Legislative Update: More Fed Aid Critical to Rebuilding Economies

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Article Source: State House News Service

Author: Collin A. Young

GOP Guv Lists Ways $$$ Can “Beat Down the Pandemic”

FEB. 8, 2021…..As Democrats in Washington, D.C. began rolling out the various components of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal Monday, U.S. House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal was in Boston to promote the package alongside Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

Billions of dollars have already flowed during the pandemic from the federal government to Massachusetts and its residents, but Baker said another round of funding is essential as states take on vaccine distribution and economic reopenings while facing many of the economic problems that have lingered for the better part of a year. In Massachusetts, there are about 330,000 fewer jobs compared to a year ago, many businesses are struggling to stay afloat and the state projects it will miss out on about $1 billion in tax revenue this year, compared to pre-pandemic expectations.

“As cities and states ramp up their vaccination recovery efforts, support from D.C. will continue to be a critical part of how we get from here to there. The feds can play a huge role with respect to vaccinations, testing, school reopenings for both K through 12 and higher education, food insecurity, housing, rental, energy and water assistance, small business support, and support for states, local governments and territorial governments … , ” Baker said.

State and local officials, he said, are going to do the “hard work that’s going to be associated with trying to rebuild their economies and especially to deal with the dramatic changes that have taken place with respect to how and where people work since this pandemic began,” He added, “I can’t understate how big a challenge that is going to be for everybody as we move through this pandemic and on into the future.”

Congress is in the early stages of advancing Biden’s massive relief package, which is expected to include billions of dollars for virus testing, vaccinations, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, and could send as much as $350 billion in federal aid to state and local governments.

Neal, a Springfield Democrat who is playing a key role in the development of Biden’s plan and will help shepherd it through Congress, said his committee will work from Wednesday morning through Friday to write the legislation to enact $941 billion worth of the president’s proposals.

The full package — a blueprint of which will become publicly available at 6 p.m. Monday, Neal said — will include direct payments of up to $1,400 for individuals to “make good on our promise of $2,000 checks” that began with $600 payments last year, provide between $300 and $400 in weekly unemployment insurance supplements, make $130 billion available to help schools reopen, and would establish an enhanced child tax credit that would provide eligible families with $3,600 per child younger than 6 and $3,000 per child up to age 17, split into monthly payments over a year, Neal said.

“We want to make it easier for the unemployed to afford their health insurance through premium subsidies. We’re going to expand opportunities for COBRA. We’re going to provide an enhanced premium tax credit for those receiving forms of unemployment insurance that will reduce their out-of-pocket costs. We plan to assist the most vulnerable, who typically aren’t offered health insurance, through extending opportunities for them as well. The unemployment insurance supplement also will be embraced once again,” Neal said. He added, “We intend to create a national vaccination program and speed up the distribution … We provide expanded testing and contact tracing programs across the country, and $130 billion for schools to be reopening. Everybody sees that as a clear priority.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold almost a year ago, Massachusetts and its residents have received $52.3 billion from the federal government in the form of loans, direct aid to residents, unemployment assistance and funding for other federal programs, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which has tracked federal distributions to states.

That total includes $5.24 billion in economic impact payments, $14.31 billion through the Paycheck Protection Program, $2.67 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, $1.4 billion through FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, $3.54 billion in emergency injury disaster loans, $3.344 billion in provider relief funds, and a combined $15.075 billion in unemployment compensation, assistance and funding.

Baker, who has long talked about how helpful more federal money would be, last month filed a state budget that would pull $1.6 billion from the state’s cash reserves, but the governor has said he could limit that rainy day fund withdrawal if additional federal dollars come in.

“There are still substantial financial challenges that we face as a commonwealth and that other states across the country are facing as well. And it would be critical from our point of view for Congress to pass significant relief swiftly to help us beat down the pandemic and, just as importantly, help get our economy back on track,” the governor said Monday.

The Ways and Means Committee chairman said the president’s package “is certainly going to pass,” and while he said Democrats remain open to suggestions and new ideas as they roll out their plans, Neal said Biden “is not coming off of $1.9 trillion and I agree with him.”

If Biden and the Democrats plan to stand pat at $1.9 trillion, it could mean passing the package through Congress without support from Republicans, some of whom have taken issue with the package’s price tag or provisions.

“I think it would be very helpful for them to fully participate,” Neal said. “I think when you look at the polling data on our proposal — it’s pretty wild where it comes down — three-quarters of the American people support what we’re about to try to do, what, in fact, we’re going to do.”

The goal, Neal said, is to pass Biden’s package by the second or third week of March to have it in place by the time unemployment benefits would expire for millions of Americans in mid-March.

Online: Full Press Conference

Before you influence, show up

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If you expect to have any kind of influence in your company or in your industry as a whole, the first step is to show up. This means getting involved with your work community and going the extra mile in terms of the effort you give your assignments. The more you can put yourself out there, the more opportunities you will have for the higher-ups and key industry players to recognize you for your efforts. Here’s what you need to do.

Be On Time or Early Every Day

Do your best to be one of the first people in the office every day. Not only does this demonstrate your commitment to your job, but it can also give you a chance to get in some uninterrupted work time before everyone else arrives. Of course, there may be occasions when you are forced to arrive late, but try not to make a habit of it. Embrace punctuality in your personal life as well so that the habit becomes ingrained over time.

Always Be Prepared

If you will be attending an important meeting or giving a presentation, don’t neglect the necessary advance preparations. This can include making note of a few talking points, reviewing your slides, researching your audience, confirming appointments and more. A few extra minutes of preparation could make the difference between a presentation that is successful and one that isn’t. Your colleagues will appreciate that you are prepared as well, as this will ensure you aren’t wasting anyone’s time with an inefficient meeting.

Think Through Your Decisions

Depending on your position within your company, you may be called upon to make important decisions from time to time. It is crucial that you take the time to evaluate all of your options and their possible outcomes before arriving at a decision. Only when you have considered all of the angles can you make a truly informed choice. Be sure to take input from those who will be affected by your decision as well, as their needs and preferences could shape the final results.

Offer Solutions, Not Problems

If you expect to have any sway within your organization, you need to be able to identify potential trouble areas so that they can be addressed before they become major issues. However, it is not enough to simply point out the problem; you also need to be able to provide possible solutions. Otherwise, you’ll be seen merely as a complainer, not as someone who could be a driving force in improving the company. Even if your solutions aren’t fully worked out yet, it is still better to at least have a starting point so that you and your team can work together to come up with an action plan.

Keep Showing Up

Networking is incredibly important when you are trying to build your influence. You never know who might be able to collaborate with you on a new initiative, so don’t be shy about putting yourself out there. Attend networking events, industry-specific trade shows and other events geared towards people in your industry. If you have the time, you may want to get involved with professional organizations that serve your industry, like unions, associations and other entities. Over time, you’ll be able to build your network, which will expand your level of influence in your industry.

The Weekly Download: How Your Local Businesses Can Compete with Amazon

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How Local Businesses Can Compete with Amazon

Amazon is the largest online store and hosts products from some of the biggest brands in the world. They are also known for large inventories and discounts, so competing based on price can be a tall order for local startups. Interestingly, about 50% of the products you encounter at Amazon in the United States are listed by small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and not Amazon itself. So is Amazon a competitor, or is it a marketplace?

In addition to setting up your business on Amazon, there are several ways a local business can compete and establish its market. Here are five:

Offering Personalized Services

Local businesses have the advantage of offering one-on-one customized services, something that’s not available for Amazon customers. As a small business, you can focus on customer support to learn more about your clients and customize your services to their needs. There are various ways to create an impression of personalized services, from greeting customers by their names and following up on big sales to analyzing each feedback.

Introduce A Loyalty Plan

A loyalty program is designed to reward repeat customers and a perfect way to get repeat business income. If you lack one, you should create a loyalty program that allows regular customers to receive personalized treatment, discounts and better offers. Make sure your customers learn about the loyalty program during their first visit or interaction with your business. Amazon has deals and redeemable points, shipping discounts and other incentives, so make sure your loyalty program is attractive enough to retain customers.

Increase Brand Awareness and Online Presence

To become successful, people need to know about your business, so it is vital to work on the brand. Invest in SEO, set up your website and get on Amazon if your business model can align with the store. Make sure you optimize the business for local customers and take advantage of social media marketing. Increasing brand presence locally will provide the perfect canvas for exploring markets beyond the borders.

Market for Mobile

Most people start their searches online through their mobile phones and modern devices. In recent times, mobile games, operating systems and other applications have become a platform for advertising. Companies like Amazon market for everyone, especially mobile users. However, as a local business, you have the advantage of knowing and understanding your immediate customers. You know the right language to use for marketing and platforms local communities use to access information. Mobile devices also offer a chance to connect offline shopping experiences.

Set Up Your Amazon Business

Amazon boasts the inherent advantages of a global brand and is essentially a marketplace where customers can find any product. As a local business, you can take advantage of the existing logistics frameworks and reputation to list your products on the platform. Local customers that prefer to shop from Amazon will still be able to find your products and business. However, this requires meeting all Amazon requirements and optimizing your business to appear at the top of both Amazon and Google search results.

Amazon relies on small and medium businesses (like yours) in all categories and, in 2019, the number of SMB accounts in the US Amazon store increased by 133% to 1.1 million. For local businesses, the challenge is to create more perks and personalized services while leveraging social media, mobile marketing and local SEO.

Reopening, Temporary Capacity and Gathering Limits Update

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Today at 12:30pm, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito made an announcement relative to reopening and the temporary capacity and gathering limits:

1. Temporary Capacity Limits Lifted – The 25% temporary capacity limits order will expire on February 8th at 5:00 AM.

All businesses in the list below, currently limited to 25% capacity, will return to 40% capacity, as previously allowed (industry guidance effective in December 2020 will apply).

·     Arcades and Recreational Businesses

·     Driving and Flight Schools

·     Gyms/Health Clubs

·     Libraries

·     Museums

·     Retail

·     Offices

·     Places of Worship

·     Lodging (common areas)

·     Golf (indoor areas)

·     Movie theaters (no more than 50 people per theater)

·     Restaurants will now be limited to 40% of their seated capacity, but as under the 25% capacity rule, employees will not count toward their capacity limit

·     Close Contact Personal Services will now be limited to 40% capacity, but as under the 25% capacity rule, employees will be not count toward their capacity limit

·     A limit of 8 people per 1000 sq. feet applies for smaller businesses without an available fire occupancy capacity limit

 

2. Gatherings Order – Gatherings remain at no more than 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

3. The Commonwealth remains in Phase 3 Step 1 of Reopening (Order No. 58) – Indoor performance venues and indoor recreation businesses like roller rinks and trampoline parks remain closed

All sector specific guidance will be updated at www.mass.gov/reopening. 

Teams play follow the leader

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Teamwork is critical for businesses in just about every industry, so it is likely that you will work as part of a team at some point in your career. Depending on your position within your organization, you may be called upon as a team leader as well. Here’s what you need to know to keep your team members in line and ensure they follow your instructions willingly.

Take Command

When you first form your team, you need to establish yourself as the leader right from the start. Make sure that you are well-prepared for your first meeting so you can drive discussions and answer your team’s questions. Let your team know that you are available to help whenever they need. Remember, you are the guiding light for your team members throughout the project, so stay on top of your tasks so that you team can follow you.

Listen as Much as You Talk

Of course, you’ll do plenty of talking as the team leader, but it is just as important that you listen to your team. Because they are the ones who will be doing most of the work as you manage, they can provide unique insight as to how the project is progressing and any trouble areas that might arise. Take your team’s feedback to heart, but always keep your mind on the bigger picture as well. Your team members are each dealing with individual aspects of the project, and it is up to you to keep everyone on track towards your common goal.

Focus on the Business

While you may be able to choose the members of your team, this is not always the case, and you may be required to work with people with whom you don’t necessarily get along as friends. Although it is difficult, do your best to set your personal feelings aside. Keep your focus on the task at hand. Even if you don’t like a team member on a personal level, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still work successfully together.

Be Willing to Take the Blame

Just as the captain goes down with a sinking ship, you are the responsible party as the team leader. While it may be easier to place blame on your team members for any mishaps, at the end of the day, it is you who is responsible for the successful completion of the project. Your team looks to you for direction, so if something goes wrong, you need to take responsibility.

Practice What You Preach

No matter what type of project you are working on, you need to show your team that you are in it with them. No one likes to see their team leader sitting back while they do all the work, so you need to be working just as hard as your team members. At each meeting, review their progress, but also show them your progress. This way, they’ll see that you are working just as hard as they are, encouraging them to work harder for you.

Managing a team is not easy, but with careful planning and preparation, as well as a good dose of respect for your team members, you can give yourself your best chance of delivering your project successfully.

Cult of Personality: Building a more positive workplace culture in 90 days

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Building a positive workplace culture results in happier employees, which in turn, increases your production rates. Basically, a happy workplace is good for everyone. The question is, how can you create a positive, supporting workplace culture quickly. Check out these tips to get started.

Design an Open Floor Plan

Having a large, open floor plan lets your employees communicate with each other easily. This creates stronger team bonds and work friendships — and that alone can make your employees happy. While work shouldn’t be all about socializing, it is an important part of making your employees happy, and happier employees get more work done.

Look for New Hires That Fit In

To create a positive work culture, your employees need to get along. So it’s important for hiring managers to look for qualities in job applicants that would help them fit in at your company. For example, if most of your employees are the more casual, chatty type, you don’t want to hire someone who seems tightly wound. If you did, he or she would have a hard time working with and building relationships with your current employees. It might take you a bit longer to find someone to fill a job that will be a good fit, but finding someone who “gets” your company’s culture is worth the wait.

Be Approachable

You might tell your employees that you have an open-door policy, but do you really make them feel comfortable approaching you? Take a few minutes each day to interact with your employees. Listen to their ideas, and help them solve problems they’re having. When you show genuine interest in your employees, they know that you care about them and appreciate the work they do — and they’ll be a lot more comfortable entering your office to have a chat when needed. Also, say “hi” to people you pass in the hallways and smile frequently — it’s important for the boss to lead the way and small gestures like this show your employees that you’re happy and they should be too.

Have Some Fun

Don’t be afraid to let loose once in awhile. It’s good to have some fun with your employees. It shows them that you’re just a regular person, not someone who’s powerful and scary. Host company-wide events such as a family picnic or an office holiday party. You can also host team-building events for each team. Simply choose fun activities that require team members to work together such as a trip to the nearest escape room facility.

Recognize Accomplishments

Set reachable goals for your employees each month an give recognition awards to employees who meet or exceed their goals. Alternatively, start an Employee of the Month program and let your employees nominate their co-workers for the award. Also, when an employee reaches a small milestone, be sure to let them know that they did a great job.

Creating a positive work environment doesn’t have to be difficult. The key to success is getting your employees to bond and interact with each other and ensure they feel valued and supported.

How often should I give my website a new look?

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If your website analytics have been stagnant for a while, you may be wondering what you can do to boost your traffic. Is it time to give your website a new look? We believe in supporting local businesses, so we’ve put some thought into the matter. Take a look at 3 tips for determining whether it’s time to update the look of your site.

  1. Update When Customers Show Signs of Disinterest

Take a look at your bounce rate — That’s the metric that measures how many people visit your site but leave without making any purchase. Maybe your site looks tired or is hard to navigate, and that’s causing potential customers to bounce away from it. Pay special attention to complaints from customers, whether by email, phone or on your social media platforms, that your site is less than functional or that it looks out of date.

  1. Update When You Feel the Heat From Your Competitors

Updating your website is a signal to your customers that you’re staying on the cutting edge of your field. If you’re in a heated competition for customers, the look of your website can send a message that you’re the company they want to deal with. Imagine visiting a site that has outdated content, no new news, and a tired look. Wouldn’t you click and go elsewhere? Don’t give your customers a chance to do that.

  1. Update to Go Mobile

Increasingly, customers are accessing the internet via their mobile devices, and they may become frustrated if your website is hard to navigate because it hasn’t been optimized for mobile. If so, you need to add responsive design to your site, or adjust your current responsive design so it pairs with current technology. Depending on how your site is coded, you may need a full redesign, rather than just giving the existing material a fresh appearance.

We encourage you to keep your website active and up-to-date so that customers throughout our community can direct their business your way.

State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Hit Refresh

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Article Source: State House News Service

Author: Matt Murphy

 

JAN. 29, 2021…..Sweet dreams are not made of weeks like these. In fact, for a technocrat like Gov. Charlie Baker, they can be the stuff of nightmares.

The logistics of trying to vaccinate at least 4 million people as fast as humanly possible is no easy feat. Layer on top of that the fact that there’s not nearly enough vaccine to go around, and it’s a recipe for restless nights.

But political leaders often deal with things out of their control by managing expectations. And this week, that’s where things started to break down.

That and the fact that the government told residents 75 and older to try to navigate an online registration site with not enough appointments to go around and no call-center where seniors and their families could get their questions answered. Let’s just say people were frustrated.

The COVID-19 vaccination program that had been plodding along since late December appeared to get its own shot in the arm when Baker announced Monday that by mid-February 165 new vaccination sites would be open with the capacity – key word being capacity – to administer 305,000 doses a week.

With the new sites coming online, including new mass vaccination sites in Springfield, Danvers and Boston, Baker said he would open the vaccine pool to people 75 and older beginning Feb. 1. The expansion and beefed up website where people could find a site close to home and sign up appeared designed to address growing concerns that the vaccination plan had become too confusing.

What got lost in that headline, however, was that the state has only been receiving about 80,000 doses a week. And even with President Joe Biden promising this week to juice the supply chain for the next three weeks, Massachusetts will only receive about 100,000 shots next week.

The result was that the website – www.mass.gov/COVIDVaccineMap got flooded on Wednesday with people trying to make appointments, and many found there were no appointments to be had. Sure, some got through. But Sen. Julian Cyr described it like trying to get tickets to a Beyonce concert through TicketMaster. Translation? Good luck.

By Thursday, Baker admitted that the state should have had a call center set up to help senior citizens and anyone without a computer navigate the system. The state is working to have that operational by next week.

But there are still no plans for a one-stop vaccine registration site, like other states have deployed. Sen. Eric Lesser filed a bill to force the administration to set up such a website, and it’s been co-sponsored by more than 57 Democrats and Republicans so far in the House and Senate.

Attorney General Maura Healey, who many are looking at as a possible gubernatorial candidate in two years, said people should be able to go online, sign up once and get notified when an appointment to be vaccinated is available.

“You can’t have seniors waking up at midnight to see what’s been refreshed on some of these systems,” Healey said during an interview on WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio.”

Baker can’t afford many more weeks like this one.

The vaccination vexation largely overshadowed Baker’s filing of a $45.6 billion state budget proposal that relies on $1.6 billion in reserves and actually proposes to spend less money than in the current fiscal year, which has been floated with federal dollars.

He also refiled a sports betting proposal with his budget, and is proposing to move forward with the 2019 Student Opportunity Act by providing $246.3 million in new spending on public schools.

And to think the week started with so much promise.

Baker was gearing to deliver his fifth (plus two inaugurals) State of the Commonwealth address as new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were declining. The White House promised governors in a call with the National Governors Association that more vaccines were on the way, and people were excited that vaccine eligibility was being expanded … except maybe teachers who didn’t like being bumped down the priority list behind 65-year-olds.

Recently, Baker had said “when I really want to get depressed” he would go back and read his speech from last year, before COVID-19 checked in to the Marriott Long Wharf. We’re not sure why the governor has moments when he really feels like getting depressed, but that’s a discussion for another day.

The bottom line is he likely didn’t have the same problem with this year’s speech. Because he didn’t promise or set out to do much of anything over the next year, at least nothing specific or written down on paper.

The speech was largely an exercise in trying to lift up a weary state, almost like a timeout pep talk designed to give the players on the field that boost of adrenaline they need to finish the game. Actor Jason Sudeikis featured far more prominently than anyone could have ever guessed. And the most tangible policy goal he laid out was the need to rethink “the future of work.”

“Know this – we will beat this virus. And life will begin to return to normal,” Baker assured.

One of the goals he laid out in last year’s State of the Commonwealth was to go carbon neutral by 2050. He’ll get a second chance to sign a bill that would require just that, though it’s unlikely to be that simple.

The House and Senate, as promised by Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, sent the same climate and emissions reduction bill that Baker vetoed a couple weeks ago back to his desk Thursday.

Despite Baker laying out his objections in a lengthy veto letter, the Legislature incorporated none of those changes. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides described it as a “rather one-sided conversation” with the Legislature.

Baker has been accused by Democrats of creating a false choice between the economy and the environment, while Theoharides said, ” … I’m not sure the Legislature has any cost estimates for what their bill would cost or the benefits that would provide.”

The difference between this climate bill and the end-of-session bill that the governor vetoed is Baker has time to return the bill with amendments. And if the Legislature says no to those amendments and Baker vetoes the bill again, the Legislature can and almost certainly will override.

The early showdown between the Legislature and governor in the new session is unusual in that the House and Senate haven’t even set up a full committee structure yet. And Mariano efficiently punted what could have been a contentious rules debate for the new speaker until the summer by asking House lawmakers to extend the existing emergency pandemic rules.

The extra time, Mariano said, will give the Rules Committee time to study new transparency measures, and also look at best practices for dealing with what the speaker described as “unregistered, or vaguely-affiliated, advocates and coalitions.”

The unusual request of the Rules Committee was interpreted on Beacon Hill as a shot across the bow of rules reform advocates like Act on Mass and amorphous groups like Raise Up Massachusetts and MassFiscal, which have been growing in influence on both sides of the ideological spectrum.

Speaking of influence, Joe Kennedy announced that he’s going to try to hang on to some in the post-Congress chapter of his career by creating a new political action committee, the Groundwork Project, to invest in grassroots organizing efforts in Massachusetts and non-traditional battleground states around the country to lay the foundation for an expanding Democratic map.

There’s not much fear that Democrats will lose a legislative seat in Revere and Winthrop, but it won’t be Marc Silvestri filling former Speaker Robert DeLeo’s seat. The Revere Democrat filed a lawsuit in the state’s top court this week after he failed to gather the necessary 150 signatures.

Silvestri was hoping the Supreme Judicial Court would cut down on the signatures required to qualify for the ballot, as it did last year as the pandemic raged, but he struck out with Justice Elspeth Cypher who promptly dismissed the case.

The Commonwealth Dispensary Association didn’t even wait for a judge to rule in its lawsuit challenging marijuana home delivery rules in Massachusetts, dropping its lawsuit filed just earlier this month as member retailers pulled out of the effort.

The Weekly Download: Consumers Resort to ‘Shoptimism’

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Shoptimism is a term being used to describe purchases made from home during the pandemic. You are stuck at home and suddenly begin to see every flaw, paint chip and cluttered closet. So, you buy things to fix the situation — or you buy things to make you feel better about it.

When consumers buy things they don’t need, such as luxury items, in the middle of a public health crisis, it’s called “shoptimism.” This term was coined by Lee Eisenberg in his 2009 book of the same title.

Why Do We Buy Things?

According to Eisenberg, people buy things to provide emotional relief from the anxiety of living in a pandemic and economically uncertain times. He describes two kinds of buyers. The classic buyer compares prices, deliberates on whether they need a product and then makes a purchase. The romantic buyer shops emotionally, purchasing trendy or “cool” items that boost their emotional state. In general, the romantic buyer cares about the emotional satisfaction of the purchase rather than the utility of the product.

E-commerce and M-commerce

Consumers are used to the convenience of online shopping (e-commerce), especially via their mobile devices (m-commerce). The click-and-collect culture isn’t going anywhere soon. Not only is it safer but the convenience and faster delivery times make it easier than shopping in stores. Generous return policies sealed the deal.

The rise of in-store pickup makes it easy to order online, drive up for contactless service and refuse any items that do not meet your expectations. This frictionless experience has risen due to the global pandemic, but consumers are likely to demand it for long afterwards.

Savvy brands will continue to capitalize on this moving into 2021. Even shoppers who do visit traditional stores now pre-research products and services online. Vendors who cannot meet consumers in cyberspace may find themselves pushed aside by competitors with a strong digital presence.

Contactless Shopping

Contactless shopping and payment provide a safe way for consumers to purchase online and pick up at participating stores. Consumers can also use the technology to shop or pay for items at retail stores.

Using biometrics and Amazon One technology, consumers scan one palm to make purchases at participating stores. Privacy advocates are watching the new technology as closely as facial-recognition software, which raised concerns with the ACLU and other advocate groups.

The technology does not require physical contact and palm images are encrypted in the cloud rather than on local devices. Users can delete their Amazon one account if security becomes a concern.

Younger Generations Are Exhibiting Shoptimism

Generation Z has been hit hard by the pandemic employment situation. The youngest generation in the workforce is often the first let go in a downturn and those graduating from college may have a harder time finding employment in their field.

Research from Smart Company, an Australian publication, showed a rise in purchases among Gen Z shoppers from shopping platforms offering payment plans. These shoppers appreciated the safety, anonymity and speed of online transactions. Perhaps that’s why usage of e-commerce and m-commerce is increasingly popular among demographically younger shoppers.

Shoptimism goes beyond the recent tendency of homebound consumers to make frivolous purchases online. New technology and changing consumer expectations make it imperative that businesses take their brands to the internet if they want to attract consumers away from competitors.

What Is Your Marketing Value Proposition?

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As a business owner, are you in touch with the needs of your target demographic group? Do you have an understanding of what they’re looking for and how your brand can meet their needs? Do you have a clear statement that outlines why the goods or services you offer are of better value and will solve your customers’ problems more effectively than a competitors’ offerings?

At its core, a marketing value proposition is a clear statement that explains how your product or service is relevant to your customers, how it will provide a specific benefit to them, and why they should buy from you and not your competitor. It should encompass three elements: your target buyer and their problem, how you solve their problem, and why you solve their problem better than anyone else.

The biggest mistake that businesses make when creating their marketing value proposition is that they are too vague. Here are a few questions to consider to find out if your marketing value proposition is working for your business.

Is It Relevant and Easy to Understand?

Is your marketing value proposition relevant to the needs of your target market? Is it riddled with technical jargon that can’t be easily understood by someone who doesn’t have a background in the industry? Your value proposition should be in the language of your customer, reflecting the problems that they have and the solutions they need.

Is it Credible?

Even if your value proposition is compelling, if it sounds too good to be true or if you can’t point to real-life results that support it, you’ll undermine your own efforts. Your statement should be believable and credible.

Can It Adapt to Changes in Your Business or Industry?

Your marketing value proposition is far more than a friendly blurb that you post on your About Uspage. It creates a framework for not only how your customers think about your business but also how you and your employees think about your business. A value proposition that is too confining and doesn’t adapt to future growth and development will not work. As your business grows and changes and as your industry evolves, will your value proposition still hold true?

Does It Resonate with Your Audience?

Unless your value proposition elicits an emotional response, it will be quickly forgotten. Your value proposition should resonate with your audience by grabbing your customers’ attention and being memorable. They should see their own needs in it and feel an emotional connection with your mission.

Your business may be but one fish in a sea full of competitors that all offer essentially the same features. This is why an effective marketing value proposition is so important: it goes beyond dry, standard features to showcase the rich benefits that your business is in a unique position to provide. Your marketing value proposition sets your brand apart from your competitors, demonstrating to your target audience how you understand them and have oriented your business around their needs.