Livestorm

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Just two years ago, manual note-taking was the way to go – and the mere idea of having your notes appear automatically after meetings seemed like science fiction. Then, everything changed with the rise and democratization of large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, leading to a proliferation of new consumer platforms and bots that can take notes, generate action items, produce custom summaries and more, to help users keep track of every meeting. As we enter 2024, the market for note-taking apps is vibrant and filled with options. You may have heard of Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft providing these services as part of their suite. As a speech-to-text provider powering numerous virtual meeting apps, we can vouch there are many other exciting alternatives out there that are worth exploring. We have personally tested and compared a bunch of them for you, and here are the results! Dive in and discover the most innovative and useful AI note-taking apps to take your productivity to the next level. Types of note-taking apps for online meetings The number and variety of note-taking apps available may seem overwhelming at first. We put together some criteria to help you filter them out based on your needs and preferences: Recording vs. pure notes Do you want a tool that or just ? Some users prefer to have a one-stop-shop platform that records their meetings and aggregates them all in one place. Others are happy with simply receiving notes at the end of each call. records your meetings provides notes Pay attention to how the recording occurs: is it a that joins the meeting or an ? Or would you prefer to upload the meetings there manually? From our experience, extensions are generally best for async communication, i.e. when you record a demo for your colleagues or clients, while bots are optimal for transcribing meetings with several participants. Note that some bots join by default, whereas others require an explicit opt-in. Think of a preferred user experience you want for the note-taking app and its recording tools. bot extension Type of notes Once your meetings are transcribed, the AI does its magic behind the scenes to automatically generate the notes for you. The types and sophistication of such LLM-based notes vary a lot. Features range from and generated based on pre-set contextual templates to in response to your prompts. summaries action items GPT-like interfaces that produce insights The easiest question to start with is: how long and detailed do I want my notes to be? Do I prefer to have templates for my summaries and action items, or do I want to have more control and prompt myself, or both? Complimentary AI-powered features Together with the note-taking functionality comes the ability to your notes. Good can be vital for quickly finding information within your notes and/or video recordings. is another great feature that visually breaks down who spoke in a meeting and for how long. Some providers allow you to edit the notes manually or automatically, taking out repetitions or silences from the transcript by default. store, organize, and categorize semantic search Speaker separation Integration with other apps Check if the note-taking app integrates well with other tools and applications you use, such as or . Compatibility with your go-to meeting platform is an absolute must. Luckily, most providers are, by default, compatible with Zoom, Google Meets, and Microsoft Teams. calendar apps, task management tools, productivity suites Pricing Consider the pricing structure of the app, whether it's a one-time purchase, subscription-based, or freemium, where your feature set or storage history is limited. Evaluate if the features provided justify the cost, given your monthly volume of meetings and how extensive your usage will be. Supported languages Language support is not something to be taken for granted just yet. We generally recommend testing several apps to see firsthand if they can accurately detect your language (and accent) and support , i.e. the ability to transcribe meetings where speakers switch between multiple languages. This applies to English, too – while it’s supported by all providers today, the quality of notes is not always the same. code-switching Use case Last but not least, you’ll notice that some apps are designed and optimized for specific verticals and use cases, like sales, healthcare, web conferencing, and so on. Best AI note-taking apps to try in 2024 Without further ado, here comes our selection of AI note-taking apps. This is not an exhaustive list – and there’s no order of preferences to it! Just an overview of the projects we tested that exemplify the main categories of note-taking platforms that exist today. #1: One-stop-shop apps In this category, you’ll find some examples of apps perfect for users who look for a single HQ to aggregate all their meeting recordings and notes. Fireflies One of the earliest players in the space, provides an all-in-one solution with a Chrome extension, a bot, and more input options. Fireflies join all the authorized calendar events and send recaps to users of your choice. The meetings are recorded via a bot, with downloadable transcripts, audio, and video available afterward. Past meetings are stored on the platforms and can be accessed via an interactive dashboard. Fireflies Key features and transcripts, including messages that participants may share in the chat. Speaker-based timestamped function allows you to turn specific phrases of the transcript into downloadable soundbites. ‘Soundbites’ are powered by several versions of GPT, free and paid. That means you can play around with prompts if you wish to make customized summaries. Note that the conversational ‘AskFred’ feature is behind a paywall. ‘AI super summaries’ , including sentiment analysis and key info from the meetings like dates, metrics, and action items. Smart insights Languages Fireflies officially supports 60+ different languages. Pricing 7-day free trial, then $18 and $29 per pro and business accounts, with a 40% discount if billed annually. More info . here Why we love it 🖤 Fireflies delivers a highly versatile and robust user experience with a rich spectrum of features. Their platform stands out for a super complete UI dashboard — like a spaceship’s control panel! – and tools, including numerous integrations and an API. It’s also the only platform on our list allowing you to pick a GPT model you want for the summaries, with the unique soundbites feature being a great tool for video editing. For users in search of in-depth info about the meeting, Fireflies could be very valuable – just be prepared, it takes some getting used to. Claap On a mission to provide a single video platform to aggregate all meetings of your organization, offers a versatile platform to record meetings, get AI-powered insights, and share your meeting history with the rest of the team. Claap Key features Be it async or real-time, you can with a Chrome extension and let others comment on it later with video annotation, comment threads, and polls. record your screen and webcam are generated based on contextual templates of your choice (e.g., executive summary, meeting minutes, user research, sales discovery, etc.). You can also see who spoke in the meeting and for how long. AI summaries enables users to collect all your meetings in one place, group them by categories and/or teams, and search through the entire collection. Video wiki Languages 100 languages supported. Pricing Freemium model, with the free tier allowing 10 videos per user of 10 minutes each. AI-powered summaries are available under the third tier at $30/month. Yearly discount of -20 % on all plans. Learn more . here Why we love it 🖤 Claap is a great one-stop-shop tool for people who want to collaborate around meetings – everything you record can be easily accessed by others via a shared workspace. We personally love their UI – it’s intuitive to navigate and use. Their Chrome extension is a good alternative to having a bot join a meeting, enabling you to record meetings asynchronously in a Loom-like way. Other apps to try in this category , a versatile AI Workmate for meetings. Carv #2: Note-taking-first apps This selection is for users who are less concerned with recording and are mostly interested in compact yet exhaustive summaries and bullet-point notes. Supernormal is a core player in the space specializing primarily in note-taking. Meetings with Google Meet are recorded with the help of a Chrome extension, with a bot reserved for Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The notes appear right after the meeting window is closed and are all accessible via a centralized dashboard. Supernormal Key features that are editable with a single click and can be customized, i.e. you can add new thematic sections to the notes and break your library of notes into categories. Meetings notes stored in a dedicated tab can be ticked off as you accomplish them and assigned to other team members. Interactive tasks allow you to tap into each bullet to break down further a specific topic identified in a transcript. Expanded bullets Languages 22, including various English and Spanish dialects. Pricing Freemium: 10 meetings/month for free with the Starter plan – you need to upgrade if you want your meetings recorded, not just transcribed. The Pro plan unlocks access to advanced sharing controls, a full library of note templates, and Zapier integrations at $10/month (- 44% for annual subs). Bonus: you don’t need to put in your credit card details when signing up! More info . here Why we love it 🖤 Supernormal is a highly specialized meeting-recoding tool suitable for individuals and teams alike, integrating beautifully with your existing apps. Its user is easy to find and informative. Their notes are generated on the fly and, at least in our case, appeared just a few seconds after the meeting – probably the fastest we’ve seen! We loved their editing interface, too, and found their automatic action items to be the most accurate. documentation Circleback operates similarly to Supernormal but only with bots. It can join any Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or WebEx meeting based on your calendar events (that a bot will join by default) or a link. The meeting notes are sent directly to your mailbox and stored in the user dashboard within minutes. Circleback Key features Editable that break the transcript down into topics. meeting summaries The summaries are turned automatically into , which you can tick off later as you complete the task. Key figures in all notes are highlighted in bold, making locating the key info points nice and easy to spot. action items , which provides contextualized answers to questions about your meetings in the form of an AI chat. Meeting assistant Pricing 14-day free trial, after $25.00/month. More details . here Why we love it 🖤 Circleback is among the few players on this list that do not provide video recordings. Instead, they put all their focus and expertise on note-taking – and their default prompts do a superb job, the overall quality of notes is among the finest we’ve seen! This makes Circleback a great option for someone looking to consume high-quality skimmable notes without further need to interact with the app. Great bonus: your notes can be viewed directly from an email – this is not the case for most other apps, which tend to incentivize users to enter the app to view the transcript and/or notes. #3: Apps for sales notes and CRM automation Here, we enter the territory of apps that are optimized for sales teams for note-taking, summaries, and an incredibly valuable CRM enrichment function, powered by AI. Modjo Beyond generating notes, positions itself as a ‘conversational platform’ optimized for salespeople in particular. The platform does note-taking in a similar way to other platforms while also automating the recording of key data from customer and prospect calls in your CRM, like Salesforce. That’s why the first step to setting it up is connecting your business tools to their hub. Modjo Key features that break the call transcript into sales-relevant subtopics, like next steps, pains identified, customer insights, and observations. AI notes , which automatically synchronizes all your notes in your business tools. You’ll benefit from an optimized note-taking interface and templates that facilitate the transmission of information in asynchronous mode. Livenotes A wide variety of including Salesforce, Aircall, Hubspot, Slack, and Gmail. business integrations, Pricing Cannot tell – one has to request a custom quote on their pricing page. Why we love it 🖤 Modjo is among the leaders when it comes to call-to-CRM enrichment. Catering to a specific customer vertical, they’re able to provide a highly specialized experience for customer-facing users in their niche. Spoke Like Modjo, is designed first and foremost for sales teams. It records the video meetings and generates notes based on pre-set templates based on the most used sales frameworks like BANT, which you can modify. In fact, their interface is so customizable that you can ask questions about the notes before, during, and after the meeting. The notes are then synced with the CRM of your choice and complimentary apps like Slack. Spoke Key features in video format, which highlights and lets you skip directly to sections that address the key discussion points of the conversation. Meeting recordings break down the transcript into a Q&A-styled report, which you can modify and interact with via a GPT-like interface by asking specific questions about the meeting. Meeting notes feature, allowing you to add a list of recurrent names and terms to help the tool transcribe them accurately, e.g. company names, jargon, etc. Custom vocabulary Languages 29+ supported languages. Pricing Freemium model, with features like custom meeting templates and workplace collaboration behind the paywall of $24/month. More info . here Why we love it 🖤 Spoke is probably the most customizable tool in the selection, super hands-on, providing highly granular insights into your sales and user research calls. Their ultra-modifiable UI makes it especially suitable for users who like to be in control and want to have the option to ‘dig into’ the transcript rabbit hole. You'll find a nice library of educational resources inside the app's Spoke Academy to help you get the hang of it. Other apps to try in this category , , , and . Gong Praiz PiperAI Cockpit #4 Webinars and online conferences Finally, we wanted to give a shoutout to platforms that specialize in online meetings and events with a lot of participants. Livestorm is an EU-based unified meetings and webinar platform, offering all must-have features for hosting dynamic mult-stakeholder discussions in sectors like healthcare, finance, and tech. It is equally suited for external events, such as webinars or online courses, and internal ones, like product demos, employee onboarding, and so on. Livestorm Key features , meaning that every call window can be customized with nice features like file sharing and custom room design - and can be recorded of course, with an exportable transcript option. You can also determine who has speaking permissions for each event. Custom room experience allowing you to send unlimited customized reminders and follow-up emails to all event participants using plain text or custom HTML. Email cadences, with platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and others. CRM integrations Why we love it 🖤 Livestorm is a browser-based app that conveniently aggregates all the functions that someone who organizes and runs multistakeholder meetings would need and enjoy. Technically, it’s not a note-taking app per se, but rather an even hosting platform with the notes and recordings available as a bonus. Languages Currently available in 24 languages. Pricing Free plan with up to 20 minutes/session and 30 live attendees. Then, a Pro plan at 79€/month if billed annually, with up to 100 attendees allowed. More . here Conclusion Finding the AI meeting companion that’s truly right for you may take a few trials and errors. Our goal was to present you with some alternatives, outline their features, and suggest who these platforms may be more suited for. Having tried all of the above, our verdict is that you can expect more exciting experiments and innovation in upcoming years when it comes to AI-powered summaries, action items, and other types of notes. And these breakthroughs will not be attributed to the platform builders alone –  the end users will have a key role to play in turning these tools into real game-changers for productivity. Today, we’re witnessign a real customization trend of note-taking tools, which gives users an unprecedented degree of agency to find the perfect combination of techniques to organize their meeting routine in a way that suits them individually and as a team. As AI continues to augment our collective and individual capabilities, it’s important for all users to assume an active role in adopting and optimizing these tools to make the most of them. If you’re curious to learn how to make great summarization prompts for online meetings, check out this . Taking this one step further, for those of you who like to DIY, you may want to try our open-source code to build your own . actionable guide recording and transcription bot for Google Meet About Gladia Powered by generative AI, provides a speech-to-text and audio intelligence API that turns any audio into text in near real time with exceptional accuracy. Gladia

Best AI Meeting Note-taking Apps to Try in 2024

2024 সালে চেষ্টা করার জন্য সেরা AI মিটিং নোট-টেকিং অ্যাপ

Die besten AI-Meeting-Notiz-Apps zum Ausprobieren im Jahr 2024

Las mejores aplicaciones para tomar notas en reuniones de IA para probar en 2024

Meilleures applications de prise de notes pour réunions IA à essayer en 2024

2024 में आज़माने के लिए सर्वश्रेष्ठ एआई मीटिंग नोट लेने वाले ऐप्स

2024 年に試すのに最適な AI 会議メモ作成アプリ

2024년에 시도해 볼 최고의 AI 회의 메모 작성 앱

Melhores aplicativos de anotações de reuniões de IA para experimentar em 2024

Лучшие приложения для создания заметок на собраниях с использованием искусственного интеллекта, которые стоит попробовать в 2024 году

2024'te Denenecek En İyi Yapay Zeka Toplantısı Not Alma Uygulamaları

Ứng dụng ghi chú cuộc họp AI tốt nhất nên dùng thử vào năm 2024

2024 年值得尝试的最佳人工智能会议笔记应用

In many JavaScript circles, is the Pacific Northwest’s premier JavaScript Conference. This year’s conference held on November 3rd and 4th was a hybrid event, a virtual conference progressively enhanced with in-person events in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, BC. CascadiaJS Dolby.io participated in the event as both event sponsor and virtual workshop host. Over the course of two days of informational talks and workshops, the Dolby team had the opportunity to meet and engage with members of the JavaScript community in our workshop and in the events virtual spaces via and on . Gather Discord The event’s organizers did an amazing job of bringing together dozens of technologies to make the experience feel like an in-person event. They provided Dolby, and the other event sponsors beautiful (and retro) 8-bit virtual conference space and booths. This gamification was surprisingly effective as an ice-breaker, and a means to draw-out engagement from even the shyest of software engineers. A Look Into Gather.Town Through the Gather platform, attendees stepped into the space with their personalized avatars and roamed around old-school using just the arrow buttons of their keyboard. The real magic happened when two or more avatars were in close proximity, and a spontaneous video and audio conference was spawned. I chatted with dozens of attendees about many subjects, and one theme was reoccurring; How this experience of walking up to a stranger while at a tech conference is strikingly familiar yet more empowering in the digital world. For some, the avatars added an extra level of initial anonymity, at first, as they could just walk past another attendee without engaging.  But, just after a few minutes, most attendees realized the real fun is in engagement in ad-hoc video conferences that connect and build community. This finding and building community theme is pervasive in the JavaScript community.  If you think about how many frameworks and open source projects there are, you soon realize there’s a similar reflection of the diversity within the community itself. Whether coming from a code school or a start-up, this diversity makes a community strong, open, and vibrant. On day two, I had the pleasure of presenting a hands-on coding workshop titled . This two-hour workshop was focused on enabling the attendees to get started building their own JavaScript video conference application with the Communications APIs. This beginner-friendly workshop showcased developing advanced features like token initialization, Dolby Voice®, screen-share, and video presentation features. The workshop was also an opportunity to invite participants to the Build The World with hackathon, empowering attendees with enough code examples and knowledge to kick start their own project. A World of Communications Apps using Advanced Audio Features Dolby.io Dolby.io Final Thoughts Teaching a remote workshop can have its own unique challenges, such as how do you know if the audience is following along or missing a step? Thankfully, we used some simple features of the Dolby-powered platform for presenting the workshop.  Instant polls and emoji became a good measure of real-time audience engagement. Who’s finished creating their token server? Thumbs up 👍🏽! Livestorm Clone and deploy; then code was another pattern we used to create success upfront with workshop attendees. We created content that utilized one-click deployment process, enabling the ability to try out the source code and launch a live function or website with a single click. This meant that, with a few exceptions, the entire audience was able to find that moment we all find so satisfying; entering in those API Keys, pulling a repo, and having the code work within the first few minutes of exploration. Netlify’s It’s pictures like this that tell the story of how amazing and fun a JavaScript workshop can be with engaged audience members like those coming from CascadiaJS.  If you missed the conference, no worries, we’ve made the complete workshop available on GitHub. Also Published . Here

Dolby.io Connects With the JavaScript Community With a Virtual Workshop at CascadiaJS Conference

We’re almost six months into the grand experiment that is TikTok’s native shopping feature, and if you ask them, the platform is re-inventing e-commerce. According to reports, TikTok sold $7 million in gross merchandise volume in a single day, more than 5 million new users made a purchase during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November, and they believe they’ll generate as much as $17.5 billion this year in the United States. The way they tell it, TikTok is the channel that has finally cracked the code for live-stream e-commerce in the United States. There’s only one problem: have you noticed that shoppable commerce has made TikTok a whole lot less interesting and fun? Despite clear best practices for live-stream hosts, many TikTok creators have, in a race for riches, taken to peddling low-quality beauty products, cheap electronics, and fast fashion, to the point where creators have over-indexed. No longer is my TikTok feed interesting, creative, and engaging: instead, it’s full of people telling me I “just to try this product.” have It’s a failure that’s tough to figure out as TikTok has earned praise for the strength of its “for you” algorithm. In years of personal use, I never felt my algorithm was off-kilter until management had an incentive to push TikTok Shop in front of as many eyeballs as possible. The pressure to perform as an e-commerce channel is evident in its performance: the numbers don’t lie. When TikTok Shop Partner and social commerce expert Ethan Kramer selling more than $102,000 in a single live sale, he pulled back the curtain on some numbers that don’t tell such a peachy story below the surface. posted about his success His single-stream effort involved 9 hours of continuous content during which time he converted a whopping 2.8 million viewers into a mere 1,300 buyers: a conversion rate of 0.00046%, a fraction of the typical e-commerce shop conversion of 2-4%. And that was done with the assistance of TikTok, who promoted the feed and picked up the tab on the discounts the seller ran during the sale. Despite some flashy numbers and the fact that TikTok thinks it will double the size of the live-shop e-commerce market in the United States this year, it just isn’t working that well. And the reason is simple: users come to TikTok for entertainment, not to shop. State of Mind Is a Key Driver of E-Commerce Success “Mood to buy” describes the psychological state of a consumer that makes them more inclined to make a purchase, like when shoppers are more likely to make a purchase because they’re in a positive mood, have a specific need, or are motivated by an external factor. Much of advertising and marketing strategy is built to address these underlying motivators and drive the consumer to take an action or make a purchase. An important contributor to “mood to buy” is the shopping environment, whether that’s online or offline. In an offline shopping environment, there have been countless dollars and hours spent considering how store layout, music, and lighting can move a person to make a purchasing decision. The same is true online, especially in the area of user experience design. Countless millions are spent each year optimizing websites for fractions-of-a-percent improvements in conversion, testing well beyond copy, down to how weather intersects with the shape, size, or placement of a button. Given how things are shaking out with the TikTok Shop experience, including how it and the performance metrics look, it seems end-users may be signaling that they’re on TikTok to hang out, not buy workout supplements or fast fashion. feels This could be the single thing that proves insurmountable for TikTok in their American e-commerce effort, and it’s easy to imagine this becoming the latest in a long series of high-profile failures in the area of shoppable video, following in the footsteps of Amazon and Meta. Amazon and Meta’s challenges in this area are many, including a general lack of consumer awareness and their deep-rooted associations with traditional e-commerce experiences. Changing consumer shopping habits within the context of their own apps and websites is a challenging task, especially when you consider Meta’s position in no-commerce social. Andrew Conti, Founder & CEO of Reactive Live Shopping, which is a , has a clear read on big tech’s struggle: “Socials primarily drive engagement for those platforms; increasing comments, likes, and follows for the influencer and, frustratingly, isn’t focused on sales for the brand.” platform-agnostic livestream e-commerce platform Conti continued, “In a performance, the same line that makes a crowd erupt with laughter will cause crickets if used at the wrong moment. We’re seeing this with social commerce, where the same content will perform dramatically better on a merchant’s site than on socials. What’s the difference? We believe it's context and timing.” This is an insight that has been universally true throughout the history of commerce: just ask producers of winter jackets how their sales numbers look on an August afternoon in Manhattan. But in this modern environment of optimization, that context seems to have been lost. In other words, the narrative that live-stream e-commerce is struggling is misinformed. Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: Hope for Live-Streaming E-Commerce This provides hope for livestream e-commerce, though it does change the shape of the conversation. Conti’s platform is finding wins in fashion and beauty, areas where TikTok and Meta have struggled to find traction. There has been great success in collectibles and trading cards, too. Drip Shop, a , has “grown double-digits last year, with sports cards growing by over four times” according to Co-Founder and CEO Javaughn Lawrence. And Drip Shop is not alone. livestream e-commerce app that focuses on sports and trading card games I spoke with the leaders of several competitors who focus on trading cards, all of whom shared some growth stories that may surprise given Fanatics (owner of trading card producer Topps) launched their own live-stream shopping platform. Consensus is the entrant of a well-funded industry leader has exposed many new customers to the concept, validated the vertical, and the rising tide has lifted all ships. One of the largest contributors to the success of live-stream e-commerce in trading cards is the personal touch. Live streams often involve hosts who are passionate about the product and don’t just limit the conversation to the cardboard in front of them: they talk sports and generally, well, socialize. In an online environment where attention is impossible to capture for any meaningful amount of time, engagement and attention-share on these streams are through the roof. And that’s because there’s clearly an appetite for this shopping experience. The livestream e-commerce experience is far more natural than many other e-commerce user experiences, as evidenced by the decades of success of QVC. Live stream commerce has a clear place in your list of DTC e-commerce strategies, especially if you consider the fact that the content produced during such an effort can be repurposed to feed your social media content outside of the sale as well. What has become clear in 2024 is that the problem is not the format or the message, it’s the “when.” And as the livestream platforms come to accept that they cannot force the elusive “mood to buy,” the tide will continue to rise.

Americans Are Starting to Figure Out Livestream Commerce, and It Is Good

Livestream Success Overseas Having accounted for , interactive live-stream shopping is the fastest-growing e-commerce format in the country. 2 percent of American e-commerce in 2022 And while $20 billion in gross merchandise volume for these live-stream shopping apps is promising and not entirely surprising given the hype, what may be surprising is the how and the where. Live-stream shopping is an interactive e-commerce experience where a host or influencer showcases products on camera, much like QVC popularized in the 1980s and 90s. The modern twist, of course, is that viewers can ask questions, interact, and complete a transaction without leaving the video stream. This is a mainstream experience in China and has been for years, where live-stream shopping accounted for nearly in 2022. 20 percent of all e-commerce When venture capitalists and big tech firms jumped at the opportunity to fund efforts in the United States, there was an initial push to replicate the Chinese market where one player, Alibaba’s Taobao Live, accounts for around of the segment’s gross merchandise volume. 80 percent Failed Attempts Attempts by Meta, which took place on both Facebook and Instagram, fell flat due to a struggle to capture user attention for longer-form commerce content. Live-stream shopping was on Facebook in October and on Instagram in March. shut down Amazon, which quietly launched Amazon Live, has for the platform which is a nice way of saying brands aren't sure if they can trust strangers live-streaming their products. struggled to get brand buy-in A bevy of startups has come (and already gone) in an effort to become the American Taobao. Some, like Popshop, have shown signs of promise, but such efforts to be the be-all of American live-stream shopping have not landed. Based on platform reviews and fundraising activity, it’s clear the streaming platforms that have found traction have done so by narrowing the scope of their product offerings. Consider, for example, that three companies focused on trading cards and collectibles have raised more than $500 million. And it’s not just fundraising: , , and have done enough to attract the attention of Topps parent company Fanatics which the Fanatics Live streaming platform in the second half of 2023. Whatnot Loupe Drip Live plans to release Changing Trends This race toward specificity mimics a recent shift in social media behavior: . Increasingly, people are joining niche communities where users find more direct, private conversations and less noise On Meta’s Facebook, overall American usage has stalled (or ) but the use of interest-based, private Facebook Groups has grown substantially: more than 1.8 billion users were in groups, up 80 percent from 2016 to 2020, and engagement rates are high. shrunk The trend extends to user response to concerns expressed about Twitter: rather than one single replacement for the troubled social platform, there have been many. Individuals may find their politics best suited for a Truth Social, Gab, or Parler. Sports fans have taken to Discord and Telegram channels where they can chat with their fellow fans like the AOL chat rooms of yore. The fundamental structure of the social network Mastodon is one where users join servers that fit a common interest, taste, or goal. . These tribe-like social media are having their moment Another way live-stream shopping platforms seem poised to mimic a recent social media trend is in their seemingly inevitable march toward reliance on creator funds to build and retain their pool of creators. Creator funds are designed to incentivize creators and strengthen the bond between the influencer and the platform. $1 billion for a three-year fund in 2021. YouTube, Snap, and Instagram followed with to similar programs. Tik Tok set aside hundreds of millions in commitments Whatnot, Loupe, and Drip Live face the same challenge: With their similar apps and websites operating in the same niche, sellers (much like influencers or creators) become the differentiator. . Platforms that do the most for their sellers will win; whether that be in the form of juiced payouts, lower sales commissions, or seller support For America-focused founders and funders, it has not and will not be as simple as copy-and-paste. While one firm managed to capture 80 percent of China’s massive live-stream shopping sales channel, such dominance does not appear possible in the modern American discourse where we’re all retreating to our respective corners of the internet. On the bright side, the brick-by-brick development of a highly-fragmented market like this will mean opportunity for many, not just a select few.

The Great American Fragmentation of Livestream Commerce

লাইভস্ট্রিম কমার্সের গ্রেট আমেরিকান ফ্র্যাগমেন্টেশন

Die große amerikanische Fragmentierung des Livestream-Handels

La gran fragmentación estadounidense de Livestream Commerce

La grande fragmentation américaine du commerce en direct

लाइवस्ट्रीम कॉमर्स का महान अमेरिकी विखंडन

ライブストリーム コマースの偉大なアメリカの断片化

라이브스트림 커머스의 미국 분열

A grande fragmentação americana do comércio ao vivo

Canlı Yayın Ticaretinin Büyük Amerika Parçalanması

Sự phân mảnh lớn của Mỹ về thương mại phát trực tiếp

美国直播电商的大碎片化

From powering live trivia sessions for Samsung, to helping fashion retailers sell out limited edition inventory in minutes, BeLive Technology has delivered more than 50 million hours of live video since 2018. Offering rich interactivity and analytics, the company’s customizable live streaming service is a go-to for notable brands and celebrities in southeast Asia looking to boost real-time viewer engagement and monetization. Available as an end-to-end white label solution for custom streaming platforms, a one-click install SDK for customers with an in-house development team, and a live shopping solution, BeLive Technology is built on a host of Amazon Web Services (AWS), including (Amazon IVS) to ensure high-quality, low-latency, and resilient live streams. Amazon Interactive Video Service “We’ve built our technology on AWS to ensure reliability, so adding Amazon IVS to our toolset made sense. Already familiar with the SDK, it was easy to integrate, supports a wide range of different platforms and browsers, and provides the lowest latency we’ve found, which is crucial for livestreamed ecommerce,” said Kenneth Tan, BeLive Technology CEO. “Most of our customers depend on us to operate the livestream services that we create for them. With Amazon IVS under the hood, we can easily manage hundreds of thousands of live streams running concurrently. Also, its affordable pricing helps us provide the best quality and value, and getting that mix otherwise would be incredibly difficult.” BeLive switched to IVS from alternate live streaming engine/content delivery network solutions to solve several workflow challenges. Hassan Abid, CTO of BeLive explained, “When we switched to IVS we were able to reduce latency from 8-to-4 seconds for global HLS delivery; could scale to target more customers worldwide without having to worry about provisioning infrastructure, enabling our DevOps resources to focus on feature-rich app development; and could give our customers secure, protected options to deliver high quality pay-per-view streams.” Founded originally as a social platform to connect influencers with fans via live video, BeLive pivoted its focus to livestreaming when the company recognized a gap for such a service in southeast Asia. While a majority of its livestreams originate in the APAC region, such as those by more than 100,000 users on Japan’s primary ecommerce platform, Rakuten, BeLive streams reach a global audience, delivered quickly and securely in high quality via the expansive infrastructure footprint of AWS. Using livestream video to engage customers is very popular in the region, particularly when targeting millennial shoppers seeking out exclusive timed drops from premium fashion brands. “Prior to the pandemic, almost 100 percent of our customers came from e-commerce, with merchants using our service to promote their products and engage potential buyers. In the past year, our customer base has expanded into other areas like telehealth, social media platforms, education, and real estate. Companies now recognize the importance of quality livestreaming, and with Amazon IVS, we have the tools and flexibility to connect them with their intended audiences, wherever they may be and in more dynamic ways,” said Tan. BeLive started beta testing IVS in its earliest iterations, working hand in hand with AWS engineers to provide feedback, “We had a specific customer that wanted to facilitate multiple livestreams in multiple regions, and low latency was essential for their audience. We knew that IVS would deliver the reliability, speed, global footprint, and ability to scale up quickly. Our familiarity with the AWS SDK combined with strong support enabled us to get up and running very quickly to release IVS as an integrated offering to our customers in the beginning of this year,” said Abid. Along with leveraging Amazon IVS for livestreams, playback and recording of videos, BeLive harnesses AWS Media Services to enable video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery using Amazon CloudFront, along with the AWS Elemental MediaConvert file-based transcoding service to ensure content is viewable across a range of device types; and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for storage. Increasingly, BeLive is also integrating analytics-gathering solutions from IVS into its builds, providing customers with insights into how their streams perform and how users interact with them. “We’re offering more analytics tools so that customers can see how many viewers are joining, leaving, shopping, and at which points within a given stream they’re generating peak engagement. This data analysis facilitated through the IVS dashboard is invaluable to our customers and provides them with hard data for how to improve their future shows and draw and grow audiences,” added Ken Ang, COO of BeLive.

Leveraging Amazon IVS in Creating Unique Ecommerce Livestreaming Experience

SEGA announced via the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account that there will be a special digital livestream event for the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary celebration this week. The "Sonic Central" celebration is scheduled for Thursday, May 27 at 9:00 am PT. The livestream will be available on YouTube.com/sonic or Twitch.com/sonic. The tweet noted that the celebration will feature "a first look at some projects, partnerships, and events." In terms of new projects, it will be interesting to see if a new mainline Sonic the Hedgehog game is coming out. , last February, Paramount Pictures dropped the title announcement video for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the upcoming sequel to the hit live-action movie based on the iconic video game franchise.  The movie currently has an April 8, 2022 release date, director Jeff Fowler that the film wrapped shooting in Vancouver earlier this month. As noted announced It would very much make sense if there were some new reveals for the upcoming sequel during the livestream this week as the announcement did mention partnerships. Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Livestream Set for This Week Additionally, Netflix is working on a new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series called Sonic Prime. Sonic Prime is also expected to debut later next year. It's being animated by WildBrain's Vancouver Studio, with Man of Action Entertainment serving as showrunners and executive producers. So, it would also make sense if new material is revealed for that upcoming series as well. You can see the reveal tweet from SEGA below: More in Gaming: TimeSplitters is Coming Back via a New Development Studio E3 Reveals Broadcast Distribution Partners for 2021 Online-Only Event Back 4 Blood Trailer Introduces The Cleaners and Showcases Game Story Keep up with all the latest gaming news, features, and guides. Subscribe to our newsletter in the footer below!

Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Livestream Scheduled for May 27

With the introduction of lockdown measures and brick-and-mortar stores closing their doors, retailers’ reliance on has intensified. The push to online and the need to attract and retain customers has made retail brands invest more in digital advertising and bring livestream shopping to their marketing mixes. ecommerce solutions A hot trend, livestream shopping makes online shopping more engaging and experiential while taking conversions way up. In this article, we’ll examine the phenomenon of livestream shopping, evaluate its impact on the retail sector, and zoom in on out-of-the-box and custom live video shopping tools. What is livestream shopping? The concept of live shopping goes back to the 80s and builds on the idea of video shopping. You are likely to remember QVC’s Lisa Robertson casually chatting with the viewers while demonstrating jewelry or HSN's Bobby Ray Carter showcasing fashion pieces with the viewers tuning in, seeing what’s for sale, and calling in to make a purchase. Livestream shopping — using video streaming tools to demonstrate products, communicate with an audience, and sell, all online — is a natural offshoot of this original TV-oriented model. Combining the best of ecommerce, video streaming, and social media, live commerce lets people shop anytime and from anywhere, encourages real-time communication, and sparks interactivity, appealing to today’s tech-savvy, sit-at-home customersLivestream shopping can take different forms, from live events and auctions to online marketplaces and influencer streams. Irrespective of the format, viewers can tune into a live shopping session, leave comments, ask questions, and communicate with a host or with one another. And once they are ready to purchase, they can click a link embedded in a shoppable video and proceed to checkout. Live shopping provides for personalization, too. Although one-to-many live streams, when products are marketed to mass online audiences, are more popular, brands can pay special treatment to their repeat buyers through one-to-one livestream sessions. With private dialogues between a host and a customer, brands can produce higher conversion rates and average order values and increase the customers’ chance of returning. How does livestream shopping work? Suppose you want to tap into livestream shopping. In that case, you have three options: 1. Leverage social media’s streaming functionality conditions and predicting patient outcomes 2. Market your products on an existing video commerce platform or a marketplace with streaming features 3. Opt for a custom livestream shopping solution 1. Social media The most popular and perhaps most straightforward way to start with livestream shopping is going live on popular social media apps. Luckily, most social media platforms have introduced livestream and ecommerce functionality in response to the video shopping trend. Instagram, for instance, has added built-in checkout capabilities throughout its apps, including Instagram Live, which, by the way, has seen a 70% increase in the number of viewers in 2020. Facebook, too, is developing native livestream shopping tools. In turn, TikTok is partnering with ecommerce giant Walmart for the latter to market their products online. The critical advantage of turning to social media is the possibility to team up with influencers, who play a crucial role in the success of livestream shopping, right where their audiences are. A study from Adweek reports that 49% of respondents actively follow social media influencers and based upon an influencer’s recommendation. So, having influencers as hosts may help in developing trust and loyalty among customers. However, as social media platforms generate income via media buy, they focus on being social. So, ecommerce functionality is still limited to select brands. As a result, shoppers have to be routed to other platforms or websites to finalize purchases, which disrupts the whole retailtainment experience. have made a purchase 2. Out-of-the-box live shopping apps Another way to start capitalizing on the video shopping trend involves joining an existing livestream shopping platform or an ecommerce marketplace with livestreaming features. And these span from video commerce giants like Amazon Live and Taobao, live shopping startups like Bambuser and Spin, and niche live commerce apps like NTWRK. The essential advantage is that most out-of-the-box video shopping apps feature built-in integrations with popular ecommerce platforms and payment gateways as compared to the previous option. So, users don’t have to be routed to other sites to complete a purchase and can enjoy an uninterrupted video shopping experience. The fundamental limitation is that some livestream shopping platforms, especially larger ones and those with established audiences, expect a brand to meet a range of requirements, like having a steady business history, and charge commissions. Amazon Live, for instance, charges up to 10% on each purchase. Another downside is rising competition — with millions of livestream views, it can be tricky for retailers to stand out. 3. Custom live video shopping applications Retailers who seek to make video shopping an essential part of their marketing kit may consider developing a custom retail solution with livestream functionality. Going custom is undoubtedly more effort-intensive than the previous two options. But a custom app can let retailers take maximum advantage of the video shopping trend with tailored functionality, high-quality streaming, advanced analytics, and maybe even some extra features, like AI-powered video content personalization. If you do opt for a we recommend starting with an MVP. However, it is essential to plan for the future and make sure your app will handle the growing number of shoppers. For that, make time to choose a reliable content delivery network (CDN). Looking for the perfect CDN, make sure it has a robust server infrastructure close to your target locations and pay attention to the bandwidth. With the basics in place, you can think about MVP features. The essentials to include in the first app version are: custom livestream shopping app, User registration and authorization Online streaming as such Live chatting Checkout and payment Server-side stream processing With the subsequent iterations, you can add everything from different signup options, personal customer profiles, search options, the possibility to save streams as on-demand videos, advanced analytics, streaming content personalization, and more What’s the livestream shopping market size? The current livestream shopping trend has its roots in China. China’s ecommerce giants started holding live shopping events hosted by local celebrities back in the 2010s. The US has begun to catch up with the trend, too. The US livestreaming market is expected to by the end of 2021 and hit $25 billion by 2023, according to Coresight Research. The market value is still incomparable to that in China, where it comprised $150 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $300 billion in 2021. The companies that look prominent on the US livestream shopping market today include: reach $11 billion Launched in 2018, the platform has a 2-million follower base, which is constantly growing. According to Bloomberg, since its premiere, TalkShopLive’s sales have increased sevenfold TalkShopLive. . Having started as a directory for American retailers to reach Chinese travelers, the platform has turned into a profitable livestream shopping endeavor that has recently expanded into and is gaining popularity on the American market ShopShops . The mobile app uses live shows to sell limited edition products. The company has seen its sales double in 2020, with some shows reaching $1 million in sales in approximately 10 minutes NTWRK The ecommerce giant has rolled out its video streaming service with lifestyle, fitness, and cooking streams Amazon. The company has introduced Shoploop — a video shopping platform that features 90-second shoppable stories Google. Its Live Shopping feature allows creators and brands to sell products during Instagram Live broadcasts. The functionality is available to business accounts Instagram. An explosion of digital media and video content consumption, an increasing impact celebrities and influencers have on shopping decisions, and the push to online boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic allow projecting that more US retail brands will move on the live shopping trend in the near future. Companies profiting from livestream shopping today Nordstrom Nordstrom, an American department store chain, launched its own in 2020. Following the launch, the brand hosted over 50 virtual events, translating the store experience into the digital world, and plans on carrying out their livestream shopping endeavors through 2021. During each event, customers can shop the fashion products mentioned in the video and participate in a live chat. The company’s efforts are paying off. In 2020, 54% of the brand’s sales came from digital channels, while virtual styling accounted for 30% of all styling appointments. shoppable livestream channel CAIA Cosmetics, Lyko CAIA Cosmetics and Lyko, Swedish cosmetic and hair care brands, have partnered with Bambuser, a video commerce startup, to power their marketing with live shopping. CAIA Cosmetics, for instance, holds make-up tutorials with the brand’s founder Bianca Ingrosso and claims to be very satisfied with the customers’ response. The , with 17% of the viewers participating in the live chat and 60% — engaging through likes. The first live stream ended up with a 5% conversion rate, which is higher than the brand’s website conversions. Lyko, in turn, chose to kick off their live broadcasts by offering tips and gifts during the holiday season. The brand had an average viewing time of 16.5 minutes, 17% chatting and 29% liking engagement, and a 22% conversion rate. average stream viewing time comprises 11 minutes Quivr Quivr, a coffee and tea manufacturer, has tried social media to market their products via video streams but eventually landed on Amazon Live as their video commerce platform. Quivr’s co-founder Ash Crawford says that the of about 150% the next 24 hours after a live stream. brand sees a guaranteed increase in sales Livestream shopping trends and predictions The possibilities for further evolution and expansion of livestream shopping are numerous. Introducing AI, for example, can help retailers create highly personalized channels of live, interactive content created or curated specifically for a given customer. and VR, in turn, would be of help in creating immersive video shopping experiences for sit-at-home customers, for example, transporting them to the front row of a fashion show with a host ready to answer questions. Leveraging AR In the shorter perspective, brands will continue to extend their reach to more customers through live streams, analysts say. Considering the drastic change in shopping habits and the push to online spaces that are expected to last, livestream shopping is likely to extend in the post-pandemic world. Livestream shopping offers an opportunity to bring the best of physical shopping to online customers. If you’re ready to seize the opportunity, contact the ITRex team!

An Introduction to Livestream Shopping

….very few people. Probably nobody. Last year was my . I streamed pretty much everything. I even at a live streaming company. But as time went on, this realization hit me: “This isn’t super fun all the time. People really don’t (and shouldn’t) care about my daily life.” At least not the people who would watch me on Meerkat. livestreaming life got a job Let me say this though — I am to all those who watched, supported, commented, liked & retweeted last year. Whether it was an early morning coding session, a Product Hunt review or a 24 hour meerathon, you were there, you were (mostly) nice and you were helpful. I appreciate every single one of you. SO GRATEFUL Being LIVE is not a natural state of being for most people. Mobile live streaming in the broadcaster & audience (one-to-many) paradigm is simply not sustainable as a standalone business or platform. As a feature to an existing network, it makes sense (but barely). I spent many months analyzing data for Meerkat; the users were as ephemeral as the streams they created. Thinking about why, leads to one very important question. Why are you streaming? 1) You’re famous and trying to “connect” with your fans This one is easy. You go to with the platform that has your biggest audience built in. You want the best integration with that platform. Your live streams are now just another form of content that goes into your presence on that platform. 2) You’re trying to get famous Sorry, nobody is going to get famous livestreaming. You’re going to go where there’s a real valuable replay capability and easy native sharability. But your content is going to be geared not towards live interactivity that LIVE is good for, because that doesn’t replay well. You’re basically just live-recording your youtube uploads. You’ll realize that this is a lot of work and a lot lower quality… so you’ll stop and focus on post-production. The argument can be made here about how YouTubers, Viners, Snapchatters etc… become famous, so why won’t live streamers? The answer in my opinion, is all about the medium. Discoverability and sharability of live HAPPENING NOW moments is just not feasible for mass consumption. It is exactly the inherent asynchronous & distributed consumption of those other platforms that can lead people to become famous. LIVE doesn’t have this, and realistically, I believe never can. 3) You’re trying to get paid Again, super easy — who is PAYING broadcasters? The answer was NEVER Meerkat. This is something I’m super proud of. Live streams are a part of a package a brand can buy, in addition to other social posts, mentions etc... Not standalone, you have to have a presence elsewhere. There’s also YouNow, for (primarily) younger streamers. When fans can directly support broadcasters, there is a direct incentive to stream and a barometer for what your audience thinks is valuable content. 4) You’re looking for “community” I do believe that there was a genuine closeness of broadcasters and watchers in the very early days of Meerkat. But I don’t know that many people showed up (as streamers or watchers) to be a part of some newfound community. Streaming about your interests can certainly help you attract like-minded people, and community can form… But is live streaming the right vehicle for this? Is it not better suited as an extension of an existing community of friends/strangers? 5) You’re into marketing (self-promotion) This is the big one. The one I personally dislike the most. People who hop from platform to platform hocking their “services” and trying to become (be thought of as) experts. They espouse “rules” and “wisdom” and it’s pretty awful. Just because you were there first, does NOT make you an expert. 6) Teleportation Streams This is where most streams are heading, and where livestreaming has always flourished. It’s teleportation. It’s streaming a conference, an event, a one-off thing that gives the watcher a feeling like they’re there, but is limited on the interactivity and spontaneity that made the early days of Meerkat fun. Brands will continue to see value from this, and it’s a great way for the #5 people to “prove” their livestreaming prowess. 7) Livestreaming is fun This is the one that got me. It was a ton of fun. But the emphasis is on “was” — it gets real old, real fast. BUT even from the beginning I always asked why people were watching. These people are the hardest to retain: if fun relies on viewership, then streamers have to have an audience, but why should people watch this average joe? It’s really a chicken-and-egg problem and the people won’t come back to stream (or watch) again. How does one turn entertaining voyeurism into long term value? Be together, but apart. Live video has this amazing potential to bring people together. But it doesn’t and cannot start with “I want to talk to anybody” — in order to build a comfortable, understandable medium, it must begin with “I want to talk to the people I know.” The movement away from being LIVE may seem small, but it’s monumental. There’s something else — a shift from “me” to “we” as in, not just me alone on screen… but we are together, video of equal importance for all in the conversation. The “Me” to “We” transition is both imperative and counterintuitive in the transformation from a public to private medium. Before anyone compares to Skype, or Hangouts, or Oovoo or anything that’s been around for years… Use the product. Please. It’s a drastically different experience that makes a conversation a fluid experience. Blurry lines between beginning and ending… Like at a party, you can walk up to someone, say hey and walk away… there’s no commitment, there’s no formality to it. It’s not a meeting, it’s a conversation. Houseparty But you work there I do! It’s true. is a foundation for a new type of social interaction, built on top of concepts in the real world that we experience every day. For me, transitioning away from Meerkat was extremely tough at the beginning. But as we saw the usage on Houseparty explode… it was just a no-brainer. RIP Meerkat, but welcome to the Party. Houseparty Like this? Show it with the 💚 below. Share it all over the place, I won’t mind. Also, you can on twitter. follow me

Livestreaming is destined to fail.

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EmTech Digital in San Francisco — [Livestream from MIT Technology Review]

In today’s fast-paced financial landscape, the conversation around cash versus digital payments has never been more pressing. As digital transactions continue to dominate daily life, offering unprecedented speed and convenience, many have questioned the future of physical currency. But despite the growing prevalence of digital payments, cash remains a critical player in the global economy—particularly in moments of crisis. When natural disasters, geopolitical unrest, or cyberattacks disrupt the infrastructure that supports digital transactions, cash suddenly becomes indispensable. Yet, cash itself is not without flaws. In uncertain times, its value can plummet, leaving essential goods like food and fuel far more valuable. This has driven some people to invest in agricultural land—an enduring, tangible asset that provides both security and resources when conventional money systems break down. Cash—A Reliable Standby in Crisis Cash has been a cornerstone of commerce for centuries. Its simplicity and universal acceptance make it a reliable option in even the most remote or technologically underserved regions. But its true value shines through during times of crisis—when digital infrastructure fails and people are cut off from their bank accounts or mobile wallets. In 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported 81 major disaster declarations in the U.S., double the number from just two years ago. Widespread power outages rendered digital payment systems unusable, but cash remained a dependable option for people to access essential goods like food, water, and fuel. When you can’t swipe a card or tap a phone, having cash in your pocket is often the only way to get what you need. The same story plays out in areas affected by war or political instability. During conflict, cash demand spikes as people seek something tangible in the midst of chaos. The European Central Bank reported a surge in euro cash demand near conflict zones as both locals and refugees turned to it as a secure, reliable option. In such times, cash is viewed as a lifeline. But despite its resilience, cash has its weaknesses. It can be easily lost or stolen, and in the face of severe instability, it can lose value quickly. In war economies, for instance, the worth of cash plummets as food and supplies become the real currency. In these situations, people start to look for alternatives to safeguard their wealth—and that’s where investments like agricultural land come into play. Digital Payments—Convenience with Vulnerabilities On the other side of the coin, digital payments have transformed how we handle money. With just a few taps, you can send or receive money across the globe in seconds, buy groceries, or even pay your bills. Digital payments are fast, efficient, and increasingly secure, thanks to encryption and two-factor authentication. For many, they’ve become the go-to for nearly every transaction. But this convenience has its limits. Digital payments depend entirely on an infrastructure that can fail during times of crisis. In 2024, 72% of Americans experienced at least one extreme weather event. In these moments—when power lines are down and the internet is inaccessible—those who rely solely on digital payments find themselves cut off. Cash, on the other hand, continues to circulate. Cybersecurity is another growing concern. As financial systems become increasingly digital, they are also more vulnerable to attacks. A major data breach or ransomware attack can leave millions without access to their accounts. When things go wrong with digital systems, cash remains a safe and reliable alternative. Finding Balance—Cash, Digital Payments, and Crisis-Proof Investments As we move forward in an increasingly unpredictable world, finding a balance between cash and digital payments is more important than ever. Each form of currency has its strengths. Digital payments excel in speed and convenience during stable times, but cash proves invaluable when infrastructure crumbles. Having both options available ensures that people can navigate through both normal and extreme conditions with ease. In moments of extreme uncertainty—whether from natural disasters, political upheaval, or economic collapse—cash might not always be enough. This has driven some to invest in more permanent, crisis-proof assets like agricultural land. Farmland, whether for crops or livestock, offers a level of security that cash and digital payments cannot. No matter the state of the economy, well-managed land can yield valuable resources, ensuring both financial stability and sustenance during hard times. The Land of Tomorrow In a world marked by technological advances and growing uncertainties, the need for both cash and digital payments is clear. Digital transactions will continue to dominate in convenience, but cash will always have a role in times of crisis. As we’ve seen time and again, when the infrastructure supporting digital payments falters, cash becomes the lifeline people turn to. At the same time, in truly unstable times, it may not be cash or even digital payments that hold the most value. Assets like agricultural land—capable of producing essential goods like food—often become the ultimate form of security. Looking forward, it’s not about choosing one form of currency over the other, but rather understanding how both cash and digital payments can coexist and support each other, while also recognizing that tangible investments like land provide a level of resilience that neither can match. In the end, being prepared for an uncertain future means diversifying—both in how we handle our money and how we invest in long-term, crisis-resistant resources. In today’s fast-paced financial landscape, the conversation around cash versus digital payments has never been more pressing. As digital transactions continue to dominate daily life, offering unprecedented speed and convenience, many have questioned the future of physical currency. But despite the growing prevalence of digital payments, cash remains a critical player in the global economy—particularly in moments of crisis. When natural disasters, geopolitical unrest, or cyberattacks disrupt the infrastructure that supports digital transactions, cash suddenly becomes indispensable. Yet, cash itself is not without flaws. In uncertain times, its value can plummet, leaving essential goods like food and fuel far more valuable. This has driven some people to invest in agricultural land—an enduring, tangible asset that provides both security and resources when conventional money systems break down. Cash—A Reliable Standby in Crisis Cash—A Reliable Standby in Crisis Cash has been a cornerstone of commerce for centuries. Its simplicity and universal acceptance make it a reliable option in even the most remote or technologically underserved regions. But its true value shines through during times of crisis—when digital infrastructure fails and people are cut off from their bank accounts or mobile wallets. In 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported 81 major disaster declarations in the U.S., double the number from just two years ago. Widespread power outages rendered digital payment systems unusable, but cash remained a dependable option for people to access essential goods like food, water, and fuel. When you can’t swipe a card or tap a phone, having cash in your pocket is often the only way to get what you need. 81 major disaster declarations The same story plays out in areas affected by war or political instability. During conflict, cash demand spikes as people seek something tangible in the midst of chaos. The European Central Bank reported a surge in euro cash demand near conflict zones as both locals and refugees turned to it as a secure, reliable option. In such times, cash is viewed as a lifeline. surge in euro cash demand But despite its resilience, cash has its weaknesses. It can be easily lost or stolen, and in the face of severe instability, it can lose value quickly. In war economies, for instance, the worth of cash plummets as food and supplies become the real currency. In these situations, people start to look for alternatives to safeguard their wealth—and that’s where investments like agricultural land come into play. Digital Payments—Convenience with Vulnerabilities Digital Payments—Convenience with Vulnerabilities On the other side of the coin, digital payments have transformed how we handle money. With just a few taps, you can send or receive money across the globe in seconds, buy groceries, or even pay your bills. Digital payments are fast, efficient, and increasingly secure, thanks to encryption and two-factor authentication. For many, they’ve become the go-to for nearly every transaction. But this convenience has its limits. Digital payments depend entirely on an infrastructure that can fail during times of crisis. In 2024, 72% of Americans experienced at least one extreme weather event . In these moments—when power lines are down and the internet is inaccessible—those who rely solely on digital payments find themselves cut off. Cash, on the other hand, continues to circulate. 72% of Americans experienced at least one extreme weather event Cybersecurity is another growing concern. As financial systems become increasingly digital, they are also more vulnerable to attacks. A major data breach or ransomware attack can leave millions without access to their accounts. When things go wrong with digital systems, cash remains a safe and reliable alternative. Finding Balance—Cash, Digital Payments, and Crisis-Proof Investments Finding Balance—Cash, Digital Payments, and Crisis-Proof Investments As we move forward in an increasingly unpredictable world, finding a balance between cash and digital payments is more important than ever. Each form of currency has its strengths. Digital payments excel in speed and convenience during stable times, but cash proves invaluable when infrastructure crumbles. Having both options available ensures that people can navigate through both normal and extreme conditions with ease. In moments of extreme uncertainty—whether from natural disasters, political upheaval, or economic collapse—cash might not always be enough. This has driven some to invest in more permanent, crisis-proof assets like agricultural land. Farmland, whether for crops or livestock, offers a level of security that cash and digital payments cannot. No matter the state of the economy, well-managed land can yield valuable resources, ensuring both financial stability and sustenance during hard times. The Land of Tomorrow In a world marked by technological advances and growing uncertainties, the need for both cash and digital payments is clear. Digital transactions will continue to dominate in convenience, but cash will always have a role in times of crisis. As we’ve seen time and again, when the infrastructure supporting digital payments falters, cash becomes the lifeline people turn to. At the same time, in truly unstable times, it may not be cash or even digital payments that hold the most value. Assets like agricultural land—capable of producing essential goods like food—often become the ultimate form of security. Looking forward, it’s not about choosing one form of currency over the other, but rather understanding how both cash and digital payments can coexist and support each other, while also recognizing that tangible investments like land provide a level of resilience that neither can match. In the end, being prepared for an uncertain future means diversifying—both in how we handle our money and how we invest in long-term, crisis-resistant resources.

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