Smart home devices like the Amazon Alexa range, the Apple Homepod and Google Home are currently the ‘must-have’ home devices. Data from 2018 shows there are 50 million smart speakers in the US alone, with Amazon holding 70 per cent market share. …
Do you remember how insurance used to work in the 20th century? Customers would pick an insurance company when they bought a house or car and stay with them for years, whether they were happy with the service they received or not. Price rises, laborious claims systems, poor customer service, it didn’t matter. Finding information about other insurance companies was …
Yesterday, I presented a keynote address to the IT Europa Managed Services and Hosting Summit in London. I was closing the session. All that was standing between the delegates and getting spruced up for the evening’s awards ceremony was my audience’s apparent desire to understand more about the world of tech M&A. The title of my presentation was billed as …
How is the eCommerce industry changing to succeed in an increasingly voice technology-driven world? In less than four years, voice technology for many people, has moved from a novelty to a necessity. In the US alone, there is a voice-activated device in 13% of homes. Google also reports that 20% of mobile searches are activated by voice rather than by …
‘The digital duopoly’ commands a huge share of digital advertising revenues, but are there signs of a fightback from the rest of the industry? The soaring success of Google and Facebook in monetising their platforms divides opinion. Depending on which side of the fence you’re on, it’s either a triumph of platforms making money by giving their users what they …
E-commerce and digital marketing are driving forces of disruption and growth, affecting many business sectors in the process. This makes specialist companies operating in that sphere natural targets for M&A activity – but buying or selling an e-commerce or digital marketing company can be a complicated process. Great financial and strategic rewards can be reaped if companies and executives have …
With Amazon leading the way in the e-commerce space, Walmart recently announced the acquisition of Jet.com, an e-commerce start-up founded in 2014. At a price tag of $3.3 billion, this price premium is the largest ever sum paid for a private e-commerce company. Despite its relatively young age, Jet.com has already accumulated a Gross Merchandise Volume of $1 billion. Still, …
Size does matter The e-Commerce market in the B2C segment has reached a certain level of maturity and is now displaying signs of a growing dichotomy, in which the “balance” between large and small market players is developing increasingly in favor of the larger vendors. In the B2B market, which is currently picking up considerable momentum, the best of B2C …