Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.ssbet77 online casino philippines 。

In response to the EU's inquiry, Google has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation and provide the requested information about its advertising partnership with Meta. The tech giant has emphasized its commitment to compliance with EU competition and data protection laws and expressed its willingness to address any concerns raised by regulators.The European Commission has initiated the probe amid concerns over potential antitrust violations and unfair competition practices in the digital advertising market. Google, known for its dominant position in the online advertising industry, is under scrutiny for its alleged partnership with Meta, the parent company of social media giant Facebook.

However, the success of this integration will ultimately depend on how well Lincoln is able to maintain its unique identity and positioning within the Ford China ecosystem. The brand must strike a delicate balance between leveraging Ford's resources and capabilities while also preserving its luxury image and appeal. Failure to do so could risk further alienating its target market and worsening its sales performance in China.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform and Sora video generator have gone offline and are currently not responding to user queries. Social media accounts began posting about the outage around 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, which coincided with a surge of reports to Down Detector . The company confirmed the outage in a blog post at 2 p.m. ET stating, “we are currently experiencing an issue with high error rates on ChatGPT, the API, and Sora. We are currently investigating and will post an update as soon as we are able.” OpenAI provided that update just 18 minutes later, explaining that, “this issue is caused by an upstream provider and we are currently monitoring.” Just after 3 p.m. ET, the company added, “we are continuing to work on a fix for this issue,” though there is currently no timeline for when service might be restored. OpenAI has suffered similar outages in the past few months. ChatGPT was knocked offline in a widespread outage in June that also impacted Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity. Earlier in December, the Sora video generation model ran into “technical difficulties” just days after its release to Plus and Pro subscribers . In both cases, the company was able to resolve those respective issues within a few hours. This outage comes on the heels of the company’s “12 Days of OpenAI ” event that saw the release of numerous new products, including the full version of its o1 reasoning model (plus a teaser for its successor, called o3 ), as well as the Sora text-to-video model, and new capabilities for its Canvas and Advanced Voice Mode features.NEW ORLEANS , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Locally , the leading technology solution bridging online and offline retail since 2014, today debuted the first Omni-Seller Marketplace (OSM) in partnership with Trek Bicycle , a global leader in the cycling industry. Locally's OSM platform enables manufacturers to develop a robust brand-centric shopping journey unifying every possible channel with an unlimited number of sellers. "Trek, one of our most forward-thinking and longest-standing partners, has built its brand on pioneering technology and delivering exceptional customer service," said Mike Massey , CEO and founder of Locally. "Together, we've crafted a solution that elevates the shopping experience and strengthens Trek's relationships with independent dealers worldwide. Consumers are now in full control, enjoying the most seamless online-to-offline shopping experience in the market." Multi-channel, multi-seller marketplaces are far more popular with online shoppers than single-brand sites. Marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart now account for over 63% of all online sales. For Trek, the OSM platform seamlessly integrates all of their bike and accessory brands with real-time inventory from local independent bike dealers (IBDs), creating the ultimate shopping destination for online bike buyers. By using Locally's OSM platform, Trek brings together the shopper journey across multiple brands, multiple channels, and multiple sellers across the globe. Locally's OSM platform empowers Trek to create the best in class retail solution by merging Trek's functionality within the OSM headless platform. Designed to meet the demands of today's digitally savvy consumers, OSM enables a fluid, unified shopping journey across online and in-store channels whether customers shop online, use BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup In-Store), local delivery, or simply visit local stores directly. With its global presence, OSM provides Trek with proprietary tools to deepen customer loyalty and remove barriers, ensuring every interaction strengthens the consumer's relationship with the Trek brand. "At Trek, we're dedicated to making our brand accessible to cyclists everywhere," said Steve Novoselac , vice president of IT and digital at Trek. "With Locally's support, we launched 'Consumer Choice' on trekbikes.com , a marketplace combining local store inventory with our full product range, all in one unified shopping experience. The Locally partnership strengthens Trek's commitment to serving customers across all channels, making trekbikes.com the ultimate resource for every cyclist." Massey continued, "By partnering with Locally, Trek provides shoppers with a nearly omnipresent shopping experience, stitching together local pickup and e-commerce options into a single, bike-buying experience. Shoppers don't have to choose between online and nearby or DTC and IBD. All options are always available in the Omni-Seller Marketplace. By providing unlimited choices for shoppers, Trek can simultaneously support their bike-riding (B2C) and bike-selling (B2B) customers." In addition, the OSM platform provides brands with tools for coordinating different fulfillment channels, mixed-cart shopping, and ensuring easy payments to local dealers through Locally's Cart API. The platform gives consumers the option to check local inventory before making a purchase and to choose their preferred payment and the fulfillment method that best suits their lifestyle. For more information, visit: https://join.locally.com/ About Trek Bicycle Trek Bicycle is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of bicycles and related products. Trek believes the bicycle can be a simple solution to many of the world's most complex problems and is committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent people from using bicycles more often for transportation, recreation, and inspiration. About Locally Locally creates an integrated shopping experience for consumers by bridging online and offline retail. With tech implemented by over 1,000 major brands, Locally is the industry leader in online-to-offline shopping solutions. Locally's tools are powered by real-time inventory from over 47,000 retailers worldwide and are utilized by more than 55 million shoppers every month. To learn more about Locally's online-to-offline shopping solutions, visit join.locally.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/locally-leading-tech-solution-bridging-online-and-offline-retail-announces-first-omni-seller-marketplace-in-partnership-with-trek-bicycle-302321585.html SOURCE Locally

CHOCOLATE lovers have been left stunned as Superdrug offers boxes of Celebrations and Ferrero Rocher for just £1. With Maltesers down to just 25p, and boxes of Ferrero Rocher , Celebrations , and Quality Street priced at only £1, shoppers are racing to snag these sweet deals. Advertisement 4 Popular beauty retailer Superdrug has slashed prices post-Christmas Credit: Getty 4 Quality Streets and Celebrations priced at just £1 Credit: Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group/Facebook 4 Superdrug are also giant Ferrero Rochers Credit: Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group/Facebook 4 Maltesers Mini Reindeers are just 25p Credit: Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group/Facebook Shoppers have been quick to spread the word, with social media lighting up as people share their excitement over the jaw-dropping deal. One thrilled user exclaimed: "Get into Superdrug and get me 5!" Another joked: "At this price, we should postpone Christmas for two days. "We'd pay hardly anything!" Advertisement chocolate,celebrations,retail GET IT QUICK Major supermarket slashes price of Ferrero Rocher tray as shoppers rush to buy CHOC LOT 'Dreams have come true' as shoppers spot new ‘yummy’ Ferrero Easter egg flavour Shoppers can take Giant Ferrero Rochers home for just £1 - the hollow milk and chocolate ball has long been considered a Christmas treat and now it's a budget friendly one too. In Tesco, a Maltesers Mini Reindeer is marked at £1.50 but at Superdrug the price has been slashed down to a mere 25p. This means chocoholics can pick up six Mini Reindeers at the bargain beauty retailers for the same price at one in Tesco. For those hoping to pick up something for the family, a Quality Street share box is only a pound. Advertisement Most read in Money Exclusive FRENCH FOLLY Our fairytale 8-bed Escape to the Chateau mansion has turned into a nightmare CHOC LOT Major supermarket slashes price of Quality Street tubs to just £3 NO THANKS People are already selling unwanted Christmas presents on eBay and Facebook BRIGHT SPARK Exact date millions of energy customers must take a meter reading This includes 220g of individually wrapped chocolates ready to get you over the post-holiday blues. The product is so popular it has sold out online and you'll have to head into a store if you want to get your hands on one. Angry Noel Radford left fuming after splashing cash on ‘rip off’ chocolate in Dubai Luckily, discounts don't stop there - Superdrug has a range of offers ready for when shoppers hit the high street again . The retailer is providing a free gift with selected Cosmetics. Advertisement It's offering a free Rimmel lip oil in Pink Flush when you spend £12 on Rimmel products. You can pick up a L'Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Spray for free when you spend £15 on selected L'Oréal Paris Cosmetics. The Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen is available when you spend £16 on selected e.l.f. Cosmetics, but this oly for online customers. Superdrug Deals Superdrug is offering L'oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renew Midnight Cream 50M for £14.99, down from £29.99. For those ready start their new years resoultion early, the Slimfast Powder Tin Banana 365G is on sale for £5. If you're looking to sniff out a good deal the Calvin Klein CKIN2U Eau de Toilette for Him 150ml is now £23.50, down from £56. There is free delivery for those spending over £25 on their online shopping online - this lowers to £20 for Health and Beautycard members. They are also offering a range of goodies for under a fiver . Similar to Aldi Specialbuys or the Lidl Middle Aisle, Superdrug offers This Week's Star Buys. Advertisement These are weekly deals and offers on selected items for shoppers, with extra discounts for those with a loyalty card. Most Superdrug shops have a pink display case which will sometimes have a range of yellow sticker bargains. Read more on the Scottish Sun CHRISTMAS MIRACLES Christmas baby joy for Scots parents as little ones begin arriving EDGE OF THE WORLD Inside the remote Scots golf club dubbed 'the world's loneliest course' When products don’t sell from the clearance area, the retailer will slash the price to shift it quicker. If you can hunt down the clearance shelves or display when in-store, you might be be able to pick up some products for pennies. Advertisement Everything you need to know about Superdrug jewellery... FASHION expert Abby McHale has shared her thoughts on Superdrug jewellery... Who would have thought the shop where you pick up all your beauty needs is also the place to go for jewellery. Well Superdrug actually has a rather large jewellery section. Online there are over 150 pieces to choose from and the best part is, most pieces are under £10. You can even pick yourself up the likes of a watch for £9.99 - bargain. Or you can stay bang on trend with tone drop earrings, chunky rings and layered necklaces. So next time you run out of mascara and head into Superdrug take a look at its jewellery range as I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Angry Noel Radford left fuming after splashing cash on ‘rip off’ chocolate in DubaiEFCC, Sowore at loggerheads over unnamed owner of 753 forfeited duplexesPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction

Intel Shortlists Suitors For Chip Division Altera Amid Turnaround EffortsShare Tweet Share Share Email The Internet of Things (IoT) is reshaping industries, homes, and even entire cities by enabling interconnected devices to communicate and automate processes. However, this unprecedented level of connectivity comes with significant challenges, including data security, scalability, and privacy concerns. Blockchain technology is emerging as a transformative solution, addressing these challenges and unlocking the full potential of IoT. Enhancing IoT Security Being one of the big problems in IoT, security remains one of top problems in IoT. With billions of devices around the world connected, traditional centralized systems can’t reliably protect data. Because blockchain is decentralized and immutable, takes the reliance off a central authority, reducing the risk of single points of failure. Blockchain allows IoT networks to bind devices securely to prevent malicious actors from tampering with the data or hacking the system altogether. An example of doing so is using blockchain’s cryptographic techniques , guaranteeing only authorized devices can be engaged with a network, creating a trustworthy ecosystem for IoT operations. However, among applications such as smart homes, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare devices, these factors are especially important, and a proliferation of data privacy scandals in recent years has cast doubt on many existing solutions for continuously adapting data policies on the fly. Enhancing Data Translucence and Traceability Data transparency and traceability are essential in IoT systems, particularly in supply chain management, energy, and agriculture. Blockchain empowers stakeholders with an immutable record of transactions. Data of each IoT device is recorded on a blockchain, resulting in a tamper-proof log of activities. One example: IoT sensors in supply chain networks monitor the movement of goods, while the blockchain guarantees that all data, from the origin to delivery, is transparent and verifiable. It mitigates fraud, builds accountability, and enables better-informed decision-making. Scalability in IoT Networks As IoT gets more adopted, scalability becomes a very important issue. Bottlenecks, latency problems, and increasingly high operational costs result from managing millions of devices on a centralized network. It is also different from traditional blockchain, often referred to as a ‘decentralized’ network, in that the workload is spread across a peer-to-peer network, making it more scalable and better suited to a distributed IoT system. High transaction volumes on blockchain networks are made possible through innovative consensus mechanisms like Proof of Stake (PoS), and Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) which use minimum energy to maintain security. It ensures that as IoT networks continue to grow, they remain efficient and cost-effective. Facilitating Autonomous Device Communication Also, blockchain and IoT go together and open the way for M2M communication using autonomous machines. The combination of smart contracts – self-executing agreements coded on the blockchain that power devices to execute actions automatically if predefined conditions are met. For instance, an electric vehicle (EV) can use smart contracts written based on blockchain technology to pay electrically for its charging at a station. The whole transaction verifies the EV’s identity, tops up the card, and finally pays—without human intervention. This level of automation is further beginning to boost efficiency and eliminate operational friction that is spread across IoT ecosystems. Addressing Privacy Concerns One of the biggest points of concern regarding IoT is privacy, as devices continuously collect huge amounts of sensitive data. Blockchain takes care of this by giving data ownership and control. Decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and encryption are features of blockchain that guarantee that users control their data—which persons and in what ways can access it. Patients can safely share medical data with doctors, and doctors can safely share their research data and other medical data securely with each other. In smart cities, residents can also decide how their data is used in urban planning and traffic management. Blockchain and IoT Real Word Application The synergy between blockchain and IoT is already being realized across various industries: Smart Cities: In today’s world, cities are embracing blockchain-based IoT solutions for effective resource management . Whether it is about energy distribution, waste management, or even the optimization of any other process, blockchain guarantees the integrity of data and optimization processes. Agriculture: IoT crop health and environmental conditions are monitored through sensors, and food safety and quality while being tracked from farm to table with the help of blockchain. Healthcare: Patient vitals are recorded by wearable IoT devices, then secure this data through blockchain and can facilitate better diagnostics and more personalized care. Supply Chain: For instance, IBM and Maersk use blockchain and IoT to revamp logistics technology by providing real-time tracking and transparency. Wrapping Up Blockchain and IoT bring unprecedented security, scalability, transparency, and privacy to industries. As these technologies become more advanced, the potential for them to combine and provide new opportunities for innovation and efficiency will continue. For more insights into blockchain’s transformative impact on technology and industry, visit Blockchain News . Related Items: Blockchain , technology Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Weekend Crypto Adventure: 6 Best New Meme Coins to Buy This Weekend For Explosive ROI From Silicon Valley to War Zones: How Feras Mousilli Advocates for Startups and Tech Giants Globally 4 Altcoins Making Waves to Invest in Now That Investors Shouldn’t Miss Comments

3. Excessive Supplements: With the rise of the wellness industry, it's easy to be swayed by the promise of quick fixes in the form of supplements. While certain vitamins and minerals can be beneficial for specific health conditions, taking excessive amounts of supplements can have negative consequences. Some supplements can interact with medications or have side effects, while others may be unnecessary if you already have a balanced diet. Before adding any new supplements to your routine, consult with a healthcare professional to ensure they are safe and appropriate for you.Blinken announces aid for Sudan and talks about AI risks at UN Security Council

As a result of these groundbreaking AI features, MeituPic has not only secured the top ranking in the Indonesian App Store but has also garnered widespread acclaim for its ability to empower users to create visually stunning images with ease and efficiency. By combining cutting-edge AI technology with intuitive design principles, MeituPic has successfully established itself as a leader in the field of mobile photography apps, setting new standards for innovation and quality in an increasingly competitive market.Israeli police set to probe Netanyahu’s wife over ‘harassment of witnesses’Moreover, the escalating tensions between the US and China have also added fuel to the fire. The ongoing trade conflicts, political uncertainties, and geopolitical tensions between the two economic powerhouses have created a sense of unease among investors, resulting in heightened volatility and sudden market downturns in Chinese stocks.

Bradley/Grombacher: Negligence Lawsuit Alleges Roblox, Epic Games Prays on Young Minds, Creating Addiction Among Minors

Ever since the stunning debut trailer of "Black Myth: Wukong" captured the hearts of gamers worldwide, the game has been generating immense hype and curiosity. The team behind the game has been working tirelessly to deliver an experience that exceeds expectations, and the new update promises to take the excitement to new heights.