WJR Business Beat

If you're a small business in particular, you need to be aware of the increasingly challenging playing field when it comes to managing your cash. You need to be prepared to be paid late in a meaningful number of cases, and to do that, you need to make sure you have a sufficient cash-on-hand position to hedge against these increasingly late payments due in from customers. Hosted by Simplecast, an A...

According to a 2026 Patient Choice report from healthcare reputation management firm Rater Eight, and as reported by MediaPost, reliance on AI to choose a healthcare provider has more than doubled in the past year from 17% a year ago to 36% this year, completely upending traditional methods like search engine marketing and referrals from other doctors. The report found that 47% of respondents have...

If you're looking to add an effective marketing tactic to your campaigns, try influencer or creator campaigns, and set aside budget to add in order to boost these campaigns once they're proving effective. It's a tactic that's seeing more and more of the marketing departments' budgets these days, and again, that's for good reason. They're working. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https...

Kaylin Lohmaster, Director Analyst in Gartner's HR practice, said in a statement with the release of the study's results, "AI is ultimately going to reverse the course and result in more jobs gained than those lost by twenty twenty-eight." This does depend, however, on the need for organizations to rethink how employees gain expertise and grow within the organization, or companies will find themse...

New data shows that there is a growing number of older adults that are actually staying in the workforce or reentering it, or even opting to start a business of their own in retirement in order to simply make ends meet. Roughly one in five Americans age 65 plus are employed or looking for work. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...

In an era when trust seems to be more in doubt than ever before with the proliferation of AI and media sources which take positions rather than adhering to basic editorial standards and practices, who can we trust? Well, a new survey from TD Bank sheds some light on what sources Americans find to be most trustworthy for information we can count on, and here are some highlights from that survey. Ho...

Paul Krucke, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, had this to say about their big day. "The event is an opportunity to reflect on the partnerships, innovation, and leadership that continue to move our region forward," he said. "This year's honorees represent the very best of what makes the Ann Arbor region unique: visionary leadership, entrepreneurial success, industry innovation, and a deep comm...

Athletic apparel is a near-universal category in which Nike leads by a wide margin. They own a 22% mental market share, the broadest occasion footprint, in a new study conducted by Morning Consult. For reference, mental market share means a brand's mental availability, how often it comes to mind compared to competitors when consumers think of buying in a given category. The athletic apparel catego...

Google has edged Apple out as the number one spot on this list now. Apple had occupied the number one spot for the last four years. This year, it's Google. The tech giant's brand value grew 57% over last year according to the data and analytics giant, which now values it at $1.48 trillion. The most powerful brands in the world according to Kantar Brands Report. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz com...

Mother's Day shoppers spent an average of $284.25 per person for a total spend of around $38 billion. Who did all that spending? While both men and women spent more this year, it's men who continue to be most likely to splurge. This year, men budgeted an average of $346 per person, compared to women's $225 per person. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for inform...

What are you worth? Well, that can be answered of course, in a lot of different ways, but in the context of business specifically, when it comes to your value, the average value of a US citizen in the advertising world. You're worth this, according to a recent report that analyzes and estimates the annual advertising value that people generate for Google's ad platform, the average US consumer gene...

As consumers, we need to have our guards up more than ever to protect against fraudulent activity. And now new data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that social media has become the leading channel for consumer fraud, with reported losses reaching 2.1 billion in 2025. The figure marks an eightfold increase since 2020, highlighting the growing role of digital platforms in large-scale scam op...

David Cohen, CEO at the International Advertising Bureau says this, the revenue growth reflects a market that has reoriented around performance channel. As expectations for measurable outcomes rise, investment is concentrating in areas that can directly correlate to spend when it comes to advertising and marketing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for informati...

New data from a survey just released by True Caller, entitled The 2026 Phone Fraud and AI Threat Survey puts into perspective just how bothersome these calls are. First of the individuals polled, 75% say they've been targeted by a spam call or a text in the past 12 months. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

Trying to find an angle in your marketing strategy, one that reaches your audience at an attractive cost per acquisition? One that will help you break out from the noise and get noticed. One that will stand out from the same old, same old approach to creating awareness and driving sales. While a creator marketing campaign is designed to do just that. E-marketer newsletter just featured a great sto...

LegalZoom Inc. America's number one online legal services company, has just released data from a new survey of business owners, which reveals that 33% of small business owners say compliance requirements have prevented them from pursuing new business opportunities. The most often missed opportunities according to business owners, include expanding into new areas, securing new partnerships or inves...

The comprehensive program blends practical education, experiential learning, and personalized mentorship, providing a powerful foundation for veterans to launch and scale their own ventures. The program runs from June 10th through June 12th in Salt Lake City. You can go to patriotbootcamp.org to learn more and to register. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for i...

Roughly 65% of Americans have used an artificial intelligence search in the past six months. But only 15% trust it, according to a recent study conducted by Yelp. What's the issue? It's trust. Americans simply aren't trusting of AI yet to conduct the study. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advert...

Women owned businesses, those of which are owned, operated in control by one or more women with at least 51% ownership now represent 40.6% of all US businesses. In 2025, there were 15.7 million women owned businesses. Women owned businesses employed 12.6 million employees in 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

Data shows that moms rely far more on recommendations from other moms. Reviews and real life experiences than traditional advertising key friction points to address in order to win them. 69% of moms struggle with home organization these days. 56% struggle to find time for themselves, and 52% struggle with meal planning. Word of mouth is the single most powerful driver of purchase behavior among mo...

This year's ranking shows six Michigan companies that made it on this list of recognition. The ranking evaluates companies largely on confidential employee surveys, measuring trust, job satisfaction, and workplace culture, and it is the feedback provided by these participating employees that determines the ultimate ranked order. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com...

New data from the rental car company, Hertz, shows that Americans are traveling differently this spring break. With more flexible timing and longer getaway windows as top priorities in 2026. The data shows that more travelers are taking to the roads this year to avoid congestion in America's busiest airports. Following the partial government shutdown, according to Hertz, travelers are skipping the...

One of the most powerful assets an e-commerce platform can have these days is positive customer reviews to offer those who are considering a purchase on your site. The confidence it takes to close 'em is so powerful, in fact, that you simply can't compete as an e-commerce platform favorably today without offering third-party reviews as a guidepost and as a driver that moves potential purchases to...

Most Easter chocolates were produced when cocoa was extremely expensive. He goes on to say, so shoppers should expect prices similar to or slightly above Valentine's Day levels. Despite this, the National Retail Federation says, expect consumers to spend $3.5 billion on Easter candy alone this year. With shoppers dropping an expected total of $25 billion on the holiday overall surpassing previous...

Where are all these boomers going, and what are they spending on? 50% of boomers head to beach vacations as their top destination. They also love the mountains, lakes, or countryside more than traveling to city destinations. They're slightly more inclined toward cruises, 24% compared to 17% of non boomers, and 12% of boomers prefer escorted or group tours compared to 8% of non boomers. Hosted by S...