Author: James Ewen

It is hard to imagine a company reaching good results if its employees are not productive. Someone who is new might have all kinds of ideas and enough motivation to overperform in the first few weeks, but burnouts are common.

 

The challenge of overcoming lackluster productivity is one that many companies face. The purpose of this article is to cover the methods that improve one’s productivity and ensure that it stays.

 

Leave Positive Impressions

 

During the onboarding process, a company should present itself in a way that leaves a positive impression on the new employees.

 

Of course, whenever someone looks for a new job, it is common to research potential employers. However, it is one thing to look up details online and have an actual experience interacting with your supervisors and coworkers.

 

The more effort HR puts into welcoming new recruits, the higher the odds of these employees putting effort into their work. Little details count, so do not discard even those things that might seem insignificant during onboarding.

 

Provide Optimal Work Tools

 

If the employer is in charge of providing work tools, it should be given that new employees should get what they need.

 

For example, if your new recruit needs a computer for work, make sure that they get one that works optimally. Dealing with a slow computer, in addition to all the work, puts unnecessary stress and hinders one’s productivity by a lot.

 

Besides a computer, new employees should also have access to collaboration tools, such as cloud storage (Dropbox, iCloud) and instant messaging platforms (Slack). 

 

Finally, if the work is done in-house, then the internet connection in the office should be strong enough to accommodate everyone, including new recruits.

 

Offer Opportunities to Learn

 

Fresh employees should have enough competence to do their job, but it does not mean that their career ceilings should stop.

 

One of the biggest motivators is the knowledge that you have an opportunity to go up the corporate ladder. And for that, one needs to become better at what they do while also gaining new skills.

 

If direct work does not provide enough opportunities to grow as a professional, it is common to seek extra training.

 

Employers who provide training to their employees encourage loyalty and motivate top talent to stay while also helping them with productivity.

 

Set Enough Time to Take Breaks

 

Break policy can be tricky. Usually, a lunch break lasts for about one hour. However, depending on the intensity of work, setting extra time aside to let employees rest is a worthwhile consideration.

 

Crunch time is inevitable now and then, but overworking employees constantly is bound to burn them out sooner rather than later.

 

A company-wide policy should be in place to ensure that everyone has enough time to take a breather. And if someone requires additional break time, they should get it as well, so long as the demands are reasonable.

 

Encourage Friendly Competition

 

A little bit of friendly competition can go a long way in boosting productivity. Let’s say that your company specializes in sales. 

 

What about coming up with an award for the employee who makes the most sales in a week? Knowing that there is something extra for the effort put into the work is bound to motivate employees to do their best.

 

Note, though, that this method should be used sparingly. You cannot run competitions throughout the year because they will lose value and transform into a nuisance, forcing employees to put in extra work consistently in addition to what they are already doing.

 

Come Up With Realistic Goals

 

Set realistic goals for employees so that they do not fall short. If they meet the expectations or even exceed them, it will work as a great form of motivation.

 

Workers who meet the goals identify themselves as someone who do a good job and are more likely to continue. Combine that with praise from supervisors, and you have another solid solution to solve productivity problems.

 

Minimize Distractions

 

Everyone loves to procrastinate, but building bad habits, such as checking social media constantly or talking to colleagues about random things when you should be working, is the opposite of what a productive workplace should look like.

 

Introducing policies that restrict distractions might seem like a negative thing, but if productivity is a priority, then such a step is more or less inevitable. Especially for those employees who get easily distracted and take a while to refocus on their work.

 

Conclusión:

 

As you can see, there are quite a few different ways to increase the productivity of your new employees. Try to apply as many different methods mentioned in this article as you can. 

 

Finally, note that different people react differently. If a specific approach does not help someone, do not get discouraged. Instead, try to modify a method to make it work when possible.

Every essay, term paper, lab report, book review, or any other piece of academic writing has various purposes and demands. The purposes are always different, but the demands are pretty much the same. One of them is to paraphrase the words and findings of other students, writers, scientists, researchers, and other people. Not all people understand why is paraphrasing important.

Let’s start by checking its definition. What is paraphrasing, and what purposes it serves? Paraphrasing is an essential process when the author of a definite piece of writing or study reworks the words of other experts whose words and findings he/she uses in his/her project. This is no direct citation. You retell the citation in your own words, substituting the part of the original phrase.

Why is paraphrasing important, and why do you need to use it? No writer or researcher has the right to use the words of others as if they are his or her own. If you disclose a definite topic and use the findings of other experts, you need to use either a direct citation or paraphrase it. Otherwise, you plagiarize your own work. Thus, its relevance is lost entirely. No one will accept it because you have stolen the work of someone else.

How to Avoid Plagiarism?

What is paraphrasing? We have just revealed its essence and purpose. Now, we need to focus on another vital point. How can an ordinary student avoid plagiarism? One of the possible solutions has been offered.

You can paraphrase the citation. Another solution is to use a direct citation. When you do that, you ought to be very cautious. There are various academic writing formats. You must follow their guidelines to insert the desired citation according to the official rules. Otherwise, you make a mistake. There are such formats as:

• MLA;
• APA;
• AMA;
• Chicago;
• Turabian;
• Vancouver;
• Harvard;
• ASA and others.

 

Each format has a lot of differences. You need to know them all to be sure you follow the rules and do not mess them up with another format because there are many similarities as well. You may need to read and memorize Telecommunications Study Guide or similar guides. A lot depends on the industry you write in.

One more good solution is to use special plagiarism checkers. These are smart machines that spot any trace of non-unique content. How do they work? Check the following essentials:

• Open the checking app you have decided to use.
• Copy and paste your text into it.
• Press “start” to make things run.
• Wait for several seconds or minutes. The machine will compare your text with other ones available on the Internet.
• Check the results. Any sign of plagiarism will be somehow underlined by the machine.

When you see that you have plagiarized separate words, phrases, or entire sentences, you already realize what must be reworked. Replace the underlined words with their synonyms. At times, it makes a writer rework the structure of the entire sentence to avoid plagiarism.

You can also refuse to insert any findings of other experts. Notwithstanding, it’s a bad solution. If you cannot prove your theories with already proven facts, your project loses its scientific value.

Use Professional Aid

The importance of paraphrasing is clear to every attentive student. Yet, it may be hard to deal with plagiarism, even if you spot it. You may change words and the structure of your sentences many times but it may not work. Such issues happen sometimes. If you don’t want to spend 1-2 hours doing that, turn for help to professionals.

The Internet is full of custom writing sites. They offer a wide range of academic features, including paraphrasing and citing. Let an expert look at the matter. He or she will quickly make it 100% unique.

Final Thoughts for Our Readers

The importance of paraphrasing is enormous because it helps you to avoid plagiarism of any sort. Use the tips we have offered in our guide to make things correctly and never plagiarize anyone else. In case you still need help with this task, turn to AdvancedWriters or any other custom writing agency. Its skilled editors surely know how to avoid plagiarism and paraphrasing is a simple task for them.

 

We all want to be in control of our finances, but it’s easy for spending to get out of hand if you don’t keep track. Monitoring your expenditures is essential to managing and controlling your money, as it can help you identify areas where you’re either overspending or underspending. With careful tracking and budgeting, you can plan financially and ensure that you have enough funds available when needed. In this post, we’ll look at why monitoring your spending is vital for keeping your finances on the right track.

 

Avoid Overspending

Many businesses and shops use marketing tactics to make you believe that you need something more than what you do. It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying things on impulse or out of boredom. Spend management helps you be disciplined and think twice before making purchases. With procurement, it is essential to monitor the spending of each department within an organization so that there can be clear transparency in where money is being spent and how it should be allocated.

 

Better Budgeting

By keeping track of all your expenses, you can better adjust your budget to account for everything you need. You can also use spending tracking to set and maintain realistic goals for yourself – such as saving a certain amount of money each month or sticking to only making necessary purchases. This will help you stay on top of your finances and create a more secure financial future.

The ability to track your spending also allows you to identify and focus on areas where you may be overspending or underspending. By understanding your financial habits, you can better adjust your budget to account for all of the necessities in life, like food, housing, and transportation.

 

Accountability

With a plan or monitoring system, it’s easier to remember your financial goals and end up overspending. Monitoring your expenses gives you the accountability you need to stay on track with your budget. It also allows you to set limits for yourself so that you don’t make impulse purchases that could strain your finances.

Additionally, tracking your spending can help you identify areas where you underspend. This allows you to make changes or adjustments for your money to stretch further and allow for more financial freedom.

 

Monitor Your Financial Progress

By monitoring your spending, you can identify patterns in how you use money and get a clear picture of your overall financial health. This will provide valuable insight into how well you manage your finances and where you may need adjustments or changes. With this information, it becomes easier to set realistic goals and be proactive about achieving them.

Data about your finances is also useful if you ever need to apply for a loan, credit card, or other financial product. Financial institutions often require detailed spending data before they approve applications.

 

Improved Financial Security

Financial security is the ultimate goal for many people. Monitoring spending is essential for ensuring that you are on the right track to achieving a secure financial future. Keeping an eye on where your money is going will be easier to identify any areas where you may need to cut back to save more. This can help put you in a better position when it comes time for retirement or any other significant investments you wish to make.

Monitoring your spending is vital to stay on top of your finances and create a secure financial future. Spend management can help you better adjust your budget and identify areas where you may need to be spending more or less. It also provides valuable insight into your financial progress and allows you to set realistic goals for yourself. With these tools, you can ensure that your finances remain secure.

Have you ever tried cooking in the dark? Most of you would be shaking your heads — of course not! It is careless and totally unnecessary! Over 60% of organizations don’t give a thought to marketing analytics when they are planning marketing strategies! Just like cooking in the dark, planning an expensive marketing strategy and ignoring valuable marketing data is reckless. In this compact yet comprehensive article, we will help you figure out how you can use marketing analytics to your advantage. 

 Here’s and make your business boom!

 

What is Marketing Analytics

As hard as it sounds, analytics is pretty simple – you measure, manage, and analyze the marketing strategies you have put into play. Doing this not only improves the effectiveness of the techniques but also lets you visualize the trends and customer insights. You can see how your marketing efforts are generating revenue for you. You can monitor all the marketing campaigns — this will help you manage your financial resources in a better way! 

You need to research and understand the market trends to see why some of your campaigns are doing great while others are badly failing. When you analyze a few examples, you will clearly start to see the bigger marketing picture. There are various marketing tools available online that are effective when it comes to putting data analytics to use. 

Let’s take a look at a few examples to brush up on your marketing education!

• Event-Based Tools

Commonly known as click analysis, these kinds of tools focus on the things that matter the most when it comes to your business. For instance, if you own a marketing education website that provides research papers to a student preparing for his MBA exams, the number of downloads for particular essays will be a point to monitor. For example, if a student visits a website when shopping essay actual topics before exams, he will most often search through the list of authors available before hiring a writer.

The number of clicks on each writer’s profile will tell you how beneficial the student essays are for your website. Similarly, if you have an e-commerce website, the cart of your online shopping mall will be a point to focus on. These tools allow you to track the user’s actions while they are scrolling through your site. There are various event-based tools that you can use, such as MixPanel, Heap Analytics, Oribi, and KissMetrics.

• Customer Surveys

Want to know what your customers are thinking without doing a lot of research? Customer surveys are your best friend. You can ask them different questions by going through the examples of your marketing campaigns and gain an idea of how the strategies are faring with the customers. For example, if you publish books and essays, a customer survey will help. You can ask the students what books they read, what exams they are preparing for, how their campus life is, and whether they prefer paper or e-books.

 It will give you an idea of what kind of books a typical student reads on campus so that you can update your inventory accordingly. At the end of the surveys and exams, you can offer them a campus discount or a freebie as a bonus! 

• Testing Tools

With the help of testing tools, you can test multiple message variants and features and see how people respond to them. Testing allows you to collect real-time analytical data — you can’t keep on working using assumed data all the time! You can use features such as in-app notifications, push notifications, etc., to connect with your users. From Optimizely to VWO, you can find a multitude of such testing tools online and see which one fits your needs perfectly. 

• Visual Behavior Tools

Need a feature that lets you monitor how much time a customer spends on your website and see what he is looking at? In come the visual behavior tools! With the help of cursor movement, the tools let you figure out what the user looked at the most. You can use this data to rearrange your user interface and bring a positive change to your website. You can use Hotjar and Crazyegg to create a visual analysis paper and a lot more. 

Final Word

To make sure all your hard work is paying off, you need to brush up on your marketing education. Hopefully, this article on how to learn marketing analytics has provided you with a crash course in giving your business a much-needed nudge in the right direction. 

Here’s to your successful business!

 

NFT is a digital cast of any unique object. It can be a photo, a gif, a game artifact, a tweet, a fragment of text or audio. They are traded on special marketplaces. What to do to build NFT marketplace that will be successful? Learn more about this. 

The value of NFT is in its uniqueness. You can also create NFT for an object from the physical world – a picture, a car, or a house. But an NFT for a car is an obscure category because it does not prove ownership of the physical object. So “tangible” NFTs are rarely used.

If you buy an NFT on a tweet or a game artifact, you will only have such virtual ownership. Each token is tied to a unique record on the blockchain, a chain of blocks in which information is stored. These blocks are scattered all over the world and have multiple owners. The difference between an NFT and an ordinary token is precisely its uniqueness: an ordinary token is duplicated on the blockchain an infinite number of times.

The value of an NFT depends on the context and the identity of the author. The NFT version of “Black Square” will cause a stir among collectors, while the work of a hopeful enthusiast will only interest their friends. Anyone can put their tweets up for an NFT auction, but they’re unlikely to get $3 million for them, like Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. 

How most modern NFT marketplaces work 

Transactions require a cryptocurrency wallet, an app that allows you to use cryptocurrency. The most common is MetaMask which is supported by almost all NFT marketplaces. 

NFT marketplaces work in an auction format. This means that the seller puts the token up for sale, and potential buyers leave bids for how much they are willing to buy it. The highest bidder wins.

On most projects, there is no way to promote your work. This means that if a user just puts up an NFT for sale, there is no guarantee that anyone will buy it. Beginning sellers have to take care of the advertising themselves. You, as a potential creator of a new project, can take note of this, and offer your users a brand-new opportunity to promote their content on the platform. 

All platforms roughly differ in the audience, blockchain, and additional options. Let’s look at the differences in more detail so you can begin to have an idea of which direction to take. 

Audiencia

There are sites that focus on gamers – they go there for game items and avatars with game characters. Others are designed for sports fans – for example, you can become the owner of a video clip from a match. There are projects for artists and collectors, where digital works of art are created and offered for sale, or something unique is sought for a collection. There are also universal sites where you can find digital paintings by famous artists, videos with singing schoolgirls, or gifs with unicorns.

Commission 

Sellers, buyers, or both can pay it, depending on the terms of the site. This amount is fixed in the rules and does not change often.

Additional options

These can be a low commission, free NFT creation, and promotion, the ability to upload multiple NFT objects to the platform at once and pay commission for one object, or receiving bonuses for activity on the site.

Experts rank NFT marketplaces not only by the number of users but also by the volume of transactions, the number of famous artists exhibiting their works, the convenience of the interface, and the type of content exhibited – photographs, digital art, computer games items.

The most interesting projects and their features

OpenSea

Audience. Universal NFT marketplace, designed for a wide audience. Here you can sell and buy digital art, photos, music tracks, game items, and even domain names. It accounted for 84% of all NFT transactions.

Magic Eden

Audience. Gamers and authors of works based on computer games. Here you can buy a painting drawn with artificial intelligence or game art – an NFT object based on computer games. The auction lasts only 24 hours: if it is not extended, it automatically closes. Anyone can register.

SuperRare

One of the few sites where there is an opportunity to promote, as in social networks – that is, to increase their position in the extradition through the “likes” from other users. The most popular paintings are displayed on the main page in the gallery “Best Artists,” “Best Collectors” and “Largest Collections. Works from such selections are easier to raise interest in the auction.

Foundation

The creator of the NFT marketplace is Kayvon Tegranian and the company is registered in 2020 in San Francisco. There are over 90,000 works on display at Foundation today. It’s worth going here for those who understand digital art. Every newly registered artist gets to tell their story on the NFT marketplace home page – a good “advance” for an aspiring author. Artists can sell any format of NFT here – static picture, video, 3D, VR, and even physical works.

What direction should a novice project take?

From the point of view of sales and promotion, there is no difference for the user which NFT marketplace to buy or exhibit the work. Therefore, if you are looking to make money with your own NFT marketplace, your main goal is to get millions of visits. Next, to be successful, you need to add value to your product.

There are several hundred NFT marketplaces, and new ones pop up every week. Many of them rise quickly to the top. To become successful in this marketplace, it’s important to highlight key benefits right away. 

For users, there may be several dangers that they meet newcomers to the NFT marketplace. They are associated with technical and human factors. It is important to try to avoid them. Take care to minimize the potential damage to your user. This will help you to distinguish yourself from other projects. 

• Risk for the vendor: the cost of “gas” is too high. During peak hours, the cost of creating a token can simply outweigh the price you can get for NFT.
• Risk for the buyer: deception by the seller. If you want to get the original on physical media along with the token, you’re taking a big risk. There are no legal regulations that oblige the owner of, for example, a painting to hand over the original to you after you purchase the token. Most modern platforms have no liability for this.

 

A paradigm change is necessary to realize the full potential of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). Here comes Data-Driven MVPs, a revolutionary approach that uses statistics to magnify the prototype process. Come along as we explore the value of data in MVP development, examine the elements of a robust analytics framework, and get a sneak peek at upcoming results that could revolutionize how we develop and improve products. 

The Power of Data in MVP Development

Before making significant development investments, Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) have shown to be an effective tool for idea validation, user interest assessment, and concept refinement. However, typical MVP strategies frequently fail to utilize data’s ability to inform decision-making fully.

 

Conversely, data-driven MVPs transform the website or app prototyping process using data analytics to extract insightful information, pinpoint user preferences, and maximize product creation. Organizations may increase the likelihood of a successful product by making informed decisions based on real-world user behavior by integrating data analytics into the MVP lifecycle.

Analytics Framework for MVP Success

A robust analytics framework, or an organized method that transforms unstructured data into valuable insights, is the foundation of data-driven MVPs. Let’s examine the essential elements that make a robust analytics framework the foundation of a successful MVP.

Key Components of an Effective Analytics Framework

To execute data-driven MVPs successfully, companies need to take into account the following essential elements:

 

• Clearly define your data goals. Establish clear objectives for data collecting and analysis, making sure they complement the target audience and the overall MVP goals.
• Select the appropriate tools. Choose platforms and technologies for data analytics that are suitable for handling the volume, diversity, and velocity of data produced by the MVP.
• Build a data-driven culture. Create a culture where stakeholders, data analysts, and product teams work together to make decisions based on data.
• Iteratively improve the structure. As the MVP develops, make sure to periodically assess and enhance the analytics framework to keep it current and in line with the product’s expansion.

Implementing Actionable Insights: From Data to Decision

Gathering data is not enough; the true power comes from turning insights into well-informed choices. Data-driven MVPs are strong at converting numbers into concrete actions:

• Determine trends and patterns. Examine data to find trends and patterns. Are users ceasing to exist at a particular point? Is there a specific aspect that you find especially appealing? Making sense of these patterns helps with strategic decision-making.
• Integration of user feedback. Combine qualitative ideas from customer comments with quantitative data. Combining user narratives and data offers a comprehensive perspective that enhances decision-making.
• Adapt in real-time. The flexibility that data-driven prototyping offers is one of its best features. The MVP can adjust in real time if a particular feature isn’t connecting with users or if there’s an unexpected spike in engagement. It’s a user-centered, adaptable, and dynamic approach to development.

Iterative Refinement through Analytics

MVP development’s iterative process fits well with analytics’s iterative refinement process. Data-driven MVPs enable ongoing improvement rather than waiting for a full-scale release to determine success:

• Constant Monitoring. Analytics makes it possible to observe user behavior continuously. Continuous monitoring ensures adjustments, no matter how big or minor, are based on real-time data.
• A/B Testing for Optimization. A/B testing develops into a potent optimization tool. Try various iterations, additions, or user interfaces, then allow the data to lead you to the one that is most well-liked by the public.
• User-Oriented Development. The MVP changes with each iteration based on fundamental user interactions. It’s a user-centric evolution that ensures the prototype keeps up with what the market and users want and expect.

Future Trends in Data-Driven Prototyping

Data-driven MVPs have the potential to change the world, which will only become more evident as technology advances and the amount of user data increases. The following significant themes are influencing how data-driven prototyping will develop in the future:

AI-Powered Analytics

Using AI and ML in your product development process can assist you in recognizing problems early on and coming up with solutions. The information made public both during and after MVP creation can be used to determine the optimal procedures. Understanding your consumers’ needs is beneficial. With this integration, you may enhance your market forecasts and adjust to shifting conditions.

 

Working with AI/ML will improve your understanding of market opportunities. It provides a clear picture of how your company can use the product moving forward. These technologies help improve the roadmap and even the final product development processes.

Personalization and User-Centric Analytics

Organizations focus more on personalization and user-centric analytics as user data gets more detailed. This is customizing the MVP experience to match the demands of each individual user by utilizing data to understand their preferences and actions. A more individualized approach may result in happier and more engaged users.

Cross-Platform Analytics

Customers engage with goods and services on a range of channels. Understanding how consumers interact with an MVP across various devices and media requires cross-platform analytics. Utilizing this data can help you improve each platform’s MVP and guarantee a flawless user experience.

Conclusión:

We hope that this post has clarified the fundamentals of MVP development and some of the newest trends in the field. It’s crucial to bear in mind that this is an area that is constantly changing, with recent advancements being made daily. As a result, stay informed about how these developments may impact your company or sector.

 

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on the top 10 best tag management solutions for 2023. As technology evolves and digital marketing becomes increasingly sophisticated, keeping track of all the different tags on your website can be daunting. This is where tag management solutions come in. These powerful tools allow you to easily manage and organize all of the different tags on your website, from tracking pixels to analytics scripts. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top 10 best tag management solutions on the market today, based on features, pricing, and customer reviews. Whether you’re a small business owner or a digital marketer, you’ll find a tag management solution that fits your needs and budget. So let’s dive in!

What Makes a Good Tag Management System?

You should always decide on a TMS based on what your business needs are. If you run a small business, then your requirements may not be as extensive as an enterprise-level organisation. Generally speaking, however, a good TMS is characterised by the following features:

 

1. User-friendly interface: The system should have an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that allows users to easily create, manage and deploy tags without requiring coding skills.
2. Real-time analytics: The system should provide real-time analytics and monitoring capabilities that allow businesses to track and analyze tag performance and make data-driven decisions.
3. Third-party integration: The system should have a robust API and pre-built connectors for integrating with other systems, such as marketing and analytics tools, e-commerce platforms, and CRM systems.
4. Data governance and security: The system should have tools for data governance and security to ensure that data is collected, stored, and used in compliance with regulations and to protect data privacy.
5. Scalability: The system should be able to handle a large number of tags and a high volume of data, and be able to scale as the business grows.
6. Support: The system should have a dedicated support team that can provide assistance with setup, troubleshooting and optimization.
7. Personalization: The system should have the capability to create triggers and audiences for personalization, this will allow the business to create tailored experiences for their customers.
8. Mobile SDK: A good tag management system should also have a mobile SDK that allows businesses to easily create, manage, and launch mobile apps.
9. Cost-effective: Lastly, it should be cost-effective, meaning that it should provide value for the cost and should be affordable for the size of the business.

 

Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Launch

The Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) is a comprehensive solution that allows businesses to manage, personalize, and optimize customer experiences across all touchpoints. It was launched by Adobe as a way to help enterprises to build a holistic view of their customers by integrating data from various sources such as web, mobile, IoT, and offline.

 

AEP features include:

• Real-time data lake
• AI-powered customer profile
• Toolset for data governance, analytics, and personalization. 
• API for integrating with other Adobe solutions, as well as third-party systems
• AEP allows businesses to create a unified and actionable view of the customer journey, which in turn allows the company to make better data-driven decisions.

 

Pros

 

One of the main pros of AEP is its ability to provide a holistic view of customer data, which enables businesses to personalize experiences at scale. Additionally, AEP offers a wide range of pre-built integrations, making it easy to get started with integrating other Adobe solutions.

 

Cons

However, one of the cons is that AEP requires a significant investment in terms of time, resources and cost to set up and implement. Additionally, The platform is also quite complex, and it may take a while for businesses to fully understand and utilize all of its features.

 

Overall, Adobe Experience Platform is a powerful solution for businesses looking to take control of their customer data and create personalized experiences. It does require a significant investment but can provide a significant ROI. It is best suited for large enterprises or organizations that want to make data-driven decisions.

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool offered by Google that allows users to add and manage various marketing and analytics tags on their websites without requiring code changes. It allows users to add and manage tags for tracking website visitor behaviour, setting up marketing and analytics tools, and implementing marketing and conversion tracking.

 

GTM features include:

• Intuitive interface for creating and managing tags
• Preview mode for testing tags before publishing
• Built-in support for most popular tags and analytics tools
• API for integrating with other Google products, as well as third-party systems.

Pros

One of the main pros of GTM is that it is free and easy to use, making it a great option for small and medium-sized businesses. It also allows users to easily add and manage tags without requiring code changes, which can save time and resources. Additionally, GTM is a widely adopted and well-documented tool, making it easy to find help and resources online.

 

Cons

However, one of the cons of GTM is that it may not be as powerful or versatile as some of the paid tag management solutions available on the market. Additionally, while GTM is a robust solution, it may be challenging to implement more complex tracking and analytics use cases.

 

Overall, Google Tag Manager is a great free tool that allows users to easily add and manage tags on their websites. It is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses and for basic tracking and analytics use cases, but may not be as powerful as paid solutions for more complex requirements.

Tealium iQ

Tealium iQ is a tag management solution that allows businesses to manage, analyze, and personalize customer experiences across all touchpoints. It provides a centralized platform for managing tags, creating and maintaining customer profiles, and setting up triggers and audiences for personalization.

 

Tealium iQ features include:

• User-friendly interface for creating and managing tags
• Data layer for collecting and integrating data from various sources
• Toolset for analytics and personalization
• API for integrating with other systems, as well as pre-built connectors for popular marketing, analytics, and e-commerce platforms
• Mobile SDK allows businesses to easily create, manage, and launch mobile apps

 

Pros

One of the main pros of Tealium iQ is its ability to provide a centralized platform for managing, analyzing, and personalizing customer experiences. It allows businesses to create a unified and actionable view of the customer journey, which in turn allows the company to make better data-driven decisions. Additionally, Tealium iQ offers a wide range of pre-built integrations, making it easy to get started with integrating other systems.

Cons

However, one of the cons of Tealium iQ is that it requires a significant investment in terms of time, resources and cost to set up and implement. Additionally, The platform is also quite complex, and it may take a while for businesses to fully understand and utilize all of its features.

 

Overall, Tealium iQ is a powerful solution for businesses looking to take control of their customer data and create personalized experiences. It offers a centralized platform for managing, analyzing, and personalizing customer experiences, and provides the ability to integrate with other systems as well. However, it is not a free tool and requires a significant investment to set up and implement. It is best suited for large enterprises or organizations that want to make data-driven decisions and have a budget to invest in a sophisticated tool.

 

Make Your Tag Management Solution More Effective with Tag Audit Toolsets

 

Although Tag Management Software is the most efficient way to manage your website analytics, it isn’t foolproof, as inaccurate or incorrect data can cause significant issues. This is especially the case for large enterprise-level organisations, where a small change can impact multiple business procedures. 

 

However, with recent developments in digital marketing technology, tag audit toolsets offer comprehensive solutions that can help overcome these risks. 

 

Some of the benefits of using a comprehensive tag audit toolset include:

 

1. Improved website performance: A tag audit toolset can help identify and remove unnecessary tags on a website, which can improve website performance and speed.
2. Increased data accuracy: By identifying and removing faulty or outdated tags, a tag audit toolset can improve data accuracy and reduce the risk of data errors.
3. Better compliance: The tag audit toolset can help ensure that data collection and usage is in compliance with industry regulations and standards.
4. Increased efficiency: A tag audit toolset can automate the process of identifying and managing tags, which can save time and resources.
5. Better tracking: A tag audit toolset can help identify and optimize tracking tags, which can improve tracking and measurement of website performance and visitor behavior.
6. Better organization: a tag audit toolset can help organize and categorize tags, which can make it easier to manage and maintain tags over time.
7. Better Security: By regularly reviewing and removing unnecessary tags, a tag audit toolset can help protect against potential security risks.

 

Combined with an effective tag management system, tag audit toolsets ensure that your business or organisation has the best possible security and data to empower key business decisions. 

While modern threats associated with cybercrime and data breaches are often talked about with regards to most major industries, for retailers, physical security remains a top priority. According to recently published data, retail crime in the US accounts for almost $126 billion in lost economic activity, with almost 80% of retailers listing physical crime as a top concern.

Developing effective retail security solutions and related organizational policies is central to the safe operation of all retail businesses. Not only as a way to reliably prevent the loss of key assets, but also to create a safe and welcoming environment for customers to enjoy. However, as retail theft rates rise, teams must find new ways to effectively deter criminality.

Unfortunately, retail stores may always be vulnerable to physical threats like shoplifting due to the nature of the industry. With staff required to monitor large, over-crowded public spaces alongside carrying out other professional duties. But if some security tasks could be safely performed by smart technologies, retail security operations could be dramatically improved.

With this in mind, let’s look into the question: can artificial intelligence benefit retail security?

An overview of AI in retail security

The adoption rate of AI technologies among retailers on a global scale has been rising for several years, with the compound annual growth rate for such technologies sitting at almost 40%. While AI systems may not be exclusively used to benefit retail security tasks, the ability for teams to autonomously monitor assets and analyze data has likely driven adoption rates.

Across all the security practices in which AI can be beneficial, a few key operational factors remain present. In short, the ability for AI tools to perform real-time data analytics processes enables retailers to automate many key security tasks. At a time in which many retailers may be struggling financially, the adoption of AI systems can help to alleviate heavy workloads.

Supporting customer-facing employees and security teams by automating threat detection tasks allows retailers to both improve security processes and simplify the jobs of existing staff. Taking this into account, below are some examples of how AI benefits retail security.

Loss prevention

Research suggests as many as 90% of retailers have experienced instances of theft in their stores, with 83% believing retail theft to be a major issue. Whether these offenses are down to internal theft, shoplifting or a combination of the two, retailers must find a way to reliably deter criminality and to investigate reported incidents without overexerting human resources.

By integrating AI video analytics tools into existing store security systems, security staff can program automated responses to anomalous events. Installed cameras can continuously monitor high-risk areas in search of stimuli consistent with criminality, sending alerts to staff remotely for further investigation. Modern AI algorithms can also perform situational analysis of live footage, highlighting subtle indicators of criminality to improve incident responses.

Violent offenses

Tangentially related to shoplifting offenses, many retailers have recently shared concerns regarding a notable increase in instances of in-store violence. According to one report, 88% of retailers believe shoplifters to have become more aggressive in recent years, with almost 50% revealing they’ve observed much more violent behavior in retail environments of late.

In a similar sense to loss prevention solutions, AI analytics software can be deployed to help retailers better detect and address violent offenses. Object detection software can be used to autonomously identify contraband items, while video analytics tools can be programmed to detect suspicious behaviors like crowds forming in unusual locations. These stimuli can be used as triggers for wider security tools like alarms and locks to help staff mitigate threats.

Perimeter security

The benefits of AI with regards to retail security can also stretch into perimeter security, with specially designed analytics tools able to aid staff in preventing vehicular crimes. AI-informed cameras can use License Plate Recognition (LPR) software to continuously monitor parking lots, with systems configured to warn security staff of suspicious cars around the premises.

In addition, these same solutions can be used to prevent and address muggings, attempted vehicle theft and other physical crimes that may occur around stores. Staff can be alerted to suspicious events, provided AI cameras are linked to a cloud-based management solution, with options to immediately secure perimeter access systems and contact local authorities.

Fraud detection

Aside from physical security threats, one of the biggest challenges faced by retail security teams is the identification and prevention of fraud. The number of fraudulent transactions detected by retailers has increased significantly over the last few years, with 85% believing cases of credit card fraud rose in 2023 and 70% seeing an increase in check payment fraud.

Once again, the analytical abilities of modern AI systems can be used to detect and prevent suspected instances of fraud before such transactions can impact retailers. Dynamic AI tools can detect fraud by analyzing payment data in search of patterns consistent with fraudulent activity. If an anomaly is detected, systems can immediately alert stakeholders, reject false payment methods and contact authorities or financial institutions to enact further responses.

Cyber security

Finally, while the number of cyber threats targeting most industries has risen in recent years, retailers appear to be among the most commonly impacted organizations. According to data published in 2022, 77% of retailers were hit by ransomware attacks during the previous year, an 11% increase when compared to cross-sector averages observed over the same period.

AI threat detection solutions are well-positioned to help retailers prevent these threats. With tools like endpoint detection and response programs able to continuously monitor devices and digital systems, automatically addressing cyber threats as and when they occur. Using AI in this way has been shown to help teams cut data breach costs by almost $1.8 billion.

Summary

With research suggesting retailers may be facing elevated risks with regards to both physical and cyber crimes, modern organizations must find new ways to improve security responses. While investing in more security personnel may seem like the most obvious solution to these issues, an alternative may be to better support existing teams using smart security solutions.

The ability for modern AI tools to continuously monitor high-risk locations both effectively and efficiently can help retailers to improve threat detection processes, supporting existing teams and reducing the impact of common threats. By developing smart security systems designed to suit unique commercial environments, artificial intelligence can benefit retail security.