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☆ Taco Bell to roll out AI drive-thru ordering in hundreds of locations by end of year
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Yum Brands hopes to use artificial intelligence to take down drive-thru orders at hundreds of Taco Bell restaurants by the end of this year. In May, executives said Taco Bell would expand its pilot of voice AI from five locations to 30 restaurants in California. Currently, more than 100 Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S. use voice AI. Taco Bell had nearly 7,700 U.S. locations at the end of 2023, according to company filings. Five KFC restaurants in Australia are also testing voice AI tech in drive-thrus, Yum Brands said.

Persons: McDonald's, Taco, Taco Bell, Lawrence Kim Organizations: Yum Brands, Taco Bell, IBM, Brands, Yum, KFC Locations: U.S, White, Chicago, California, Australia

☆ Spirit Airlines is trying to go upmarket with snacks, Wi-Fi and checked bags included
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Free Wi-Fi? Free checked bag? Free snacks? "Go Savvy" fares come with either a checked bag or a carry-on. Then there's just "Go," essentially Spirit's original product, with just a seat and fees for checked bags, cabin luggage, seat selection, Wi-Fi and snacks.

Persons: Ted Christie Organizations: JetBlue, Airbus, CNBC Locations: Florida, U.S

☆ Premium economy is having a moment
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some airlines have revamped their premium economy services in recent months, with passengers increasingly tempted by the prospect of upgrading to more luxurious seating without blowing their budget. Delta plans to roll out a premium economy service to transcontinental flights in September, while Singapore Airlines announced its updated premium economy class in March with a 200-item food menu. 'The sweet spot between cost and luxury'Delta plans to roll out a premium economy service to transcontinental flights in September. AdvertisementCounterpoint director and aircraft interiors expert Rob Semple told BI that the key to convincing passengers to upgrade was to make premium economy "visibly better" than economy class to increase the sense of FOMO — while still maintaining a luxury gap between premium economy and the more expensive business class. Advertisement"We all know that economy class sucks on pretty much every airline.

Persons: —, United, Collin Heller, Bauer, Griffin, Rob Semple, Semple, Henry Harteveldt Organizations: Service, Singapore Airlines, Business, Alaska Airlines, Wall Street, Counterpoint Market Intelligence, AaronP, Getty, Airlines

☆ A Cracker Barrel hostess reveals how the restaurant tries to sell you more food
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAt a Cracker Barrel in the Midwest, busloads of diners pull in from the interstate most Saturday nights and swarm the entrance. Cracker Barrel is upselling customers with packaged foodThe hostess said her Cracker Barrel location is increasingly trying to get customers to buy more food and drinks through various upselling strategies. "As a company, Cracker Barrel communicates menu updates and innovations to guests in a variety of ways including in-store through our servers and hosts and through signage throughout the restaurant and digitally though email, social media and through the Cracker Barrel app and Cracker Barrel Rewards," the spokesperson said. Cracker Barrel said in May that quarterly revenue declined 1.9% to $817.1 million year-over-year. AdvertisementDo you work at Cracker Barrel or another major restaurant and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Craig Pommells Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Pennsylvania

☆ The Cost of a Psychic Is a Window Into Americans' Spending Habits
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

For $25, which wound up being $30 because she didn't have change, Jessica told me my fortune. That psychic is also a pet psychic, which is not Katy's jam. Once, after an accident on her block in Chicago, Katy used a psychic to ensure the person had crossed over. Another time, she bought a bunch of bath oils in New York after a psychic told her she was cursed. In a consumerist society, of course some people are willing to pay to commune with the afterlife.

Persons: I'm, Jessica, IBISWorld, upselling, It's, that's, spellwork, Lisa Stardust, who's, Neil Dagnall, Ken Drinkwater, Dagnall, Drinkwater, —, Jane Risen, Risen, it's, what's, they're, Cleo, Peter Popoff, they'd, Ralph Lewis, There's, we're, Lewis, I've, Katy who's, Katy, Taylor Swift, Emily Stewart Organizations: Pew Research Center, what's, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, Federal Trade Commission, intel, University of Toronto, Business Locations: Manhattan, New York, Chicago

☆ I went on my first Carnival cruise — these are the 2 reasons I might not do it again
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I spent four nights on Carnival Cruise Line's new Carnival Firenze cruise ship. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPeople love to hate Carnival Cruise Line. After sailing on the new Carnival Firenze, I now understand why: The food was as bad as the incessant upselling. Its parent company, Carnival Corp, experienced "record" deposits and high-priced bookings in the first quarter of 2024.

Persons: —, it's Organizations: Service, Carnival Corp

☆ Why Walmart, Walgreens, CVS retail health clinic experiment is struggling
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

But the business experience in the retail health clinic space has largely disappointed. Walmart and the problem of volume vs. priceIn 2019, Walmart announced a bold initiative to open 4,000 in-store health clinics by 2029. "Primary health care is a low margin business," said Arielle Trzcinski, a principal analyst covering health care at research firm. "Compared to what they see in traditional retail, health care is a fundamentally different business," Trzcinski said, citing the challenges of navigating insurance companies and administrative burdens that health care brings. In-store health clinics can be profitable and viable, and retailers are experimenting with piecemeal approaches tailored to the local market.

Persons: Bobbi Radford, Radford, haven't, CVS's MinuteClinic, Karla Lemon, CVS's, I've, That's, Timothy Hoff, Hoff, didn't, Colleen Sanders, Sanders, Arielle Trzcinski, Forrester, Trzcinski, America Sanders, Virgil Brantz, Brantz Organizations: CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Northeastern University, Insurance, Washington , D.C, Aetna, Retailers, Washington, Hartford HealthCare, Health Clinic, Arizona State University, Little Clinics, Kroger Locations: Batavia , Ohio, VillageMD, Southern California, New England, Conway , South Carolina, Washington ,, MinuteClinic, USA, America, Connecticut, Hartford, Phoenix, Atlanta, Little

☆ Tuesday's analyst calls: Nvidia to get a boost from new chip, Ralph Lauren poised to jump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Tuesday's analyst calls focused on red-hot tech giant Nvidia, which is seen as benefitting from the release of its new Blackwell chip, the GB200. 7:02 a.m.: Deutsche Bank sees 33% upside for Live Nation on strong fundamentals Strong fundamentals could spell further upside for shares of Live Nation Entertainment , according to Deutsche Bank. Soff also applauded the company for expanding into new add-on services, including providing upselling opportunities and selling advertising on the Live Nation app. Although a potential regulatory investigation could curtail the stock, Soff doesn't believe that Live Nation stock will ultimately take much damage. 6:03 a.m.: Jefferies initiates Ralph Lauren at a buy, sees momentum with younger consumers Ralph Lauren is shaping up to be a quality growth stock, according to Jefferies.

Persons: Blackwell, Jefferies, Ralph Lauren, Benjamin Soff's, Soff, shouldn't, — Lisa Kailai Han, Airbnb, James Lee, Lee's, headwinds, Brent Thrill, Ashley Helgans, Ralph Lauren's, Helgans, Taylor Swift, Timothy Acuri, Acuri, Hopper, — Lisa Kailai Han — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Nation, Live Nation Entertainment, Mizuho, Paris, tailwinds, Paris Olympics, Chegg, Blackwell, Microsoft, Oracle Locations: Europe

☆ Wendy’s will soon begin testing surge pricing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The price of a Wendy’s Frosty could soon fluctuate throughout the day as the chain looks to introduce Uber-like surge pricing on its menu. The practice, known as “dynamic pricing,” will begin testing in 2025, Wendy’s recently revealed in an earnings call. Surge pricing is common with sports and concert tickets and for ride-hailing apps, with services like Ticketmaster and Uber using sophisticated dynamic pricing algorithms that change minute by minute, based on demand. However, there hasn’t been widespread adoption from restaurants because of the labor it takes employees to change menus. McDonald’s has also dabbled with dynamic pricing and new order-suggestion capabilities at some of its upgraded drive-thrus and on its app.

Persons: Wendy’s, Kirk Tanner, ” Tanner, Jonathan Maze, ”, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Ticketmaster, Uber, CNN Locations: New York, upselling

☆ Why Framing Art, Posters, and Photos Is so Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AdvertisementTake a spin around the internet, and it's clear that I'm not the only one with some questions about framing. For preservation purposes, framers will suggest acid-free, lignin-free materials so the art won't get damaged, which adds to the cost. "Glass is incredibly expensive, and part of it is because it's made specifically for picture framing. The day after I spoke with a manager at a midsize framing shop in Brooklyn, I followed up to ask about general price ranges on moldings and mats. How much did the thing you want to frame cost?

Persons: I'd, I've, Big, Hope Dye, they've, Dye, Sven Olsen, Michaels, Kevin Ivester, it's, wouldn't, Ivester, what's, They're, they're, Olsen, Framebridge, that's, Julia Lovett, Lovett, Austin, you've, Julia Mack, Emily Stewart Organizations: Studios, Michaels, Business Locations: Chicago, Mexico, Austin, Brooklyn

☆ Meta's continued rally could hinge on the fortunes of upstart retailers Temu and Shein
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Temu is owned by PDD Holdings , a Chinese company that moved its principal office to Ireland last year. Meta is expected to report revenue growth of 22% for the quarter to $39.2 billion, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG, formerly Refinitiv. JMP analysts estimated that Temu and Shein spent roughly $600 million and $200 million, respectively, on Facebook and Instagram ads in the third quarter. In December, Temu sued Shein, alleging questionable business practices and a "mafia-style intimidation of suppliers," according to legal documents. Meta isn't the only U.S. internet company effected by the speedy growth from Temu and Shein.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma, Shu Zhang, Victor Lee, Lee, who's, Shein, Meta, Pavlo Gonchar, Temu, didn't, Susan Li, data.AI, It's, Chris Mack, Harding Loevner, they've, Mack, Shein confidentially, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Brian Wieser, Josh Silverman, Silverman Organizations: Alibaba, China Development Forum, Reuters, Facebook, Hasbro, Unified Commerce, Amazon, PDD Holdings, U.S, Mobile, Meta, LSEG, Getty, CNBC, Cyberspace Administration, China, Street Journal, Google Locations: Beijing, China, Ireland, Singapore, UKRAINE, U.S, United States, Wall, Asia, Pacific, Temu, Meta

As technology titans jockey to back hot new startups, they are extracting explicit or implicit promises of revenue in return. loadingMicrosoft’s injection of $10 billion into OpenAI in January helped kick off the craze. As part of their deal, the ChatGPT operator agreed to exclusively use its new investor’s cloud computing services. Much of the invested capital should be returned relatively quickly as AI firms buy back-end services. Nvidia (NVDA.O) has at least 80% and as much as 95% of the AI market, according to estimates by analysts.

Persons: Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Optimists, cynics, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, Financial Times, Apple, Nasdaq, Big Tech, OpenAI, Wall Street, Google, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Technologies, Company, Global, Telecom, Nortel, Network, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley

☆ I doubled my revenue as a freelancer to more than $200,000 in one year. These 3 strategies helped me scale up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Hannah Logsdon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Upselling at the end of a project and targeting niche industries helped her hit $200,000 in 2022. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In my first full calendar year, I earned $100,000 in revenue, and in my second year, I more than doubled that number. When advertising these skills on freelance marketplaces, I positioned myself as an expert in sales optimization, client acquisition, and virtual assistance. Using these strategies, my business revenue for my second full year surpassed $200,000.

Persons: Hannah Logsdon, — Organizations: Service

☆ [WATCH NOW] How to drive growth with seamless omnichannel payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Paypal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At the recent event, "How Enterprise Merchants Can Leverage Seamless Omnichannel Payments to Drive Growth," experts shared insights on how to maximize customer conversions. Watch now and find out how to embed a seamless omnichannel experience into your customer engagement strategy. Omnichannel payments are vital to merchant growthOmnichannel can only deliver a seamless customer experience with a strong payment infrastructure behind it. Today's customers want a seamless omnichannel experience, and if your business can't offer that, they'll find one that can. Watch the video below to learn how adopting omnichannel payments can help your business drive greater growth.

Persons: Julie Fergerson, Fergerson, they're, Cindy Turner, Adam Kronengold, Vince Camuto, Eddie Bauer, Kronengold, Turner Organizations: Merchant Risk Council, PayPal, National Retail, Retail, Authentic Brands, Insider Studios Locations: National Retail Federation's, PayPal Braintree, Braintree

☆ How marketers are using AI to make the customer-service experience faster, more targeted, and more reliable
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Helaine Krysik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Marketers say conversational AI is taking some of the pressure off of live customer service. This story is part of "Revolutionizing Customer Experience With AI," a series exploring the game-changing technologies driving customer interactions. Brands are discovering that using AI costs less, gets more done in less time, and provides a more customized, reliable shopping experience. Wingstop is experimenting with an AI pilot on phone orders in select restaurants. When customers call a pilot location, they are greeted by an AI phone voice taking them through the ordering process.

Persons: —, Herb, Katie Bevier, Bevier, Maddie Lupori, Lupori, We've Organizations: Service, Brands, Kroger, eventual Locations: Wingstop

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, GM, Amazon, Zoom, Arm, Rivian, Ford, Deere & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

HSBC initiates Zoom as buy HSBC said Zoom is the leader in video conferencing. HSBC initiates Deere as buy HSBC said in its initiation of Deere that it sees "upside in the cycle." HSBC initiates Salesforce as buy HSBC said in its initiation of the stock that it's a "margin expansion story." HSBC initiates Snowflake as buy HSBC said Snowflake is well positioned for AI. HSBC initiates Oracle a buy HSBC said in its initiation of Oracle it likes the company's cloud platform.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Rivian, it's, TD Cowen, Needham, Piper Sandler, Piper, KEY's, Lauder, Redburn, Wolfe, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Casella, Zoom, Snowflake, Northcoast, Apple, Salesforce, Ford Organizations: Bank of America, underperform Bank of America, HSBC, Anheuser, Busch InBev, UBS, WWE, UFC, Systems, Moffett, Deere, Oracle, of America, Amazon, Apple, Lenovo, Adobe, General Motors, Ford, GM, UAW Locations: Americas, 2H23, North America, U.S, China

☆ Exclusive: AppHub, a Shopify app acquirer, raises $95 million to build and buy apps as the developer ecosystem matures
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AppHub builds and acquires apps that are geared towards e-commerce merchants. AppHub, an e-commerce enablement platform launched in 2021, has raised $95 million from growth-equity firm PSG to continue building up its portfolio of apps as changes come to Shopify's app ecosystem. More than 150,000 merchants are now using AppHub apps, CEO and cofounder Kris Eng told Insider. Deciding whether to build or acquireAppHub decides whether to acquire an app or build a solution of its own on a case-by-case basis. The new funding from PSG will allow AppHub to continue to invest in its existing portfolio and look for other apps to acquire.

Persons: AppHub, Kris Eng, Eng, Tobi Lütke, Harley Finkelstein, AppHub Shopify, they've, Matt Tennenhouse, Tennenhouse, we'll, Matt Stone Organizations: PSG, Capital Partners

Wendy's will pilot its new AI drive-thru tech this month at some locations in the Columbus, Ohio, area. The hesitancy to discuss any generative AI implementation is understandable. That said, we think that generative AI opportunities at Starbucks are still worth considering. This is where we think there's a clear opportunity for margin improvement as generative AI adoption goes mainstream. There are going to be a lot of opportunities to invest in to play the adoption of generative AI outside of tech.

Persons: hasn't, WEN, Jack, JACK, we've, Todd Penegor, Jim Cramer, Wendy's, Darin Harris, Jim, Harris, It's, —, China's, Jim Cramer's, Scott Mlyn Organizations: Microsoft, Nvidia, Club, Del, Starbucks, AIs, chatbots, Global, Companies, CNBC Locations: Columbus , Ohio, U.S, QSRs, Wendy's, Glassdoor, Dana Point , California

☆ Less Haggling, More Upselling: How EVs Will Change How You Buy a Car
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/less-haggling-more-upselling-how-evs-will-change-how-you-buy-a-car-5018a245

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ How much an OnlyFans creator with 34,000 subscribers earns per month and how she uses safe-for-work content to grow her income and audience
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nhari Djan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

OnlyFans creators often make non-adult content to promote on mainstream social-media platforms. She shares how much she earns on OnlyFans and her top tips for making safe-for-work content. Adult-content creators who were working before the rise of OnlyFans will tell you promoting safe-for-work content on social media has long been key to building a following. Adult and mainstream content trends mirror each otherLike ASMR, many trends that impact mainstream creators also affect those who create adult content. Michaels is seeing a resurgence of livestreaming among adult creators, now, as platforms like TikTok and YouTube test live shopping with more mainstream creators.

☆ How much an OnlyFans creator with an audience of 34,000 earns per month and how she uses safe-for-work content to grow her income and reach
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nhari Djan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

OnlyFans creators often make non-adult content to promote on mainstream social-media platforms. Her OnlyFans audience is around 34,000 fans and followers across pages, including one free and one VIP. Michaels shared her top advice with Insider on how OnlyFans creators can use safe-for-work content to expand their reach without overextending themselves:1. Adult and mainstream content trends mirror each otherLike ASMR, many trends that impact mainstream creators also affect those who create adult content. Michaels is seeing a resurgence of livestreaming among adult creators, now, as platforms like TikTok and YouTube test live shopping with more mainstream creators.

☆ Carl's Jr. and Hardee's to roll out Presto's A.I. drive-thru ordering nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations will roll out automated drive-thru ordering nationwide using Presto's artificial intelligence software. Together, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have about 2,800 restaurants across 44 U.S. states. Hardee's locations are mostly in the Midwest and South, while Carl's Jr. restaurants are found in the West. CKE tested the software last year at a handful of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations. CKE operates about 250 of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, while franchisees run the rest.

☆ Secondhand resale is getting cutthroat as platforms like Depop and Poshmark boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Demand for secondhand resale has been booming since the early days of the pandemic, generating a culture shift within the indie marketplaces where it all began. Users on platforms like Depop and Poshmark set up online shops to list vintage, secondhand or unique items for sale and generate notable followings of loyal shoppers. Robertson is now 17 and says the growth of resale has allowed him to turn his Depop shop, which now has over 19,000 followers, into a part-time gig. Blake Robertson, 17, poses with his closet, some of which is up for resale on his Depop shop. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Beaux Abington, 49, models some of her own Depop items.

☆ Why connectedness is the future of great customer experiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Adobe With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For generations before digital, customer interactions were highly personal: Merchants talked directly with each person and learned pretty quickly why they were or were not completing transactions and deepening relationships. Connected customer experiencesEvery business wants to grow. But in order to connect a customer's experiences, brands first must connect with them, and do so with their privacy and preferences in mind. The same platform that enables connected customer experiences should be able to connect with and facilitate all of these business needs, leveraging properly gathered and governed customer data. Find out how Adobe can help you form a connected customer experience.

☆ I've worked on Wall Street for more than 15 years. Here are 5 ways middle managers go wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jenna Gyimesi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Matthew C. Meade has worked on Wall Street for firms including JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America. He's seen middle managers struggle when they neglect to get feedback from the people they manage. Mid-level managers must delegate while upselling their team's work to senior management, he writes. As a mid-level manager, your job is to delegate to your team while also upselling your team's work to senior management. Here are five ways I've seen middle managers go wrong.

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