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Australian Stories

Inflation stories

Australian confidence drops as fuel costs hit sentiment
Partner Programmes

Australian confidence drops as fuel costs hit sentiment

Australian business and household sentiment slumped after fuel costs jumped, with CreditorWatch warning of rising insolvency risks if oil markets stay strained.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Last month
Fuel costs push NSW firms to review staffing levels
Supply Chain

Fuel costs push NSW firms to review staffing levels

Business NSW says soaring fuel, freight and supplier costs are forcing 47% of surveyed firms to review staffing, with regional employers hardest hit.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last month
Zeller launches Terminal 1x to cut Aussie merchant costs
Digital Transformation

Zeller launches Terminal 1x to cut Aussie merchant costs

Zeller rolls out Terminal 1x for Australian merchants, bundling POS and payments in one device to tackle rising fixed costs.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last month
Loyalty association launches AI & behaviour courses
Digital Transformation

Loyalty association launches AI & behaviour courses

Australian Loyalty Association rolls out executive training on programme economics, AI-driven shopping and behavioural science as households tighten budgets.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last month
Building approvals jump 29.7% on apartment rebound
Inflation

Building approvals jump 29.7% on apartment rebound

Australian residential building approvals surged in February, driven by a volatile apartment rebound, but higher rates and energy costs threaten builders.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Last month
Australian SMEs keep hiring despite tougher conditions
Agricultural Technology

Australian SMEs keep hiring despite tougher conditions

Australian SMEs defy weak sentiment to lift hiring 6.8%, while AI job ads surge 13-fold and construction and trades lead wage growth.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 27th Mar 2026

Global Stories

Inflation stories

Supply chain leaders prioritise sustainability, survey finds
Manufacturing

Supply chain leaders prioritise sustainability, survey finds

Blue Yonder survey finds supply chain leaders are prioritising efficiency and resilience over emissions, even as 66% work to cut impact.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Last month
US AI megadeals drive global VC to USD $331 billion
Semiconductors

US AI megadeals drive global VC to USD $331 billion

US AI megadeals push global venture capital to a record USD $330.9 billion as OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI dominate first-quarter funding.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Last month
Opia expands promotion cover as brands seek budget certainty
Risk & Compliance

Opia expands promotion cover as brands seek budget certainty

Opia widens promotion protection for brands as volatility, inflation and fraud fears push marketing teams to seek tighter budget control.

By Catherine Knowles • 3 min read • Last month
Pivoting marketing strategy in the face of a recession
Customer Experience

Pivoting marketing strategy in the face of a recession

Fractional Chief Marketing Officers say brands must ditch blanket discounting, sharpen value messages and tailor offers as households split into two wallets.

By Azadeh Williams • 6 min read • Last month
Forrester warns Middle East conflict will squeeze IT budgets
Digital Transformation

Forrester warns Middle East conflict will squeeze IT budgets

Forrester says Middle East tensions will push up infrastructure costs, sharpen cloud and AI spending scrutiny, and heighten cyber risk.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last month

Stories from Other Regions

Inflation stories

Singapore sandwich class turns to crypto for stability
Crypto

Singapore sandwich class turns to crypto for stability

Singapore's middle-income sandwich class is increasingly using crypto, alongside shares and property assets, to build financial resilience amid rising costs.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Last month
UK online sales rise 11.4% in February despite dip
Digital Transformation

UK online sales rise 11.4% in February despite dip

Parcelhero says eCommerce kept driving UK retail in February, even as monthly sales volumes dipped and geopolitical tensions clouded the outlook.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 5 min read • Last month
UK SMEs could waste GBP £10,000 on unused software
Software-as-a-Service

UK SMEs could waste GBP £10,000 on unused software

Fasthosts says UK SMEs may be paying for nearly 40% of their software they never use, with AI agents emerging as a possible fix.

By Kaleah Salmon • 4 min read • Last month
Poor product information fuels returns & lost sales
Customer Experience

Poor product information fuels returns & lost sales

Poor product information is pushing up retail returns and turning shoppers away, with Akeneo research saying clearer data could protect margins and loyalty.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Tue, 31st Mar 2026
New Zealand SMEs hit by falling revenue & weak confidence
Risk & Compliance

New Zealand SMEs hit by falling revenue & weak confidence

Vero survey finds 63% of New Zealand SMEs saw revenue fall, with rising costs, tax changes and weak confidence weighing on smaller firms.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Tue, 31st Mar 2026
UK households face GBP £6.85 billion bill rise in April
Unified Communications

UK households face GBP £6.85 billion bill rise in April

UK households face GBP £6.85 billion in higher essential bills from April as council tax, water and telecoms costs climb, Uswitch warns.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Thu, 26th Mar 2026