Customer service workers are some of the most threatened by AI automation, and a lot of corporate leaders are more than happy to let those workers lose their jobs. But so far, most people hate AI customer service. It's not hard to understand. When customers call in, they want help. And if the AI is not helpful, it is seen as detrimental. The...
It's a common situation: you ask a retail worker a non-standard question and the worker has to call the manager to find out. Now at stores around the world, including Target stores in the USA, chatbots are taking over for managers so that, instead of asking a manager, retail workers get help from AI. Accessible via handheld devices, the chatbot...
German supermarket Lidl is leveling the playing field for plant-based foods. By price-matching its Venmondo vegan products to their animal-based equivalents, Lidl is upending the higher pricing model traditionally associated with plant-based fare. The retailer introduced Vemondo in 2020; the vegan line now includes over 100 items. In addition...
IKEA is training call centre workers to become interior design advisers as the Swedish furniture giant aims to offer more home improvement services and hand run-of-the-mill customer queries to an artificial intelligence bot called Billie. In April, IKEA expanded its interior design services to the UK and United States, after previous launches...
Perishable groceries are getting the airline treatment. A company called Wasteless is looking to connect sell-by dates with pricing, so as fresh foods age they automatically decline in price to spur sales. The company argues this is also a great strategy to reduce waste. Normally, supermarkets put analogue stickers on foods they're looking to...
Tourism destinations are learning that electric vehicle charging stations present opportunities to attract visitation, especially to rural and underserved areas. “It would almost be like passive tourism,” said Visit North Carolina Director Wit Tuttell. “They needed to charge, they stopped and then they realized what a cute town it was and then...
Haarlem in the Netherlands is the first city in the world to ban meat advertisements. The impact on the climate is the stated reason for the ban, which extends to all public spaces. Similarly, the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Leiden and The Hague have already decided to ban commercials for airplane travel, petrol cars and the fossil fuel industry...
The world of sustainable goods just got bigger with the launch of Amazon Aware, a collection of clothing, beauty, bed & bath, and household products designed by an in-house team. They’re dedicated to using recycled or sustainable materials without sacrificing quality or over inflating their price. Each item created under this label is made...
"For businesses ourselves, the first step must be taking a long hard look in the mirror. The private sector faces a massive—and understandable—trust deficit on the back of widespread greenwashing, spin, and straight out lying. Therefore, we must get a clear picture of our impact and use this to open honest conversations. At Patagonia, we don’t...
IKEA has announced the launch of STROMMA in Sweden, an electricity subscription service that will enable customers to buy affordable, certified electricity from solar and wind, and use an app to track their own electricity usage. IKEA already offers solar panels to customers in 11 markets, with plans to expand the offering to all Ingka Group...
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