As the retail market continues to evolve, the pursuit of consumer loyalty intensifies. An exponential increase in digital touchpoints means businesses must adapt to ensure they remain at the forefront of innovation. With the drive towards digitisation, companies must ensure they invest in supporting tools and technologies that let them continue to deliver frictionless customer experiences both in-store and online with digital loyalty and rewards programs. 

Modern customers increasingly expect convenience at every turn, and payment-linked loyalty—where rewards are automatically applied at the point of sale (POS)—are representative of this new era. However, not every digital loyalty program will meet the unique needs of each business, so it’s important to look for a flexible solution, instead of a one-size-fits-all promise, according to Loyalty Now. 

Anurag Vasisth, Co-Chair and Group CEO, Loyalty Now, said, “Payment-linked loyalty streamlines the user experience while allowing businesses to gather invaluable transactional insights, which can be used to fine-tune offerings, ensuring customers receive relevant, timely, tailored incentives. 

“However, while data-driven insights are essential to remain competitive in the modern retail landscape, the ideal digital loyalty and rewards program should offer more benefits than access to data alone for retailers. Achieving this ensures that businesses gain access to a program that goes beyond data, delivering a solution that considers the business’s specific needs, and that of its consumers, to provide a loyalty program that maps to the customer and business relationship.” 

For the best results, digital loyalty and rewards programs should offer: 

• Comprehensive security: amid escalating cyber threats and an evolving threat landscape, data protection remains a paramount concern and businesses must be vigilant. As organisations collect and analyse vast amounts of transactional data, it is imperative that this information is kept secure, and businesses must invest in the latest security protocols and ensure rigorous compliance. Loyalty solutions that are Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)-compliant are essential to help maintain the trust and confidence of consumers. 
• Payment agnosticism: the diverse landscape of payment methods—from different cards, banks, and digital wallets—each with its unique protocols and requirements, can be a challenge. The true power lies in being versatile, in being attuned to the myriad ways customers choose to transact and engage with brands. Loyalty programs that are scheme agnostic and not confined to a single mode of payment deliver flexibility and inclusivity for consumers. This lets businesses reach a wider demographic, encompassing varied spending habits and preferences. 
• Demonstrated experience: businesses should look for loyalty program providers who have demonstrated experience in leading complex programs to success. A seasoned provider can navigate challenges, anticipate shifts in consumer behaviour, and innovate proactively. Such expertise is invaluable in creating a loyalty program that resonates, evolves, and delivers consistent value for consumers and merchants alike. 
• Frictionless retail experiences: with the rise of eCommerce, it’s impossible for brands not to ignore the value of a seamless instore and online experience, and loyalty programs must reflect this changing landscape. A fragmented approach can lead to disjointed customer experiences, potentially eroding loyalty. Successful loyalty programs should seamlessly integrate both offline and online experiences, giving consumers a unified experience that ensures continuity, fosters a sense of familiarity and trust, and keeps brands at the forefront of their minds. 
• Direct connection: loyalty programs that directly integrate with merchants and merchant aggregators  pave the way for richer insights, personalised offers, and a smoother overall experience. This ensures near real-time updates, personalised offers, and an enriched consumer journey that minimises layers and results in quicker decisions and more tailored offers.  

Anurag Vasisth said, “The pursuit of loyalty in today’s digital age requires the careful consideration of technology, strategy, and customer understanding. As businesses traverse this evolving landscape, it’s clear that a thoughtful approach to loyalty and rewards programs can foster lasting relationships and unlock untapped potential. Businesses are pressed to remain innovative, constantly adapting to changing consumer behaviours and expectations. Customer behaviours need to be considered in tandem with business objectives, as well as the changing industry landscape. This has highlighted the need for a well-considered choice in loyalty and rewards programs.” 

More than half of Australian businesses (51%) would look to source more suppliers and customers overseas within the next 12 months, according to new research released by Money Transfer Comparison. As the cost of doing business in Australia increases, 85,686 businesses closed their doors permanently between March and June 2023[1]. The highly competitive and costly Australian market could force SMEs to seek resources or customers offshore for business success or survival.

The research comprised of a survey of 202 independent business owners and decision-makers across the full SME spectrum, commissioned by comparison service Money Transfer Comparison. The full survey results, including breakdowns across different business sizes and States, can be found here: https://moneytransfercomparison.com/australian-business-supplies-overseas/ 

More than half of all Australian businesses would seek suppliers and customer overseas. 

With the rising operating costs business owners face, one-third have already reduced spending on non-essentials[2] and are making cost-saving adjustments for their businesses. Money Transfer Comparison’s research found that 51 per cent of businesses are willing to seek resources and customers or clients from overseas within the next 12 months as a response to the escalating costs of operating a business in Australia. One-third of the respondents (33%) indicated that they would choose an offshore supplier instead of a local one, and 18 per cent would seek suppliers and customer overseas.

“There are a number of benefits to outsourcing, such as saving on labour and supplier costs, entering less competitive markets and increasing a business’s customer base,” says Money Transfer Comparison spokesperson Russell Gous.

Across the major states, West Australian businesses are the most likely to source overseas resources and customers or clients in the next 12 months at 68 per cent. Queensland businesses are the least likely to make the switch from local to international suppliers and customers or clients (60%).

Analysing the choices of different business sizes across the SME spectrum, 60 per cent of medium-sized businesses would look offshore. In comparison, only a quarter of micro-businesses (25%) would investigate overseas options.

Russell believes the new findings indicate that business owners are adapting to the rapidly changing financial climate in Australia: “Businesses are proactive in finding solutions to maintain their competitive edge and financial security. Outsourcing could be a short or long-term solution for businesses mitigating increasing costs, as well as to solve the skills shortage.”

Tech industry the most sought after for SMEs looking to outsource

The survey asked respondents which category Australian businesses would look at sourcing cheaper overseas products and services, with tech-related products and services being most likely, specifically software (38%) and IT hardware (31%). A significant proportion of businesses would also source manufacturing (30%), labour (29%), shipping and logistics (27%) and research (15%) offshore.

Russell concludes: “The data provides a comprehensive picture of how Australian SMEs will lean on offshore outsourcing to mitigate some local challenges. The significant trend points towards the need for outsourcing within the next 12 months, and the preference towards the tech industry reflects Australia’s shortage of skills in this area.”

The full survey results, including breakdowns across different business sizes and States, can be found here: https://moneytransfercomparison.com/australian-business-supplies-overseas/ 

ECOVACS ROBOTICS, has announced the Australian launch of its revolutionary new DEEBOT X2 OMNI robotic vacuum cleaner. Square instead of round and more powerful than ever before, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI comes with an exciting range of advanced features and new innovations that redefine the design, performance and navigation of robotic vacuuming and mopping.

The DEEBOT X2 OMNI boasts a brand-new design and innovations that set a new standard in home and small business cleaning performance, as more than 100 ECOVACS patents come together in this new flagship. Its new square design is complemented by ECOVACS’ newly-developed Semi-Solid-State Lidar, which is directly integrated into the main body of the robot for the first time, which means that it can deliver true edge-to-edge cleaning precision as well as a lower profile of just 9.5cm to reach every corner and hard-to-reach, low lying furniture which have previously been impossible to reach without manual intervention.

Its 8,000pa of suction is 60% more powerful than its predecessor, it has a 15mm auto-lift feature on its mopping pads, has a run time of more than two and a half hours, and it contains a raft of new and powerful ECOVACS proprietary AI and machine learning technology that sets a new industry standard. The more it cleans, the more experience it gains, refining its autonomous decisions and cleaning performance and recommending optimal cleaning solutions over time, including the best navigation strategy, more precise and flexible obstacle avoidance, faster response times and higher detection sensitivity.

Meanwhile, the all-in-one OMNI station, now with a smaller footprint than its predecessor, offers a fully automatic cleaning solution, washing its mopping pads with 55 °C hot water and then drying them with hot air. The dust container is also emptied automatically, and clean water is refilled into the robot, making the whole process of the DEEBOT X2 OMNI effortlessly simple.

“The DEEBOT X2 OMNI is a clear indication of our commitment to continuously push the boundaries of innovation to deliver a superior cleaning performance, advanced intelligence, and an immersive cleaning experience,” said Karen Powell, ECOVACS Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand.

“With today’s launch we have delivered the ultimate cleaning companion that truly simplifies home cleaning, making everyday cleaning intelligent, effortless, and effective. We have gone well beyond incremental improvements to set a new course for technological advancement and product innovation in the industry, and Australian consumers will be among the first in the world to be able to access these new technology breakthroughs.”

Unprecedented New Design Breaks New Ground in Thorough Home Cleaning

ECOVACS takes cleaning to new dimensions with the DEEBOT X2 OMNI, particularly for those who value edge-to-edge cleanliness, quality and luxury in their living spaces.

Unmatched Cleaning Coverage: The brand-new design of the DEEBOT X2 OMNI features a square design, built-in edge detection sensors and outstretched mopping pads for edge-to edge cleanliness. These features enable the robot to perceive the furniture environment across the home, which provide thorough deep cleaning with edge coverage as high as 99.77% and a 19% increase in cleaning efficiency. The innovative square shape has expanded the width of the front roller brush and allows the mopping pads to move 30mm closer to the corners, resulting in a 45% reduction in distance over its predecessor X1 model. With enhanced proprietary motion control algorithms, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI effectively resolves the “way-out” problem when navigating narrow areas, ensuring a thorough cleaning experience that leaves no dirt or dust behind. The DEEBOX X2 OMNI also integrates ECOVACS’s longest main roller brush, which further elevate its cleaning performance.

·       Effortlessly Thorough Cleaning: ECOVACS has crafted the DEEBOT X2 OMNI with a square and compact design tailored to users’ everyday needs and challenges in cleaning hard-to-reach areas with vacuum cleaners. Measuring 32cm in diameter and 9.5cm in height, the super-thin, low-profile design enables the robotic cleaner to glide underneath all furniture, like sofas and beds, easily, cleaning areas where dirt often hides. This advanced design makes cleaning more manageable and efficient, saving users’ time and effort.

·       Space-saving Elegance: Accommodating the DEEBOT X2 is the new OMNI station, featuring a space-saving form factor of 394mm x 527.5mm x 443.73mm in dimensions. This sleek design allows easy integration in various living spaces, ensuring a clutter-free and organised home.

Industry-leading Technology for Unsurpassed Cleaning Performance

ECOVACS’ DEEBOT X2 OMNI emerges as a powerhouse of cleaning performance, driven by sophisticated tech advancements and user-centric engineering.

·       Maximised Efficiency: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI boasts a wind tunnel and an impressive suction power of up to 8000Pa, tailored explicitly for comprehensive crevice dusting and carpet cleaning. This ensures superior cleaning efficiency and effectiveness, efficiently tackling challenging and large dirt patches.

·       15mm Intelligent Auto-Lift Of Mopping Pads: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI, employing ultrasonic technology, has a powerful 15mm intelligent auto-lift feature on its mopping pads. This smart technology prevents dirty mops from staining mopped areas during backwashing and eliminates cross-contamination when navigating. It simplifies the cleaning process by removing the need to detach the mopping plate when encountering carpets during mopping or vacuuming, guaranteeing a seamless and hygienic cleaning experience.

·       Consistent Cleaning Pressure: The unique OZMO Turbo 2.0 Rotating Mopping System provides consistent pressure to the floor for deep cleaning with the unique chenille fabric mop, capable of tackling even stubborn stains. The LiftUp OZMO Turbo 2.0 Rotating Mopping system lifts when a carpet is detected or passing through a clean area, optimising the suction power from mopping mode to vacuum mode, ensuring a clean home in any scenario.

·       Stronger Mobility Performance: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI is built with a superb 22mm obstacle-surmounting capacity, allowing it to ascend 22mm to cross most thresholds easily. It ensures smooth navigation over drops and protruding thresholds, particularly those on high or uneven surfaces. Users enjoy a hands-off cleaning experience as the DEEBOT X2 OMNI effortlessly navigates different home areas of your home.

Intelligent, AI-Powered Cleaning Assistance, Every Day

The DEEBOT X2 OMNI sets new standards in smart cleaning by integrating advanced artificial intelligence, offering cleanliness and the security of your home’s assets.

·       Unsurpassed Cleaning Precision: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI incorporates pioneering Dual-laser Lidar technology. Anchored by a built-in LiDAR sensor – the same technology found in many autonomous vehicles – this feature acts as the DEEBOT’s ‘eyes,’ allowing a 210-degree view, superior navigation, and intelligent obstacle avoidance even for objects 10m away. With its protected, in-built design, the DEEBOT X2 swiftly responds to changes in the home environment, ensuring the safety of your belongings and offering a refined cleaning experience.

·       Exceptional Adaptability:  Alongside, the AIVI™ 3D 2.0, an AI advancement, grants the DEEBOT X2 enhanced spatial perception capabilities. An upgraded RGBD sensor is more capable of identifying and adapting to a specific environment. The new feature improves its recognition of ground barriers and furniture designation for cleaning, significantly reducing the need for additional adjustments and user intervention. With such advanced AI integration, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI maximises the success rate in recognising and adapting to different cleaning scenarios and environments, further enhancing cleaning efficiency.

·       Harnessing Machine Learning: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI employs a new AINA Model (Artificial Intelligence Navigation) machine learning algorithms to adapt effectively to various cleaning scenarios and environments while ensuring the safety of household assets. The more it cleans, the more experience it gains, refining its autonomous decisions and cleaning performance and recommending optimal cleaning solutions over time. Whether it’s swiftly avoiding fast-moving children at home, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI stands ready, ensuring their safety while delivering a stellar clean.

Effortless Cleaning

In tune with the demands of contemporary households, ECOVACS has built the DEEBOT X2 OMNI to deliver unparalleled convenience and efficiency.

·       No Manual Intervention: The all-in-one OMNI station sets a new standard in automation, providing a comprehensive solution that covers cleaning, emptying, hot air drying, and refilling. Every cleaning cycle makes your bot good as new. With its unique 55°C hot water mop washing function, the OMNI station ensures that the X2’s mopping pads are always clean, dissolving oil stains better, leaving them ready for the next use. This frees users from everyday cleaning inconveniences and even the toughest stain removal hassles. 

·       Convenient Maintenance: For effortless upkeep, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI features a detachable cleaning sink and bottom plate components, providing users with an elegant, worry-free, and time-saving way to maintain their vacuum cleaners. With easy-to-maintain parts, home dwellers can keep their DEEBOT X2 OMNI in optimal condition without any stress or effort.

·       Extended Battery Life: Equipped with a built-in 6400mAh lithium battery delivering more than two and half hours of runtime, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI delivers consistent cleaning performance even in large homes without frequent recharging. Its extended battery life promises uninterrupted cleaning sessions with minimal user effort, making home cleaning more effortless than ever before.

A Truly New-Age Interactive Cleaning Experience

The DEEBOT X2 OMNI ushers a new generation of interactive cleaning, offering a continually evolving intelligent cleaning assistant that is effortlessly controllable and customizable to user needs.

·       Accessible, Immersive Interactions for Tailored Cleaning: Leveraging its newly upgraded 3D map, the DEEBOT X2 OMNI can now identify and clean specific areas, be it a stain under your living room table or a dirt patch in the hallway. Users simply have to swipe their finger over the target area over the app, and the DEEBOT X2 OMNI will take care of it, providing user-centric customisation and convenience.

·       Enhanced Voice Controlled Assistance: The DEEBOT X2 OMNI also incorporates the advanced YIKO 2.0 voice assistant, enabling multiple voice control scenarios, including conversations with numerous commands, offline natural language processing, remote control, cleaning scheduling, task adjustments and more. These features offer an immersive cleaning experience and improve the DEEBOT X2 OMNI’s ability to understand and respond to user commands, serving as an intelligent housekeeper.

Leading the Industry with Strong R&D Capabilities

ECOVACS has R&D centers in Suzhou and Shenzhen, housing the largest R&D teams in the industry, and continues to invest in key technologies such as chips, sensors, visual perception, and voice interaction as part of its commitment to cutting-edge technologies. The company’s R&D expenditure in 2022 was over A$160 million, representing an increase of 35.5% from the previous year. By the end of 2022, it had obtained 1,540 patents, including 531 for inventions.

Through its product R&D and technological efficiency, ECOVACS has solidified its leading position in the service robotics industry. Each breakthrough in key areas like cleaning, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and interaction strengthens the foundation for future technological advancements and are also patented, thus strengthening ECOVACS’ technological advantage in the service robot sector.

Pricing and Availability

The ECOVACS X2 OMNI has a recommended retail price of A$2,499 and is available today through pre-order through all retail partners. It will be on-shelf from September 21 from Bing Lee, Godfreys, Harvey Noman, JB HiFi, Robot Specialist, The Good Guys, Amazon & ECOVACS Online.

The past few years have placed tremendous pressure on Australia’s tradies. Plagued by labour shortages, mass increases in the cost of materials and a shrinking work pipeline, our home improvement industry is in need of support.

Thankfully, tradie shortages are slowly easing and the trajectory for the industry is promising. However, with consumer budgets still incredibly tight due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, the number of larger jobs available such as new builds and renovations is still yet to rise.

Supporting tradies and small businesses in the home improvement sector has always been a core value at hipages Group. With hipages being Australia’s largest online tradie marketplace, we help our network of over 35,700 verified tradies find work to keep their job pipelines flowing.

In fact, in our recent FY23 results we recorded a record 41% YoY increase in tradie sign-ups to our platform. Although the number of bigger jobs has decreased, tradies on our platform have been able to tap into the steady demand for home maintenance and repair jobs that are posted every day.

Giving tradies a platform to be heard

Tradies are at the core of hipages, so we know that the challenges tradies face are dynamic and can change rapidly. We’ve given them a greater voice within our business through the introduction of our first Customer Advisory Board.

A diverse mix of business owners and operators across the most popular trade categories around Australia, the hipages Customer Advisory Board provides feedback on our product features, brings new insights to shape our services, and identifies areas for improvement to directly tackle the issues impacting tradies and businesses.

In less than three months of operation, the board is already making waves by assisting with the implementation of a new profile page on the hipages platform that helps tradies better promote their business. The feedback provided by the Board has been instrumental and our customers are already seeing results.

Through monthly regroups, the Board provides updates on business trends from architecture to plumbing, providing us with a greater understanding of the wider industry.

Having this direct voice for the trade community helps us stay close to the current problems, so we can provide relevant solutions. While we’ve always engaged in two-way dialogue with the tradie community, the Board takes this even further.

Looking to the future

Ultimately, our goal at hipages Group is to take our support of tradies even further in the creation of an end-to-end platform that cements our place in the tradie ecosystem. From quote to invoice, we want to empower our customers with the tools they need on every step of the business journey,

Our Customer Advisory Board will be key to achieving this vision by helping to uncover the many challenges tradies can face, including building a business profile, administrative tasks, job scheduling and more.

As Australia’s home improvement industry continues to evolve, hipages will continue to do the same, fostering a great connection between tradies and homeowners, and providing businesses with a secret weapon for their toolkit.

Jabra’s new premium Elite 8 & 10 earbuds include Spatial Sound, Advanced ANC, optimal battery life and compact design to power you through work and life.

Jabra, leader in personal sound and hybrid work solutions, has launched two new premium models to expand the top end of their Elite true wireless earbuds range. The Jabra Elite 8 Active, tested to be the world’s toughest earbuds*, and the Elite 10, Jabra’s most advanced earbuds for work and life with clear calls, all-day  comfort and optimised to deliver a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience through Dolby Head Tracking.

The world’s toughest premium earbuds

Jabra’s new addition to its active range, the Elite 8 Active, will set a new standard for durability and fit. Built for much more than running or sports, they are designed to be durable enough for users regardless of what they choose to do and wherever life takes them.

The Elite 8 Active buds pass all the required tests for the US Military Standard for Ruggedized Electronics (810H). That is everything from humidity and high temperature to rain and altitude. They are completely watertight when submerged up to 1.5m. – they are IP68 rated, meaning that they are fully dust and waterproof, whilst the charging case is IP54  rated to be dust and splashproof. In addition, we put the Elite 8 Active through their paces with Highly Accelerated Corrosion Testing (HACT). This requires the earbuds to pass 11 full cycles of testing, including enduring 2 hours in 40°C temperatures with 93% humidity, going through a 15-minute splash test in salt water, and surviving a 15-minute 40°C heat drying  test, to successfully prove their anti-corrosion credentials. All of this whilst staying secure in  the ear with the improved grip provided by Jabra ShakeGrip™ technology.

While Jabra Elite 8 Active premium earbuds are proud to be tough, they have not sacrificed their sound, nor aesthetic. They are made to fuel workouts with incredible sound thanks to Dolby Audio, which delivers lifelike, clear sound for a longer and more comfortable listening experience. The Adaptive Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) automatically optimises the ANC performance to the environment you’re in. Wind Neutralising HearThrough™ technology also muffles any wind interference without blocking out traffic, ensuring safety without compromising on steady sound. 

With 6-mic call technology and wind noise protecting mesh, stable smartwatch  connectivity**, Google Assistant, Fast Pair, Swift Pair and Spotify Tap, battery life for up to 8  hours (32 hours with a case), these earbuds are just as good for working as for working out. 

Dialling-up your Dolby Atmos listening experience

Jabra’s new top-of-the-line Elite 10 premium earbuds promise the best combination of comfort, sound and calls anywhere, for both work and life. These true wireless earbuds, which are optimised for enjoying content in Dolby Atmos, are truly immersive and Jabra’s first earbuds to support Dolby Head Tracking. Dolby Head Tracking engages listeners in a whole new way by keeping them in the centre of the soundstage as they move their heads, enabling a more natural sound experience for your favourite entertainment, including both Dolby Atmos and stereo content. And when available, the combination of Dolby Head Tracking together with  Dolby Atmos content further elevates the sound with incredible detail and clarity for the ultimate Dolby Atmos listening experience. 

Elite 10 also eliminates surrounding noise with Jabra Advanced Active Noise Cancellation^TM. The ultra-powerful ANC auto-adjusts for what’s around you. This is achieved by infrasonic waves that measure the ear canal and algorithms that detect noise leakage and wind conditions. As a result, the earbuds will automatically switch to the highest ANC gain in noisier environments and reduce the gain in quiet places.

Designed with learnings from Elite 7 Pro for fit and Elite 85t for all-day wearing comfort, the  Elite 10 is the first in Jabra’s true wireless earbuds range to offer Jabra ComfortFit technology for the most natural, airy fit and less occlusion due to its semi-open design that relieves ear pressure, allowing users to walk and talk in comfort. Every surface the ear touches is made of soft silicon for a snug fit, meaning less wearing fatigue for all-day use. These earbuds are also designed to cater for more ear shapes and sizes than ever before.

The Elite 10 comes complete with 6-mic call technology for crystal-clear calls, 6-hour battery  (27 hours with case), including a pocket-friendly cradle optimised for wireless charging,  Bluetooth Multipoint connection, hands-free voice assistance and easy pairing. 

Calum MacDougall, SVP at Jabra, said, “Jabra has been successful by identifying user needs and then applying our unique audio engineering capabilities to meet those needs. For Elite 10, we focused on comfort and calls and music performance to meet the need for all day use from music to meetings. For Elite 8 Active, we meet the need for users to be  confident to use their earbuds, wherever they are, from work to work-out.”

Javier Foncillas, VP Commercial Partnerships & Global Sales at Dolby Laboratories said, “Dolby innovations have redefined how entertainment is created and experienced for consumers across the world. We share Jabra’s passion and ambition for quality, and the combination of the new hero Elite range together with Dolby’s latest audio innovations like Dolby Head Tracking and Dolby Audio are a perfect match.”

Elite 8 Active: MRSP $329, available in caramel, navy, and black. Pre order from September 1st, and in stores from the 15th of September, 2023, at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Amazon and Jabra.com.au. Find out more.

Elite 10: MRSP $379, available in Cream, Cocoa, Titanium black, and Gloss Black. Pre-order from September 1st, and in stores from the 15th of September, 2023, at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Amazon and Jabra.com.au. Find out more.

Key features of the Elite 8 Active:

• IP68 rated dustproof, watertight, sweatproof and 1m drop-resistant earbuds, and an  IP54 rated dust and splashproof case
• Crystal clear sound and added dimensionality with Dolby Audio
• Jabra ShakeGrip^TM technology for secure fit in a wing-free, sleek design
• Adaptive Hybrid ANC auto-filters background noise 
• Wind Neutralising HearThrough^TM for indoor and outdoor activities
• 6-mic call technology with wind noise-protecting mesh
• 6mm speakers
• Up to 8-hours battery life and up to 32-hours with case (ANC on)
• Stable Smartwatch connectivity**
• Google Assistant, Fast Pair, Swift Pair & Spotify Tap playback
• Bluetooth Multipoint connection
• Ready to support Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) & LC3, LC3plus codec with future  firmware update

Key features of the Elite 10:

• Optimised for Dolby Atmos with Dolby Head Tracking, which enables a more  immersive Dolby Atmos experience
• Jabra ComfortFit technology for a natural airy fit and less occlusion with semi-open  design to relieve ear pressure
• 6-mic call technology with advanced algorithms for better call clarity in any  environment
• Jabra Advanced ANC^TM which blocks out 2x more noise than Jabra’s standard ANC
• HearThrough technology with wind noise reduction
• 6-hour battery (27 hours with case) with ANC on, including pocket-friendly cradle  optimised for wireless charging
• IP57-rating
• Bluetooth Multipoint connection
• Hands-free Voice Assistant, Fast Pair, Swift Pair, Spotify Tap playback
• Ready to support Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) & LC3, LC3plus codec with future firmware update

Telstra has announced the creation of Telstra Business to support the changing needs of Australian small to medium businesses as demand for data and connectivity grows ~35%* each year and technology and digitisation play an increasingly critical role in future business success.

Telstra Business will see a dedicated team of experts work closely with Australian small to medium businesses to provide the right connectivity, technology and digitisation solutions to support innovation and growth.

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said small to medium sized businesses contributed around one-third of Australia’s GDP in a sector worth over half a trillion dollars for the economy.

“We live in an era defined by digital innovation and growth in technology. Our new dedicated Telstra Business team will support small to medium businesses to harness the transformative benefits of technology through secure products, solutions and support, tailored to their needs so they can focus on growth and expanding their business,” said Ms Brady

The function will be led by Amanda Hutton as the new Group Executive of Telstra Business. Amanda has been with Telstra for over six years in various executive roles in Consumer & Small Business, responsible for retail stores and small business centres, transformation and digitisation strategies. Before joining Telstra, Amanda spent 15 years leading service, customer and product teams for other globally recognised telecommunications brands.

“Amanda is a highly regarded, customer-focussed leader with extensive technology and telecommunications experience. She has a strong track record of transformation, championing customer experience improvement, and is a leader in digitisation,” Ms Brady said.

Ms Brady said the new Telstra Business function would serve small to medium business customers currently looked after by Telstra’s Consumer & Small Business function and businesses with up to 500 employees in the Telstra Enterprise function.

“This will enable all three customer facing functions to better tailor solutions to meet the changing needs of their customers in the digital economy,” Ms Brady said.

Telstra also today proposed organisational changes in Telstra InfraCo and Telstra Wholesale to enable the delivery of a globally-leading, end-to-end digital infrastructure business focussed on growth and customer success.

The internal changes would reorganise the InfraCo and Telstra Wholesale Fixed teams under InfraCo CEO Brendon Riley to deliver market-leading products and solutions in a simpler and more streamlined way, with a single sales and product channel across both fixed and active solutions.

Ms Brady said the changes would support significant opportunities in digital infrastructure being driven by AI, the shift to the cloud, and the emergence of new customer groups like hyperscalers and data centre operators.

“We’re in an era where connectivity increasingly underpins the way people live and work. These changes will enable us to support our customers across segments and for industries to digitise and unlock productivity gains that flow through to economy-wide benefits.”

Zoom Video has announced that Zoom AI Companion (formerly Zoom IQ), the company’s generative AI digital assistant, is now included at no additional cost for customers with the paid services in their Zoom user accounts^[1]. AI Companion reinforces Zoom’s vision to deliver limitless human connection on one platform, empowering people by increasing their productivity, enhancing their skills, and improving team effectiveness. Zoom also announced today that Zoom IQ for Sales, its conversational intelligence software, will be renamed Zoom Revenue Accelerator.

Since Zoom introduced generative AI in early June, thousands of companies have benefited from free trials of Team Chat compose and Meeting summary. Beginning this fall, Zoom will significantly expand its generative AI offering across its platform with the launch of AI Companion, at no additional cost with paid Zoom user accounts.

Zoom’s federated approach to AI delivers high-quality results and lowers costs by dynamically incorporating its own large language models, along with third-party models such as Meta Llama 2, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

Rooted in this unique approach, Zoom AI Companion delivers powerful, real-time digital assistant capabilities to help users improve productivity and work together more effectively. Zoom customers can expect to see AI Companion throughout the entire platform, from Meetings, Team Chat, Phone, Email, and Whiteboard, with additional features on the roadmap.

“We are transcending the hype in generative AI by delivering tangible products and disrupting the industry’s pricing model, making it easy for businesses and people like you and me to leverage generative AI’s full benefits in our day-to-day work,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “We were founded on doing what’s right for our customers, and we firmly believe that offering Zoom AI Companion at no additional cost to our paid Zoom user accounts delivers tremendous value as we all navigate the challenges facing us today. We are excited to see our customers and users start using AI Companion and about our strong roadmap for further innovation underpinned by a commitment to responsible AI.”

How Zoom is Putting Customer Privacy First with Generative AI

Zoom’s goal is to invest in AI-driven innovation that enhances user experience and productivity while prioritizing trust, safety, and privacy. In August, Zoom shared that it does not use any customer audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, or other communications-like customer content (such as poll results, whiteboards, or reactions) to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models. Additionally, AI Companion is turned off by default — account owners and administrators control whether to enable these AI features for their accounts. Zoom provides admins and users control and visibility when AI features are being used or activated. By putting its customers’ privacy needs first, Zoom is taking a leadership position, enabling its customers to use AI Companion and its capabilities with confidence.

Modern Work Powered by Zoom AI Companion

AI Companion makes it easy and frictionless to collaborate and become more productive, removing repetitive tasks and distractions, and helping teams collaborate more effectively.

AI Companion incorporates several new real-time AI capabilities immediately, with additional capabilities expected to launch over the next few months. AI Companion is transforming modern work in the following ways:

• With Zoom Meetings, users can watch recordings faster through highlights and smart chapters, and review summaries and next steps, so they can easily catch up on a missed meeting. In the meeting, if enabled by the meeting host, attendees can catch up quickly without disrupting the meeting flow by discreetly submitting questions via the in-meeting AI Companion side panel to receive an AI-generated answer on what they missed. Post-meeting, hosts can receive an automated meeting summary to share with attendees and those who were unable to attend a meeting. These capabilities help team members who may be in different time zones catch up asynchronously. Planned for spring 2024, users will also have the ability to receive real-time feedback on their presence in meetings, as well as coaching on their conversational and presentation skills.

• Zoom Team Chat is critical for real-time and asynchronous work, but it is easy to get lost in the volume of messages. AI Companion allows users to quickly draft messages based on the context of a chat thread, as well as change tone and length, so they can spend less time composing replies. In the coming weeks, users will be able to catch up on long chat threads through generative AI summarization, and by early 2024, users will have the ability to auto-complete chat sentences and schedule meetings from a chat.

• This fall, Zoom Whiteboard users will get help from AI Companion with generating and categorizing ideas, and by spring 2024, users will be able to harness their whiteboard content to generate images and populate whiteboard templates.

• Additionally, in early fall, Zoom Mail users will be able to get draft email suggestions. By spring 2024, users will be able to add meeting summaries to Zoom Notes and summarize SMS threads and calls with Zoom Phone.

• In spring 2024, users will be able to interact with AI Companion through a conversational interface that will be able to understand the context of questions and support users with their content across the Zoom platform, such as prior meetings, chats, and select connected third-party apps, even initiating actions on their behalf. For example, users will be able to interact with AI Companion to get help with:
  • Pre-meeting preparation: Ask AI Companion to find the status of key projects to prepare for an upcoming customer meeting. AI Companion will be able to surface knowledge from meetings, chats, whiteboards, emails, documents, and, with users’ permission, from third-party applications on behalf of the user, to provide the latest updates.
  • In-meeting real-time support: Ask AI Companion real-time questions during the meeting to catch up on key points in the discussion, create and file a support ticket on an issue raised during a call, or provide a draft response to a question raised during the meeting.
  • Post meeting: Ask AI Companion to summarize the meeting that was held, automatically identify action items and key stakeholders, and surface the next steps to the relevant stakeholders in Team Chat or, with users’ permission, in their third-party applications.

Easy intuitive interface

Users will be able to access AI Companion from within their existing workflows such as within Zoom Meetings, Zoom Team Chat, and Zoom Whiteboard for capabilities such as Meeting summaries, Team Chat compose, and Whiteboard generation with a simple, easy-to-use experience. Starting now, users can additionally have interactive capabilities with AI Companion via a side panel by accessing these directly within the Meetings experience; this capability will expand across the Zoom platform in spring 2024, as capabilities are added.

For more information on AI Companion, visit the Zoom website.

^[1] Zoom AI Companion may not be available for select verticals and select regional customers.

 After significant growth in peak pandemic years, Australian consumer online retail spending has stabilised according to the Australian Ecommerce Report 2023 which was released today by IAB Australia and Pureprofile.  The report found that 67% of consumers reporting convenience is still the number one reason for purchasing online, however with recent rises in the costs of living, the report also found consumers are increasingly focusing on discounts, loyalty programs and seeking price comparisons to minimise unexpected price increases when they shop online.  

According to the report, retailers must look to win over cost-of-living pressured online shoppers by ramping up value propositions and providing relevant shopping experiences that are suited to the current economic climate.

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia commented “Australian consumers are increasingly enjoying a mix of online and in-store shopping, but its clear retailers face a new set of challenges with shoppers who are price sensitive seeking value for money in their brand choice.  We know that constant discounting and undercutting competitors is not a long-term strategy, but retailers will need to consider how to offer a clearly articulated value exchange for consumers.”

Martin Filz, CEO of Pureprofile commented “Pandemic behaviour shifts have become sustained habits for consumers with personalisation and relevance now the expectation, along with increased convenience and faster delivery.  However, it’s good news for retailers with online retail holding stable as consumers maintain the same frequency of purchase as a year ago, even if they are more cautious.”

According to the report, loyalty programs are providing increasingly important with 62% of online shoppers increasing their usage as they look to enhance their shopping experience while saving money. Nine in 10 online shoppers remain signed up to at least one shopper rewards program with 44% of those signed up to a rewards programs have 4 or more cards. Half (52%) of online shoppers pay a fee to subscribe to a retail loyalty program such as Amazon Prime, eBay Plus, Wesfarmers OnePass, Woolworths Delivery Unlimited or Costco Membership.

The report found that while these loyalty programs are providing retailers with rich behavioural data, trust, transparency, and a clearly articulated value exchange with benefits delivered to consumers is key to underpinning successful retail marketing.  Concern with how retailers use shopper data increased over the last year with 60% reporting some level of concern about how data collected via loyalty cards (up from 51% in 2022) and 60% concerned about data collected via transactions (up from 55% in 2022). 

For consumers subscribing to product delivery services such as meal preparation kits there has been an increase in the number of people indicating that a key reason for their patronage is related to price assurance and knowing how much the product will cost (up from 35% to 45%) which plays an important role in budget planning and management.

Key learnings for retailers include:

• 62% of online shoppers have increased the amount of time they spend shopping around doing research. Having information readily available and an easy research process will increase shopper confidence.
• Search remains key to 64% of shoppers in their process of discovering brands when shopping online, but it should be combined with other channels to maximise brand and sales outcomes.
• Half of online shoppers are aware of shoppable advertising, and 16% have purchased this way (26% of 18-29’s).
• Retailers’ own stores and communications are also key to shoppers discovering products and brands. 60% of online shoppers often read content produced by retailers.
• Retailers should amplify communication of their authentic ethical and sustainable credentials as they are compelling reasons for brand choice particularly amongst younger generations.
• Social media and influencers are key to millennial and gen Z online shoppers with 52% agreeing social media is an important part in how they find products they buy, and 41% identifying influencers as a useful source to discover new products.

Additional data points include:

• A third of online shoppers have increased their online shopping since recent rises in costs of living, while 19% have decreased their usage. Clothing, shoes, and fashion remain the most popular online purchases over the last 12 months, while Amazon continues to be the most popular online retailer. 20% of online shoppers now buy medications online.
• Some 20.6 million Australians aged 14 years+ visited a retail website or app in a month in July 2023, spending on average 351 minutes each over the month. Consumer electronics (17.4m), vouchers and rewards (16.4m), grocery and supermarkets (15.2m) and department discount stores (14.5m) were the most popular (Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service July 2023, Age 14+, PC/laptop/smartphone/tablet, online population (audience) selected sub-categories)
• Purchasing ethical and sustainable brands is still as important to online shoppers this year.  Purchasing from ethical brands was important to 45% of consumers (46% in 2022), 47% prefer to purchase from sustainable brands (47% in 2022) and 58% preferring to buy from Australian owned brands (64% in 2022)
• 24% of online shoppers subscribe to a product delivery service such as meals, cleaning products, toilet paper or wine, reporting convenience as their major driver.  However, 53% of shoppers who previously subscribed to product delivery services are no longer subscribed, with most reporting they did not want to be locked into a recuring purchase.
• 6 in 10 (59%) consumers are shopping online every 2-3 weeks, maintaining frequency of shopping over the last year.
• 50% of online shoppers buy groceries online at least once a month and 73% of online shoppers buy non-grocery retail products online at least once a month.

The Australian Ecommerce Report 2023, which is now in its third year, is based on research conducted with 1,000 Australian online shoppers during July 2023.  It examines the consumer attitudes, behaviours and influences driving ecommerce in Australia

Economic growth is forecast to remain subdued in Australia for the rest of the year as higher interest rates, the higher cost of living, and declines in household wealth continue to weigh on growth.^[1] Despite the gloomy outlook, promising research has revealed that SMEs will not halt business travel for the remainder of the year at least, with site visits and industry events topping the list of reasons for businesses to invest in company travel.

The findings were derived from a survey of an independent panel of 255 SME owners and decision makers, commissioned by Corporate Traveller (corporatetraveller.com.au), the flagship small to medium-seized division of the Flight Centre Travel Group.

The survey uncovered that the majority of Australian SMEs (91 per cent) will maintain their travel this year, even if the economy slows. Only nine per cent indicated they would not travel at all.

Tom Walley, Corporate Traveller’s Australian-based Global Managing Director, says the reassuring results reflect the proactive, resilient attitude among the Australian SME sector. 

“SMEs have always operated boldly and bravely, and despite ongoing concerns over the economy, they haven’t let uncertainty cloud their business decisions. They recognise the key to continuing to operate and even thrive is to build sales, unlock new partnerships, and expand their network – and business travel provides excellent opportunities for that.” 

The survey respondents were asked to identify the reasons they will continue travelling, from a list of eight, and could select more than one response. 

More than a third (37 per cent) indicated the need to fly to visit other company sites, while 32 per cent said they will maintain travel for events and conferences. A quarter (26 per cent) also indicated the nature of their work required travel to customer locations and 25 per cent need to travel to make sales. A fifth (20 per cent) said important meetings with stakeholders required travel this year.  

Tom says, “Considering the vast size and remote location of our country, travel is one of the most effective ways to keep our businesses connected. Mining companies’ headquarters may be in a state capital’s CBD, but the mines are deep in the outback, or a Canberra-based business may have a satellite office in Sydney. In cases like these, business travel is a necessity rather than a luxury.”

“As well as continuing to travel, we were pleased to see so many companies still had the economic confidence to attend conferences and events, which requires additional financial outlay, beyond flights and accommodation. Those activities are excellent for networking, learning, and a great opportunity to work toward business growth,” Tom adds. 

The results also reveal businesses favour face-to-face engagements for developing and retaining their staff. A fifth (20 per cent) of respondents said their people will travel to attend training or professional development sessions, while 17 per cent said their business is more effective by doing face-to-face meetings, and 10 per cent are keeping business travel to keep their staff motivated. 

Tom explains, “The results demonstrate that companies recognise there’s a bounty of opportunities for Australian businesses which still invest in corporate travel, whether its team building, attending international conferences, or an exciting incentive or reward for staff.”  

Reasons businesses will continue to travel despite economic challenges: