amazon SNS revenue for the 50 CPG categories we measured grew by a whopping 214% - that’s the beauty of the compounding nature of subscription sales. The 3 largest SNS categories were baby diapers, pet food, and coffee. The fastest growing were hair care, baby wipes, and deodorant.

The category that came in second place for growth was Toothpaste with 75% YOY growth, with Crest leading the way in terms of market share. Colgate Palmolive owns both the Colgate brand and Tom’s of Maine. When you combine both those brands, as a manufacturer, Colgate Palmolive is the leading seller online toothpaste seller with 26% market share. 

The largest category in CPG, according to 1010data estimates, is pet food, which did $760M in e-commerce sales in the U.S. in 2015, up 55% from $490M the prior year. The next largest categories were Facial Moisturizers and Fragrances with $450M and $330M in revenue respectively and 25% and 11% growth respectively. 
The CPG brand that sold the most in 2015 was Pampers followed at a distant second by the protein brand Optimum Nutrition.

The fastest growing brand that did more than $20M in online sales in 2015 was Dove with 136% YOY growth. There were only 40 brands in the CPG categories we measured that did over $20M in annual sales in 2015.

The #2 and #3 growth winners amongst the larger brands were pet food with Hill’s Pet Nutrition growing 126% and Purina growing 123%.

Four of the top ten fastest growing large brands were pet food. 

E-commerce is still less than 10% of total sales and often less than 5% for major CPG manufacturers such as P&G, J&J, Unilever, Mondelez, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi. However, the majority of their sales growth in the U.S. is coming from e-commerce in many categories. Over the past 12 months, we at 1010data have experienced a surge in interest in online insights from major CPG companies given these growth statistics. We will be presenting at both NRF at the end of this month and at eTail West in February if you want to talk in more depth over a cup of coffee or a cold beer. 
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Specialty food sales surge

Cheese tops specialty sales.
Cheese tops specialty sales.
Retail dollar sales of specialty products grew 19.7% from 2013-2015, according to the Specialty Food Association’s 2016 State of the Specialty Food Industry report, a joint research project that incorporates data from Mintel and SPINS/IRI.
Retailers tallied specialty food sales of about $94 billion in 2015, the report found.
Of the 61 specialty food categories studied, 58 had double-digit growth overall (including both retail and foodservice channels).
The top 10 specialty food categories in terms of 2015 retail sales volume were:
  1. Cheese and cheese alternatives, $4.3 billion (up 14.7% from 2013-2015)
  2. Frozen and refrigerated meat, poultry and seafood, $3.6 billion (up 23.1%)
  3. Chips, pretzels and snacks, $3.5 billion (up 22.3%)
  4. Coffee, coffee substitutes and cocoa (non-RTD), $3.2 billion (up 17.3%)
  5. Bread and baked goods, $2.6 billion (up 14.7%)
  6. Candy and individual snacks, $2.2 billion (up 21.4%)
  7. Frozen lunch and dinner entrées, $1.9 billion (up 21.4%)
  8. Condiments, dressings and marinades, $1.9 billion (up 10.4%)
  9. Yogurt and kefir, $1.8 billion (up 27.6%)
  10. Refrigerated entrées and prepared meals, $1.7 billion (up 34.5%).

What happens in an internet second: 54,907 Google searches, 7,252 tweets, 125,406 YouTube video views and 2,501,018 emails sent

  • About 46.1% of the world is online, which is about 3.4 billion people
  • Every second 729 photos to Instagram and 2,177 calls made via Skype
  • 20,000 people on Facebook and five more open an account in one second
  • In 1998, Google was only serving 10,000 search queries each day.

The internet is a hectic place and at any given moment millions of people are searching, tweeting and emailing all at once.
Internet Live Stats created a live map that shows exactly how much activity is happening around the globe –down to the second.
Every second more than 54,000 Google searchers are conducted, 7,000 some Tweets are shared and more than 2 million emails are sent -67 percent of which are deemed spam.
Click here to see the latest stats 
Internet Live Stats has created a live map that shows exactly how much activity is happening throughout the globe ¿down to the second. Every second more than 54,000 Google searchers are conducted, 7,000 some Tweets are shared and more than 2 million emails are sent --67 percent of them are deemed spam 
Internet Live Stats has created a live map that shows exactly how much activity is happening throughout the globe –down to the second. Every second more than 54,000 Google searchers are conducted, 7,000 some Tweets are shared and more than 2 million emails are sent --67 percent of them are deemed spam 

WHAT ARE THE INTERNET STATS? 

About 6,000 to 7,000 tweets are shared every second which equals to more than 350,000 every minute, 500 million per day and around 200 billion tweets every year.
Every second 729 photos are uploaded to Instagram, 125,406 videos are viewed on YouTube and 2,177 calls are made via Skype.
And at any given second there are 20,00 people on Facebook and during this time five more people open an account.
On Reddit, Alexa revealed that every second 286 votes are cast and 23 comments posted.
Google will received more than 3 billion searches, which averages to the 54,000 queries a second – that is over 90 billion each month and about 1.2 trillion a year worldwide.
Netflix reports it has 81 million users across the globe that binge some 1,450 hours of TV shows and moves each second.
And about 41 percent of its members pull something up to watch on the platform every day.
Although one second doesn't seem like much in the real world, it means quite a lot on the internet.
About 46.1 percent of the world is online, which is about 3.4 billion people – although there are still 4 billion people without access to the internet.
But compare this number to about five years ago, when there was just 31.8 percent surfing the web in the world, and we can image how much the worldwide web is growing.
About 6,000 to 7,000 tweets are shared every second which equals to more than 350,000 every minute, 500 million per day and around 200 billion tweets every year. 
The first tweet hit the internet on March 21, 2006 and it wasn’t until 2009 did the firm reach its billionth tweet.
Now it takes less than two days for one billion tweets to be sent. 
On any given day, Google will received more than 3 billion searches, which averages to the 54,000 queries a second – that is over 90 billion each month and about 1.2 trillion a year worldwide.
When the search giant first debuted in 1998, it was only serving 10,000 search queries each day.
Flash-forward to 2006 and that was the amount it served in one second.
In addition to searching, tweeting and emailing, every second 729 photos are uploaded to Instagram, 125,406 videos are viewed on YouTube and 2,177 calls are made via Skype.
And at any given second there are 20,000 people on Facebook and during this time five more people open an account.
About 6,000 to 7,000 tweets are shared every second which equals to more than 350,000 every minute, 500 million per day and around 200 billion tweets every year. The first tweet hit the internet on March 21, 2006 and it wasn¿t until 2009 did the firm reach its billionth tweet -- it now takes 2 days for one billion tweets to send
About 6,000 to 7,000 tweets are shared every second which equals to more than 350,000 every minute, 500 million per day and around 200 billion tweets every year. The first tweet hit the internet on March 21, 2006 and it wasn’t until 2009 did the firm reach its billionth tweet -- it now takes 2 days for one billion tweets to send
Every 60 seconds 510 comments are posted, 293,000 statuses updated and 136,000 photos are shared.
On Reddit, Alexa revealed that every second 286 votes are cast and 23 comments posted.
However, these numbers don't share what is happening behind the scenes.

ONE FIFTH OF AMERICANS ARE ONLINE ‘ALMOST CONSTANTLY’ – WITH YOUNG ADULTS MAKING UP MOST OF THE CATEGORY 

In a recent study, one-fifth of all Americans reported to being on the internet 'almost constantly', with young adults making up the largest percentage of this category.
The majority of Americans - 73 per cent - indicated that they go online on a daily basis, and many go on several times per day.
A Pew Research Center survey collected data from internet users between June and July 2015, and confirmed that Americans are constantly logging in. 
Young people are the most connected; the study found that 36 percent of people ages 18 to 29 are online almost constantly, and 50 per cent go on several times per day. 
Teens and adults were found to share similar internet habits, with 24 percent of teenagers reporting almost constant use, and adults coming in at a similar figure. 
Teens, however, were found more likely to go online daily, at 92 percent, while just 73 percent of adults indicated this. Just six per cent of people aged 65 or older were reported to go online almost constantly, while almost a quarter go on multiple times a day. 
In order to share your opinion, you must be a Reddit member and the firm says just about 15 percent of its users are logged in at any given time.
Although television streaming is fairly new, Netflix reports it has 81 million users across the globe that binge some 1,450 hours of TV shows and moves each second.
And about 41 percent of its members pull something up to watch on the platform every day.
The statistics shared by Internet Live Stats and other platforms that gather data coincide with the warning from experts that smartphones are turning us into zombies.
On any given day, Google will received more than 3 billion searches, which averages to the 54,000 queries a second ¿ that is over 90 billion each month and about 1.2 trillion a year worldwide. When the search giant first debuted in 1998, it was only serving 10,000 search queries each day. Flash-forward to 2006 and that was the amount it served in one second
On any given day, Google will received more than 3 billion searches, which averages to the 54,000 queries a second – that is over 90 billion each month and about 1.2 trillion a year worldwide. When the search giant first debuted in 1998, it was only serving 10,000 search queries each day. Flash-forward to 2006 and that was the amount it served in one second
On Reddit, Alexa revealed that every second 286 votes are cast and 23 comments posted. And more than 2.5 billion emails are sent every second, 67 percent of them are deemed spam
On Reddit, Alexa revealed that every second 286 votes are cast and 23 comments posted. And more than 2.5 billion emails are sent every second, 67 percent of them are deemed spam
Experts have found that heavy internet and mobile phone users are more likely to lose concentration and forget important information.
People who use mobile phones and the internet most heavily are more likely to make mistakes, be forgetful and have worse spatial awareness, the study warned.
Dr Lee Hadlington of De Montford University Leicester asked 210 people aged 18-65 to rate their behaviour in areas linked to perception, memory and motor function.

HOW GOOGLE MAKES YOU FEEL SMARTER THAN YOU ARE

 Google has created a generation of people who really aren't as clever as they think, researchers warned earlier this year. 
They say the increasing reliance on Google and other search engines to answers questions is affecting our own perception of what we know ans what we can find online. 
About 46.1 percent of the world is online, which is about 3.4 billion people ¿ although there are still 4 billion people without access to the internet. But compare this number to about five years ago, when there was just 31.8 percent surfing the web in the world, and we can image how much the worldwide web is growing 
About 46.1 percent of the world is online, which is about 3.4 billion people – although there are still 4 billion people without access to the internet. But compare this number to about five years ago, when there was just 31.8 percent surfing the web in the world, and we can image how much the worldwide web is growing 
Searching the Internet for information may make people feel smarter than they actually are. 
'The Internet is such a powerful environment, where you can enter any question, and you basically have access to the world's knowledge at your fingertips,' said lead researcher Matthew Fisher, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in psychology at Yale University. 
'It becomes easier to confuse your own knowledge with this external source. 'When people are truly on their own, they may be wildly inaccurate about how much they know and how dependent they are on the Internet.' 
In a series of experiments, published by the American Psychological Association, people who searched for information on the Internet believed they were more knowledgeable than a control group about topics unrelated to the online searches. 
In a result that surprised the researchers, participants had an inflated sense of their own knowledge after searching the Internet even when they couldn't find the information they were looking for. 
After conducting Internet searches, participants also believed their brains were more active than the control group did.
He found the more times a person used the internet or a mobile phone the more likely they were to experience 'cognitive failures'.
These failures included not turning up to appointments, having trouble paying attention while in conversation and forgetting why they went to one part of the house to another. 
'This is a very under-examined area and a very important one. We are using technology on a daily basis but we don't understand its effect on us,' said Dr Hadlington.
In addition to searching, tweeting and emailing, every second 729 photos are uploaded to Instagram, 125,406 videos are viewed on YouTube and 2,177 calls are made via Skype. And at any given second there are 20,000 people on Facebook and during this time five more people open an account
In addition to searching, tweeting and emailing, every second 729 photos are uploaded to Instagram, 125,406 videos are viewed on YouTube and 2,177 calls are made via Skype. And at any given second there are 20,000 people on Facebook and during this time five more people open an account
'We don't know what's actually happening to our cognition when we are using this technology and that's the important thing. 
'What we do know from this research is that there are statistically significant numbers of people who say they use the Internet or their phone a lot and who experience cognitive failures. 
'We need to understand more about whether it is affecting the way we think. 
We are almost oblivious to the impact it could have.' Dr Hadlington said it was not clear whether internet and phone usage was the cause of poor focus and attention, or that people who spent the most time using the technology were most likely to have attention issues in the first place.