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ProBeat: As Google Shopping challenges Amazon with free listings, fraud is inevitable

April 26, 2020 Big Data

Google this week announced that Google Shopping will be free for merchants next week in the U.S. and by end of year globally. Google Shopping results will soon “consist primarily of free listings.” That’s right; until now, Google Shopping showed only paid listings instead of serving, oh, I don’t know, the best listings Google found on the web. The change is a huge win for any business owner that sells products online, and anyone who buys online, and is thus a direct attack on Amazon. It’s also bound to bring the same problems that Amazon experiences.

Froogle was born in December 2002, rebranded to Google Product Search in April 2007, and then again renamed to Google Shopping in May 2012. That last change was bigger than just a new coat of paint — soon after, Google adopted a pay-to-play model. At the time, small businesses argued they would not be able to compete with larger companies’ advertising budgets. Eight years later, when there are “hundreds of millions of shopping searches on Google each day,” the company is reversing course. The reason? “We know that many retailers have the items people need in stock and ready to ship, but are less discoverable online.” Those small businesses do matter, after all.

Google switching away from pay-to-play is massive news for ecommerce. Free listings are coming at a time when millions of stores have been forced to shut down. But the company says it’s simply accelerating existing plans — this isn’t a pandemic-driven limited-time offer. Google is permanently removing a big barrier to entry for smaller players. And yet, free listings are a double-edged sword. Anyone can start selling via Google Shopping. Also, anyone can start selling via Google Shopping. That won’t just translate to more consumer choice, but consumers overwhelmed with choice. Google will naturally pitch ads to small businesses looking to stand out. But ads won’t stop Google Shopping’s bigger inevitable problem: fraud.

All about Amazon

Every ecommerce conversation either directly or indirectly references Amazon. You simply cannot talk about online shopping and not mention the online retail giant. Everyone else in the space frankly fears the company, whether they admit to it or not.

Removing the ad requirement now is a smart move for Google. The pandemic has led to ad rates plummeting and online shopping taking off. Amazon’s stock is at an all-time high, while Google’s has taken a hit. (Both companies report earnings next week, so we’ll have a better idea of their financials then.)

Google argues free listings means retailers will gain free exposure to millions of people, and shoppers will get more products from more stores. It’s easy to see how Google thinks this will play out. Opening Google Shopping to everyone means more products available to consumers. More products available means more product searches and higher usage. Higher usage means more competition and more pull against Amazon. More pull against Amazon means more value to advertisers. Remember: The majority of Google’s revenue comes from ads.

Google is betting on scale, as it often does. Even though the company will no longer require ads, the long-term bet is to make more money from shopping ads, not less.

Fraud

Like many tech giants, Amazon has big problems. They include the usual antitrust and ethics concerns, as well as atrocious working conditions. But Amazon is adored for its shopping experience, which doesn’t really have issues. Except one.

More than half of Amazon’s sales come from third-party sellers. Embracing small businesses has been a huge boon for its own business, but it’s also incredibly difficult to manage. That’s why there are so many horror stories of fraud on Amazon. I’m not talking about purchasing a product on Amazon and not receiving it. I’m talking about consumers receiving a counterfeit version of a product and merchants finding their legitimate products resold at a markup. If you’re buying something important from Amazon, such as children’s toys or health care products, it’s important to check that you’re getting it from Amazon directly and not a third-party seller that ships who-knows-what in an Amazon box. Meanwhile, small businesses often spend enormous resources policing and reporting their own products being resold on Amazon by those trying to make a quick buck.

Except for a handful of its own phones, tablets, and laptops sold in the Google Store, all of Google Shopping sales come from third-party sellers. There is no easy way to ensure that a product isn’t screwing the consumer and/or the merchant. Well, at least not anymore. That’s what paid listings was helping accomplish. It becomes very expensive, very quickly to sell scam products if you have to pay every single time.

I’m sure Google will work harder than Amazon to keep fraud off Google Shopping. The company has to, after all, as it hasn’t spent its whole existence building its own store and products. Overall, Google Shopping going free is a good thing, both for consumers and for merchants. But consumers and merchants will likely have to be more vigilant, while small businesses will have to pay up to stand out. Just like on Amazon.

ProBeat is a column in which Emil rants about whatever crosses him that week.

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Merchants Now Can List Products on Google Shopping for Free

April 26, 2020 CRM News and Info

Merchants will be able to sell products on
Google Shopping at no charge, thanks to changes that will take effect soon.

Previously, they had to pay per click, but the cost was not fixed. There was no minimum, but they had to set a maximum for ad spend and Google would stop displaying their ads once the maximum was reached.

Starting next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free product listings, said Bill Ready, Google’s president of commerce.

Existing Google Merchant Center and Shopping Ads users will be enrolled in the new program automatically; Google will streamline the onboarding process for new Merchant Center users over the next few months.

The changes will take effect in the United States before the end of the month. Google plans to expand them globally before the end of the year.

Google also is launching a new partnership with PayPal to let merchants link their accounts, in order to speed up onboarding and improve search quality, Ready said.

Further, Google is working closely with many existing shopping platform partners, including Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce.

Shopify Chief Product Officer posted this enthusiastic tweet:

Excited to work with Google to get all Shopify merchants on Google Shopping for FREE. Coming to the US by the end of this month. https://t.co/8D3v7TtRpo

— Craig Miller (@craigmillr) April 21, 2020

Google is just another channel for big e-commerce platforms because it integrates with them, notedMark Lewis, CEO of
Netalico Commerce.

Shot in the Arm for SMBs

Now SMBs and smaller retailers “can potentially list more products without fear of running up the cost,” observed Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Opening up Google Shopping also “helps expand the size and scope of Google’s marketplace, adding more opportunity for discovery and delight, which is certainly a perk of browsing broad search terms on something like Amazon,” Miller told the E-Commerce Times. “Who knew you needed a tea strainer that looks like a manatee had you not searched for ‘tea’?”

That will let Google “expand the base to upsell into showcase shopping ads or more engagement-based premium ads,” she noted.

It’s also a way to add opportunity in a category where revenue has begun to lag, Miller remarked.

“As Google was seeing more opportunity in their cost per engagement models across things like Showcase, you had a situation where more house ads were taking up residence in the Listings,” she said. “Why not open up, increase the perceived size of your virtual mall, and expand the sales opportunity by approaching these new listings in the marketplace with ways to make their placement deliver even better results?”

Opening up Google Shopping gives SMBs another sales channel for their products, Netalico’s Lewis told the E-Commerce Times. “Particularly as it becomes harder and harder to rank on Google organically, anything you can do to highlight your products on Google is a good thing.”

However, removing barriers to entry — such as cost — is a mixed blessing, because it could “increase the competition on Google Shopping and decrease the overall quality of the listings,” he cautioned.

That said, if Google can maintain the quality of the listings, that will “provide a valuable opportunity for Google to act as an e-commerce search engine — something which Amazon has been dominating lately,” noted Lewis.

Fending Off Amazon

Opening up Google Shopping is likely “a response to losing so much e-commerce market share to Amazon,” Lewis suggested.

Almost half of nearly 1,000 Internet users aged 13 and above said they typically would go to Amazon first when shopping for a product, according to a survey conducted last year. For those who normally shopped online, that figure was 58 percent.

Amazon “is now the go-to e-commerce search engine because it has such a wide selection of products,” Lewis remarked.

The coronavirus pandemic has boosted business at Amazon, which had to hire 100,000 new workers last month and now plans to add another 75,000.

Amazon restricted online shipments of nonessential products to its warehouse for a month beginning in March, in order to make room for products such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer due to skyrocketing demand because of the pandemic.

It resumed accepting nonessential product shipments last week.

In another move that hurt Google, Amazon
sharply cut its purchases of Google Ads.

Further, Amazon
has been attracting online ads at Google’s expense.

Fight for the Ad Market

Facebook and other players are nipping at Google’s heels as well.

The online ad market “includes players like eBay, who are looking to deliver greater impact, scale, scope and analysis of audience and buying behavior and intention,” Miller pointed out. “This is where new formats and more content-driven, image-driven and carousel-style formats have come into play.”

Google “has made smart moves in their partnerships, especially in helping big retailers tie in with point-of-sale inventory management solutions, so local feeds become more easy to manage and maintain,” she continued.

“While Amazon is driving advertising to drive e-commerce specific business, Google can go beyond and can also drive local sales, which will certainly become even more important when businesses start to reopen and look for speedy recovery,” Miller said.

That may be crucial. U.S. spending on search advertising will fall by between 9 percent and 15 percent in H1, 2020, according to eMarketer.

Twitter pulled back from its ad sales projections for March, which analysts believe
fell by about 20 percent.

Facebook’s ad sales have weakened in countries aggressively fighting COVID-19, the company acknowledged.

It’s likely Google ad sales also have been hit.

However, online ad sales were falling before the pandemic, Miller said, and the coronavirus “just accelerated the fall.”

Richard%20Adhiikari Merchants Now Can List Products on Google Shopping for Free
Richard Adhikari has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile technologies, CRM, databases, software development, mainframe and mid-range computing, and application development. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including Information Week and Computerworld. He is the author of two books on client/server technology.
Email Richard.

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TamilGun; Choose the Best Entertaining Source that Comes Free, But Offers the Best Stuff

April 8, 2020 Humor

If you have been watching movies online for a long while, you must be familiar with the best entertaining site; the TamilGun or Tamil Gun providing pirated stuff to its users. That’s why it is going to be the ultimate option for all of your family to spend time when you are on the Internet. We undoubtedly love movies and want them even more if we get them for free.

This is known as the most significant website that’s been online for over many years and serving thousands of free downloadable movie links to its fans. You can watch the latest movies, new TV shows, eye-opening documentaries, and a lot more. Here you may get links to HD movies in various genres, like romance, horror, crime, comedy, action, adventure, and thriller, etc.

If you are seeking a way to download the film you want to watch in your spare time. You won’t be disappointed with this entertaining web portal. There is a variety of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bollywood, and Hindi dubbed; versions of the movies from various other regions, and countries.

Enjoy The Marvelous Experience Of Watching Movies At Home

Watching all of your favorite shows, programs, and latest movies have turned into a great experience. Since the dawn of various online streaming services like Amazon, HBO, Hulu, and Netflix, etc. But there is a flaw with these sites that they offer entertainment against a big monthly fee.

Here is a question worth a million dollars. What if you don’t want to pay any of your money on watching the latest movies on these paid sites?

What if you don’t want to go to the theater on the upcoming Saturday night; and want to stay at home?

Here, in this critical situation, comes TamilGun as your ultimate choice to get free entertainment with your family. While sitting on your couch at home.

Some Quality Features and Amenities Possessed by Tamil Gun

One of the best offers made by Tamil Gun is to provide its users with the application for their Android, and iPhone smartphones. It has now become very convenient for movie lovers to watch their favorite movies on their smartphones. All you need is to have a smartphone with a reasonable RAM and ROM. Now get the app from the web, and start watching or downloading the movie. You are hereby suggested to get rid of all the cache, and unnecessary apps to lighten your smartphone.

No Registration, No Monthly Fee

You will appreciate the site for many reasons, and one of the most appreciated things about this fantastic entertaining web portal is that they offer everything free, and you don’t have to create an account to watch a movie. Instead, you are welcome to visit the site and instantly click on the movie, or your favorite series to start watching. Creating an account means to remember the details of the account and stress to keep them secret, yet this fantastic site is a friendly and entertaining platform.

What Is The Quality Of Data Presented On TamilGun?

You will be offered with two types of data on the site. In type 1 the content you may find is pirated, and it has poor quality. In this category, most of the movies are filmed in theaters with some Handycam or mobile cameras. Though the camera result never collects quality results, it breaks a majority of cinema viewers. Most of the viewers don’t come to the cinema and log on to the Tamil Gun and enjoy the latest movies at home.

This is why sites like TamilGun cause massive losses for filmmakers who have spent their money, effort and time to create the films. In the second type of content portion, there are high quality or Blu-ray results. These are rather old movies and are not shown in the theaters anymore.

The Way Of Entertaining And Threatening Of TamilGun To Its Audience

This entertaining site offers its users with pirated and illegal entertaining stuff. And the biggest allure of the site, of course, is to present everything for “free”. It is typically a risky offer for tending to come with add-ons that might ruin your idea to watch the movies for free. Moreover, it is most probably going to rack up the cost as you might have to purchase to enjoy their offer.

On their site, you might also be prompted to get access to their several other programs that might not fall in the “free”. Truly speaking, it sounds very much like a trap or scam they spread there to rip off the users by depriving them of their money. If you can’t help watching movies there TamilGun, you are advised to secure yourself. This is also one of the sites, where the users are at high risk of losing their money, or privacy.

There are always sharp people behind all such sites. And they know how to get more against providing the free stuff. There is certainly the risk to infect your computer or smartphone, with a virus or malware. Therefore you must have the best anti-virus software to tackle this critical issue. Use some ad, and pop up blocker, and always use a reliable VPN, before going on such sites.

What is the Legality Status of Tamil Gun?

This is undoubtedly one of the best entertaining portals, which is delivering free stuff, yet it’s not entirely legal. They are not getting all the contents in a lawful manner. That’s why they have been banned many times, but they appear again with a new name. You are therefore recommended to avoid using such platforms to watch movies. Instead, you should spend some money on a monthly basis. And watch your favorite movies on legal sites like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu, etc.

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Bernie Sanders Praises Slave Owners For Free Housing Program

February 29, 2020 Humor

U.S.—In a televised interview, Bernie Sanders has praised slave owners for their free housing program offered to all slaves working the plantations.

“Of course, the slavery was bad, but the slaves were housed, for free I might add, for their entire employment,” Sanders said in an interview with 60 Minutes. “So it’s unfair to criticize the whole thing. Also, the slaveowners were pretty impressive guys. The plantations were very clean, very nice buildings. I actually honeymooned at one in Virginia back in 1845, and it was an eye-opener for me as to how much propaganda has been used to malign slaveowners and their healthcare, housing, and literacy programs.”

At publishing time, sources had also confirmed that Bernie Sanders had defended hell itself, saying the place of eternal torment has “gotten a bad rap” and “isn’t such a bad place.”

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Free vs. Paid CRM Solutions: Which Is Better for Your Organization?

December 19, 2019 Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Thinking of acquiring or changing your customer relationship management solution? The sheer number of CRM solutions available can be overwhelming, and it may be tempting to ignore paid products in favour of the free options. But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some of the factors you should consider before selecting a CRM solution for your organization, whether free or paid.

Not so free after all

Most free CRM solutions offer basic functionality, allowing you to manage marketing, sales, and customer service. This may be all your organization needs for the moment, but as more advanced features are usually paid, keep in mind that you will likely have to pay for additional functionality, such as marketing automation or advanced data analysis. As your business grows and your needs evolve, you may find paying just as much in the long run, if not more.

Before implementing any new solution, it’s important to analyze your current needs, and also to have a long-term vision of your business. Think about how quickly you may need these additional features, and consider how pushing back their implementation at a later time may end up causing more disruption in terms of change management, configuration time, and data migration.

Think long term

For this reason, settling for a free option may not be the smarter move in the long run, as you may find yourself chafing under the constraints and limited functionality sooner rather than later. Even paid CRM solutions are flexible and versatile, and offer different pricing plans to meet various needs and budgets. An implementation specialist can help you figure out the different pricing structures and select the best option to meet your current and long-term needs.

Moreover, the process of selecting and implementing a new solution is a substantial investment of both time and money, not to mention the change management and disruptions of normal operations result from the implementation. It may be better in the long run to adopt the solution that best meets your organization’s needs right off the bat rather than settling for the cheapest option and having to replace it later.

Look for expert guidance

Free CRM solutions are also designed to respond the needs of as many businesses as possible. If you have any specific needs, it may be difficult to find the features you are looking for, not to mention that you won’t have the guidance of a professional implementation partner. This is why we recommend looking for a CRM partner in your industry, who will be familiar with your processes and realities, and make recommendations based on your long-term vision, budget and current environment.

A wide variety of CRM solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement are available, each offering different functionalities and price points to meet the needs of various businesses. While these may not be free, you may also be able to start off with a customer relationship management solution that is less expensive than you might think.

By JOVACO Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation specialist in Quebec

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Get a Free Instant Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM Quick Quote

November 5, 2019 CRM News and Info

CRM pricing shouldn’t be a mystery. There is plenty of information online about the features of various CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software solutions. But, for whatever reason, it’s really hard to find CRM pricing on the Internet.

Usually, and understandably, CRM resellers want to get a salesperson into your office for a demonstration and consultation before they give you an idea of the cost of their product. But that doesn’t make sense. Why should you waste your time investigating solutions that are not within your budget range? We’ve discovered a better way.

Why not use the Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM Quick Quote Tool that’s available right here on the CRM Software Blog?

Why do we provide a quoting tool? Because, contrary to the mainstream view that it’s not a good idea to make pricing readily available, we have nothing to hide. We believe that Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM pricing should be accessible to anyone who is evaluating CRM systems for their company.

The Quick Quote tool is fast and easy. Here’s how it works:

Look for the orange button labeled “Request Instant Quote Dynamics 365/CRM.” It appears at the top right-hand side of each page of the CRM Software Blog.

Click on that button and you’ll be taken to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Quick Quote Request Form. And from there you are only moments away from a free, fully automated budgetary estimate for the full cost of Dynamics 365 software, implementation, and training.

On the Quick Quote form, you’ll indicate whether you’re interested in 365 Business Edition or Enterprise Edition.
Next, you’ll let us know if you want Basic CRM, Basic CRM Plus or Advanced CRM (you’ll see what each of those provides.)

Then, provide your contact information so we can email you an instant quote.

We’ve made it easy because we know that’s what you want. After all, the Internet was designed to provide useful information for people like you who are trying to make their best decisions.

Get a Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM Quick Quote today and see how this powerful solution will fit into your budget.

Try CRM Software Blog’s Quick Quote Tool. It’s free; it’s easy. You’ll be glad you tried it.

by CRM Software Blog Writer, www.crmsoftwareblog.com

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Yes, Power BI Can Do THIS: Free, Interactive NFL Stats

September 12, 2019 Self-Service BI

One of the original engineering leaders behind Power BI and Power Pivot during his 14-year career at Microsoft, Rob Collie founded a consulting company in 2013 that is 100% devoted to “the new way forward” made possible by Power BI and its related technologies. Since 2013, PowerPivotPro has rapidly grown to become the leading firm in the industry, pioneering an agile, results-first methodology never before seen in the Business Intelligence space. A sought-after public speaker and author of the #1-selling Power BI book, Rob and his team would like to help you revolutionize your business and your career.

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5 Reasons (Other Than Free Breakfast) Why NetSuite Customers Are Loving Meetups

June 22, 2019 NetSuite

Posted by Marissa Kinsley, NetSuite Product Marketing Analyst

Recently, 35 NetSuite customers took time out of their morning to convene over coffee and breakfast in San Francisco for the NetSuite Customer Meetup. The feedback was extremely positive and 100% said they would come to a Meetup again! Here are the 5 reasons why:

Learning About the Hottest New Release Features

NetSuite is investing heavily into product development, meaning new releases can bring many new features. For example, the 19.1 release lead to ASC 842/IFRS 16 Lease Accounting Compliance as part of Fixed Asset Management. And with SuiteTax, any tax rules had a limited release within Global Financials. An overwhelming amount of product development is a good problem to have, and NetSuite experts are using Meetups as an opportunity to walk through some of the hottest new release features to help customers take full advantage of them sooner.

Tips & Tricks for Optimizing NetSuite

Many customers feel as though they are only scratching the surface of NetSuite. With the sheer number of SuiteApps alone, it’s hard to get a complete picture of the product’s full capabilities. These mini tips-and-tricks sessions are designed to show customers quick wins for using NetSuite more effectively. For instance, many of the customers in San Francisco didn’t know about the Sticky Note add on, or that it is a free SuiteApp.

Access to NetSuite Experts

How often are customers given the opportunity to be in the same room as NetSuite gurus? Hearing directly from an expert can help NetSuite customers learn what they don’t know and take their businesses to another level. From financials and commerce to analytics and warehouse management, NetSuite has an expert for that.

Meeting and Learning from Other NetSuite Customers

Talking to the person next to you might be the path to a business deal, a new business best practice, or an ah-ha moment in your use of NetSuite. Successful companies are not working in a silo; they are talking with and learning from their peers. NetSuite provides a natural community for companies to learn from one another.

Seeing What Else NetSuite Has to Offer

Meetups are the perfect opportunity to learn more about the breadth of NetSuite’s offerings. Each meetup has at least one presentation digging into the details of Bronto, SuitePeople, or NetSuite Planning & Budgeting – whether one of these solutions may be on the horizon, or you are just looking to hear what other companies are doing for the planning, HR, or email marketing, these presentations are an opportunity to learn more.

Convinced? Join us for our next Customer Meetup on June 27^th from 8:30 am – 11:00 am in Oakland, California – register today to secure your spot, or keep an eye out for an invite to a Meetup near you.

Posted on Fri, June 21, 2019
by NetSuite filed under

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TomTom is going developer-friendly with new — and free — location APIs

April 2, 2019 Big Data

Presented by TomTom

“Our developer community really pushes what’s possible with our APIs,” says Gregory de Jans, TomTom’s head of developer relations. “Often they surprise us with use cases we never imagined.”

The first TomTom use case was the standalone navigation devices the company launched more than 20 years ago. But with navigation now integrated into mobile devices, the company has evolved and grown into a global tech enterprise. The location-tech specialist designs and develops innovative navigation products, software and services, including APIs used by tech and automotive giants like Uber, Microsoft, Nissan, Volkswagen, and many more.

The company’s latest development is the release of their public developer portal, offering self-service API aimed at individual developers and smaller startups. The TomTom Mobile Software Developer Kit (SDK) offers free maps and traffic flow tiles, as well as APIs for mapping and routing, geocoding, travel times, real-time traffic data, and geofencing.

Maps APIs are already required in many existing use cases like IoT, fleet and logistics, and on-demand. But many new use cases like smart cities, geospatial data analytics, and augmented reality are also empowered by Maps APIs.

“The power of our APIs is endless,” de Jans says. “Everyone who needs location in one way or another and wants to create the next big location based application can use them.”

The move from Google

Google was the mobility API elephant in the room until last year. The change? The company significantly increased their prices. The impact of that increase was huge, especially on smaller companies and growing startups, which were being asked to pay significantly more than they were paying before.

As a result, many companies began looking for an alternative to Google Maps APIs. “A lot of developers are coming our way because of our more startup- and user-friendly pricing model,” de Jans adds.

With TomTom being a mapmaker first and foremost, they have been able to focus on offering innovative features within their APIs. This includes the ability to calculate electric vehicle ranges and locate recharging stations on the way, factor in height and weight restrictions or hazardous materials when calculating fleet routs, and analyze in-depth traffic information, such as how long congestion lasts and what other areas it impacts.

Last but not least, there’s the privacy aspect. “TomTom is a big data company, but we have always been very strict about our privacy policy,” says de Jans. “We are also a pure mapping company so we have no ulterior motives with our users’ data. Its sole purpose is to help enhance all of our products and services for all of our end users.”

Letting developers start small

“It’s important to allow developers to evaluate products for free, even letting them use them commercially for free in the beginning to help them get started,” de Jans says.

This sort of trial allows startups and smaller companies to build their applications and launch them without getting in over their heads. When the companies start growing and gaining a bigger user base, they can easily level up online. If they’re growing quite big, an account team can help them create a custom proposal that fits their needs.

The company also announced at TechCrunch last year that they’re offering a mobile SDK, which comes with free map and traffic visualizations. The reason? On mobile devices, people are seeing maps more and more as a commodity service.

“The value now is in performing high-quality searches and geocodes and predicting traffic-aware travel times,” he explains. “That’s the kind of services that people are willing to pay for.”

Developer use cases in action

The number of use cases is proliferating, as developers invent innovative new ways of leveraging location technology. This includes:

Ride-hailing and ride-sharing. It’s not just big companies like Uber and Lyft, but local initiatives and startups who are tapping into the added advantages of knowing traffic conditions, road conditions, weather, and more.
Electric cars. More people are buying electric vehicles and developers are paying attention to those drivers and their unique trip planning needs that gas engine drivers don’t encounter. There is a lot of range anxiety over how much juice trips require. TomTom’s connected services take consumption, hills and even curvature of roads into account to calculate which charging stations can be reached before running out of power. It also shares with the driver what’s around that location as well.
Fleet and logistics. Companies can track their vehicles, calculate the fastest way to deliver a truck full of packages, figure out the most optimal routes to avoid traffic-jams (while factoring in height, weight, and hazardous materials restrictions) so they can ensure deliveries are made on time without hassle.
Connected cars. As the number of connected or smart cars grow, the requirement for in-car navigation, and third-party and companion applications grow. This is especially important for leasing and rental services and car dealerships who need to protect their investments, as well as for insurance companies to check against claims.
Financial services. Location data can be used to predict housing prices around a specific neighborhood, with APIs providing information about school locations, tourist attractions, public transit stops, or where the most congested areas are in a given city.
Analytics and big data. Location services offer data scientists a new dimension for their data, allowing researchers to improve data models and visualize analyses.

The rise of innovation

“Every mobile device has some kind of a GPS sensor. And with more mobile devices being sold, often people own more than one device. So more and more location information is becoming available. With online and offline worlds converging, location context has become critical. All great — but it’s up to the application providers to do something smart with it,” de Jans adds.

The better that fleets of vehicles and ride-sharing services can avoid or manage traffic, the more time — and money — they save. Insurance companies can also monitor their drivers’ behavior to check against whether users have a right to make a claim. The savings impact is significant in terms of cost, time, stress and congestion.

“In the end what I think really matters is that we’re helping application developers provide a better user experience for their customers,” de Jans says. “It can make or break an application when you launch it into the market.”

To learn more about TomTom Maps APIs, go to: developer.tomtom.com.

Sponsored articles are content produced by a company that is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. Content produced by our editorial team is never influenced by advertisers or sponsors in any way. For more information, contact sales@venturebeat.com.

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Webinar 12/4: Power BI Helper A FREE community tool for Developers by Reza Rad

December 1, 2018 Self-Service BI

This weeks webinar will highlight a community tool called Power BI Helper built by Reza Rad.

Power BI Desktop exponentially grows with massive impressive features. Keeping an eye on your model, cleaning it up, documenting it, and ability to navigate between object can be a challenge for a Power BI developer after developing a model for more than year with many pages and tables. Or you may have a new developer joining your team wants to adopt the solution quickly and you need a way for him/her to explore the solution quickly. You may suffer some performance issues or clean-up issues, which you want to resolve quickly. Power BI Help is a free tool that helps in all these scenarios. In this session Reza explains how he uses this tool for his day-to-day work with Power BI solution, and how the tool helps speeding up the development. To learn more about Power BI Helper or download it, you can read here: http://radacad.com/power-bi-helper

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Tag Archives: Free

ProBeat: As Google Shopping challenges Amazon with free listings, fraud is inevitable

All about Amazon

Fraud

TamilGun; Choose the Best Entertaining Source that Comes Free, But Offers the Best Stuff

Enjoy The Marvelous Experience Of Watching Movies At Home

Some Quality Features and Amenities Possessed by Tamil Gun

No Registration, No Monthly Fee

What Is The Quality Of Data Presented On TamilGun?

The Way Of Entertaining And Threatening Of TamilGun To Its Audience

What is the Legality Status of Tamil Gun?

Bernie Sanders Praises Slave Owners For Free Housing Program

Free vs. Paid CRM Solutions: Which Is Better for Your Organization?

Get a Free Instant Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM Quick Quote

Yes, Power BI Can Do THIS: Free, Interactive NFL Stats

5 Reasons (Other Than Free Breakfast) Why NetSuite Customers Are Loving Meetups

TomTom is going developer-friendly with new — and free — location APIs

The move from Google

Letting developers start small

Developer use cases in action

The rise of innovation

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