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The future of food and beverage lies in online behavior analysis

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

Marketing effectiveness is now predicated on analyzing online consumer behavior. We are digitally immersed, and our buying behavior is reflected in our digital footprint across all channels from emails to social media. AI-driven back-end tools are continually assessing our likes so that marketers can be more efficient in their targeting. The same is true of the food and beverage industry, which is increasingly looking at online consumer conversations for the next step in its journey. A recent consumer insights report by Social Standards shows distinct shifts in this regard.

E-scooters: A blessing or a curse?

Dave G. Houser Transportation Technology & Automotive

Once serving only as children’s toys, scooters have taken on a new life these days in cities across America. Powered by compact lithium-ion batteries, these stubby little two-wheelers have become the latest adult solution to urban congestion. The popularity of e-scooters is understandable. Foremost, they are easy and fun to ride. Eco-sensitive riders laud the fact that they produce no emissions and constitute a minimal carbon footprint. Nonetheless, the massive influx of e-scooters has created a groundswell of controversy. Critics cite safety issues, decrying scooters as risky to both riders and pedestrians.

How social listening can boost your digital marketing power

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

Do you know how to incorporate social listening as part of your marketing strategy? If not, it's time to start harnessing its power. Social listening is the practice of crawling the internet to locate all the mentions of your brand on social media platforms as well as your brand's related keywords. This way, you can very specifically target the consumers who will buy what you're selling quickly and easily. To do it most effectively, you need a strategy of do’s and don'ts that will maximize your time, marketing focus, and your campaign effectiveness. Use the following science-driven tips to do it right.

Does your company need a chief data officer?

Terri Williams Science & Technology

Your company has a CEO, COO, CFO, CMO and a CIO. But did you know that you might also need a CDO? Many organizations assume that the chief information officer can serve as the chief data officer, but according to a survey by NewVantage, only 10.3% of companies believe that the technology executive fits the profile of a successful CDO. So, what is a CDO, and how do you know if your company needs one?

What does GM owe workers?

Michelle R. Matisons Transportation Technology & Automotive

General Motors (GM) workers began a historic strike three weeks ago. The labor action has already cost the U.S.’ largest automaker $1 billion. This lost money — including "idle trucks and packed warehouses" for numerous related businesses — continues, threatening broad economic instability. The UAW presented GM with a proposal package on Oct. 5 that outlined a minimum of 35 hourly proposals and three salaried proposals. On Oct. 6, GM rejected the package, according to the UAW website, and the union has called for a detailed response from GM, which it has not yet received.

Getting a job at McDonald’s is now as easy as talking to Alexa

Linchi Kwok Food & Beverage

McDonald’s recently introduced the world’s first voice-initiated job application process, called McDonald’s Apply Thru. Now, job seekers can initiate the job application process through McDonald’s Apply Thru by talking to either Alexa or Google Assistant. McDonald’s Apply Thru is now available in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. It will be made available to other countries in the coming months.

Podcast: How to use telehealth to create or grow a cash-pay physical therapy…

Jarod Carter Sports & Fitness

In 2005, Rob Vining developed and launched the world’s first digital practice for physical therapy. His telehealth model allowed him to accept and treat patients far and wide on a cash-pay basis, and it became clear those patients were getting great results. In time, Vining found himself focusing more on developing software tools that would enable medical professionals to easily enter the growing telehealth market. He and his students are proving the potential for PTs to become more efficient and profitable by making telehealth visits available for the convenience of existing patients.

Uncovering a smart-home tech disconnect

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Smart homes are undoubtedly the wave of the future. Yet, despite the hype in recent years around the plethora of smart devices available for the home, homeowners have been slow to embrace smart-home living wholeheartedly. At the moment, they appear to be more interested in supporting the tech they have already than in adding more tech to their lives. A kitchen technology awareness survey of interior designers and consumers conducted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) in 2018 revealed a considerable disconnect between what technologies consumers said appealed to them and what designers’ perceived their clients wanted.

Healthcare groups: ONC should delay data-blocking rules, focus on security

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Federal policymakers in healthcare IT are up against it. As many as seven healthcare industry groups are encouraging these rulemakers to begin dealing with data-blocking regulations now, including delaying the publication of a final rule. The groups are raising the flag toward the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to issue another supplemental notice of rulemaking and clarify the language in the rules. The organizations cite confusion regarding ONC's definition and scope of electronic health information and health information networks.

On the horizon: Video selfie blood pressure monitoring

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Blood pressure readings taken at home are often lower than those taken at a doctor’s office and may provide a more accurate picture of a patient’s blood pressure. However, users tend not to follow American Heart Association guidelines and device manufacturers' suggestions to take multiple measurements each time. In a recent study, Kang Lee, Ph.D., professor at the University of Toronto, and colleagues measured the blood flow of 1,328 Canadian and Chinese adults by capturing two-minute videos using an iPhone equipped with transdermal optical imaging software.

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