Microsoft to buy speech AI firm Nuance for $16bn
Microsoft is to buy the artificial intelligence and speech technology firm Nuance Communications for around $16bn (£12bn), as it builds up its cloud-computing operation for healthcare and business customers.
ASOS profits jump 275% as lockdown drives fashion sales online
Asos has more than tripled first-half profits to a record £106m as the online retailer continues to benefit from the pandemic.
Brits saved over £245 billion in lockdown – and now they’re ready to spend it
Brits have amassed over £245 billion in savings, with 25% of that expected to be spent immediately or soon after lockdown ends, according to new research.
Nearly half (45%) of all online content goes unseen (but visibility is improving)
Almost half (45%) of all online content goes unseen, but this number fell from 69% in 2020, according to new research.
Seven in ten shoppers say sharing data with retailers ‘isn’t worth the spammy marketing’
The vast majority (91%) of shoppers are open to sharing data with brands and retailers so long as they won’t be served any intrusive ads, according to new research.
Businesses losing out on revenue due to poor sales and marketing alignment
Misalignment between sales and marketing functions is having an adverse effect on both job and organisation performance within firms.
Amazon Alexa launches ‘Call RNIB Helpline’
Amazon is launching the “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline” Alexa feature, which is one of the latest Alexa functions following on from a collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Lack of product info online turns away customers
4 of 5 consumers would abandon a planned purchase, and almost 6 out of 10 would return a product if they encountered flawed product information, according to new research.
Tesco aims to shift mobile network peceptions with new campaign
Tesco Mobile is launching a new campaign to promote its mobile network: This is Supermarket Mobile.
Brits holiday budgets remain intact
Over two-thirds (69%) of The Times, The Sunday Times & The Sun readers’ holiday budgets have not been impacted by the pandemic, according to new research.
Email trends: Brand recall more important to email opens than the subject line
Brand recall is more important for email open rates than the subject line’s content – with 68% of consumers saying this is key to whether they open an email, compared to 59%, according to new research.
LinkedIn offers new features for marketers and creators
LinkedIn has launched new features to help marketers, creators and freelancers promote their brands and businesses.
Three UK and Samaritans connect 1 million people to emotional support
Three UK has today announced a three-year charity partnership with Samaritans to connect 1 million people to emotional support.
Cookies and Marmite? Mars teams with Google Cloud to create AI-developed Maltesers cake
To find out if taste can be digitalised, Google Cloud teamed up with Mars Wrigley UK to create the world’s first ever Maltesers AI Cake.
End of an era: Yahoo! Answers shuts down after 16 years
Yahoo Answers, one of the longest-running question-and-answer sites on the internet, is shutting down after 16 years.
Tesco trials restaurant-quality collection boxes designed by branding partner Coley Porter Bell
Tesco has announced the trial launch of its Finest range premium restaurant meal boxes with packaging designed by branding agency Coley Porter Bell.
Deliveroo shares struggle after stock market flop
Meal delivery company Deliveroo’s stock market debut was one of the worst opening-day performances by a large company IPO on record, leaving investors hoping for a rebound or facing heavy losses.
Google puts limits on future of remote work
Google is changing its work-from-home policy as it looks to get more people back into its US offices.
Coronavirus survey: Businesses report tentative signs of recovery
Businesses are reporting tentative signs of recovery and hope for the future, despite another challenging year ahead, according to new research.
Employee buy-in ‘crucial to digital transformation success’
Many businesses are failing to keep their workforce at the heart of their digital transformations, leading to employee dissatisfaction and hindering the success of digitalisation initiatives, new research has found.
The new normal: Third of employees expected to work remotely after the pandemic
46% of organisations expect over a third of employees to work remotely after the pandemic, according to new research.
Mediaocean launches omnichannel advertising platform
Mediaocean has announced a new product model, the Omnichannel Advertising Platform, along side a major re-brand.
More than one in two people fear their identity being stolen by fraudsters
Over half (58%) of the public are worried about their personal information being stolen by fraudsters, according to new research.
Adverty and mobile game developer Gold Town Games enter into strategic partnership
In-game advertising specialist, Adverty is entering a new partnership with Gold Town Games enabling the game developer to utilise Adverty’s in-game ad solutions across their increasingly popular games.
Majority of marketers stretched to breaking point during the pandemic
The majority of marketers stretched themselves to breaking point during the pandemic, amid pressure to retain customers and adapt to a purely digital environment, according to new research.
Riskified and Dentsu team up for global strategic partnership
Fraud prevention solutions provider Riskified has struck a partnership with global advertising agency Dentsu which will see Riskified’s eCommerce enablement and fraud prevention solutions introduced to Dentsu’s portfolio of customers.
Cognism partners Bombora to match intent data with prospect database
Cognism has launched the latest version of its platform, which embeds Bombora’s intent data into its sales intelligence software.
Top fitness apps: Mi Fit and Strava lead the way
The pandemic has significantly increased the demand for at-home fitness, so much so that health and fitness app downloads increased 30% in 2020, according to new data.