The initial release is limited to US consumers who switch on the feature under Search Labs. The trial run covers automotive tasks such as oil checks, as well as nail appointments. People expect expansions to more businesses once testing grows.

What Makes This Tool Different?

Many individuals feel burdened when they need to compare rates or check schedules over the phone. This new caller covers that process, from picking a service to seeking final appointment details.

Users type a query, such as “oil change near me,” then select the prompt on their screen. The system proceeds with an automated voice call to different shops for an overview.

The AI then shares service quotes, appointment slots, and any relevant details with the user. This saves time quite often because everything lands in one place, reducing back-and-forth phone calls.

Early demonstrations have centred on car repairs and manicures. A user chooses the type of work, adds contact details, and waits for an email or text report of the call outcomes.

Who Can Try It Right Now?

Anyone in the United States can sign up through Google’s Search Labs interface. Once inside, participants see a toggle switch that activates this calling option for nail salons or mechanics.

Access is restricted right now, and some users may join a waiting list before gaining entry. Once accepted, they can test real-world calls and receive confirmations through email or text.

Businesses hold the right to opt out. A salon or garage can disable automated requests in their Google Business Profile settings. They decline calls when they recognise an automated voice.

Google states that each call begins with a recorded message, so shop owners know a bot is speaking. This helps reduce confusion and greatly encourages genuine interaction between both parties.

What Data Is Collected?

Google has confirmed that it gathers interactions through this feature. That information covers the user’s original query, call recordings, and feedback. Human reviewers check these calls to refine the system.

Each automated voice also announces that it is run through Google’s services. People who pick up the phone hear a greeting that specifies the call’s source before any questions begin.

The system compiles any details about pricing, schedules, and availability. It then often sends a condensed report to the user via email or text, making manual phone calls less necessary.

Google states these data insights could benefit others later. For instance, a user seeking a manicure might assist inquirers who request details. This method might shorten call times across regions.

Will There Be More Expansions?

Early signs show that Google plans to stretch this feature beyond auto care and nail treatments. Many people expect coverage of other local providers, such as hair salons or home services. The main requirement seems to be a business that takes phone bookings. As soon as the trial run succeeds, more categories could start soon appearing.

There is a possibility of linking it with other AI features, such as hold-time waiting tools. Google earlier has in the past tested a function that waits on hold for a person and alerts them when an agent arrives. Combining that idea with Ask For Me may create an even smoother calling path for everyday tasks.

Tests show that some shops do not pick up, updates might not arrive at all. Google acknowledges that missed calls can happen for many reasons. The concept helps individuals skip tedious phone chores. As technology keeps evolving, people hope to see methods that make local transactions less stressful. Some people wonder how this might change habits.

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Need some help getting through winter? No problem. Here are 10 gadgets available in the UK that might help you beat the winter blues…

OCOOPA HotPal PD Hand Warmer

This innovative hand warmer is a lifesaver for those enduring cold environments, especially when typing or using a mouse. It heats up rapidly, reaching up to 55 degrees Celsius, and supports QC 3.0 fast charging via a USB Type-C port. Designed with dual-sided heating and constructed with industry-grade components, it ensures safety with over-voltage and over-charge protection.

The OCOOPA HotPal PD Hand Warmer is a compact, efficient solution for keeping hands warm, ideal for office workers and outdoor enthusiasts alike​​.

UCAN Portable Mini Heater

The UCAN Portable Mini Heater is a practical solution for warming up a chilly workspace. Constructed from ABS materials, it’s compact, lightweight (around 0.4lbs), and quiet, making it suitable for office use.

This heater can quickly heat your surroundings in about three seconds. Its portability is enhanced with a bracket for adjusting angles and a separate power supply unit. It also features overheat protection for safety. This efficient and compact heater has been well-received for its ability to provide quick warmth in small spaces​​.

Lumie Desklamp

Priced at £145, the Lumie Desklamp is an exceptional tool for combating the winter blues. It functions by simulating natural daylight, effectively boosting your alertness and energy levels. Ideal for use on your desk, it can be dimmed after your required exposure to light, serving as a regular desk lamp.

Users often notice an improvement in their mood and energy within a few days, making it an excellent investment for those suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or simply needing an energy boost during darker months​​.

UTK Neck Heating Pad

The UTK Neck Heating Pad is a novel approach to staying warm and easing neck discomfort in winter. It combines the functionality of a scarf with the therapeutic benefits of a battery-powered heating pad.

Using infrared heat, it penetrates tissues to alleviate stiffness and pain. Lightweight and machine washable, this neck warmer offers three temperature settings, making it a practical and comfortable choice for daily use. While its effectiveness in pain relief is user-dependent, many find it a valuable accessory for cold days​​.

Negative Ion Generator

The Ozone Negative Ion Generator, priced at £64.88, is designed to combat the lack of negative ions often associated with seasonal depression. These molecules, with extra negative electrons, help purify the air.

This generator not only adds these beneficial ions to your atmosphere but also acts as an air purifier, making it a great tool for improving indoor air quality and potentially boosting your mood during the darker, winter months​​.

Portable Fireplace

Creating a cosy ambiance can significantly lift your spirits in winter, and the Portable Fireplace is a great way to achieve this. A indoor electric fireplace with a pebble burning effect by Symple Stuff is available for £189.59.

This fireplace adds both warmth and a comforting visual element to your space, making it an ideal choice for enhancing the cosiness of your home during the cold season​.

TRAVELISIMO Electric Lunch Box

The TRAVELISIMO Electric Lunch Box is an innovative solution for enjoying warm meals anywhere. This portable food warmer is designed for versatility, compatible with car, truck, and home power sources (12V+24V+230V).

It features a 1.5L removable stainless steel container, making it easy to carry and clean. Ideal for office workers or travellers, it keeps your home-cooked meals warm, ensuring a hot and tasty lunch without the need for a microwave​​​​​​​​.

GENIANI Portable Cool Mist Humidifier

Priced at £28.28, the GENIANI Portable Cool Mist Humidifier is a compact and efficient device perfect for adding moisture to dry winter air. With a 250ML capacity, it’s suitable for small spaces like offices, cars, or baby rooms.

This USB desktop humidifier comes with an auto shut-off feature and a night light, ensuring safety and convenience. It’s especially useful during winter months when indoor air tends to become dry due to heating systems. The quiet operation makes it an unobtrusive addition to any room

These gadgets offer practical and innovative ways to stay warm and enhance your overall wellbeing during the winter months. Goodbye winter blues!

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Voice as a Clue to Intoxication

Researchers are now saying that the way you talk can reveal your intoxication level. In a pioneering study, Dr. Brian Suffoletto and his team from Stanford Medicine used smartphones to record speech and successfully predicted intoxication levels with incredible accuracy.

Dr. Suffoletto explained, “We found that changes in the participants’ voice patterns as the experiment went on predicted alcohol intoxication with 98 percent accuracy.”

The Study in Detail

This study wasn’t about downing shots and slurring words; it was science. Participants were given a precise amount of alcohol to drink, after which they recited tongue twisters. Smartphones were used to record their attempts before drinking and at hourly intervals afterward, while their breath alcohol concentration was also measured.

The motivation behind this research is simple but profound – preventing alcohol-related injuries and deaths. By having a tool that passively monitors a person’s state, it could be possible to offer help just when they need it most.

Current Technologies for Sobriety Monitoring

This isn’t the first time technology has been used to monitor sobriety. In the UK, about 1,800 offenders were tagged over the Christmas period to monitor alcohol intake through their sweat. “These tags are accurate enough to differentiate between alcohol-containing foods and drinks,” a Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated, highlighting the technology’s sensitivity.

Uber’s Role in Intoxication Detection

Uber, the popular ride-sharing app, also dipped its toes into intoxication detection. They filed a patent for a system that would use various data from the app user’s behavior to assess their state, potentially tailoring their services for those under the influence.

The Future of Intoxication Monitoring

The potential for this technology goes beyond just voice analysis. “We can’t always rely on speech data alone,” said Dr. Suffoletto. He suggests combining voice analysis with other behaviors, like walking patterns and texting habits, to improve accuracy.

Research shows promise, yet much work remains. Dr. Suffoletto emphasizes the need for broader studies, saying, “We need to confirm these voice patterns as reliable indicators of intoxication across a diverse population.”

Partnerships for Progress

To advance this technology, partnerships with companies that already collect speech samples, like smart speaker manufacturers, could be beneficial. Dr. Suffoletto sees this as a “call to action” for health authorities to develop digital biomarkers repositories.

Dr. Suffoletto emphasises that the early-stage research aims to create an intervention system that individuals will actively use to prevent injuries and save lives. The expectation is that the ongoing development of this technology will significantly reduce alcohol-related incidents and enhance public health.

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Founders: Robert Pasco & James Pursaill

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About Plend

Plend is a consumer lender that uses its proprietary open-banking technology to provide affordable loans to people across the UK of up to £10,000 for 1-5 years. Open banking allows borrowers to borrow credit based on how much they can actually afford as opposed to archaic data points from the traditional credit score. Our IP technology was built in-house from the ground up, without the use of a B2B solution, and so the technology was built exactly for our target demographic.

We’re impact focused, backed by VC firm Fair By Design as well as Nationwide Building Society and are the only lender in the UK looking to attain B-Corp status (currently B-Corp Pending). We have an Impact Charter baked into our Articles of Association that introduced a hard rate cap as well as a commitment to ‘blind underwriting’ whereby we enhance inclusive decision-making by hiding a prospective borrowers personal details until after an underwriter has made a lending decision.

Since starting to lend 9 months ago, we’ve saved customers over £1,000,000 based on comparative products that they have consolidated debt from, and have launched our B2B proposition for embedded finance. We’re now working with a green energy installer to provide loans of up to £15,000 to borrowers wanting to upgrade their home with solar panels, heat pumps and EV at affordable rates, unsecured.

We’re looking ahead to explore this proposition and will be building on this this year.

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This article will discuss how software has transformed recruitment and retention and how it can help your business, too.
 

1. Virtual Interviews

 
Software has enabled virtual interviews through video conferencing. This is especially important in an era of remote work and global connectivity. Virtual interviews offer many benefits, like increased accessibility, reduced travel costs, and flexible scheduling.

With virtual interviews, you can interview potential hires from all over the world to find the best fit for the job.
 

2. Employee Performance Monitoring

 
Software solutions enable real-time performance monitoring and feedback. These tools provide a comprehensive review of employee performance, sometimes ranking them in benchmarks you can specify and other times generating a report.

Performance monitoring allows managers to identify areas for improvement and provide timely guidance. Continuous performance tracking fosters employee development and engagement, increasing job satisfaction and employee retention.
 

3. Personalised Recruitment Marketing

 
Software plays a crucial role in personalised recruitment marketing. Companies can attract and engage potential candidates effectively using software that provides targeted job advertisements and tailored communication.

The aspect of personalisation is essential. Personalisation creates a sense of individual attention and demonstrates a company’s commitment to finding the right fit. Such efforts give your company a more favourable impression.
 

4. Predictive Analytics for Decision Making

 
The advent of software has brought data analytics to the forefront of in recruitment and retention. Predictive analytics uses data to forecast whether an employee is a good fit for your company and how long they’ll stay.

These insights can help you make better decisions for your company that are based on data rather than on emotion, bias, or guesswork.
 

5. AI-Powered Resume Screening

 
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in resume screening. Through sophisticated algorithms, AI analyses resumes and matches candidates to job requirements. It also eliminates the bias that is inherent when humans look through resumes.

You can use AI-powered resume screening to find any type of employee. Pick the software that is specialised for the employee you are trying to find, such as manager or .

The benefits of AI resume screening are twofold: recruiters save time by automating the initial screening process, and the quality of hires improves.
 

6. HR Management Systems

 
HR management systems have become indispensable in streamlining HR processes. HR management systems streamline onboarding, performance reviews, benefits management, and more.

By automating routine HR functions, companies can focus on creating a positive employee experience, increasing satisfaction, engagement, and retention.
 

7. Learning and Development Platforms

 
Software platforms dedicated to have gained prominence in the modern workplace. These tools offer personalised training opportunities, empowering employees to enhance their skills and knowledge.

These opportunities show your employees that you care about them and want to help them develop their careers. In addition, it leads to higher retention rates because your employees know you want the best for them!

Conclusion

Technology has revolutionised recruitment and retention in the 2023 job market. From streamlined talent acquisition to improved employee engagement, software has paved the way for a more productive business environment.

If you aren’t using these technologies, you are falling quickly behind your competition! Embracing these advancements will be crucial for future success in the evolving job market

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What is Oil Trading?

Oil trading is the process of speculation about the price of oil. It is similar to stock trading, except that you’re dealing with oil instead of stocks. You can trade oil futures, options, and other financial instruments.

The main goal of oil trading is to buy oil when the price is low and sell it when it goes up. And this might sound easy, yet it's not. The oil price is very volatile, which means it can go up or down quickly. Therefore, you must be able to predict these changes correctly to make a profit.

Why Trade Oil?

There are several reasons to trade oil. First, it’s a precious commodity. Humans use oil to produce gasoline, plastics, and other products. It’s also in high demand, meaning the price is usually going up.

Another reason to trade oil is that it’s very volatile. And this means that the price can go up or down a lot in a short period. And this makes it a great commodity to trade for profit. Finally, venturing into oil trading is relatively easy. You don’t need much money to start, and you can do it anywhere.

What You Need to Start Trading Oil

If you want to start trading oil, you need the following.

• Money: You’ll need some cash to invest. The amount will depend on the type of trading you want. You can trade oil futures with as little as $1,000 at first. But if you intend to buy and sell it more actively, you’ll need at least $10,000.
• A brokerage account: This is an account that allows you to buy and sell oil contracts. You can open an account with most online brokerages. While platforms specialize in the Chinese government-issued cryptocurrency, some decentralized crypto exchanges feature oil trading.
• Oil trading knowledge: You don’t need to be an expert, but it helps to know the basics. You can learn about oil trading by reading books or taking courses.

How to Make Money Trading Oil

You can make money by trading oil in several ways. The most common is to buy oil when the price is low and sell it when it goes up.

You can also make money by selling oil futures contracts. When the price of oil goes down, you make money. And when the price goes up, you lose money.

Another way to make money trading oil is to trade options. Options are like insurance policies for oil contracts. You can buy an option that gives you the right to purchase oil at a specific price in the future. If the oil price goes up, you make money. If it goes down, you lose money.

Finally, you can also trade other financial instruments related to oil. These include things like oil ETFs and oil futures options.

Risks of Trading Oil

Like other investments, oil trading involves risks. The oil price is volatile, which means it can go up or down a lot in a short period. And this makes it a risky investment.

Also, you might be unable to get your money out when you want to. And this is called liquidity risk. When you trade oil futures, you’re essentially betting that the price of oil will go up. But if the price goes down instead, you might not be able to sell your contract and get your money back.

Finally, there’s also the risk that the company you’re trading with might go bankrupt. And this is called counterparty risk. If the firm goes bankrupt, you might not get your money back.

How to Reduce the Risk of Trading Oil

You can reduce the risk of trading oil in several ways. One way is to trade with a well-capitalized company, meaning it has a lot of money and is less likely to go bankrupt.

Another way to reduce risk is to trade with a company that the government regulates that follows specific rules and regulations. And this makes it less likely to go bankrupt.

Finally, you can also reduce risk by diversifying your investments by investing in oil contracts, like futures and options. Please understand the risks and how to reduce them before you start trading.

Oil trading is a risky investment. But if you understand the risks and know how to reduce them, it can be a profitable way to make money. If you’re thinking of getting into oil trading, make sure you do your research first. And always remember to diversify your investments.

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Global 2000 companies are looking to become more mobile and agile in how they work as the ways they serve their customers change rapidly. When it comes to digital transformation, companies are generally focused on four primary business objectives: reducing cost, increasing revenue, mitigating risk and sustainability. For all of these corporate goals, data quality projects can help speed and move these processes by layering over analytics and building in different models to support management and efficiencies.

Reducing costs and opening new markets

Obviously, getting things right the first time – whether it be with project delivery, removing waste or removing duplication of efforts – can reduce costs. But if you have bad data underpinning your projects, you’re not going to be able to get things right – and you’ll essentially be throwing money out the window.�� Whether a company is experiencing an inventory problem, a supply chain program or some other business issue, 90% of the time it’s caused by a data problem. Ensuring you have good data quality is critical to helping pull off projects without a hitch the first time.

Data quality — and the processes that ensure it — is also at the heart of increasing revenue – whether it’s through new market opportunities, going to market with products faster, or performing a merger, acquisition or divestiture faster.

Data quality and risk mitigation

In terms of risk, many of these large organisations are moving to the cloud and looking to be more agile. This is to protect against the new wave of disruptors coming to the market that are stealing market share, which large enterprises must respond to. They are asking themselves, “How do we mitigate risks that impact our employees and customers?”

Data quality fits in with risk mitigation by helping ensure compliance, data security in transit and maintaining business operations without disruption. For compliance, in the EU, one of the biggest compliance requirements is GDPR, which is complex and can be a roadblock for a lot of companies that are either operating in EMEA or looking to come here. It’s important for major enterprises to be aware which data falls under personally identifiable information (PII) protections and to understand that not all data is equal.

Meeting sustainability goals

Becoming more sustainable is quickly growing in importance for many companies. Increasingly, they’re being incentivized to make their businesses and supply chains more sustainable.

A recent report by , for instance, found that supplying the goods and services to enable the transition to net-zero emissions could be worth £1 trillion to UK businesses by 2030.

​​For example, imagine that an energy company is looking to go mostly green by 2025. It might be an internal corporate goal, or it might be mandated by the country they’re operating in. They must think about how to become a more sustainable business and provide sustainable products.

To meet these goals, companies can collect and analyse quality data to help make decisions about how to operate more efficiently and operate in a greener way. This includes data ranging from energy and resource use, to greenhouse emissions and supply chain performance.

Another area where data quality can play a major role here is in terms of technology investments made to support sustainability goals. Every piece of technology needs data; if you’re pushing poor-quality data into the investments you’ve made, you’re just creating new problems in more places.

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Ensuring successful data transformation through clean data

Ensuring you have clean data to make your data migration a success requires a certain amount of preparation that goes beyond profiling and cleansing data. You need to look at the broader aspects of your data footprint, including rightsizing your legacy environment (which entails archiving and deleting redundant data.) Decommissioning data is another area that must be tackled. These are all aspects of ultimately achieving clean data, and yet they’re too often overlooked or even actively avoided because they can seem too hard.

Once you’ve tackled these areas, though, it’s time to perform a data quality assessment on what remains. It’s better to go for a platform approach instead of a silo approach. A silo creates issues; what you need is everyone looking through a single pane of glass, the same set of issues and the same set of data in their own context – from the developer to the data leader.

It’s important to consider the total cost of ownership. Look at what can be reused in terms of assets, knowledge and experience. Pool those resources into a longer-term approach, not looking at only the immediate cost but also the benefits the company is getting over time. Think about what you are building for the long term; look at the total cost of ownership of your data strategy over time.

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Building data’s better tomorrow

Business today requires a whole new level of agility, and that requires a whole new level of data quality. As digital transformation continues, companies must keep business goals front and center: saving money while making more money, reducing risk and increasing sustainability. A sound data quality program can assist with all these objectives and more. Use the best practices noted above to build or improve yours. If done well, it will serve your organisation for the long haul.

Would you like to SEO or PR for your business?��Contact us here for more information >>

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kevin.,the Lithuanian fintech startup providing an��advanced A2A (account-to-account) payment infrastructure to replace costly card transactions, today announces that it has secured $65 million in Series A funding.��The round was led by Accel, with participation from Eurazeo and all existing investors, including OTB Ventures, Speedinvest, OpenOcean, and Global Paytech Ventures. Additional investors in the round include Harry Stebbings, Founder of 20VC, Ilkka Paananen, CEO & Co-founder of Supercell, Amitabh Jhawar, Ex-CEO of Venmo, and other angels.

The Series A funding comes just six months after the company secured its $10M seed round and brings kevin.’s total funding to $77 million. Since the seed round, the team has grown to more than 170 employees working from 30 countries and the number of employees is set to almost double by 2023.

Pavel Sokolovas, kevin.’s co-founder and COO said: “When building a game changing product and ramping up a start-up, time is precious. The Accel team appreciated this and their deep fintech expertise ensured they understood our business and what we’re trying to achieve from the offset. Our partnership progressed quickly as a result and we’re excited about the future!”.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Vilnius, kevin. has a clear mission��—��to offer innovative and convenient payment solutions that remove unnecessary intermediaries in the payment process. The company has leveraged the huge opportunity provided by open banking and proven itself to be the leader in web and in-app A2A payments in the European Economic Area, where it has the broadest PSD2 bank API coverage on the market. Recently, the startup also stepped into POS terminal payments in physical stores by introducing the first-ever NFC A2A payments solution with a seamless user experience comparable to a card payment experience.

The uniqueness of kevin.’s A2A in-store payments offering lies in the fact that it does not require any changes on the merchant’s technical side: it uses existing POS terminal infrastructure and widely used and most intuitive NFC payment technology.

Tadas Tamosiunas, kevin.’s co-founder and CEO said:��“We’re thrilled to receive such overwhelming support from everyone around us and having Accel and the team’s sector knowledge on board will help us achieve great results and grow even more. With this investment, we’ll continue expanding our international team of experts and developing products that are transforming the payment industry. We have big plans for the future and I’m confident that our full suite of next-generation infrastructure for web, mobile and in-store payments will help businesses gain a competitive edge. Given the fact that the implementation of the A2A in-store payments solution is quick and cost-effective, we forecast rapid roll-out and scale. By the end of this year, we aim to secure 35% coverage of POS payment terminals across Europe and look to achieve more than 85% by the end of 2023. This is equivalent to the current coverage of major card schemes.”

Luca Bocchio, Partner at Accel, said:��“Tadas, Pavel and the kevin. team are powering the future of payments with their next generation payments infrastructure. Offering a fast, seamless payment experience, with reduced costs and increased authentication rates, the time for A2A payments is now and kevin. has already had impressive momentum with its offering. With the launch of its unique POS payments product, the opportunity ahead is huge and we’re looking forward to partnering with the team on their journey!”

Chloé Giard, Eurazeo Investment Director, said: “We have been following all the innovations in the account-to-account payment market for a while, and we have been truly impressed by kevin.’s uniqueness and global ambition. Since 2018, they have laid the technological foundation for a European-wide payment infrastructure scheme, changing the game in terms of speed, transparency, and fees. Over the past few months, kevin.’s commercial hypergrowth has proved the strength of its value proposition.”

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Ofwat, the water regulator for England and Wales, has awarded funding to the winners of the second Water Breakthrough Challenge – part of a series of innovation competitions made possible by its £200m Water Innovation Fund and delivered by Nesta Challenges, Arup and Isle Utilities. The fund helps stimulate new innovations, enabling the water sector to better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment.

The winners of the Transform Stream of the Water Breakthrough Challenge – focused on large-scale, long-term, game-changing innovations – include:

• National Leakage Research and Test Centre (NLRTC) – Northumbrian Water will create a national centre to test new products to combat leakage under “real life” conditions, improving safety and effectiveness so that they can be rolled out faster and at a larger scale.
• Managing Background Leakage – a group of water companies led by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water will help develop new technologies to detect the many leaks that are currently missed by existing investigative methods through forensic investigations of 25 areas, deploying flow, pressure and temperature sensors at an intensity never previously undertaken.
• Enabling Smart Water Communities – a group of water companies, universities, home builders and local authorities will work together to ensure that the 4 million new homes planned by 2041 can be integrated into the water system in a sustainable way, ensuring new communities have continued access to finite water resources, wastewater is managed, and flood risks are mitigated.
• CECCU (CHP Exhaust Carbon Capture and Utilisation) – a project to turn captured carbon into useful products like paint and fertiliser, saving 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year and making the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) process – where heat as a byproduct of energy generated is captured and used – carbon neutral.

John Russell, Senior Director, Strategy, Finance and Infrastructure at Ofwat said:

“It’s crucial for the water sector to come up with new, innovative ideas to fix the challenges that the sector – and society – faces. The winners revealed today will help develop ideas to save more water, turn captured carbon into useful products, and – ultimately – make the sector more sustainable.

“Ofwat’s Innovation Fund, which provides the prize money for these competitions, exists to help stimulate new and bold initiatives by water companies working in partnership with universities, charities, engineering practices and technology firms. We have much to learn from other sectors and the winners of this round of the competition showcase just how much can be achieved when we collaborate.”

Sharon Darcy, Director, Sustainability First and Chair of the judging panel for the Transform Stream of the second Water Breakthrough Challenge said:

“Though many will think of net zero as an issue for power companies, the water sector consumes 2-3% of electricity generated in the UK. Novel solutions that bear down on greenhouse gas emissions like CECCU and mainstreaming approaches like Enabling Smart Water Communities that help to manage and reduce demand for water can go a long way to helping the sector reach its net zero targets for the good of everyone.”

To find out more about the winners of the Water Breakthrough Challenge and Ofwat’s innovation fund, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org.

Ofwat recently opened a consultation into the future direction of the Water Breakthrough Challenges and the Water Innovation Fund. There are two ways to have a say, through the online response form or by emailing comments to innovationconsultation@ofwat.gov.uk. The six-week consultation closes on 17 May 2022 – full details about the consultation can be viewed at www.ofwat.gov.uk.

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Most Shoppers will be familiar with that feeling of checking lots of sites, opening lots of tabs on a browser, scrolling through ads and broken text links just to find something like a pair of sneakers in a size that fits. It’s a frustrating experience that’s compounded by Shoppers needing to register new accounts or navigate guest checkouts across different sites.

Many comparison sites and discovery platforms have tried and failed to create a destination to show Shoppers the best deals, stock availability, delivery options, etc. however, the common source of failure is not the platforms trying, but the relatively low standard of data, which results in poor quality aggregation. Traditionally retailers must undertake considerable effort to appear on search engines or marketplaces – either through advertising or complex technical integrations.

aisle 3 changes this, enabling Shoppers to find what they are looking for by consolidating retailers, brands and offers into one place using sophisticated AI and ML across large data sets.

For the first time, aisle 3 shows the Sneaker market by flying over the top of all retailers of a particular product, cleverly interpreting all the necessary product information and displaying this in a standardised fashion so Shoppers have a meaningful way to filter offers. By taking over the heavy lifting, aisle 3 enables retailers to appear on their platform without any formal integration, barcode numbers or manufacturer IDs.

At the heart of aisle 3 is their cloud based-wallet (wAll3t) that handles the transaction across multiple retailers without customers leaving the site – making the whole checkout process much quicker and simpler.

Registered Shoppers receive a welcome discount to their A3 wAll3t and continue to earn cashback on every purchase ensuring that they always view the lower aisle 3 price.

The brainchild of TECH innovators Thomas J. Vosper and James Valbuena, aisle 3 was devised and built during the pandemic by a virtual team of 15 across the globe – including their subsidiary business in India. After receiving over £1m in private investment and government funding and with 30+ years at the likes of Amazon, Tesco and Lastminute they wanted to fix the broken shopping experience we have all seemed to accept or adapt to.

Vosper, who took out a personal loan to bootstrap the company at the start of the pandemic, commented, “I am delighted & proud to invite Shoppers to try out aisle 3 and register to receive money off their first purchase. We’re building the next infrastructure for Shopping online with the first real frictionless, consolidated, and over-the-top market view of commerce – starting with Trainers & Sneakers. We’ll not only aim to show you all of your buying options, but we’ll make it super easy to checkout once regardless of how many retailers you buy from.

We’re lucky to be working with great supporters and investors who have helped bring the business to this point. Infrastructure is always about spending first to build, then you get customers and then generate revenue. Much of the groundwork is complete and it’s exciting to see the volume of orders already flowing through the site. We’re always interesting in hearing from new partners to enable our scale and ambition.”

Since many Shoppers relate to the frustration of opening multiple tabs and checking a myriad of sites just to find the style they like in a size that fits aisle 3 are proud to launch Trainers & Sneakers as the first product category, with other categories expected to launch later in the year.

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