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WhatsApp launches new AI tools for businesses

Ana Mary Joseph
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WhatsApp launches new AI tools for businesses
  • Meta is investing in new capabilities to help people and businesses connect and get business done on WhatsApp.
  • Meta’s foray into AI-driven ad targeting on WhatsApp showcases its commitment to enhancing user experiences and empowering businesses with advanced tools for customer engagement.

Meta, the tech giant overseen by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, recently unveiled its inaugural AI-powered ad targeting programme tailored for enterprises on WhatsApp.

The move signifies Meta’s endeavour to generate revenue from the widely-used chat platform. This development marks a departure for WhatsApp, a messaging service known for its emphasis on privacy and avoidance of targeted advertising tools similar to those utilized by Meta’s other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Over the years, Meta has integrated commerce and payment features into WhatsApp, including tools for businesses to manage customer service conversations and distribute marketing content to users who have provided their contact details.

The introduction of AI tools represents a shift towards more personalised messaging, using insights from users’ interactions on Facebook and Instagram to direct messages towards individuals who are likely to be interested. By leveraging AI to address common inquiries on WhatsApp, businesses can swiftly assist customers and enhance engagement.

Guilherme Horn, WhatsApp’s head of strategic markets, highlighted how these AI tools enable businesses to refine their ad targeting, ensuring that messages are delivered to the most responsive audience.

This shift is particularly significant for businesses as they invest in messaging services to enhance customer interactions. Additionally, Meta’s recent introduction of a chatbot to manage business inquiries directly within chats aligns with Zuckerberg’s vision of businesses leveraging automated tools for communication.

Meta Verified, a new feature being introduced in select regions, provides businesses with upgraded account support and security measures, denoted by a verification badge. This initiative aims to foster trust between businesses and users on WhatsApp, offering enhanced customer service capabilities while ensuring authenticity.

As Meta continues to monetise WhatsApp, it seeks to maximize the platform’s potential and expand its revenue streams through innovative features and services.

Indian smartwatch market experiences a period of transition in first quarter

Mohammed Fahad
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Indian smartwatch market experiences a period of transition in first quarter
  • Players in the industry will need to focus on enhancing differentiation, fostering innovation, and exploring new avenues for growth to navigate this evolving market landscape successfully.
  • Fire-Boltt maintains its position as the market leader, with Noise and boAt following closely behind during the first quarter.

The smartwatch market in India experienced a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024, signifying the first instance of stagnation in this dynamic industry, as reported by Counterpoint.

In recent years, the Indian smartwatch market had been thriving, fueled by a surge in demand, particularly from the younger demographic. However, the subdued growth observed in the first quarter of 2024 suggests a decline in the rate of smartwatch replacements among early adopters, attributed to the lack of substantial differentiation and innovation among key players.

Anshika Jain, Senior Research Analyst, remarked on the market trends, highlighting that after enjoying double- and triple-digit growth in previous years, the overall market remained relatively flat.

Some leading brands encountered challenges in clearing their existing inventory, with consumers showing reluctance towards purchasing new smartwatches or upgrading their current ones due to a dearth of distinctive features and limited advancements in the market.

Novelty wears off

Consequently, the combined market share of the top three players dropped from 77 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 to 66 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Among the brands, Fire-Boltt maintained its position as the market leader, with Noise and boAt following closely behind. Fastrack experienced a positive performance, attributed to enhanced distribution channels and the launch of new models. beatXP’s shipments doubled as it focused on affordable smartwatches aimed at the entry-level segment.

In the premium segment, Apple witnessed significant growth, more than tripling its market share due to sustained demand for the Apple Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Samsung also performed well, with almost half of its shipment volume coming from the Galaxy Watch 6 series.

Regarding consumer sentiment, Research Analyst Harshit Rastogi noted that the rapid expansion of smartwatches in the Indian market in recent years had primarily been driven by their appeal as affordable fashion accessories.

However, he said that the initial growth spurt is now showing signs of cooling off as the novelty of the segment wears off. This trend is further reflected in diminishing growth rates and a somewhat pessimistic outlook. Forecasts indicate a double-digit percentage decline in the market for 2024.

“Nonetheless, from 2026 onwards, a revival is anticipated, fueled by emerging use cases for smartwatches. While new users will continue to join the smartwatch market, the growth rate is expected to slow down,” Rastogi said.

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Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword for CEOs

Ana Mary Joseph
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Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword for CEOs
  • CEOs are embracing innovative strategies, digital technologies, and stakeholder engagement to capitalize on the opportunities presented by environmental challenges.
  • By aligning business objectives with sustainable practices, organizations can not only future-proof their operations but also create a positive impact on the environment and society at large.

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, the concept of sustainability has emerged as a key driver of growth and competitive advantage.

According to a recent survey conducted by Gartner, Inc., sixty-nine per cent of CEOs view sustainability as a leading business growth opportunity in 2024. The findings of the survey shed light on the increasing importance of environmental sustainability as a strategic focus area for businesses across various industries.

Key strategies

Kristin Moyer, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, emphasized the significant role that environmental sustainability plays in shaping competition as CEOs realign their long-term strategies.

Despite the prevalence of corporate “greenwash,” Moyer highlighted the unwavering commitment of CEOs towards sustainability, recognising it as a top 10 business priority that surpasses even productivity and efficiency in importance.

The survey revealed that sustainable practices such as the development of sustainable products and services, adoption of sustainable business practices, stakeholder engagement, and decarbonisation are key strategies employed by CEOs to drive business growth.

“Digital technology can accelerate progress toward sustainability goals, going beyond compliance to help enterprises reach targets, enable new business models and unleash revenue streams,” Moyer said.

Digital technology has emerged as a critical enabler of sustainability initiatives, with IoT, data analytics, AI, and innovation playing pivotal roles in helping enterprises achieves their sustainability goals.

For instance, IoT and analytics can optimize processes such as wind turbine operations, leading to cost reductions and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The adoption of digital technologies not only aids in compliance but also opens up new business models and revenue streams for companies.

Changing weather patterns

Changing weather patterns have been identified as a significant factor affecting businesses, with over half of CEOs acknowledging its impact on their operations.

The Gartner survey revealed 54 per cent of CEOs say their businesses are affected by changing weather patterns, at least moderately. Over half (51 per cent) acknowledge changing weather patterns are causing them to plan changes to the way they operate or have already done so.

Moyer said that CEOs see that climate change is causing weather pattern shifts that are directly impacting their business operations already.

“Those operations must be adapted, with technology playing a vital role in driving these changes, especially in the dynamics of supply chains.”

Key areas of impact include operating dynamics, logistics, relocations, and the adoption of automation and technology to navigate the challenges posed by changing weather patterns.

du becomes a member to issue Visa prepaid cards in UAE

TCN Bureau
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du becomes a member to issue Visa prepaid cards in UAE

du Pay, the digital payment arm of Dubai-based telecom operator du, has become a principal member to issue Visa prepaid cards in the UAE.

Customers can order their du Pay Visa prepaid cards, both digital and physical, via the du Pay app.

“du Pay and Visa have a shared aim to empower the financially underserved in the UAE, transcending the traditional boundaries of payment solutions. We are committed to making payment processes faster, simpler, and more secure while simultaneously enhancing financial inclusion,” Nicolas Levi, CEO of du Pay, said.

”With du Pay’s Visa prepaid card, we are helping to extend the benefits of digital commerce to more consumers in the UAE. This partnership aligns with the UAE government’s efforts to drive financial inclusion by introducing innovative, secure digital payment solutions,” Salima Gutieva, Visa’s VP and Country Manager for UAE, said.

At the heart of the du Pay-Visa partnership is a commitment to reshaping the landscape of digital payments by ensuring the delivery of easy-to-use and secure digital payment solutions.

Furthermore, this partnership is dedicated to the empowerment of communities through the provision of accessible financial services.

Continued shift to cloud unlocks more investments

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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Continued shift to cloud unlocks more investments
  • Spending on cloud security is expected to grow 24% in 2024, making it the highest growth of all segments in global security and risk management market.
  • CISOs need to look to emerging technologies in cloud security to align with the rest of the enterprise.
  • More than 70% of enterprises will use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their business initiatives by 2027, up from less than 15% in 2023.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, organisations face increasing challenges in safeguarding their valuable data, applications, and infrastructure services from a myriad of potential threats.

Lawrence Pingree, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, said the vulnerability of these assets is heightened by their exposure to various risks, including insider threats and data breaches, particularly with the expanding use of cloud technologies.

“Organisations need to ramp up their investments in technology to bolster their defenses against these escalating threats. Cloud security technologies play a pivotal role in ensuring the protection of data through a range of functionalities such as authentication, authorisation, encryption, workload security, and access controls within both public and private cloud environments.”

New avenues for malicious attacks

According to Gartner’s projections, spending on cloud security is poised to surge by 24 per cent in 2024, marking the highest growth rate across all segments in the global security and risk management market.

The surge in investment is deemed necessary to counter the growing array of vulnerabilities unearthed by the pervasive adoption of cloud services, which present new avenues for malicious attacks.

Gartner’s foresight suggests that by 2027, investigations surrounding cloud and third-party infrastructure incidents will dominate reported cases, underscoring the urgency for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to realign their security management strategies.

“CISOs are advised to leverage emerging technologies in cloud security to fortify their defenses, focusing on enhancing threat resilience, data integrity, security, and runtime isolation to mitigate evolving risks effectively,” Pingree said.

The data indicates that over 70 per cent of enterprises are projected to leverage industry cloud platforms to drive their business initiatives by 2027, showcasing a substantial uptick from the figures recorded in previous years.

Vulnerability posed by containerisation

By embracing innovative technological approaches and staying attuned to the latest trends in cloud security, Pingree said that CISOs can proactively shield their data and applications from dynamic threats, ensuring the sustained security of their cloud infrastructure.

One key area of concern highlighted by Pingree is the vulnerability posed by containerisation technologies in cloud environments, which can potentially expose sensitive information to exploitation by threat actors.

Consequently, there is a growing emphasis on investing in solutions like cloud-native application performance platforms (CNAPP), which offer comprehensive capabilities spanning threat detection, visibility, control, posture management, software analysis, and workload security.

By harnessing CNAPP tools, Pingree said that organisations can enhance the efficiency of their code deployment processes while concurrently bolstering the security posture of their cloud infrastructure, thus thwarting threats emanating from the cloud runtime environments.

AI configuration monitoring

Moreover, the integration of AI-focused cloud security measures, such as AI configuration monitoring, presents a promising frontier in security enhancement efforts, particularly in regulated industries like government, finance, and healthcare, where security and trust mandates reign paramount.

AI configuration monitoring embodies a suite of nascent security technologies aimed at intensifying the surveillance of security policy configurations, serving as a seamless extension of posture control, security management, and operational oversight for AI- and ML-centric cloud, identity, and infrastructure technologies.

Though the trajectory of AI-focused security measures remains uncertain, forward-thinking CISOs are encouraged to factor these technologies into their long-term security blueprints to navigate the increasingly complex threat landscape effectively.

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PC shipments into META rise 12.2% to 3.53m units in first quarter

Mohammed Fahad
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PC shipments into META rise 12.2% to 3.53m units in first quarter
  • AI-enabled PCs are forecast to account for around 10% of all PCD shipments into the META region this year.
  • The GCC countries remain a particular focal point for vendors while the wider Middle East continues to provide pockets of opportunities despite ongoing geopolitical issues.

Personal computing devices (PCD) market, made up of desktops, notebooks and workstations, in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) grew 12.2 per cent year on year to 3.53 million units in the first quarter of the year.

“The Middle East continues to draw shipments as vendors seek new market opportunities to stimulate consumer demand and to fulfill ongoing contracts,” Isaac T. Ngatia, an analyst at International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

The first quarter is the third consecutive quarter where PCD shipments have topped 3.5 million units.

According to IDC, the top six vendors were HP Inc. (24.5%), Lenovo (24.5%), and Dell Technologies (14.2%), ASUS (9.3%), Apple (5.0%)  and Acer Group (3.8%).

ASPs remain flat

“Both the commercial and consumer segments remained strong across the region in the first quarter, returning year-on-year growth of 12.4 per cent and 12.1 per cent, respectively. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remain a particular focal point for vendors, while the wider Middle East continues to provide pockets of opportunities despite ongoing geopolitical issues,” Ngatia said.

However, the average selling price (ASP) for personal computing devices remained relatively flat in the quarter, up by just 0.8 per cent year on year but down by 1.3 per cent on the previous quarter.

“Vendors have tried to maintain their price points to drive demand. But  this is expected to change in the second half of the year as the market enters a new cycle with the introduction of PCs capable of running on-device AI capabilities,” Ngatia said.

Moreover, he said that market has been abuzz with strong interest in the newly launched Microsoft Copilot and animated discussions about the potential of different processor types (i.e., CPUs, GPUs, NPUs).

“It seems the hype around AI-enabled PCs is finally bearing fruit, driving increasing levels of awareness and interest across the region.”

AI-enabled PCs are forecast to account for around 10 per cent of all PCD shipments to the META region this year.

However, IDC does not expect to see a drastic increase in overall PCD shipments for 2024 as a whole, with the outlook remaining relatively stable. IDC’s latest forecast indicates that the META region will see a total of 13.55 million units shipped in 2024 (versus the previous forecast of 13.51 million).

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