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 2021 has seen a strong rebound post-pandemic in online shopping as the global e-commerce market amounted to 13 Trillion dollars in value that year. Emerging markets such as India, parts of Africa, The Balkans and the Baltics, have gradually become a stronghold for eCommerce businesses. The online sales increase from emerging marketplaces is expected to contribute to 20% of all retail sales in 2022. Local payment methods(LPMs) played a crucial role in supporting the growth of this economic activity by setting a native and stable payment infrastructure to support the demand for online shopping both locally and cross-border.

Frank Breuss, the CEO of Nikulipe and an expert on LPMs & cross-border payments, shares his overview of the current landscape and trends in payments in the Fast-growing and Emerging markets.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mobile payments dominate the sub-Saharan region as a preferred Local Payment Method, with adoption in countries such as Kenya reaching up to 72%. The context is very important —  only around 35% of the region’s population has a bank account. The estimated transactional value of mobile payments was 701.4 billion dollars in 2021, which accounts for 70% of the world’s $1 trillion mobile money value. While that year in Kenya alone, the transactional value reached 60 billion dollars. Mobile payments have become the norm amongst African consumers as internet access and smartphone usage in the region is rapidly increasing.

“The demand for ecommerce and cross-border shopping is growing in the African region, which means merchants entering the market will have to solve the challenge of catering to the consumers’ payment preferences,” states Mr. Breuss. “For this reason, the merchants will have to work together with PSPs (Payment Service Providers) to establish efficient infrastructures including Mobile Payment providers, banks, or the companies, like Nikulipe, who can facilitate access to local LPMs.”

The Baltics

In total, the Baltic e-commerce market value is projected to reach 3.47 billion dollars in 2022. According to data from Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian statistical institutions, more than half of the population in the region aged 16-74 made a purchase online at least once a month each year. Moreover, data shows a growing number of Baltic residents shopping on international merchant websites: in 2021, approximately 50% of Estonian and 25% of Latvian and Lithuanian online shoppers made cross-border purchases. Credit card penetration levels in the Baltic states — are less than 30% in Estonia and approximately 16% in Latvia and Lithuania, which means traditional card payment is not the best option for Baltic consumers.

“The fast-growing markets like the Baltics, where e-commerce is booming has the opposite issue than emerging markets — they often have too many LPMs, which places international merchants in a tight spot to offer as many preferred local payments methods in the region as possible. If the merchants or their supporting PSPs don’t have the local market know-how— they risk a high rate of shopping cart abandonment if a particular payment method is not offered.” explains Breuss.”When we built the product for The Baltics (banklinq), we spent most of the development process making sure we can integrate the region’s largest number of major traditional and challenger banks to cover the local consumer base completely.”

The Balkans

The southeast European states have seen a big surge in ecommerce activity ever since the pandemic started. For example, Slovenia has seen a 16% growth and Croatia a 23% increase in online shopping — more than double compared to the EU average. An increase in activity prompted a wider adoption of debit and credit cards within the region with Visa and Mastercard dominating as the preferred payment method for the Balkan consumers. Except for the Czech Republic and Serbia, where the locals are slow to sign up for e-money services or still widely use cash to pay for goods.

“Card user number in the Balkans continues to rise and if no alternative payment method initiatives are made this can have repercussions in the future as Visa and Mastercard fee increase in Europe has a big probability,” comments the expert. “This should be seen as an opportunity by Fintechs to introduce new LPM solutions in the region.”

India

A country with around 1.4 billion consumers is the largest Emerging market globally and the e-commerce market is projected to reach 100 billion dollars in 2022 alone. A market this big is naturally more diverse when it comes to preferred payment methods — LMPs include e-wallets, mobile payments, and even government-run initiatives like e-RUPI. At the same time, credit and debit card adoption per capita is just 0.66 percent. Mobile commerce accounts for 36 percent of all e-commerce transactions in India, while ​digital wallets are used in a quarter of all e-commerce payments.

“India’s payment industry is taking shape before our eyes, with so much space for growth still left as people move away from cash to digital payment methods to shop online both locally and cross-border,” explains Mr. Breuss. “Merchants will have to identify the correct strategic direction for their unique case and work with local PSPs, and both private and government institutions.”

Latin America

It comes as no surprise that the LATAM region transactions are mainly dominated by cash and card payments with Visa and Mastercard as the main providers. Some countries in the region have started initiatives to foster alternative payment methods. For example, Mexico recently announced opting for a regulatory path similar to that of Europe while Brasil is already advancing far into their Open Banking regulation roadmap.

“The payment industry landscape of Latin America is quite diverse but cash & card are still kings in the region,” states Mr. Breuss. “While the unbanked population still relies on their mobile phones and cash to make payments, some countries are working on payment innovations involving Open Banking technology. The maturing payments infrastructure is in line with the growing appetite for international goods and it is only a matter of time until this market skyrockets to increased e-commerce activity”

Emerging markets will continue to grow and take a more significant share of the global ecommerce market. Merchants entering the aforementioned markets will have to solve unique challenges by offering native LPMs preferred by local consumers. The preferred LPMs range from mobile payments to online banking and eWallets instead of traditional card payments seen in established western markets.

Brand new exclusive data surveying 250 English and Drama teachers reveals seeing live/streamed theatre performances is essential to the greatest understanding of core curriculum texts; provides best chance to achieve top grades in English and Drama 

• 78% of teachers state that students are more engaged with dramatic texts after seeing a performance
• 72% of teachers state that seeing live or filmed performances helps students memorise context, meaning and quotes – all essential for exams
• More than half of teachers cite key factors prohibiting access: cost barriers + lack of resources

DIGITAL THEATRE+ today announced a study involving 250 English and Drama teachers intending to give a deeper understanding of the importance for students to have access to performances of the dramatic texts they study.  

Background information

• By law, dramatic texts account for a minimum of 25% and often up to 50% of the GCSE English Curriculum. 
• Digital Theatre+ spoke exclusively to the people on the ground – teachers of English and Drama – to discover the perceived educational benefits when students are able to access live or streamed theatre.
• A previous study (2017) by Shakespeare’s Globe found that ‘half of teenagers ‘never been in a theatre’. 
• Today Digital Theatre+ spoke to teachers to gain an understanding of the core barriers to being able to witness live performance.

KEY FINDINGS 

Factors that prohibit trips to the theatre:

For the many students who do not get the opportunity to witness performances of the plays they are studying, the two key factors that most prohibit this are:

• Cost barriers for schools and parents (Identified by 58% of teachers) 
• Time/lack of teacher resources due to current extra squeeze on arts subjects (identified by 54% of teachers)

Benefits of seeing live or streamed performances:

• 78% of teachers stated that students are often more engaged with dramatic texts after having seen them in a theatre or a film adaptation as opposed to only being able to read the text in a book.
• 72% of teachers stated that watching theatre or film adaptations as opposed to simply reading text helps their students to memorise context, meaning and quotes, which is essential for exams.

Challenges for students when reading text-based plays as opposed seeing them performed:

• Issues with attention or sitting still for a long time when reading a text – 52% of teachers found this a notable issue 
• trouble understanding the language of older texts – 51% of teachers found this to be a notable issue.

Neelay Patel – CEO of Digital Theatre and Digital Theatre+ said: “These findings indicate that unless there is a core shift in priority, many students will never have a chance of achieving the best grades they can in the core subject of English.

 It is no secret that the Government has chosen an education policy that focuses on STEM subjects to the detriment of the arts – but GCSE English is still considered completely vital in the world – almost all university courses require at least a 4 for a standard pass or 5 for a “strong pass” or higher, and a passing grade is also required by many employers.  

When current English literature statutory requirements mean that between 25-50% of an English Literature GCSE is based on being able to understand and interpret dramatic texts. And when we have solid proof that the vast majority of English and Drama teachers consider students seeing a live or streamed performance of those texts as essential to their teaching. It is incredibly frustrating to see that, due to budget and time constraints – however dedicated the teachers – schools are not in a position to help their students achieve the best grades. 

Full survey data here 

About Digital Theatre 

Digital Theatre is a company that provides digital platforms for theatre fans and arts educators. In 2011, the company’s flagship digital educational platform – Digital Theatre+ – was launched to partner with theatres and producers worldwide to capture and share original content with the education sector, and currently provides students and educators in 98 countries access to invaluable on-line productions. It also provides educational resources tailored to fit each production which including e-learning, study guides, essays and interviews to support the teaching of English, Drama and Theatre.

Beanstalk launches crowdfunding round to extend market reach 

An innovative, award-winning app, which makes it easy and affordable for families to invest for their children’s future, has embarked on a six-figure crowdfunding round to further grow its market reach. Beanstalk, which recorded 350% growth in assets under management (AUM) last year, has now registered more than 12,000 users since launching in 2020.   

The business was co-founded by Julian Robson, who co-led the UK business of global financial services company Capital One on its launch, and Cem Eyi, who spent seven years at Capital One in data analysis, marketing and business development roles. Prior to launching Beanstalk, the pair set up the cash-back brand KidStart in 2008, which now has over one million registrations.   

Charging a competitive annual asset management fee of just 0.5%, Beanstalk brings together a combination of tools that make it simple for parents to save money for their children and themselves. Through the app, users are able to manage all their children’s as well as their own accounts on a single portal where they can also invite friends and family members to contribute to a child’s Junior ISA or directly send money for birthdays and other special occasions. As part of KidStart, Beanstalk also offers its users money back at over 2,000 retailers with rebates going directly into their child’s Junior ISA.  

With research showing that only five per cent of UK parents open a stocks and shares Junior ISA, Beanstalk is focused on making it easier for people to save for their children and manage their wider financial affairs. The app has proven popular amongst its users generating high rankings on a range of consumer review sites, including a 4.6 rating on Trustpilot.  

Last month Beanstalk further underlined its market potential after being awarded the Best Junior Investment ISA at the Good Money Guide Awards. 

Through its new crowdfunding campaign, Beanstalk aims to raise investment primarily to build scale through customer acquisition and partnerships. The company will also invest in product development and growing its team.  

Beanstalk co-founder Julian Robson said: “We are on a mission to help parents by making it simple and affordable to build a nest egg for their children’s future, regardless of how much they are able to save. As well as encouraging families to invest for the first time, we are also seeing a number of parents transferring existing Junior ISAs and child trust funds to Beanstalk as we offer a cost-effective and easy-to-manage platform where users can view their accounts in real time.   

“These factors have led to a significant increase in our level of AUM, which we are focused on further growing in multiples over the course of 2022.”  

Fellow co-founder Cem Eyi commented: “The crowdfunding campaign will support our growth ambitions. This additional investment will help Beanstalk scale up our business through customer acquisition and investment into new strategic partnerships that will further enhance our brand and help us grow our presence in the UK market.” 

Hampshire, 24th May 2022 – Today marks the 3-month anniversary of Freedom Day and when the Government lifted the last remaining restrictions brought in to help control the spread of coronavirus in England. CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, surveyed more than 3,000 UK professionals to find out how their working lives have changed over this period. 

70% of workers feel safe in the workplace with no legal restrictions in place but, 36.1% report that going into the office, since restrictions have been lifted, has affected their mental health. 

Overall, 80.7% state that the precautions their employer was taking to prevent infections spreading amongst the workforce have reduced over the last three months. However, 19.3% say they’ve actually increased as more people have returned to the workplace. 

The top changes employees have noticed in the workplace are*: 

1. 50.8% – More people in work

1. 34.9% – There’s a more relaxed atmosphere 

1. 30.4% – People are less cautious around each 

1. 18.3 % – Sickness levels have increased  

*based on top 3 answers  

In terms of feeling vulnerable to catch COVID-19, people feel more likely to catch COVID-19 in the following ways: 

1. 30% – When socialising 

1. 27.9% – When shopping 

1. 27.1% – When at work 

1. 12% – Being around school age children  

Lee Biggins, Founder and CEO of CV-Library comments, “In many ways, Freedom Day feels a lot longer than three months ago. The Ukraine war and the spiralling cost of living have taken precedent for many. However, there has been a big period of adjustment for UK workers and it’s reassuring to know that the majority now feel safe in their place of work.” 

Biggins continues, “Whilst the Prime Minister feels that working from home ‘doesn’t work,’ these results prove that the benefits are significant for many, particularly when it comes to positive mental health. In all of CV-Library’s recent survey results the message is consistent and clear, and UK professionals appear in no hurry to return to pre-pandemic working patterns.”  

Established software development company, Green Gorilla Apps, has today announced its plans to trial a 4-day week for all employees, as it continues to implement new ways to create a truly flexible working environment.

The firm, who are industry experts in the development of online and mobile platforms, have confirmed that salaries and contracted hours will remain the same, but this restructuring of the working week will allow employees a greater degree of control over their schedules.

Green Gorilla Apps have long been proponents of flexible and remote working, having initially trialled a flexible model in 2014 to continue attracting the very best talent to the business. They made the switch to a fully remote model in 2015, further increasing the potential talent pool.

The news comes ahead of a nationwide pilot scheme in June, where over 60 UK companies will take part in a 6-month trial of a 4-day week, coordinated with 4-day week global and researchers at Cambridge and Oxford university. 

The announcement has received an overwhelmingly positive response from existing employees, noting that the switch to a 4-day week has afforded them an even greater degree of freedom with their work, while new employees cite the company’s culture of balance as a key reason for joining the firm.

Paul Rhodes, Technical Director of Green Gorilla Apps, explained: “The switch to a 4-day working week seemed like a natural one for us to make. Since our inception, we’ve prided ourselves on creating an environment that truly promotes flexibility. 

“At Green Gorilla Apps, our focus is on maintaining our high standards of work, not micro-managing when our staff choose to carry out their contracted hours. 

“We have successfully created a culture where everyone knows what it expected of them. By openly communicating expectations to employees and clients alike, we are already beginning to reap the benefits of our transition to a 4-day week with increased productivity, performance and staff morale. 

“The working landscape has dramatically evolved, and I believe it is up to businesses to adapt to the changing expectations of workers so they can continue to attract and retain the very best.”

Earlier this year, the company launched its tech-for-good platform, WellGiving, designed to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of remote and hybrid employees through fundraising fitness challenges.

The platform has already recorded a staggering 3.5 million minutes of exercise across 1900 participating athletes, with £77,000 raised for 27 charities while still in its beta phase, WellGiving is well on its way to achieving its ambitious plans for 2022 and raising £1 million for charities across the UK, while Green Gorilla Apps continue to make a positive impact on employee wellbeing in their own business and beyond.

For more information, visit:

https://wellgiving.co.uk/

May 24th 2022, London: Greyparrot, the AI startup using computer vision technology to monitor, analyse and sort tonnes of waste at scale, has closed a $11 million Series A funding round. The investment, led by Una Terra, with participation from investors including Closed Loop Partners, Unreasonable Collective and Speedinvest will enable Greyparrot to grow its global footprint, expand to new waste types to include some of the world’s heaviest polluting industries, and double down on its research and development.

To date, there has been limited data on the 2.1 billion tonnes of waste produced each year and this means there has been no systematic transparency on its composition or accountability for how waste is managed. This goes some way to explain why recycling rates have remained at 10% at best. Despite consumers’ best efforts to recycle, poor packaging design and ineffective sorting means that much of what goes into recycling bins still ends up in landfill. Greyparrot’s investment comes as mounting regulation fuelled by consumer demand continues to put pressure on the $1.6 trillion waste management industry to clean up the planet.

Since its inception in 2019, the Greyparrot AI-powered computer vision system has analysed over ten billion packaging items in sorting plants to increase recycling rates and introduce accountability to the waste value chain. Its customers cover 60% of the waste management market including industry leaders such as Suez, Biffa and Veolia. The unprecedented data the company has gathered on product packaging is directly impacting policy and packaging design, enabling data-backed decisions to be made by stakeholders along the entire waste value chain. Additionally, suppliers of recycling hardware have integrated the Greyparrot AI model into their sorting machinery and robots. With this, Greyparrot enables the industry to elevate the performance of its sorting infrastructure with AI intelligence. 

Mikela Druckman, co-founder and CEO, Greyparrot said: “Waste has been recognised as the fourth biggest contributor to climate change, yet the data surrounding it has been sparse at best. This is a huge missed opportunity. We are putting a monetary value on waste – something that is perceived to have a negative value. Providing access to granular waste data can also have a big impact at a macro level, helping to shape government policies around recycling and influencing the decisions producers make about their packaging.”

Biffa, a sustainable leader in the UK’s waste and recycling industry, is trialling the Greyparrot system at its Plastics Recovery Facility in Wigan. “The technology has the potential to give us great visibility into our operations and directly aligns with our vision of enabling a circular economy,” said site manager Ian McSpirit. “We’re using the systems to provide real-time analysis of the purity of our PET output material.”

Luca Zerbini, previously the VP of Sustainability at Amcor and now Partner at ESG-focused VC fund Una Terra, said: “Greyparrot is on its way to transform the $1.6T waste management industry and significantly influence the $1T packaging industry, enabling a feedback loop to FMCG players and providing EPR-relevant data. From the first meeting, we knew we wanted to lead this round: Greyparrot has a stellar founding team with a wealth of industry experience across waste management, AI and Machine Learning, a technology solution that works with existing infrastructure, and industry-leading customer satisfaction rates which is the best predictor of significant growth ahead”.

Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners, added: “Greyparrot’s AI-powered system has the potential to track billions of packages and materials in the recycling value chain which will lead to a number of major efficiencies. Their technology can integrate easily with existing recycling infrastructure, improving efficiency and material capture rates. Closed Loop Partners looks forward to working with their team as they grow their reach and impact around the world.”

Recognised as a technology pioneer by the World Economic Forum 2021, Greyparrot is the brainchild of three co-founders: experienced commercial leader Mikela Druckman, serial entrepreneur Ambarish Mitra and AI expert Nikola Sivacki. United in their mission to bring together the best tech talent in the world to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the coming year, the company is on track to double its team, deploy hundreds of Greyparrot systems globally and divert 30,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.

May 24th, 2022,  Zagreb, Croatia | London UK –  NEAR Foundation, the Swiss non-profit that oversees the governance and development of the NEAR protocol, today announced it has partnered with the Borderless Tech Association to launch a regional hub in The Balkans dedicated to ongoing blockchain innovation, education and talent development throughout the region. 

The Balkans has already positioned itself as an internationally attractive IT hub, with venture studios in the region boasting some of the largest and fastest-growing projects in crypto. Web3 has already gained strong traction among developers and companies in the region, and success stories are already emerging on the horizon and attracting significant investments from global VC funds. Crypto startups in the region raised over $92m last year, without including Celsius Networks’s $750m funding round and Polygon’s recent $450m raise.

NEAR Balkans Hub will cover Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. It will provide tools for locals to successfully build on the NEAR protocol, educate themselves about the technology, expand the NEAR ecosystem, become eligible for grants for their ideas, and launch web3 products out of its innovation lab.

Ida Pandur, General Manager of NEAR Balkans, commented: “We are dedicated to bringing the best of education and opportunities for companies and individuals interested in Web3 through strong local support across our Balkan region, which is full of creative, technical and business talents. We are looking forward to forming strong partnerships with teams, businesses and universities to bring the mission to execution.”

Pandur will be joined by a team of more than 15 web3 experts and blockchain enthusiasts. With a mission to incentivise and facilitate the transition to Web3, NEAR Balkans will guide founders, developers, and community members to build their presence as active Web3 participants through partnerships, mentoring, incubation, grant opportunities, and a focus on launching new products from the innovation lab.

The Balkans has seen rapid growth over recent years due to low-cost electricity, the development of a crypto asset industry and more companies choosing to base themselves out of the region, including the popular Ethereum developer platform, Tenderly. There has been a growing appetite among the region’s local tech-savvy talent for new training and education opportunities. 

“We are thrilled to be providing new opportunities for the talented and tech-savvy population of the Balkans,” said Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation. “There is a huge amount of potential waiting to be unlocked in the region. We know that our innovative tools and benefits can accelerate the development of new projects and skills within the region’s community.”

Internationally, the excitement continues to build around the potential of the NEAR blockchain. Unlike other networks, NEAR gives software developers easy access to create new crypto applications, from Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to decentralised finance products, and launch new business models and consumer products.   

The NEAR blockchain is also much faster than Ethereum, the world’s most used blockchain. It acts as a bridge to other blockchains, allowing for the free flow of assets and communication between networks for the betterment of all.  

The Board of UKAA (the UK Apartment Association), the trade organisation for the UK’s Build to Rent sector, has announced the appointment of Brendan Geraghty as its new CEO.

Architect, Design and Development Strategist Geraghty comes to the role with a deep understanding of the Build to Rent sector, built on roles with Centred Architecture, Optim and Geraghty Taylor Architects. Active in the sector since 2011 and a recognised Build to Rent (BTR) thought leader, Brendan has actively championed the integration of consumer culture in BTR with a ‘brand before building’ approach.

Combining strong conceptual and creative intelligence with a solid practical bias, Geraghty’s strategic, analytical approach allows ‘big picture’ thinking to be supported by appropriate levels of granular detail to create inspiring and deliverable solutions. Along with his cross-sector experience and 16 years in senior project and business roles, this positions him perfectly for taking the UKAA forward.

Geraghty has already been associated with the UKAA for some time, having managed the content for the recently launched Best Practice Guide. Now, he will lead the organisation as it moves to shape the future of Build to Rent in the UK.

With over 300 members from across the sector and growing at a rate of more than 100 members per year, the UKAA serves as a single unifying and authoritative body for the urban and suburban Build to Rent sector, working with government, investors, lenders, operators, suppliers and customers to support knowledge exchange, expansion and best practice at every level.

New CEO Brendan Geraghty will be spearheading the UKAA’s leadership through high quality knowledge and research, supporting the organisation to serve as the voice of the Build to Rent sector in the UK. He will also explore new relationships with others in the residential sector with an interest in Build to Rent including housing associations, co-living investors and operators, contractors and house builders as well as pressing ESG issues such as Net Zero Carbon.

“I’m delighted and honoured to lead the UKAA into this new chapter, working to ensure the UK and our members are at the forefront of best practice in the Build to Rent sector. The potential of Build to Rent is still far from fulfilled – there is appetite for exceptional growth in the UK, particularly at a regional level. UKAA will be at the heart of that growth.”

Brendan Geraghty, CEO, UKAA

“We are thrilled that Brendan has taken up the leadership of UKAA at this exciting time in the organisation’s development. We look forward to the organisation’s continued growth with Brendan at the helm at this pivotal time for Build to Rent in the UK.”

Lesley Roberts, President, UKAA

For more information, please visit https://www.ukaa.org.uk/

London, UK, May 23 2022: Sensei, the leading European provider of autonomous stores, has become the first in Europe to provide an autonomous experience for petrol station customers as it teams up with Galp, one of the largest petrol station networks in the Iberian Peninsula.

As a result of the recent collaboration between both companies, Sensei has created a 323 square foot autonomous convenience store at one of Galp’s most emblematic locations in Lisbon. The store offers a number of non-perishable goods, food, snacks and beverages to customers and includes a network of cameras mounted in the ceiling and sensors in shelves to detect the items shoppers pick or leave. 

The autonomous software creates and keeps track of each person’s virtual shopping bag and charges them automatically via the app, with credit card payments soon to follow, upon exiting the shop. Customers now no longer have to scan or wait in line to pay for their treats.

Based on Sensei’s “Plug & Play: Autonomous Pod”, an autonomous concept, which allows for ultrafast deployment and maximum flexibility, the mobile convenience store was fitted and operational within just a few days. The pod is open to customers from 8am until midnight every day with 24/7 access becoming available in the next month.

Vasco Portugal, CEO at Sensei comments: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Sensei and we are proud to be leading the way with autonomous innovation in Europe in areas where people will truly benefit day-to-day. 

“The newly opened petrol station convenience store is a shining example of how we have expanded our reach beyond powering bespoke autonomous stores for large grocers to now also offering modular and mobile “Plug & Play” Pods that can be easily adapted to suit any and all retail needs. We are thrilled to be pioneering this concept in Europe with Galp. It is also the first of many petrol and service station stores that we look forward to launching with different partners in the coming months.”

This latest announcement continues Sensei’s trend for autonomous retail firsts, following their launch of the first fully autonomous, over 1600 square foot retail store in Europe with Sonae’s Continente brand back in May 2020. With the retail tech provider’s recent research showing that the majority of Brits (70%) want to have autonomous retail experience when they shop, the UK market can no doubt expect more innovations arriving on their highstreet soon. 

Teresa Abecasis, Executive Board Member and COO at Galp says: “We are so excited to launch this collaboration with Sensei for our customers. This new autonomous pod, which is mobile and street facing, enables us to offer more for people walking by on the street or stopping at the station for food, enabling them to purchase grab and go meals, snacks, drinks and other products with the ease and speed that only autonomous technology provides whilst avoiding the queues caused by fuel purchasers.

“We are also eager to capitalize on the data captured through Sensei which will help us make the store increasingly better by implementing a highly efficient restocking operation and offering the most attractive products for each specific location. For example; this fully autonomous store will allow for smaller gas stations in lower traffic locations to offer non-fuel products to customers through a profitable operation.”

After marking the first autonomous retail technology to be implemented at a petrol station, Sensei has a number of new collaborations on the horizon including further autonomous convenience store launches at petrol stations. 

London. May 23, 2022 — Precisely, the global leader in data integrity, in collaboration with Corinium Global Intelligence, today announced the results of a new survey that reveals the explosion of online customer interactions during the pandemic are expected to continue growing at a rapid pace, post-pandemic. “How Data is Driving Next-Generation Customer Experiences” surveys 100 global, customer experience (CX) leaders who share their strategic objectives that will take the highest priority in 2022 to optimise online consumer expectations. 

During the height of the pandemic (2019-2021), eCommerce sales grew by 50.5 per cent. Many organisations responded by closing in-person locations, including 28 per cent of survey participants. Another 42 per cent expect to do the same in the coming 12 months. As a result, companies were required to conduct more business online and invest in digital touchpoints that created a positive CX. In fact, 65 per cent of leaders surveyed say they have already created digital touchpoints to serve as an alternative to in-person touchpoints, and 34 per cent expect to follow their lead over the next year. 

As more consumers conform to the ease and comfort of conducting business online, companies must optimise online consumer expectations. But it’s not all or nothing. There is a fine line between what services should be offered in-person or online, and of those online services, some should be automated while others require live interactions. For example, individuals may want to self-serve for day-to-day activities but will want a person to talk to when something goes wrong, or they need help. As such, businesses are looking to offer myriad digital touchpoints to serve myriad customer needs, including mobile apps, remote call centres, customer self-service tools, chatbot capabilities, and interactive voice response phone systems. 

With the creation of new digital touchpoints, consumers will generate volumes of data that can be used for strategic insight. In just the last two years, enterprise data volume has doubled as a result of booming online interactions. Unfortunately, many organisations don’t have the data infrastructure in place to glean valuable insights from that data. Only 37 per cent of survey participants believe they have a well-developed enterprise data architecture that enables high-quality, data-driven, and personalised CX. For many, data becomes siloed across the various touchpoints, making it difficult to access the data (48 per cent). Of the data that is accessible, 45 per cent of survey participants believe it isn’t relevant or current, and they believe an insufficient investment in CX is the problem (41 per cent). 

“Legacy systems are the most common theme holding organisations back from achieving their CX goals – and 54 per cent of survey participants agree,” says Greg Van den Heuvel, EVP and general manager, EngageOne at Precisely. “If your company is aiming to achieve a consistent and holistic approach to customer engagement, taking advantage of a single, unified platform is significantly more effective than using a disjointed toolset to try and accomplish that objective.” 

Luckily, 96 per cent of CX leaders say they have, or they plan to invest in, data integration, data integrity, or data enrichment technologies. While many organisations are equipped with the right in-house resources to optimise data, over half (51 per cent) are partnering with Hosted Managed Services (HMS) providers to achieve three core competencies that can reduce costs (63 per cent); provide better customer communications (55 per cent); and improve operational efficiency (33 per cent). These HMS providers can introduce modern integrated customer communications management platforms that leverage cloud-enabled technologies, anchored in data. 

To download the full report, visit https://www.precisely.com/resource-center/analystreports/how-data-is-driving-next-generation-customer-experiences