Our Small Business Breakdown Team is back for another week and covers a lot of topics.
In this week’s episode, the team focuses on a few of the top stories this week at Small Business Trends, including an interesting look at data from Uber about what are the most popular items left behind by riders and which cities have the most forgetful riders.
Small Business News Roundup – Nov. 16, 2024
Here are the stories that have crossed our news desk over the past week that we feel are most important to small business owners right now.
Robert Half Research Highlights Top Recruiting Challenges for Small and Medium Businesses Going into 2025
New research from global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half identifies the top recruiting obstacles small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face as they prepare for the coming year.
Freshworks Introduces Freddy AI Agent for Enhanced Customer and Employee Experience
Freshworks has announced the launch of Freddy AI Agent, an autonomous service agent designed to improve both the customer and employee experience.
Slack Workforce Index Reveals US Falling Behind in Adopting AI
AI adoption among desk workers in the United States is declining, according to new data from Slack’s Workforce Index, with adoption rates in the US increasing only slightly over the past three months, from 32% to 33%. This volatility comes despite business leaders’ continued emphasis on the importance of using AI to drive productivity and profitability.
Adobe Digital Price Index Shows Food Prices Drop For First Time Since 2020
Adobe released its latest data from the Adobe Digital Price Index (DPI), showing that online grocery prices fell 0.1% year-over-year (YoY) in October 2024, marking the first annual decline in grocery prices since January 2020. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, grocery prices also fell by 0.1% from September 2024.
Uber Releases 2024 Lost and Found Index Highlighting Most Forgotten Things and Surprising Trends
Uber has published its annual Lost & Found Index, which provides a summary of the most common and unique items that riders have left in Uber vehicles over the past year. From everyday essentials like wallets and phones to unusual items like turtles and meat pie trays, the 2024 index shows what forgetfulness looks like on rideshares across the country.
NFIB Survey Shows Small Business Optimism Rises in October
Small business optimism rose in October as the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.2 points to 93.7, marking the 34th consecutive month the index remained below the 50-year average of 98. However, the NFIB Uncertainty Index rose seven points to a record high of 110.
Visa Recognizes Creators as Small Businesses
At the Web Summit in Lisbon, Visa announced new measures to support digital creators, officially recognizing creators as small businesses. Visa financial tools, services, and products for small businesses are now available to creators around the world, enabling them to pay and get paid securely and efficiently.
Getty Images Expands Productive AI Capabilities with New Product Placement and Reference Image Features
Getty Images today unveiled new enhancements to its AI productivity tools, designed to give businesses a streamlined way to produce high-quality, customized product images.
Apple Introduces ‘Share Location’ Feature in Find My for Easy Lost Item Recovery
Apple has announced the release of a new feature, Shared Locations, as part of its Find My service, designed to help users find and return lost items. Available in the public beta of iOS 18.2, this feature allows users to securely share AirTag or Find My network location with third parties, including airlines.
Fiverr’s 10th Business Trends Index Shows Businesses Adapting to Physical and Digital Workplaces
Fiverr released its Fall 2024 Business Trends Index, tenth edition, highlighting how businesses are rethinking their physical and digital presence. By analyzing millions of queries and searches on Fiverr’s marketplace, the report reveals emerging trends in digital services with a significant increase in business demand over the past six months.
Whatnot Announces Product Updates for Easier Shipping and Community Engagement
Whatnot has launched a series of new features aimed at improving the retail experience for its users. These updates include improvements to the posting process, affiliate notifications, and other tools designed to simplify marketers’ operations and help them grow their audience.
Banks Lower Prime Rates Following Federal Reserve Decision
Banks across the country recently lowered their key interest rates after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates recently. Wells Fargo and PNC Bank were among several lenders that announced last week that their top rates are now 7.75%, down from 8%. The decision follows the announcement by the Federal Reserve on Nov. 7.
Chase Expands Customer Insights Tool to Nearly Five Million Small Businesses
Chase for Business announced the expansion of its Customer Insights tool, a powerful business intelligence platform designed to support small business growth.
In the News: What Will Trump’s Victory Mean for Small Business and AI?
Our Small Business Breakdown team is back this week to tackle the biggest issues facing small businesses right now. Obviously, it’s almost impossible for a week to go by without talking about Election Day on Tuesday and what the results will mean for small business owners.
BizBuySell Insight Report Shows Growing Small Business Confidence Amid Economic Uncertainty
The latest BizBuySell Insight report shows growing confidence among small business owners, many of whom are optimistic about the potential impact of the upcoming US Presidential election.
Photo: Envato
