The pioneering live chat firm launched 15 years ago has become Blazeo, a 400-employee global platform, having optimized how 35,000 small businesses capture and qualify leads, set appointments and sign retainers, while embracing 24/7 live human agents in an era of over-automation.  

Blazeo officially announced today that is has changed its name from ApexChat, reflecting its growth from a pioneering customer service-focused chat firm into a 400-employee ad conversion platform, which has helped 35,000 local businesses—spanning dozens of verticals--efficiently find, qualify and help new customers while blending advanced AI and, also, live human agents.

"Fifteen years ago our founder, Ashhad Syed, started with a mission to revolutionize customer-business communications," explained Blazeo Chief Operating Officer Cory Halbardier. "In our first few years, we built a system capable of handling hundreds of thousands of customers, sparking growth from word-of-mouth referrals.

"Today," said Blazeo's COO, "we're a bigger, better company that offers far more than chat. Our Ad Conversion Platform focuses on lead capture, lead qualification and lead closing.  This includes call center services, appointment setting, SMS enablement, market automation, sales acceleration and much more. We want our name to reflect that–Blazeo, derived from 'blaze' evokes passion, speed and energy. Like a blaze, Blazeo ignites growth. In fact, we've generated over 15 million leads for small business owners across North America, Australia and New Zealand; and we're just getting started."

Companies are expected to spend more than $380 billion on generating leads this year; and the average small business is spending more than 8 percent of their revenues on digital ads, often with low conversion rates. For example, the average landing page conversion rate across industries is less than 3 percent.

"Enter Blazeo," said Founder and CEO Ashhad Syed. "Companies, especially local businesses, are trying to maximize their marketing dollars. Most small businesses—think dentists, plumbers, HVAC experts, med spas, personal injury lawyers, carpenters, you name it—aren't digital ad experts. They're busy serving their customers, not building landing pages or answering calls at 10 PM on a Friday. But these small businesses want more customers without breaking the bank on wasted digital marketing costs.

 "Blazeo," Mr. Syed added, "makes it possible for these small companies to be responsive 24/7. That pays dividends.  In fact, 59% of the leads we generate for businesses are outside of normal business hours, when consumers aren't working."

Blazeo has expanded its services as its customers' needs have expanded, creating a large, customizable and still-growing quiver of AI- and human-powered tools and services, designed to help local businesses thrive.

• Blazeo's managed live chat empowers local businesses to convert more website visitors into leads, along with its newly expanded suite of customer experience and lead generation tools.
• Its call center services take inbound calls from existing and prospective customers; and they perform outbound calling campaigns to convert more leads to customers.
• Its appointment setting services conserve salespeople's time and demonstrably raise conversion rates.
• Its retainer signing services help law firms generate tens of millions more in revenue per week.
• And Blazeo's SMS communication platform helps SMBs take advantage of technology formerly only available to their Big Biz competitors.

Unlike other ad conversion firms, Blazeo's offers a subscription model for its customers instead of a cost-per-lead model; and, critically, it employs more than 250 live human agents to provide its customers with round-the-clock service.

"We've taken a balanced–and frankly, quite different–approach when it comes to AI and live agents," said Blazeo Founder and CEO. "AI is a powerful tool that we're leveraging every day and in new ways all the time. However, AI has limits that are overlooked within our industry and outside of it. Businesses want efficiency gains, which AI can certainly deliver but only to a point. When consumers get to the point of wanting to chat, most often they want to speak with a live person, so bots only go so far. AI technology which powers human connection creates the greatest return on investment for local service businesses who view each customer or client as important."

When a potential customer approaches one of Blazeo's clients via its platform, they have the choice to communicate with real people over whatever medium they want—text, chat or phone.

"Advanced AI in combination with live agents is our formula," said Mr. Syed. "The consequence is higher engagement and more conversions."

Keep an eye out for new major product announcements in coming months that will further fuel local business success.

Third annual sustainability survey polled U.S. consumers on sustainable shopping habits, brand credibility, electric vehicles, and more

Blue Yonder, a leader in digital supply chain transformation, today released the results of its third annual Consumer Sustainability Survey, which polled U.S.-based respondents on their habits and preferences for environmentally-friendly shopping. Sustainability remains a top priority for consumers, with 78% of respondents reporting that sustainability concerns are very or somewhat important to them when choosing to buy a product or shop at a retailer. 

“We’re encouraged to see that the majority of consumers take sustainability into account when making purchasing decisions,” said Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer, Blue Yonder. “It’s especially promising that so many respondents are willing to spend more for sustainable products, given that price concerns, exacerbated by the ongoing challenge of inflation, have marked conversations around consumer behavior over the last year. Their willingness to spend more should send a clear message to brands and retailers that investing in sustainable solutions and practices is worthwhile, not only for the planet but also for maintaining consumer loyalty and trust.”

Sustainability Remains a Key Priority for Consumers, Especially Gen Z and Millennials

Survey results also showed that consumers not only have a continued interest in sustainable shopping habits, but also they are willing to pay more and opt for greener shipping options.

A healthy majority (70%) of consumers indicated that they have shopped at a retailer promoting their products as sustainable at least once or more in the past six months, which closely matches the 74% who reported doing so in 2022 and 2023. Interest in sustainability is also growing at a steady pace: 47% of consumers reported that their interest in shopping sustainably has greatly or slightly increased in the last year. That interest is underscored by consumers’ willingness to spend more for sustainable products, with 40% of respondents saying they would pay up to an additional 5%, and 25% saying they would pay an additional 10% or more.

An impressive 83% of consumers reported that they are willing to delay deliveries if an incentive is given to do so. However, this flexibility has its limits. Only 23% of respondents said they were willing to delay a delivery by a week or more. Nearly half (47%) of consumers also said they would be likely or very likely to pay more for greener shipping options such as lower carbon footprint delivery and sustainable packaging. Sentiments toward sustainable delivery differ slightly by generation¹. Millennials (85%) are the most likely to delay product delivery, followed by Gen Z (79%), Gen X (76%) and Baby Boomers (67%). More broadly, Gen Z and Millennials are most concerned with sustainability, with 85% and 84%, respectively, reporting that sustainability considerations are important to them.

Consumers Prefer Certain Products, Methods For Prioritizing Sustainability

The products consumers eat and bring into their homes are top of mind when it comes to sustainability. Over half of consumers reported that they incorporated sustainable food products (60%) and household products (55%) into their shopping habits in the past year. Respondents are also cognizant of the methods brands use to improve sustainability: 61% of consumers said reducing food or inventory waste was the most important environmental practice a retailer or brand should adopt. An equal number (61%) said using recycled content or recycled packaging.

“Consumers are looking closely at exactly how brands are executing on their sustainability goals,” said van Gendt. “With more than one-third (35%) of respondents reporting that they don’t trust brands’ sustainability claims, it’s more important than ever for companies to have full visibility into their supply chain operations so they can back up their sustainability claims with tangible data to strengthen consumer trust.”

Other Key Findings:

• Consumers Value Sustainability from Delivery Companies: Consumers are looking at sustainability throughout the entire end-to-end supply chain, including last-mile delivery. More than half (59%) of respondents reported increased purchasing sentiment toward online shopping with delivery companies who invest in electric trucking to deliver orders.
• Electric Vehicles: Consumers’ sustainable mindsets are extending to their car shopping habits as well, which is important as personalization continues to become a trend in auto manufacturing. When it comes to electric vehicles, 40% of respondents would be likely or very likely to consider purchasing one. Of those who would purchase, 55% were Millennials, 48% Gen Z, 36% Gen X, and 20% Boomers. The top concerns shared by respondents around owning an electric vehicle include range anxiety, i.e., fear of running out of battery charge (62%), limited charging infrastructure (58%), and the initial cost of the vehicle (58%). The top benefits shared by respondents influencing consumers’ interest in EVs include cost savings on fuel (55%), range on a single charge (46%), government incentives (40%), and environmental impact (40%).
• Skepticism Toward Sustainability Claims: Consumers’ enthusiasm for sustainability isn’t superficial, and they tend to think critically about brands’ claims. Nearly half (48%) of respondents said they can only “sometimes” trust a brand’s sustainability claims, depending on its message, brand reputation and history. More than one-third (35%) of respondents said they do not trust brands’ claims, citing the need for their own additional research (21%) and the belief that brands tout sustainability regardless of whether it aligns with their actions (14%).

Blue Yonder will showcase these findings and more at Shoptalk 2024 in Las Vegas from March 17 - 20. Learn more about how AI-enabled supply chains can save the world here.

Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, announced today that Anil Goel has joined Nielsen as the Chief Engineering Officer.

As Global Chief Engineering Officer, Goel will lead Nielsen's technology and engineering teams to drive product innovation and advanced technology adoption, working in close partnership with Nielsen's product teams. He will drive Nielsen's adoption of automation and AI at an accelerated rate to de-risk delivery, improve customer experience and strengthen Nielsen's products.

Goel is based in Bengaluru, India and will report to Karthik Rao, Nielsen's CEO.

"I'm thrilled to lead the innovation and adoption of advanced technologies as Nielsen's Chief Engineering Officer," said Goel. "The adoption of advanced technology is a critical component for Nielsen to become the world leader in measurement and currency for streaming, and I'm honored to lead us into the future."

"The measurement industry is evolving rapidly, and as we look to grow in streaming and lead the advance of Convergent TV as the currency in media measurement, we must strengthen our technology roadmap to align with our vision," said Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen. "Anil has the vision and experience to lead Nielsen's technology innovation to power a better media future for all people."

Goel is a highly accomplished technology leader with a proven track record in building technology products and infrastructure to drive revenue growth. He has over 20 years of experience leading technology teams at global organizations, including Amazon.com, where he served as Chief Technology Officer for the Customer Returns business. Most recently, Anil led the technology strategy, architecture, development and operations at Byju's Group, a global educational technology company with a vast portfolio, including the Epic! and Osmo learning platforms.

SEO Split Tester Unlocks the Potential for 20x More Testing Annually

seoClarity, an enterprise leader in AI-driven SEO technology, has enhanced its SEO Split Tester, which validates SEO hypotheses for faster execution and delivers ROI-backed business cases.

Continuing their $30 million investment in SEO innovation, this major enhancement of SEO Split Tester addresses the challenge of limited engineering resources, neverending test ideas, and no real way of assessing ROI to earn buy-in for implementation.

"Proper SEO testing is still a relatively new concept for enterprises, having only gained real traction in the last couple of years," said Mitul Gandhi, co-founder and Chief Architect of seoClarity. "Our commitment has always been to not just keep pace with industry advancements but to drive them, and feedback from our clients has been instrumental in shaping our product growth."

Launched in 2022, the SEO Split Tester's latest update introduces an intuitive interface and streamlines test setup, allowing enterprise-level SEO teams to conduct and measure robust tests with ease.

Key enhancements include:

• Test Setup and Deployment: Easily create tests, select key metrics, and make the changes on the test pages.
• Identify Test and Control Groups: Scientifically suggest highly correlated control pages for any given test scenario.
• Reporting and Analysis: Custom dashboards give insights into the progress of the test to determine statistical significance.
• Updated User Interface: An intuitive, user-friendly UI makes the SEO testing process push-button easy allowing SEOs to run 100's of tests per year.
• White Glove Support: Dedicated support team to guide you through every step of the process including access to a library of proven tests to run.

"In our experience, SEOs who prioritize testing consistently outpace their competitors," Gandhi added. "With the expansive possibilities and streamlined approach with SEO Split Tester, SEOs have to ask, 'What wouldn't I test now?'"

SEO Split Tester is available now for all seoClarity clients. Enterprise SEOs looking to elevate their testing capabilities and drive more impactful results are encouraged to reach out for a demo.

Ezoic, a leading technology-driven platform for digital creators, today announced the launch of its new program tailored for enterprise-scale digital publishers and video creators. The Enterprise program builds upon the success of Ezoic's VIP offering, marking a significant expansion of its services. This new tier introduces a comprehensive suite of exclusive services and features aimed at supporting creators in SEO and audience building, content creation, monetization, and video.

The Enterprise program grants creators access to the world's most advanced publishing technology, coupled with personalized support from the industry's foremost experts in yield optimization, search engine optimization, site speed, content creation, and video strategies. Uniquely, the program offers publishers direct access to Ezoic's engineering resources to assist with their technology developments a first in the industry.

The introduction of the Enterprise program extends Ezoic's leadership in providing advanced solutions for larger creators, facilitating their evolution from authoritative voices to global brands.

"Ezoic is thrilled to collaborate with leading brands that trust our data-driven approach to navigate the digital content landscape amid significant industry disruptions," said Dwayne Lafleur, CEO of Ezoic. "With the advent of generative AI, creators face both opportunities and challenges. They seek not only cutting-edge tools but also insights from pioneers who understand these technologies. With 14 years of experience and as an innovator in AI for digital content publishers, Ezoic, reaching over 1 billion individuals monthly, is uniquely positioned to offer the modern direction and support these creators require."

The Enterprise program offers around-the-clock support and a suite of potent new tools designed to cater to creators' needs over the next five years. "We believe enterprise creators are poised for unprecedented growth and success as the web evolves, and we are committed to helping them achieve that," Lafleur added.

This exclusive program is available to content creators generating over $1,000,000 per year from their content.

MediaGo, a deep learning-based intelligent advertising platform under the Baidu Global Business Unit, today announced an expanded partnership with GeoEdge, a global ad security and quality leader. This increased collaboration enhances malvertising protection by cracking down on threat actors and fortifying user protection across the advertising industry.

Amnon Siev, GeoEdge's CEO said, "As malvertising evolves, our security engines are tailored to detect threat actors along the advertising supply chain before they reach audiences. Through our valued partnership with MediaGo, together we're proud to prevent threat actors from exploiting the advertising infrastructure- safeguarding its partners and audiences."

MediaGo maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward malicious ads, blocking all instances of malware, malicious content, phishing, scams, fraud, and cloaking ads.

To realize this goal, MediaGo has engaged in collaboration with GeoEdge since its foundation. MediaGo has effectively implemented a comprehensive, multi-tiered ad security audit system that includes: 

• Pre-emptive landing page compliance checks: GeoEdge's tools conduct thorough scans of landing pages before ads are launched. Post-launch, MediaGo continues with routine scans, utilizing GeoEdge's technology to target and identify potential violation advertising, ensuring that ad landing pages remain safe and compliant throughout their lifecycle.
• Proprietary deep learning system: MediaGo's in-house review system, underpinned by deep learning, is trained on extensive datasets, harnessing the power of AI to accurately categorize and block prohibited items.
• 24/7 manual monitoring: MediaGo's dedicated review team constantly scrutinizes ad creatives and landing page content, certifying that all advertisements align with the stringent ad review policies.
• Advertiser qualification checks: Before advertisers onboard, MediaGo conducts a comprehensive assessment of all advertisers' credentials, preemptively reducing the likelihood of low-quality or non-compliant ads.

"The strengthened collaboration with GeoEdge brings a new, forward-looking enhancement to MediaGo's ad security review system," says Brian Mun, Director of Global Partnerships, Baidu Global Business Unit. "The health of the ad ecosystem is critical to all stakeholders and users. MediaGo is committed to elevating ad quality, safeguarding the integrity of our advertising system, and diligently working to offer media partners and consumers the optimum advertising experience."

Fusion Connect, a leading global managed communications service provider (MSCP) and Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed William Wignall as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Wignall succeeds Brian Crotty, who has served as Fusion Connect's CEO since 2020.

Wignall, an experienced executive with over 30 years in the technology industry, will join the Board as a Director. He was most recently Chief Executive Officer of Sangoma Technologies where he led a 30-fold increase in revenue, repositioning the business from a small seller of hardware to a global SaaS-based cloud communications services provider.

"Bill is an accomplished leader with the senior-level executive experience to lead the Company in its next growth phase," said Dudley R. Slater, Chairman of Fusion Connect's Board of Directors. "He brings a proven track record, broad industry knowledge, and key business relationships to the Company, together with a history of fostering high-functioning, inclusive company cultures. We look forward to working closely with Bill to execute Fusion Connect's plans to accelerate profitable growth, providing our customers with communication solutions on the most advanced technology platforms in the industry."

Wignall said, "I am thrilled to take on this position and lead Fusion Connect on the next stage in its evolution.   What has struck me most about Fusion Connect is its ability to deliver tremendous value to its customers by providing a wide range of multiple products, via some of the industry's most popular and state-of-the-art technology, including AI-capable voice solutions. I look forward to working with Fusion Connect's employees, executive team, and channel partners to surpass our customers' expectations and to create real value for Fusion Connect's stakeholders.

Slater continued, "We thank Brian Crotty for his contributions to Fusion Connect and for helping to ensure a smooth transition through this leadership change. He worked tirelessly to drive Fusion Connect's success and was instrumental in positioning the company as a provider of cloud communication services. On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Brian for his energy and commitment to Fusion Connect over the years and wish him the very best in the future."

As Fusion Connect embarks on this exciting new chapter under Wignall's leadership, we are confident in our journey to redefine excellence in AI-enabled cloud services. With a focus on innovation, customer satisfaction, and strategic growth, Fusion Connect is poised to strengthen its position as a leader in the global technology landscape, leveraging Wignall's experience and vision, to deliver unparalleled value to our customers, partners, and stakeholders.

AdInMo’s latest SDK offers more options to publishers and enables advertisers to truly scale in-game campaigns. With an unrivalled choice of immersive formats across display, video, audio and rewarded InGamePlay as well as new player metrics it is now the single-solution for monetization, retention and addressability.

AdInMo, the mobile in-game advertising platform has added audio and rewarded formats to its tech stack so that publishers and advertisers can now reach and monetize players with even more formats from a single ad placement.

The comprehensive InGamePlay SDK gives publishers greater choice and control on how best to monetize and retain their players in-game. For example, in-game audio ads work well in gameplay where a billboard would perhaps not be immersive and Rewarded InGamePlay encourages players to spend more time in-game, increasing retention and generating a positive impact on all ad monetization.

The release of AdInMo’s SDK significantly enriches first-party data collection of behavioural and contextual signals as part of the company’s commitment to privacy-by-design addressability. The launch includes the proprietary metric PlayerEngagementScore™ to measure and understand player affinity, and feeds into AdInMo’s ML powered audience framework to help advertisers target those player audiences more likely to engage with their campaign.

AdInMo CEO and Co-founder Kristan Rivers says, “They say the only constant is change and both the adtech and monetization ecosystems are certainly facing major challenges right now with cookie deprecation and rising UA costs. The latest release tackles these head-on with hybrid monetization and addressability solutions.

The team is really excited to be working with our developer community to roll out a market-first single-SDK approach to monetizing in-game. We also want to challenge the norms in programmatic media buying and turn advertisers’ perceptions of ‘gamers’ on its head. The primary goal of advertising has to be showing the right message to the right person at the right time and AdInMo’s platform, underpinned by the PlayerPersonaFramework™, does just that.”