ResidentialBusiness

Confrontation between Washington and Kyiv intensifies after European summit at the weekendView the full article

As part of Mobile World Congress, happening this week in Barcelona, Google has teased that its Gemini AI is finally ready to see the world. Literally. Originally teased as Project Astra in May of last year, Google’s Gemini Live with Video and Gemini Live with Screenshare features each have a new trailer, showing how the search giant plans to catch up with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode. Soon, Google One AI Premium subscribers will be able to share their phone screens and real-time video with Gemini, which the chatbot will then be able to use to answer questions. ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode got these features late last year, but it also requires you to shell out at least $20/month for a ChatGPT Plus subscription. While a Google One AI Premium plan is priced identically, it also throws in 2TB of storage for your Drive and Gmail accounts, so depending on your needs, it could be the better pick for you. In the trailers, Google shows users accessing Gemini Live via the Gemini phone app to open a real-time conversation with the AI, then tapping either a video or screen sharing button at the bottom of the screen to get started. In the Gemini Live with Video demo, we see someone showing the chatbot some vases they’ve just fired as well as some glaze swatches and asking for advice on which one to choose. In the Screenshare demo, the chatbot instead looks at a store listing for a pair of jeans and gives advice on which type of clothes to pair with them. I’d love to meet the type of person who would go through all of the effort of spinning and firing a vase without knowing what color to glaze it, but the point is clear. Gemini will soon be able to use real-time video and screen captures as input when answering prompts. Unfortunately, Google hasn’t yet said much more than that. When Project Astra was originally teased, it boasted such impressive (and creepy) abilities as “being able to tell where you live just by looking out the window.” These trailers seem significantly scaled back in comparison, but they're also clearly just short demos. I’m curious to see how the feature actually functions once users get their hands on it, which Google says will happen “later this month.” View the full article

Sunday night marked Hulu’s first time airing the Oscars live. But its academy awards debut ended on a chaotic and frustratingly premature note. Hulu’s livestream cut off in the final moments of the show — with two major award categories, best actress and best picture, still to be announced because of a scheduling system issue. Those viewing the awards ceremony on Hulu instead saw an error code message that stated the event was over. Viewer outrage, predictably, ensued online. Fans, including those throwing Oscar-viewing parties, eagerly await the final, pivotal moments of the show. Hulu viewers missed Mikey Madison and “Anora” win the night’s titles for both best actress and best picture in real time. The Hulu stream also had a rough start, with a few users reporting issues logging on to the platform due to another technical problem. For some, that meant missing the show’s musical intro performed by “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Disney, which has run Hulu since 2019, apologized to viewers. “Yesterday evening, we experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers,” the company wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday. “We apologize for the experience.” Disney added that a “full replay” of the event is now available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, the streamers’ bundled offering. That replay includes the final moments of Sunday night’s show. Hulu’s foray into the Oscars arrives as more streaming platforms are betting big on live programming of prominent events — from awards shows and pop culture moments, to major sports matchups like the Super Bowl. Hulu’s stumble was not the first among today’s biggest streaming platforms. Netflix users, for example, expressed frustrations with streaming and buffering problems before and during November’s widely-watched, livestream fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. And in 2023, the platform’s “Love Is Blind” fans also saw a lengthy delay ahead of a reunion special originally set to air live. The Oscars have aired on ABC for decades. While Sunday marked the first time cord cutters could watch through standard Hulu plans, subscribers of the more expensive Hulu Live TV have been able to tune into the awards show in years past. The show has also continued to be available on other services offering live streaming of ABC, such as YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. —Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP business writer AP Writer Beatrice Dupuy contributed to this report. View the full article

Data fuels fears that the economy is losing momentum as tariffs loomView the full article

Taking time off as a PM can feel impossible, but with the right planning, you can actually unplug without stress. From prepping your team to setting boundaries, this guide walks you through everything you need to ensure a smooth break. The post How To Unplug Without The Stress: A Project Manager’s Guide To Time Off appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple has been top dog in the premium tablet space for years, and the iPad Pro with an M4 chip released last year solidified their dominance. If you've been waiting for a discount on the best-performing tablet you can get, take your pick from the available options: You can get the 11-inch wifi version for $849 (originally $999) or the cellular version for $1,049 (originally $1,999) after getting an extra $50 off at checkout. The 13-inch wifi version is $1,099 (originally $1,299) and the cellular version is $1,299 (originally $1,499). These deals bring all versions down to the lowest prices these iPad models have been since their release, according to price-tracking tools. Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch (M4, Wifi) $899.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $999.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $899.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $999.00 Save $100.00 Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch (M4, Wifi + Cellular) $1,099.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,199.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,099.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,199.00 Save $100.00 Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4, Wifi) $1,099.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,299.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,099.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,299.00 Save $200.00 Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4, Wifi + Cellular) $1,299.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,499.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,299.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,499.00 Save $200.00 SEE 1 MORE The M4 is about 1.5 times faster than the M2, the chip used in the previous generation of iPads. That's a big difference for anyone looking to use their iPad for more than just navigating the web and streaming media apps. The 11-inch screen is an OLED display with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, making it ideal for creators who need to see accurate colors for pictures or videos. The processing power can easily handle heavy-duty apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, or Photoshop. A 120Hz refresh rate also means games will look smooth. As far as battery life, you can expect about 10 hours depending on your use, and a charge that takes about two hours to get to full. Keep in mind Apple switched to USB-C charging, and this iPad does not support wireless charging. If you don't get the cellular version, you'll be limited to wifi signal. You can get the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard if you want to complete the set, but of course, they're not necessary. If you're not going to be doing heavy work, the iPad Air will do just fine. But if you're looking for the best tablet to perform professional tasks, the iPad Pro M4 is at a great price right now. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: I have a senior role in a large architecture and engineering company, and my partner is an academic. I sometimes ask him for advice on how to handle a thorny problem at work and occasionally ask him to read something I’ve written. My partner, on the other hand, regularly asks for my help in core aspects of his job — putting together a spreadsheet to organize marking for courses, fixing up formatting on PowerPoint slides, shortening grant applications to meet word-count requirements, drafting sensitive emails, etc. My partner also often talks through ideas for papers, which I really like doing. For some of these tasks, I am better at the software and can do them much more quickly, while for others my partner is asking for my help because he is slammed with work or has a tight deadline or needs another pair of hands and knows I will do a good job. On the one hand, it feels like partners in a marriage should help each other when needed but on the other hand, sometimes it feels like I’m doing the work for my partner, when I have my own demanding job to do. So my question is, what is the range of “normal” within relationships for how much spouses help each other with their jobs? The way you’re doing it — asking for advice on how to handle a thorny problem or to read over something you’ve written — is typical and fine. The way your partner is doing it — asking you to actually perform pieces of his job — is not. Some of it is the cumulative effect. It wouldn’t be a big deal if he asked you once for help fixing the formatting on a PowerPoint. But when he’s regularly asking you to do what’s essentially admin support, that crosses a line. You’re not his administrative assistant, and if he needs that kind of help, that’s a problem for his workplace to solve, not a burden he should expect you to take on. It’s definitely not appropriate to turn to you because he’s busy and “needs another pair of hands.” That’s work. That’s something his company is paying him for, not you, and maybe they need to pay someone who isn’t him but it should go to an employee, not a supportive partner who’s willing to do it for free. Moreover, in a lot of jobs, there would be enormous confidentiality problems with giving a non-employee access to those kinds of materials. You are not an “extra pair of hands” for your partner’s employer. You can be a sounding board and someone he can brainstorm with. You should not be doing his actual work. View the full article

Its Arc Home lending business made money in December and January as the company leans more into home equity originations, which helped financial performance. View the full article

Prime minister draws praise from Conservatives for his diplomatic efforts View the full article

If your team doesn't have balanced workloads, they'll miss deadlines, get burned out, and disengage from the project. Here's how to distribute work evenly, what to avoid, and tools you can use to make the process easier. The post How to Balance Your Team’s Workload appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

The companies did not disclose a purchase price, nor how many of the Houston-based Nations Reliable Lending employees would join the Ohio firm. View the full article

UK’s biggest defence contractor becomes latest FTSE 100 company to propose bigger rewards for top executivesView the full article

BrightLocal report reveals shifting consumer review trends: less focus on perfect ratings, new platform preferences, and more willingness to write reviews. The post Do Reviews Still Matter? Study Looks At Changing Consumer Behavior appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

We're now starting to see some rudimentary AI agents appear: tools that can not only write code and solve math problems, but also perform actions on your behalf. And Opera has announced the first AI agent for its browser, the aptly named Browser Operator. The idea is that Browser Operator can take care of some tedious online tasks for you, saving you time and clicks. It could arrange your next grocery order, for example, or check out hotel prices in a place you're thinking of visiting. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you," says Opera's Krystian Kolondra. "Now it can." Right now the feature is in what's being labeled as a "preview" release. Opera states that none of your personal or sensitive data is sent back to the web while the AI agent is working, and says users remain in full control of the process while it's happening—you wouldn't want an order full of the wrong groceries, after all. As is the norm with the latest wave of modern AI tools, you talk to Browser Operator using natural language: "I want to get plane tickets from New York to San Francisco at the cheapest time in August," for example. The bot then figures out what the necessary online actions are, and carries them out. If any kind of user action is required, like entering payment information or login details, Browser Operator pauses so you can take over. You can also pause the tool manually whenever you like, just in case it's booking you a hotel in the wrong city or ordering clothes that aren't your style. The feature is coming soon The Browser Operator feature doesn't seem to be live at the time of writing, but when it's available, you'll be able to launch it from the browser's Command Line interface or via the sidebar (where Aria, Opera's integrated AI, can also be found). Opera says the feature will roll out "in the near future" as part of an AI-related feature drop. The idea seems like an appealing one, in principle: Online tasks like shopping around for the best prices on gadgets or booking hotel rooms for a vacation can be tedious and take up a lot of time. If an AI bot was able to do all of the grunt work with human supervision, that would be genuinely useful. That said, it all has to work. These tasks might be time-consuming and dull, but they're jobs that also need to be done right. If Browser Operator can't follow instructions properly or keeps on making mistakes, then Opera users are going to go back to relying on their own clicking and scrolling. As I'm not able to access the feature yet, I'm relying on Opera's demo video for ideas about what it can do. The interface looks to be straightforward and intuitive, sitting to the side of the browser or just above the webpages the AI agent is working on. The example of booking tickets for a soccer match seems the most useful: You can tell the AI when you want to go, where you want to sit, how much you want to pay, and which ticket types to look for. Assuming Browser Operator understands what you mean and can navigate the necessary websites well enough, that's a lot of time saved. This new AI agent inside Opera also explains what it's doing as it goes, so you can see what it's trying to do and how successfully it's managing to carry out your instructions. It looks as though you're going to be able to jump in and interfere if Browser Operator is about to do something it shouldn't. Opera isn't the only company working on agentic AI. Last month ChatGPT introduced its own Operator tool, which can carry out tasks on the web: Like Opera Browser Operator, it's in preview' at the moment, and it's also only available to users paying for the $200-a-month Pro plan. View the full article

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Committee on Financial Services' ranking member and other members of her party plan to confront HUD Secretary Scott Turner. View the full article

Start-up raises $3.5bn from Silicon Valley venture firms in race against OpenAI and DeepSeekView the full article

At last night’s Academy Awards, the standout star proved to be the indie film Anora, which raked in a whopping five awards on a budget of only $6 million. When director Sean Baker took the stage to accept his Oscar for best director, he used the moment to issue a call to action: a plea to the industry to reinvest in movie theaters. “Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience,” Baker told the crowd. “We can laugh together, cry together, scream in fright together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together. [. . .] It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home. And right now, the theatergoing experience is under threat.” Baker went on to cite the pandemic-era closures of “nearly 1,000 screens” as a point of concern for filmmakers. His speech reflected a mounting anxiety about America’s shifting movie-viewing landscape, which, five years out from the start of the pandemic, has been majorly altered by the growing convenience of streaming services and shortening attention spans. And, based on this year’s box office numbers, it’s unclear when—and if—the threat to movie theaters will pass. Box office earnings stagnate in 2024 When the pandemic shuttered movie theaters across the country, fears about the imminent “death of the movie theater” became ubiquitous. Since then, theaters have somewhat clawed their way back from pandemic-era lows and the wide-reaching impact of 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strikes, but they have yet to recover their pre-pandemic stability—and it’s seeming increasingly unlikely that they ever will. In 2023, box office earnings reached around $9 billion, their highest peak since the pandemic, but still roughly $2 billion short of pre-pandemic earnings. And, according to data from the global media analytics company Comscore, revenues dropped 3.3% in 2024, down to $8.7 billion. That’s in spite of a fairly strong streak of blockbusters this summer, when films like Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Despicable Me 4 helped lure audiences into theaters. In fact, 2024 was the first post-pandemic year when overall revenues didn’t improve upon the last. Meanwhile, across the country, many small theaters continue to close as they struggle to regain former audiences. Streaming and social media appease shorter attention spans Now that the dust has mostly settled from the pandemic, there’s a pretty clear common denominator for Americans’ new movie-watching habits: The age of streaming services. Despite major theater companies’ best efforts to reel customers back in (including with gonzo marketing schemes like elaborate popcorn buckets), plenty of viewers have been won over by the increasing affordability of high-tech home theater systems and access to their most anticipated titles on streaming, all from the comfort of their own couch. Studios are well aware of these trends, and have adjusted their release strategies accordingly. Big players like Universal and Warner Bros. are in an ongoing process of experimenting with shorter theater-to-digital turnarounds, essentially treating the opening weekend as a kind of IPO to gauge whether a quick pivot to premium streaming could save a property’s lackluster box office numbers. Last June, Universal pulled its action flick The Fall Guy from theaters after just 17 days due to below-expected earnings, opting to offer the film on streaming instead. This strategy proved highly successful for the studio’s R-rated film The Northman, which flopped in theaters but became a major success on streaming. More recently, the Amazon Studios Christmas film Red One struggled at the box office but hit the top spot on Prime Video when it came to streaming. Streaming also allows studios to account for shortening audience attention spans. According to a 2022 study from Morning Consult, younger Americans are showing a preference for shorter forms of entertainment, as platforms like TikTok and Instagram popularize short-form content. In response, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix have started experimenting with recutting old movies into bite-size episodes to capture Gen Z viewers. At last night’s Academy Awards, host Conan O’Brien succinctly summed up this current state of movie-watching, jokingly referring to the Oscars as the “long-form content awards.” View the full article

Plenty of interesting Wi-Fi news - this time mostly from Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. The post Roundup: Xiaomi Wi-Fi audio streaming earbuds, Eir’s Wi-Fi 7, Singtel concludes Wi-Fi 7 AI-gateway trial, and more appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. When assessing home price momentum, it’s important to monitor active listings and months of supply. If active listings start to rapidly increase as homes remain on the market for longer periods, it may indicate pricing softness or weakness. Conversely, a rapid decline in active listings could suggest a market that is heating up. Generally speaking, local housing markets where active inventory has returned to pre-pandemic levels have experienced softer home price growth (or outright price declines) over the past 30 months. Conversely, local housing markets where active inventory remains far below pre-pandemic levels have, generally speaking, experienced stronger home price growth over the past 30 months. How does inventory look in 2025? It looks like—assuming nothing dramatic changes—most states will see rising active housing inventory this year. National active listings are on the rise (up 27.6% between February 2024 and February 2025). This indicates that homebuyers have gained some leverage in many parts of the country over the past year. Some sellers markets have turned into balanced markets, and more balanced markets have turned into buyers markets. Nationally, we’re still below pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels (23.1% below February 2019) and some resale markets, in particular big chunks of Midwest and Northeast, still remain tight. Here are the recent historic totals for inventory/active listings in February, according to Realtor.com: February 2017: 1,151,120 February 2018: 1,045,153 February 2019: 1,102,660 February 2020: 928,343 February 2021: 464,919 (overheating during the pandemic housing boom) February 2022: 346,511 (overheating during the pandemic housing boom) February 2023: 579,264 (mortgage rate shock) February 2024: 664,716 February 2025: 847,825 The map below shows the year-over-year percentage change in active housing inventory by state. While active housing inventory is rising in most markets on a year-over-year basis, some markets still remain tight. As ResiClub has been documenting, both active resale and new homes for sale remain the most limited across huge swaths of the Midwest and Northeast. That’s likely where home sellers will have more power this spring. In contrast, active housing inventory for sale has neared or surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels in many parts of the Gulf region, including metro area housing markets such as Punta Gorda and Austin. These areas saw major price surges during the pandemic housing boom, with home prices getting stretched compared to local incomes. As pandemic-driven migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals. At the end of February 2025, just four states are above pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels: Colorado, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. The District of Columbia is also above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. Big picture: Over the past few years we’ve observed a softening across many housing markets as strained affordability tempers the fervor of a market that was unsustainably hot during the Pandemic Housing Boom. While home prices are falling in some areas around the Gulf, most regional housing markets are still seeing positive year-over-year home price growth. The big question going forward is whether active inventory and months of supply will continue to rise and cause more housing markets to see price softening. Below is another version of the table above—but this one includes every month since January 2017. If you’d like to closer examine the monthly state inventory figures, use the interactive chart below. (Choose the state you'd like to look at from the drop-down menu.) And to better understand ongoing softness and weakness across Florida, read this ResiClub article. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. On average, the number of years people hold onto their cars has been creeping up for about a decade—it's up to about 14 years these days. Aside from improved reliability, given that new cars average $49,740, and used cars cost more than $26,000, it's not hard to figure out why. If your car still runs well and reliably gets you where you need to go, that’s all that really matters. That said, you probably don't want your car to look it's age. Time takes a toll on every vehicle, from sun damage to chips and scratches in the paint, and eventually even a car that’s been maintained to perfection will start to show its years. If you want to make your car look as good as it still runs without investing in a full detailing, there are a few tricks you can try it in an afternoon, without spending a lot of money. Try a clay bar polishStep one is, of course, to give your car a thorough washing. But once the car is clean and dry, you can use a clay bar treatment to remove the stuff you can’t get off with a simple wash. Clay bars remove all the tiny bits of grit, sticky bits of tar, and other contaminants that make paint look dull. (For some extra oomph, follow up with another wash and then polish your car using a high-quality polish (either by hand or using a power tool). Remove scratches with a power toolA scratched-up finish adds years to any car, but scratches can also allow moisture to infiltrate under the topcoat, encouraging rust and other visual damage. Repairing those visible scratches is the logical next step. For relatively shallow scratches, you can use a scratch removing product like this one. Just apply some of the product to the provided pad, slip the pad into your power drill, and run the pad over the scratch a few times. Once you wipe away the excess, the scratch should be gone (if you don’t have a drill or don’t want to use one, there are other products rely on muscle power alone). Deeper scratches require a lot more effort—including sanding, filling, and repainting—and may be better left to a detail shop, unless you don't care about imperfect results. Restore plastic trim with a heat gunYour car's plastic exterior trim can start to show wear after years of exposure to the sun and harsh weather. Unless you restore the plastic, of course. There are two ways to accomplish this: Use a heat gun. You can use a heat gun to heat the plastic, and watch as it darkens and shines up like magic. This works because the heat brings the remaining oils in the plastic to the surface. There are two downsides to this approach, however: It’s easy to overdo it and actually melt the plastic, and it will only work a few times before your plastic has been bled dry and can never be restored again. Buy a product intended for the purpose. If you're wary of taking a heat gun to your ride, there are store bought options for car trim restoration. Something like Wipe New is easy to use—you just wipe it on—and can last a few weeks to a few months. They can be applied repeatedly to keep your trim looking newer. Use a power scrubber on your rimsCleaning and polishing your tires and rims will also help your car to look new(er). A spray-on cleaner applied with a power scrubber can bring your rims back to life with a little elbow grease. A tire coating like this one can also put some shine back into your tires. Polish your headlights with toothpasteFinally, one spot older cars always suffer is the headlights, which can become cloudy and faded over time. You could rip them out and replace them, of course, but cleaning them up is a lot cheaper and works surprisingly well. You can DIY this in a variety of ways by scrubbing your headlights with toothpaste, a mixture of vinegar and baking soda, even sandpaper. Or you could make your life a little easier by using a bespoke product to brings those headlights back to life without any extra steps or mess. Doing these things on a regular basis will not only keep your car looking good, it will protect it from further damage and help its exterior last as long as you need it to—which hopefully won’t be another 14 years. View the full article

Wix has announced a new native integration with Printful, a leading print-on-demand company, to provide Wix users with direct access to Printful’s fulfillment services. This integration allows merchants, self-creators, and agencies using Wix to create and sell custom-branded merchandise without leaving the Wix platform. According to Wix, this new feature offers users a streamlined and cost-effective solution for launching their own product lines. “This integration gives our users a new opportunity to create high-quality products and merchandise customized to their brand, whether they are a yoga studio owner, a chef, or a dog trainer,” said Jill Sherman, Head of Suppliers Hub at Wix. “Together, we’re providing our users a unique and seamless solution that embraces creativity and brand identity while eliminating fulfillment hassles and overhead costs. This empowers users to focus on the growth of their business and maximize their brand footprint all from the Wix platform.” With the integration, Wix users can customize merchandise with their own graphics, artwork, and branding. The print-on-demand industry is projected to reach $45.6 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.3%, according to the announcement. Wix states that this solution enables small businesses to enter a competitive market without the typical barriers associated with traditional product manufacturing and inventory management. Printful’s fulfillment services allow businesses to produce and distribute custom products without upfront inventory costs. “Partnering with Wix is a natural fit for us, as we’re both dedicated to supporting e-commerce business owners and brand builders who are crafting exceptional shopping experiences,” said Chris Victory, Head of Partnerships at Printful. “We’ve always been committed to helping anyone, anywhere create, design and deliver high-quality, unique products that resonate with their audience. By integrating seamlessly with Wix, we’re making it even easier for entrepreneurs to provide delightful experiences for their customers, directly within the platform where they already create and drive their brand experiences. We’re excited to see the amazing designs and products that the Wix community of sellers will create next.” Sustainable and Efficient Fulfillment The integration also prioritizes sustainability and cost efficiency. Orders are fulfilled individually, reducing excess production and eliminating the need for warehousing. Printful utilizes a network of local fulfillment centers to ensure faster delivery and lower shipping costs. By leveraging on-demand production, businesses can operate more sustainably while offering personalized products that enhance customer engagement. According to the announcement, this operational model also minimizes the carbon footprint by reducing overproduction and unnecessary storage requirements. Currently, the integration is available in English, with plans for expansion into additional languages in the near future. Image: Wix This article, "Wix Launches Native Print-on-Demand Integration with Printful" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Wix has announced a new native integration with Printful, a leading print-on-demand company, to provide Wix users with direct access to Printful’s fulfillment services. This integration allows merchants, self-creators, and agencies using Wix to create and sell custom-branded merchandise without leaving the Wix platform. According to Wix, this new feature offers users a streamlined and cost-effective solution for launching their own product lines. “This integration gives our users a new opportunity to create high-quality products and merchandise customized to their brand, whether they are a yoga studio owner, a chef, or a dog trainer,” said Jill Sherman, Head of Suppliers Hub at Wix. “Together, we’re providing our users a unique and seamless solution that embraces creativity and brand identity while eliminating fulfillment hassles and overhead costs. This empowers users to focus on the growth of their business and maximize their brand footprint all from the Wix platform.” With the integration, Wix users can customize merchandise with their own graphics, artwork, and branding. The print-on-demand industry is projected to reach $45.6 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.3%, according to the announcement. Wix states that this solution enables small businesses to enter a competitive market without the typical barriers associated with traditional product manufacturing and inventory management. Printful’s fulfillment services allow businesses to produce and distribute custom products without upfront inventory costs. “Partnering with Wix is a natural fit for us, as we’re both dedicated to supporting e-commerce business owners and brand builders who are crafting exceptional shopping experiences,” said Chris Victory, Head of Partnerships at Printful. “We’ve always been committed to helping anyone, anywhere create, design and deliver high-quality, unique products that resonate with their audience. By integrating seamlessly with Wix, we’re making it even easier for entrepreneurs to provide delightful experiences for their customers, directly within the platform where they already create and drive their brand experiences. We’re excited to see the amazing designs and products that the Wix community of sellers will create next.” Sustainable and Efficient Fulfillment The integration also prioritizes sustainability and cost efficiency. Orders are fulfilled individually, reducing excess production and eliminating the need for warehousing. Printful utilizes a network of local fulfillment centers to ensure faster delivery and lower shipping costs. By leveraging on-demand production, businesses can operate more sustainably while offering personalized products that enhance customer engagement. According to the announcement, this operational model also minimizes the carbon footprint by reducing overproduction and unnecessary storage requirements. Currently, the integration is available in English, with plans for expansion into additional languages in the near future. Image: Wix This article, "Wix Launches Native Print-on-Demand Integration with Printful" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google Ads is doubling down on AI, personalization, and new ad formats in 2025. Here’s what’s changing and how advertisers should prepare for these shifts. The post Google’s VP of Ads and Commerce Outlines 2025 Priorities appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Google vehicle ads now accept listings for recreational vehicles (RVs) and campers. This broadens the scope beyond traditional automobiles. The details. The expansion, announced Feb. 28, allows RV and camper dealers to showcase their inventory directly in Google search results, similar to how car dealerships have been using the platform. The catch. Dealers must maintain valid dealership licenses in all states, territories, or provinces where their RVs and campers are located or offered for sale – the same requirement that applies to other vehicle categories. Why we care. Dealerships can now reach potential buyers searching for recreational vehicles directly through Google’s vehicle ad format, expanding their reach. What’s next. Interested dealers should review Google’s Vehicle ads policies (Beta) to ensure their RV and camper inventory meets all eligibility requirements before listing. Bottom line. This expansion gives dealers a new way to connect with potential buyers actively searching for RVs and campers. View the full article

Oil services and engineering company holds debt discussions in parallel to exploring takeover by Dubai-based SidaraView the full article