Rising Costs stories - Page 2

Amid rising costs and economic uncertainty, 91% of Australian SMEs plan to prioritise non-capital spending over major investments in 2025-26.

By 2028, 33% of enterprises will use AI agents to boost productivity and scale efficiently, transforming workflows beyond traditional automation methods.

In Q2 2025, US CEOs focused on tariffs, recession fears and rising interest in agentic AI during earnings calls, while attention to sustainability waned.

On MSME Day 2025, Australia's small businesses face growing compliance challenges from new laws, risking productivity but solutions through automation offer hope.

UK firms pay higher ransoms amid rising recovery costs from ransomware attacks, with 54% choosing to pay and median payouts at USD $1 million, Sophos reports.

Forrester forecasts global generative AI spending to soar from USD $2.3bn in 2023 to USD $13.8bn in 2024, urging firms to optimise escalating costs strategically.

A survey reveals 62% of Britons support fining companies for long hold times, with older consumers especially backing penalties amid rising costs.

New Zealanders face rising broadband and power costs this winter, prompting a surge in provider switches as households seek to cut bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Rising inflation and tariffs are forcing global consumers to cut grocery spending, shift to discount retailers, and reduce purchases across several retail categories.

Optimism among New Zealand firms hits a peak since 2021, as 45% anticipate growth, boosted by AI-driven productivity and rising customer demand in 2025.

Australian marketers are boosting budgets for commerce media, which now makes up 30% of spend as brands shift to personalised, integrated shopping experiences.

Only 32% of UK firms use AI in procurement, risking competitive disadvantage as early adopters gain efficiency and resilience in supply chain management.

Manhattan Associates unveils Enterprise Promise & Fulfill, a cloud-native tool enhancing B2B sales and order fulfilment by integrating with existing ERP systems.

Rising costs and new compliance rules are driving 83% of CIOs to rebalance cloud and on-premises workloads for better efficiency and control.

More UK motorists shopped around for insurance in H2 2024, with 25% switching providers, up from 20% in 2023 amid rising price competitiveness.

Nearly 80% of European brands plan to expand eCommerce beyond Amazon in 2025, embracing hybrid models amid rising costs and operational challenges.

Stackpack has raised USD $6.3 million to enhance its AI platform that simplifies managing third-party vendor complexities for businesses.

Penske Truck Leasing upgrades Catalyst AI, analysing over 100 billion data points yearly to boost fleet operational decisions and efficiency insights.

Amazon Prime leads digital subscription cancellations with 578,000 monthly searches, as users reconsider services amid rising costs and tiered pricing models.

Forrester warns that US-China tariffs could reduce Asia Pacific tech spending growth in 2025 by 1-2 points, despite strong AI and cloud demand.