Second “Avatar” hits a milestone, but theaters aren’t celebrating: Cinemas are shuttering, unable to compete effectively with streaming.
The workers building the metaverse don’t believe in its potential: Nearly half of game developers think the immersive space won’t pan out, and advertiser interest could slow.
People aren’t eating out as much as they’d like to: There’s a growing disconnect between consumers’ intentions to go to restaurants and their actual behaviors.
Saks.com struggles in wake of ecommerce split: The company is laying off roughly 3.5% of its workforce after a disappointing season for department stores.
Google’s ChatGPT conundrum: Generative AI is becoming a headache for the tech giant that wants to take the ethical high road while also staying competitive in a fast-moving market.
A biological robot breakthrough: A research team set a new milestone in the emerging field of biorobotics. Its mouse cell bots show potential for softer, simpler robots that leverage evolution.
Xfinity ascends as broadband speed leader: Xfinity was the fastest fixed broadband provider in 14 states during Q4 2022. The competition wasn’t far behind, proving broadband in the US is improving.
Payment startups might be better off cutting costs and scaling back expansion plans until the funding climate improves.
The bank proactively identified the mishaps and avoided a penalty, but its violations show that even the basics can go wrong.
Complex sanctions, elaborate money laundering schemes, and powerful tech give financial criminals an upper hand.
Lowe’s goes from DIY to party planner: The home improvement retailer will begin offering kids’ party packages at select stores in an attempt to build brand loyalty and bring more potential shoppers in-store.
Wayfair is the latest retailer to try to reverse the effects of pandemic overexpansion: The company is cutting roughly 1,750 workers to reduce bloat and get back to its fundamentals.
Nordstrom is the latest department store to report lackluster holiday sales: Softer consumer spending led to higher markdowns, which hurt profits but put inventories in a healthy position going into 2023.
Twitter’s balance sheet is looking rough: The company lost more than 500 of its top advertisers, and Q4 revenues tanked 35%.
Google leans into outsourcing to improve profits: In addition to layoffs, the search giant is now referring even big advertisers to its reseller network.
Instagram’s new Quiet mode offers an olive branch to parents and regulators as the Biden administration vows to go after Big Tech for “put[ting] our children at risk.” All social platforms can sense a new era of accountability, and they’re making active moves to stay on regulators’ good side.
Apple will use its gains from AppTrackingTransparency to launch a demand-side platform, and QR-launched augmented reality will help rejuvenate out-of-home advertising. Find out what else our analysts predict will impact mobile advertising this year.
Providing a good customer experience (CX) isn’t just about getting positive reviews online—it’s about creating a relationship with your customer. It’s also about a better bottom line, which is harder to achieve these days as consumer spend slows.