Blaze Pizza, Bojangles execs discuss switching from a transactional mindset to a customer mindset| Fast Casual Executive Summit | Food Truck Operator

November 3, 2021November 1, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There’s no such thing as restaurant transactions — there are only customers. The top 5% of guests drive approximately 30% of sales, and any restaurant brand that doesn’t prioritize increasing customer lifetime value is now at risk.

Those are the big takeaways from the “Why Restaurants Are Ditching the Transactional Mindset to Focus on Customers” panel session at the recent Fast Casual Executive Summit held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The annual event was well attended, according to organizers. The summit is one of several foodservice and technology industry events run by Networld Media Group. A virtual event, #QSRNext, will take place Nov. 9.

Panelists included Todd Madlener, president and COO of Coolgreens; Aaron Noveshen, CEO of Starbird and founder and chairman of The Culinary Edge; Sergio Perez, senior director of Omnichannel, Bojangles and Vince Szwajkowski, CMO at Blaze Pizza. Mike Vichich, co-founder and CEO of sponsor Wisely moderated the panel.

What Is a No-Reply Email? | business.com

November 3, 2021November 1, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Digital marketing is a crucial tool for conversion, but no-reply emails hurt your messages. Find out why no-reply messages are problematic and learn alternatives in this guide.

While many companies use no-reply emails in their digital marketing campaign, doing so loses opportunities to engage with customers and can even alienate them. In the past, no-reply emails were used to discourage customers from responding to simple correspondence such as receipts. But now, no-reply emails can frustrate customers who want a personal connection, hurting your marketing. It’s better to employ other practices that will build customer databases and create more retention.

Amazon Acquires Exclusive U.S. Rights To TikTok Connected-TV App | Forbes

November 2, 2021November 1, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Amazon announced Monday that it has acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to a connected-TV TikTok app, allowing Amazon Fire TV users to stream videos from the popular social media app on their televisions.

IRS unemployment refunds: update on checks finally here | Fast Company

November 2, 2021November 1, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about those much-coveted tax refunds for people who received unemployment compensation, but that day is finally here.

After Fast Company reported on a wave of mysterious direct deposits last week, the IRS confirmed Monday that it has sent out another 430,000 unemployment-related refunds, with checks averaging $1,189. The refunds are part of an ongoing Herculean effort by the agency to review and correct millions of tax returns that needed to be adjusted after the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in March. The act excluded up to $10,200 in 2020 taxable unemployment income, meaning millions of taxpayers were due refunds.

Apple’s 2018 iPhone XR Still Works Just Great In 2021 | Digital Trends

November 1, 2021October 31, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As the iPhone 13 takes its place as the iPhone literally everyone should buy, the question still exists: Should I upgrade to the new iPhone, or should I keep my old one? To find out, I went back to a much older iPhone — the 2018 iPhone XR — for just over a week to see how well it would fare in 2021. Back when we reviewed it, we praised it as the “budget” iPhone to buy. This device was loaned to me by the folks at Backmarket, so it’s a refurb without all the dings and nicks that you’d have on an actively used phone.

A game changer with a legacy

The iPhone XR may be old now, but it’s an important iPhone that preceded the current iPhones like the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and the most recent iPhone 13. It’s a phone that would be considered less than the “real” iPhone, but an iPhone nonetheless. Apple tried this sort of non-standard iPhone model with the SE and the iPhone 5C before. In many ways, the iPhone XR kicked off the standardization of Apple’s lineup, and it also became one of the bestselling iPhones in its day. After using it, it’s not a surprise.

Logo Design Tips for DIY Business Owners | The Startup Magazine

November 1, 2021October 31, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you`re considering designing your logo, I`m sure you know its importance as a leading visual for your brand.

That it`s often the first impression, people have of your business.

And the colors, fonts, and shapes you choose play a big part in determining how consumers feel about you.

You probably also know about versatility and why and how a logo works on numerous platforms and marketing materials.

And you definitely understand that if you get it wrong, it could turn people away and not towards your business.

You do, right?

Oh, the pressure!

Fortunately, logo design isn’t rocket science.

And with enough research and planning, you can design a logo that accurately conveys the essence of your brand, connects with your target audience, and works pretty much everywhere

But to make that happen, you need professional logo design tips for DIY business owners.

5 Startups That Are Shaping the Future of the Health Care Industry | Inc.com

October 29, 2021October 28, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

“The fourth industrial age is here,” says Daniel Kraft, a health care futurist and medical doctor. “It’s transforming how we get our digital banking done, how we stream movies. But health care is still stuck in the third–or maybe the second–industrial age, with fax machines and CD-ROMs.”

Specifically, innovations such as artificial intelligence and machine learning have been stubbornly slow to enter the health sector. And the big strides that have been made in data collection–wearables that monitor your vitals, voice biomarker trackers, and genomic sequencing, to name just a few–have so far resulted in only a few widely used, truly useful applications.

“Nobody wants more data–they want the actual insights that are useable,” says Kraft, who prefers the term now-ist to futurist. “How do we make actionable information that translates to the point of care or the bedside?”

YouTube warns creators it will start to demonetize low-quality kids’ videos next month | TechCrunch

October 28, 2021October 25, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

YouTube says it will soon begin to demonetize some of the channels on its platform that market themselves as “made for kids” if the content they produce is low-quality, encourages negative behavior or attitudes, or is heavily commercial. The company had previously warned this sort of content would no longer be eligible for inclusion in its dedicated YouTube Kids app, but starting next month YouTube will also begin to enforce new monetization policies as well, which may impact the creators’ eligibility for or possible removal from the YouTube Partner Program.

YouTube first announced its plans to increase its protections for minors in August, saying that some of the updates would directly address upcoming regulations, while others were going beyond what would be required by law. At the time, YouTube said it would shift the default settings on videos for users ages 13 to 17 to private, would enable “take a break” and bedtime reminders for minors, would stop leveraging “interests” data for targeting teens and kids with ads, and more.

12 Best Wireless Gaming Headsets (2021): PS5, Switch, PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One | WIRED

October 28, 2021October 25, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

GOING WIRELESS IS cheaper than ever, but if you’re going to spend hours wearing a headset coordinating with your squad in a game—or maybe sitting through your tenth Zoom meeting of the day—it needs to be comfortable, sound crisp, and pick up your voice clearly. Over the past three years, we’ve tested dozens of headset and headphones to pull together this list of the best wireless gaming headsets for PCs, Mac, Android phones, iPhone, Nintendo Switch (all models), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. We’ll continue testing new models over time, so bookmark this page to see our future picks.

Be sure to check out our many buying guides. For more accessory suggestions, check our picks for the Best Nintendo Switch Accessories and Best PS5 Accessories.