While online buying has increased, so have returns, and that represents a huge cost for retailers. Online orders in the U.S. for the 2021 holiday season hit a record US$222 billion. Out of those, 30% or at least US$66.7 billion worth of merchandise, will be returned per CBRE Supply Chain. That’s a 13% year-over-year increase for returns and a 45.6% increase over the previous five-year average.
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Supply chains are normally not on the average person’s mind. But they are now. The shortages and delays on delivery that have resulted from disruption in the supply chain have made it an area of concern for all. With a new year underway, the question is: What’s in store for the supply chain in 2022?
ABI Research’s global team of analysts are continuously examining current trends in technology and key markets to produce accurate forecasts and provide guidance to our clients. The comprehensive technology forecast for this year includes several aspects of the 5G market. Here are five key points about what will and will not happen on the 5G front in 2022.
The term “digital twin” gets thrown around casually, but it’s important to recognize the distinction between the different types of digital twins and understand the role of a digital thread.
Current events give new meaning to “when the chips are down.” The global upheavals caused by the pandemic followed by a chip shortage means the numbers for the smart Government ID credentials market that grew slightly in 2021 will not increase in 2022. But that doesn’t mean that all bets are off. Increasing interest in developing a universally accepted smart vaccine passport may give rise to a new form of Government ID.
ABI Research’s global team of analysts are continuously examining current trends in technology and key markets to produce accurate forecasts and provide guidance to our clients. In November, these forecasts included a huge uptick in the use of 5G and increased use of satellite broadband and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology where 5G will not be available.
Never has digital technology been so important to the fortunes of any organization. The fallout and adjustment to life with endemic COVID-19 continues to fuel the need for alternative ways of working that rely on technology innovation and digitization in key critical spaces such as energy, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and semiconductors.
Energy consumption, decarbonization, and eco-friendly solutions have become a growing concern for many industrial sectors. The telco industry has been taking steps to address these concerns. During its recent 2021 Better World Summit, Huawei highlighted how technological innovation reduces energy consumption and embraces sustainability to create a greener economy. While Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a means of networking the world and building stronger economies, the well-being of the planet has to be just as important a priority as the growth of more consumer and enterprise data, higher telco speeds, and better performance.
Industrial digital twins, once rarely discussed among C-level executives, are firmly in the mainstream. This transformative technology is being used to test the waters with new operational approaches and collect real-time data on asset performance. The opportunities of digital twins for manufacturers are exciting.
Last week, I was honored to moderate a panel session organized by ABI Research that debated the future of real time location system (RTLS) technologies, the role that 5G positioning will play in shaping this market, and what steps the 5G ecosystem should take to make 5G positioning the right technology for solving key enterprise pain-points (watch the replay here).
Veterans Sylvia Lu, Board Member of 5G ACIA, Chair of WG4, and Chief Cellular Strategist at u-blox; Doctor Arndt Kadelka, Technology Innovation Expert at Deutsche Telekom; Daisy Zhu, Vice President of Wireless Marketing at Huawei; Joe Barrett, President of the GSA; and Malik Saadi, Vice President of Strategic Technologies at ABI Research, were invited to the panel session to share their expertise and experiences and identify key opportunities and challenges facing 5G positioning in the market place.