(Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP via Getty Images)
Here are five things in technology that happened last week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – WhatsApp has a new standalone version of Windows.
Windows WhatsApp users can now use the application using their phone or even having the phone available. The company has released a new app available on the Windows Store. (Source: The Verge).
Why this matters to your business:
This is important to me because my company has a fair amount of customers and others in our community who use WhatsApp (I also have relatives overseas where WhatsApp is extremely popular). All conversations so far have gone through my phone. But using the application directly from my laptop will definitely save time and position me to start integrating these conversations better with my CRM. Download in progress ….!
2 – Small businesses outperform large companies with the “buy now” button via e-commerce.
A recent study showed that the adoption of the new “buy now” button for small and large businesses has been shown to help customers save time when shopping online. Additionally, 85% of small business owners in the study prefer this option versus only 71% of large business owners. This may be due to the fact that many small businesses use large payment companies such as PayPal in their online checkouts (Source: PYMNTS).
Why this matters to your business:
According to the study, small merchants are more likely to offer one-click buy button checkout to increase conversions because it’s basically the easiest way to complete a sale. The study found that using purchase buttons saves consumers 148 million hours per year when checking out online. The point is, if you don’t have a “buy now” button on your ecommerce site, you’re lagging behind the trend.
3 – Microsoft makes it easier to use collaborative spreadsheets with the new “@mentions” feature.
Microsoft has received numerous complaints about how difficult it is to create a collaborative spreadsheet, as a result they have added this new “@mentions” feature to make spreadsheets easier to use. This feature allows users to tag their colleagues so they can edit, view or clarify a specific section. These tags can be both inside and outside the network. These mentions can also be added to Microsoft’s workbook. This feature is expected to be available to users in October 2022, and only Excel desktop users will be able to have the feature for now (Source: Tech Radar).
Why this matters to your business:
A much needed feature. Let’s see how everyone likes it in October.
4 – A Japanese supermarket chain will use robotic arms to stock shelves.
300 Familymart locations in cities across Japan will be equipped with AI-powered robotic arms to stock shelves. This is to help relieve shop workers while helping fight the labor shortage in Japan. According to Telexistence, a Japanese technology company, each robotic unit can replace one to three hours of human labor per day. Familymart will pay the tech company a monthly fee to use the robots. US tech giants like Microsoft and Nvidia are in talks with Telexistence, a Japanese tech company, about the future of AI-based robots. (Source: Seattle Times)
Why this matters to your business:
With fewer workers coming to work, companies around the world are compensating with investments in technology to permanently replace them. It is a great opportunity for the robotics industry and an excellent way for companies to control their overheads while still providing their products and services. What about the workers?
5 – Meta is introducing automation and artificial intelligence tools to help advertisers.
Advantage +, Meta’s most advanced AI and automation for advertisers, is a feature that was once exclusive to high-end campaigns, but can now further help advertisers get more from their ad spend for even a single ad. . (Source: Search Engine Journal)
Why this matters to your business:
According to Meta, Small businesses can use this feature to create their own ads directly on Facebook. This can also create purchase announcements for online and in-person retail. The feature creates a more targeted ad for consumers who would be more likely to buy from that company. “With Meta Advantage + buying campaigns, we are able to grow our business by automating campaign targeting and creativity with fewer manual settings, which freed up time to focus on other areas of our business,” says a Meta company. . “After initially testing Shopping Advantage + campaigns earlier this year, we have devoted more of our budget to these ads as we have seen continued performance and lower CPA.”