News, views and reviews from AU’s tech sector No Images? Click here Dear , We love our online shopping, with Australians spending more than $21.3 billion on online retail purchases last year. But despite 18.7 percent growth since 2016, as a share of total retail, e-commerce is still in single figures – well behind the UK and China at 19 and 23 percent respectively. With global online spend forecast to jump 38 percent from 2017 to hit US$2.2 trillion in 2019 it looks like local growth will only accelerate. Perhaps surprisingly, Australian retailers account for more than 80 percent of the spend. However with marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy rapidly stealing their share, who will win? In other news:
And this week’s story for the singles, we trip across to Santa Monica to hear how MicroStrategy’s deep and meaningful analytics are driving successful hook-ups for online dating site eHarmony. Happy reading, Heather Wright Money, money, money: Cashing in on e-commerceBut how can A/NZ companies compete in the growth market?... A booming e-commerce market is providing expanded opportunities for Australian and New Zealand businesses – but there are some caveats according to recent reports. “Australian’s spent AU$21.3 billion online last year, up 18.7 percent on the previous year.” 3D printing gets the industrial treatment3D printing is here, it’s awesome, and it's going to revolutionise manufacturing... Printer speeds are increasing, new printable materials are hitting the market, and executives are looking for new ways to embed it in their manufacturing processes. “Focus has shifted away from the consumer and rapid prototyping, towards the digitisation of workflows and the manufacture of production quality final products.” Fortnite launches Android attackLocal game industry looks on in awe, announces stellar predictions... Epic, makers of the hit game Fortnite, have flipped the bird at Google announcing they will release the Android version of the game on their website instead of via Google’s app store. "Cutting out the Google and Apple platforms wouldn’t be beneficial for most developers.” Huawei takes bite out of trillion dollar AppleBeing a trillion dollar company doesn't make you top dog... Apple may have just reached a market value of US$1 trillion, but it has been dethroned from the number two spot in the global smartphone market by Huawei. “Vendors need to focus on new innovative features and form factors [and] incentives and promotions to drive growth.” DX stalling? Blame it on your culture and cybersecurityIt’s not about the technology – unless it’s security, that is… DX has been a catch cry for years, with businesses urged to ‘transform or die’ and companies hailing every IT change as part of their digital transformation. “Culture is organisational ‘dark matter’ – you can’t see it, but its effects are obvious.” Leveraging BI to enhance customer experience and promote loyaltyEnables the executive management team, managers, and business analysts to monitor key performance metrics... eHarmony Inc., Santa Monica, California-based, was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships. “Key dimensions of personality that are scientifically proven to predict highly successful, long-term relationships.” This week's sponsor: Upcoming events: > CIO Summit | Aug 16 | Sydney iStart is proudly supported by these leading Australian software providers: Latest Buyer's Guides ERP Buyer's Guide | CRM Buyer's Guide | HR/HCM Buyer's Guide | BI & Analytics Buyer's Guide Privacy statement: We have sent this weekly eNewsletter to you at your e-mail address: [email address suppressed]. iStart will never share your e-mail address, but you may from time to time receive other event invitations or partner communications from us. You can opt out of these by managing your subscription preferences, where you can also update your e-mail address and other details. Find out more about iStart | Advertise with iStart | Subscribe Please support independent journalism! If you feel the same way, and like what we do, then we welcome your support through crowdfunding platform PressPatron. |