It’s no secret that the ease of online shopping and free two-day shipping has become an increasingly attractive alternative to shopping at traditional brick and mortar retail locations. In 2018, more than 60% of consumers reported they’ll be shopping online for their holiday gifts. And with big store closure announcements coming from household names like JCPenney, Macy’s, and J. Crew, it’s clear that online shopping has had a big impact on in-store sales.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a hot topic now more than ever. According to Ericsson, the number of connected devices is expected to reach 28 billion worldwide by 2021. These connected devices are everywhere, from washing machines to tooth brushes, and thermostats to trash cans. They're all around us. With the IoT ecosystem changing rapidly in 2019, it's important to get together to discuss the latest developments, share ideas and explore new opportunities in the marketplace throughout the year.

Conducting research and assessing real estate investment opportunities is no easy task. Whether you’re evaluating an investment space for retail, commercial, industrial or hospitality use, it’s important to consider all of the social and economic factors in a given area in order to make an educated investment.

The future of wearables in recent years has been uncertain, but don’t mistake it for dead. Wearables are becoming a bigger part of our daily lives, and Statista estimates the wearable device market will reach 5.8 billion dollars in 2018.

Improving the customer experience is a critical piece of staying ahead in today’s highly competitive landscape, especially in the hospitality industry. Superb guest experience (GX) isn't just a nice-to-have, but a must-have. In fact, studies show that companies who successfully implement a customer experience strategy achieve higher customer satisfaction rates, reduced customer churn and increased revenue.

While it may seem like all fun and games, major sports teams are a business organization first and foremost. The North America sports market alone is expected to reach $78.53 billion per year by 2021. That number is based on a compilation of gate revenues, media rights, sponsorships and merchandising.

August 3rd, 2018 was the 10th annual International Beer Day and also National IPA day. To celebrate this important day, Skyhook used location data and foot traffic analysis to uncover what the top three craft breweries and brewpubs are in a few of the cities and their greater metro areas that are known for having some of the best craft beer. We analyzed the foot traffic on a daily basis from Saturday, June 16th to Sunday, July 15th to get a sense of both the hottest craft breweries this summer and the most popular day of the week that people go to them.

This post originally appeared on IoT Agenda. 

Location has fast become a must-have element for most connected solutions in order to wring as much value from the technology as possible. Adding location to your IoT product provides numerous — and sometimes surprising — advantages and capabilities. But creating a device that is able to find its own location or provide enough signal information to be located remotely is not necessarily a slam-dunk. With technology evolving constantly, there are details to consider before becoming connected — and the knowledge will help guide your path to success.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the largest outdoor festival in North America, took place this year from June 7th-10th in Manchester, TN. With headliners such as Muse, Eminem and The Killers, it’s no surprise the festival attracted over 50,000 attendees this year.