Photo illustration by Avishek Das / SOPA images / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they are affecting your business. Do you miss them?
1 – Microsoft kills its 25-year-old browser, Internet Explorer.
Microsoft announced this past week that it will release Internet Explorer on August 17th, 2021. According to the announcement, the web app for Microsoft Teams will stop supporting the latest version of the browser – Internet Explorer 11 – this coming November, while the rest of the services apps in 365 will stop using it next year. support. Microsoft Edge will replace Explorer and will have more features than Explorer because it will rely on Chromium software created by Google for its Chrome browser. (Source: independent)
Why this is important for your business:
This is important if you have online applications that rely on IE as an interface. Some older apps do that. Microsoft says IE replacement browser, Edge, is faster and uses fewer resources than Chrome, but I still use Chrome.
2 – Online sales are up more than 31% in just three months, while Walmart’s commission sales are up 97% in the second quarter, all thanks to the pandemic.
Reports published by the U.S. Department of Commerce this past week found that e-commerce sales across the country have grown more than 30% in just three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the second quarter of the year, $ 211.5 billion was spent online, which is 31.8% more than last quarter. Walmart also reported that its Q2 e-commerce sales went up 97%, also thanks to online shopping and its pick-up and delivery of groceries. According to the Department of Commerce, 16.1% of all sales in the United States are now made online. (Source: Tech Crunch and CNBC)
Why this is important for your business:
Covid only accelerated what was already happening: people buy their stuff online and unless your business is an “experience” – a bar, restaurant, salon or other service – you will need to make sure you have an online strategy for brick and mortar it probably will not cut. Also of note is Walmart’s meteoric online rise and how it is now challenging Amazon. Maybe you can do the same – if you have a few hundred million dollars left to invest.
3 —Chrome lets you know quickly if a web form is not secure.
Google is stepping up its efforts to ensure that Chrome users will have their information protected when they try to enter it into web forms that are not secure. Starting in its M86 version, the browser will start to mark forms that show that they are safe on HTTPS pages, but it can not be verified as safe when submitting the forms. From now on, auto-filling of these mixed forms will be disabled to prevent private or sensitive information from being immediately populated. (Source: Engadget)
Why this is important for your business:
This will first affect mobile Android users. But eventually it will expand to every Chrome user. And finally, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Safari will do the same. This is a wake-up call for you to check the forms of your website and make sure they follow the latest security protocols.
4 – Deezer now has an analytics app for podcasters.
Deezer – an emerging streaming service – recently rolled out an app to highlight analytics for podcasters. Although analytics apps currently exist through Stitcher and Google Podcasts, Deezer will be the only streaming platform through which individuals can access podcast data through a mobile app. (Source: Engadget)
Why this is important for your business:
Worth a look if podcasts are part of your business. The app – called Analytics by Deezer – will organize podcast data in audience and analytics. The audience will reveal the gender and age of listeners, as well as what people are listening to on the web, their phones or a desktop. While the analytics tab will show the number of times a podcast has been streamed, how many individual listeners there are, and what the most popular time to listen is.
5— TD launches online accounting in a small business account bid.
TD announced last week in a press release that they will be introducing TD Online Accounting, which will serve as a new online accounting and payment feature. The add-on will be made available to their online small business platform and will allow business owners to pay their electronic payments and credit cards directly from their TD Bank business check, enabling the process of making payments to run more efficiently. TD is looking to add more small business customers to its portfolio and will limit the offer to small businesses that already have an account for them through TD online. (Source: Pymnts)
Why this is important for your business:
Next up: banks that buy accounting software companies. Kind of makes sense, right?
My new book is called Want More Cash? 100+ Ideas and Strategies for Increasing the Cash Flow of Your Business and is available at Amazon.
.
