Background Image

Hotwire Headlines #7

From Australia: The latest in tech and innovation

In recent news, the retail industry preps for the biggest holiday shopping season to date, Australia Post’s latest delivery innovation, and new research reveals the working-from-home honeymoon period might be coming to an end.

Instagram AU to hold world-first exclusive shopping event

Instagram Australia is holding the world’s first Instagram-exclusive shopping event to promote the launch of its new Shop tab. The event will feature exclusive sales and one-night-only product drops from more than 50 Australian brands—big and small—including David Jones and Bed Threads.

Read more

Investors jump back to brick-and-mortar retailers

With a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, investors are eyeing off traditional retailers that took a hit from the pandemic. The prospect of a vaccine has triggered a multi-billion-dollar pivot away from online retailers and tech stocks. Some retailers welcomed back by investors include Lovisa, and Retail Food Group, whose chains of food shops are typically located within shopping centres.

Read more

Paypal AU predicts a big increase in online Holiday shopping

A new report from PayPal Australia forecasts a rise in online Christmas shopping this year, almost doubling compared to previous years with a year-on-year increase of 90 per cent. In-store shopping is set to decrease, with respondents saying they plan to do only half their Christmas shopping in-store.

Read more

Australia Post uses machine learning to tell you when to expect a delivery

Using machine learning, Australia Post is feeding its existing scanner app delivery route information to provide a more accurate view of delivery driver locations to its customers. The company is also trialling an estimated time of arrival feature, with the aim to share an estimated time of arrival within plus or minus 15 minutes of the driver scanning a parcel.

Read more

Atlassian study: Aussies working from home start earlier and finish later

Australians have been working longer days following coronavirus-related lockdowns, according to research from Atlassian. Data scientists found, in Australia, the average working hours spiked from nearly 6.8 hours in early March to just over 7.4 hours by mid-April.

Read more

LinkedIn research reveals shift in attitudes to full time remote work

New LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index data found 11 of the 12 surveyed industries polled had moved to onsite or hybrid models of work, in a shift in attitude from July when they wanted to keep working remotely due to the pandemic.

Read more