Connected Economy

Connected Economy
Farmers Are Pretty Digital; Their Buyers Are Really Not
August 28, 2023

In the agricultural space, businesses have to be around long enough to matter. And that leaves firms pretty comfortable with the way they do — and have always done — business. “People might assume that it’s the farmer who is not part of the digital...

Connected Economy
CE 100 Index Gains 0.5%, Led by Affirm’s Post-Earnings Surge 
August 28, 2023

The CE 100 Index gained 0.5% in a week that reversed what felt like a long-standing trend — where all pillars lost ground, time and again. The Enablers segment gained 2.2%, at the forefront of pillar-by-pillar performance as Fastly was up 13.7%. The company said this...

Connected Economy
Home Is Where the Heart and the Connected Consumer Is 
August 23, 2023

Consumers’ move towards living more digitally connected lives continues to grow, with participation in the ConnectedEconomy™ experiencing an 8% year-over-year rise as of April. This surge in engagement has overtaken any stagnancy in the last months of 2022, as illustrated in the below chart created for...

Connected Economy
Bushel Nets $26 Million to Expand Services to Ag Businesses
August 22, 2023

Bushel has completed a $26 million funding round to continue developing its digital platform that connects farmers and agribusinesses. The investment will be used to accelerate the digitization of agriculture, streamline processes, and expand services to ag businesses, the Fargo-based software company said in a Tuesday...

Connected Economy
Adyen’s 44% Plunge Drives CE 100 Index Lower 
August 21, 2023

All of the pillars are down — again. Companies are seeing double-digit plunges — again.  The CE 100 Index continued its slide, where all segments were lower, and ended the week down another 4%.  But despite the weekly decline, the overall Index is still positive...

Connected Economy
How a Generation of Connected Multitaskers Is Shaping the Digital Economy
August 16, 2023

Many of you may be reading this article on your smartphone or tablet while sitting in the back of an Uber on the way to the airport, at your desk in the office in between meetings or at the kitchen counter eating breakfast or lunch...

Connected Economy
Women’s Silent Spending Power Reaches Farther Than Barbie and Taylor Swift
August 14, 2023

Women’s spend share, when combined, can catapult products, people and projects.  It’s unfortunately no myth that women earn an average 82 cents of on the same dollar a man makes in the U.S., with an even starker wealth gap found across the country when it...

Connected Economy
Ford’s Software and Services Push Helps Pave Road to Connected Car Economy
August 14, 2023

The rubber meets the road, meets the operating system, meets the online subscription. Ford announced Monday (Aug. 14) that it has hired Peter Stern — formerly of Apple’s services operations spanning everything from TV to fitness — to lead the auto giant’s customer experience efforts....

Connected Economy
CE100 Index Dips 2.6%, Led by Vroom’s Post-Earnings Skid
August 14, 2023

Vroom and Roblox were notable double-digit decliners, more than offsetting the positive impact of stock surges seen from the likes of Cogent.  The CE 100 Index lost 2.1% this past week, and in what seems to feel like it might be a bit of a...