Nearly a third of the world’s most seasoned travelers (31%) are making plans to get their hands on satellite-enabled smartphones, according to the Fall 2024 Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey.

Even more striking, 10% of these well-traveled explorers have already embraced this cutting-edge technology. The driving force? A deep-seated need for security in the face of unpredictable emergencies.

For these adventurers, the ability to stay connected, even in the most remote corners of the globe, isn’t just a convenience—it’s a lifeline.

As travel risks rise, satellite-enabled smartphones are quickly becoming an essential tool for those who refuse to let anything stand in the way of their journeys.

“Having a reliable way to communicate during emergencies, even when you’re in the most remote corners of the world, offers peace of mind,” said Harding Bush, former Navy SEAL and associate director of security operations at Global Rescue.

“Being able to alert first responders or send out SOS signals could make all the difference during a crisis, whether travelers are experiencing a medical emergency or a natural disaster.” he said

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Asked to nominate their tools of choice, more than half (55%) of respondents pointed to Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. AI-powered candidate matching tools were nominated by 21% while AI-based assessments were named by 18% of respondents.

“The results confirm the rapid update of AI technology across the recruitment sector,” said Richard Lewis-Jones, VP Asia Pacific, SmartRecruiters. 

“Clearly, leading recruitment firms understand the value the tools can deliver and the ways in which they can streamline the entire process.” he said.

When asked which emerging recruitment technologies or trends they were exploring to remain competitive, more than half (52.9%) of respondents named AI-based sourcing. This was beaten only by skills-based hiring tools which was nominated by 55.9% of respondents.

Respondents were also asked to name the technologies and tools they have found to be of most value when it comes to talent acquisition.

Application Tracking Systems (ATS) were nominated by 79% while AI-powered recruitment tools were nominated by almost a quarter (24%) of respondents.

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With nearly 60% of all Amazon sales attributed to third-party sellers, there is substantial opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs. However, competition is intense, as only about 10% of these sellers earn over $100,000 annually.

In this article, we’ll explore key insights from the latest Amazon seller statistics for 2024, covering sales trends, revenue details, top-performing categories, and more.

Amazon Seller Statistics 2024: Quick Highlights

• Total Sellers: Over 9.7 million sellers registered, with 1.9 million actively selling.
  
  
• Projected Growth: An additional 1.3 million new sellers are expected to join by 2025.
  
  
• Third-Party Sales: 60% of Amazon’s sales come from third-party sellers.
  
  
• Active U.S. Sellers: Over 1.1 million active sellers in the United States.
  
  
• Average Annual Sales: Amazon sellers average over $230,000 in annual sales, with more than 60,000 surpassing $1 million.
  
  
• FBA Usage: 82% of sellers utilise Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
  
  
• Top Categories: Home & Kitchen is the leading category, with 35% of sellers listing items in this segment.
  
  
• Advertising Revenue: Amazon Advertising generated $46.9 billion in revenue in 2023.
  
  
• Prime Day Sales: U.S. sales during Amazon Prime Day 2024 reached over $14.2 billion.
  
  

Number of Amazon Sellers in 2024

As of this year, Amazon has a total of 9.7 million sellers, with about 2 million actively listing products. Since the beginning of 2024, the platform has welcomed approximately 839,900 new sellers, averaging around 3,700 new registrations daily. By year’s end, the number of new sellers is projected to reach 1.3 million.

Globally, Amazon boasts over 310 million active users, with 80% based in the United States.

Types of Amazon Sellers

The seller landscape includes two primary categories: Third-party (3P) and First-party (1P) sellers.

• 3P Sellers: 68% of sellers, managing their own sales.
• 1P Sellers: 40% of sellers, who sell products directly to Amazon.

In 2023, U.S. Amazon sellers sold over 4.5 billion items, averaging 8,600 products sold every minute.

The post Amazon Seller Insights 2024: Trends, Revenue Analysis, And Report appeared first on Tech Business News.

With the cyclical market downturn behind us and demand remaining strong, World Semiconductor Trade Statistics projects that sales will surpass $600 billion in 2024.

Rising demand has led to significant investments in chip production. Fueled in part by the landmark CHIPS and Science Act, the United States is projected to more than triple its semiconductor fabrication capacity and attract a larger share of private investment in manufacturing.

Since the introduction of the CHIPS Act, semiconductor companies have announced over 90 new manufacturing projects across 28 states, totaling nearly $450 billion in investments.

The initiatives are expected to create tens of thousands of direct jobs and support hundreds of thousands more in the broader U.S. economy.

Additionally, the industry is making global investments to build a more robust and resilient supply chain, with projections suggesting that the semiconductor sector could reach a value of $1 trillion by 2030.

While expanding domestic chip supply chains offers tremendous opportunities, it also presents challenges. As U.S. chip operations grow, the demand for skilled talent will increase.

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The overwhelming majority of respondents (73% in the UK, 81% in the US and 82% in Australia) criticised companies for collecting too much of their personal or financial data.

And 9 out of 10 consumers are concerned that AI will impact how companies keep customer data secure. Meeting customers’ growing expectations for better protection of their sensitive information is now a business imperative, with consumers prepared to punish companies by switching providers for any loss of trust.

The survey of 6,000+ consumers worldwide polled assessments of the digital industry’s data practices.

Alongside the criticism around companies’ hunger for data, the findings also spell out an unmet expectation for greater diligence from organisations to protect consumers’ personal information once obtained – as identified by 73% of respondents in the UK, 86% in the US, and 87% in AU.

Respondents aren’t just asking for a change – they are willing to change their preferred seller if they fall victim to a cyberattack and their data is compromised.

A near consensus among users in all three countries (more than 90%) said they might stop doing business with a company if it were the victim of a cyberattack.

The post Consumers Demand Better Protection Amid Concerns Over Excessive Data Collection For AI Use appeared first on Tech Business News.

The Roy Morgan Risk Monitor contains hundreds of thousands of verbatim comments from more than 130,000 Australians about why they trust or distrust brands they nominate top-of-mind.

Reasons given for distrust of social media companies are often highly emotive. Some examples include:

• “Not doing enough to protect kids and young people.” (Instagram)

• “Absolutely collecting information, giving kids horrible ideas and self-esteem.” (TikTok)
• “Privacy invasion and making addictive technology aimed at kids.” (Meta).
• “I disagree with their ethical decisions when producing services that children consume.” (Facebook)
• “It does not filter its users. Allows so much to fall through the gaps. Bad for young children. Allows crazies to post.” (Facebook)
• “I don’t think they are open and honest about what they do with data. I think they use techniques to get people addicted to their platform. (Facebook)
• “I don’t believe they do enough to prevent hate speech or bullying or the effect they have on children and teens, especially when it comes to things like body image issues.” (Facebook)
• “Facebook like so many social media platforms has become a cowardly breeding ground for trolls, hate focussed groups, bullies and destruction of businesses and individual people and children.
• “Many who seem to use these platforms really do not understand the dangers of the huge risks to their privacy, stolen identities and overall safety.” (Facebook)
• “Not doing enough to protect children from unwanted or dangerous content.” (Meta)
• “Instagram have been a part of some safety scandals. I do not believe they do what they can to protect children and women from online predators.” (Instagram)
• “It’s all fake and younger and younger children are becoming addicted to it.” (TikTok)

Roy Morgan research in 2022 showed that an overwhelming majority of Australians believed that social media creates more problems that it solves.

A snap poll conducted by Roy Morgan in July 2022 showed that less than three in ten (29%) Australians agreed that ‘social media solves more problems than it creates.’

“These results were in contrast to public opinion on the internet in general, which showed that almost two thirds (64%) of Australians agreed that ‘the internet solves more problems than it creates.’

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine commented on these findings:

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Yet, a new report highlights the uneven distribution of AI’s benefits across the world, raising concerns about whether AI might be reinforcing inequalities and exploiting vulnerable populations.

The disparity raises pressing questions about the exploitation of vulnerable populations and the potential reinforcement of inequalities.

AI Usage and Inequality: A Global Divide

According to an EY report, AI usage is significantly higher in wealthier nations than in developing ones. For example, 64% of respondents from high-income countries reported frequent AI use, while only 55% of those from low-income countries said the same.

The gap in AI adoption highlights a key issue: inclusive development. If AI is to reach its full potential, it must be designed and implemented with diverse data and contexts in mind.

EY’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Oceania, Katherine Boiciuc, points out that “AI has great potential to address global challenges, but its benefits are unevenly distributed.”

North America currently controls nearly 40% of the AI market, while countries in the Global South, which account for over 75% of the world’s population, lag behind.

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The survey, which covered five countries—Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom—also highlighted security risks as a major concern for AI adoption. About 24% of respondents in Australia and 26% in New Zealand cited security risks as their top concern.

Globally, nearly half (47%) of employers surveyed identified security risks as their top concern regarding AI in the workplace, marking a sharp rise from 30% the previous year.

Other concerns, such as potential reputational damage, legal risks, loss of intellectual property, and the effect on work quality and productivity, have also seen significant year-on-year increases.

David Price, CEO at Peninsula ANZ and BrightHR ANZ says AI offers immense potential to boost productivity and streamline processes, concerns about its risks are growing, especially in the wake of high-profile cyber breaches.

“Given Australia’s vulnerability, it’s no surprise that small businesses are wary of sharing data with third parties, which is a prerequisite for most AI tools,” says Price.

Despite expressing significant concerns about security risks, the 484 Australian and New Zealand participants were still more likely to regularly use AI compared to SMEs in Canada, Ireland, and the UK.

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The findings underscore a striking contrast in productivity trends between technology and non-technology sectors. While the non-tech sector saw a 6% rise in productive time over the past three quarters, the tech sector experienced a 4% decline during the same period.

“These results are troubling and suggest that some organizations may need to take action,” said Brendan Maree, Vice President and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at ProHance.

“This benchmarking report equips businesses with the insights needed to make informed decisions, set realistic goals, and adopt best practices to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.”

The report also provides a snapshot of industry performance against productivity benchmarks. It highlights that sectors such as Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), healthcare, publishing, staffing, and BPO/BPM consistently hit their productive hour targets.

On the other hand, the Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), IT, and logistics sectors have significant room for improvement.

Another key takeaway is that expectations for both logged and productive hours are frequently unmet. For instance, only the legal sector reached its productivity benchmark in Q2 2024, while the IT, logistics, and merchandising sectors fell short of the target of 7.5 productive hours per workday.

The post Productivity Varies Across Sectors: Insights from the ProHance Report appeared first on Tech Business News.

However, a significant majority of parents—more than half—express regret about introducing smartphones to their children at such a young age.

Key findings highlight a pervasive concern among parents about the negative effects of smartphones and social media on their children.

One-third of those surveyed reported that early smartphone exposure has led to adverse effects on their child’s behavior and personality. The rise of social media apps, integral to the smartphone experience, is cited as a major factor contributing to these changes.

The survey also sheds light on the shifting dynamics within families. A striking 70% of parents indicated that they now experience diminished quality time with their children due to smartphone use, while 55% noted that smartphones have become a focal point of familial disputes.

In Australia, studies underscores a growing unease about the impact of social media on children’s mental health. An overwhelming 77% of Australian parents believe that social media platforms put excessive pressure on their children, raising serious concerns about their well-being.

The sentiment has spurred 80% of Australian parents to call for schools to play a more proactive role in educating children about the dangers of social media.

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