WJR Business Beat

Business owners are simply forced to optimize for both traditional SEO and AI search, and this presents significant challenges to many of the businesses having to face this reality today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For small businesses, being able to generate organic traffic to one's business website is simply gold. The primary way this is achieved, of course, is through search traffic, but like everything else in business today. AI is changing the playing field significantly, and now 26% of companies received more than half their traffic from AI search in 2025, and 49% expect to reach that mark by late 2026...

AI is helping us in business and in life these days in so many different ways. This is clearly only just the beginning, but at the same time, there is now data showing clearly how AI is displacing more and more skilled jobs. And now data shows that more than half of US residents believe advances in artificial intelligence will result in even further job loss, according to a survey released by Redf...

The power of podcasts just keeps rolling and growing. And now this medium is accessible online everywhere. It seems that many big tech platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Apple, even Netflix and Hulu are now spending to assemble original podcast content and to develop technology that can optimize and monetize their shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for inform...

The NRF provided the following statement in association with their outlook for 2026. They say, while we continue to expect consumer strength at the macro level, we also anticipate that this will not be uniform across all income groups. As was the case in 2025, the consumer is likely to remain bifurcated. Higher income households, accounting for more of the growth and lower and middle income househ...

Reddit is the most undervalued channel in the social media marketing mix these days. While there are a variety of emerging platforms like Reddit that you need to pay attention to, Meta remains the leader in new customer conversions. Phospho said that Meta's unmatched scale underpinned by consistent proven performance, sees Meta to maintain the top spot in most social media plans, a full funnel eng...

Go to Michigan sbc.org to learn more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The way consumers want to be messaged by brands and retailers is changing. It used to be that email ruled all methods of communication, but now as technology changes the playing field and more consumers are on their mobile platforms primarily methods of engagement, our changing as well, that according to new data from the ninth Mobile Consumer Insights report from vibes. Which vibe surveyed over 1...

Harris Poll shows that 79% of Gen Z TikTok users miss the early days of the 6-year-old app prior to the influx of brand partnerships and the launch of the TikTok shop, the company's e-commerce initiative. 41% of these users feel nostalgic for a time when TikTok had fewer ads and brands, while 34% miss seeing relatable content and raw, unfiltered content in their feeds. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ads...

As consumers plan to increase spending in 2026, that according to December 2025, data from Civic Science. Retailers are putting a lot of focus into attending to all that increased consumer spending outlook. They're making investments in wellness driven products, brands, services, and in-store experiences. As reported by E-marketer, mass retailers are already the top destination for personal care a...

Technology has long shaped how people order meals, but in 2026, loyalty programs are becoming a primary factor driving engagement. As customer discretionary spending tightens, competition is tense and loyalty is increasingly fragile in this industry. Findings from the Payments Intelligence report January 2026: How Restaurants Are Adapting to Digital Expectations. The Report documents an industry r...

Digital overload is plaguing us all these days. Way too much is coming at us, and that is driving more people into a mode of simply wanting to unsubscribe. And when it comes to unsubscribing these days, it's email that is the type of subscription people want most to escape from jam packed email inboxes and a growing number of unread emails is plaguing us all. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compa...

There's no questioning the value of AI when it comes to increasing efficiency and productivity in a variety of ways for your business. But there are also cautionary notes. One needs to take notice of, in particular, that some of that increased efficiency could cost you in consumer loyalty. That according to a new report just released from Deloitte. 44% of retail executives worldwide expect Gen AI...

For brands, culture is the strategy, language is the tactic. Those who lead with cultural intelligence, not just translation, earn more than attention they earn long-term loyalty and trust. iHeart Media Insights President Laney Vertex said, there is a significant opportunity for brands to deepen their connection with this audience, but only if they move beyond assumed shortcuts and transactional m...

What can you do if you're preparing to bring a new product to market and want your sales and marketing teams to perform optimally? Here are a couple of tips offered by small businesses participating in this study that say that their teams are aligned. 54% said make sure you improve communication and collaboration frequency. 46% say standardizing tools and platforms across teams so that there's con...

Michael Goodman, director of Entertainment Research at Parks Associates said this in association with a release of the survey, consumers are no longer choosing between services, they're choosing between price points. Platforms that treat affordability as a retention strategy, not a discount tactic, are far better positioned to manage churn in this mature market. As competition increases, the marke...

What leads to happiness with employment experiences? Well, the number one factor, according to the Howdy survey, 95% say that having work that matches the original job description makes them happy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As entrepreneurs, we all want success, of course, but success can be defined in a variety of ways that go beyond just financial success. Recognition and validation are always welcome along the way, and so being honored as a high-achieving startup is something we welcome to be sure. And when it comes to recognition, the Inc 5,000 list is one of those honors that not only feels good, more importantl...

New data cited in the Wall Street Journal shows the importance of being discovered specifically by AI search engines these days. That's right. Consumers are considered more valuable in the long term when they search and discover a brand through an AI engine. Why? Because the results are more personalized and, as a result, have been shown to boost the average order value by guiding shoppers toward...

This year's Valentine's Day spending will reach a record breaking $29.1 billion according to a January survey from the National Retail Federation. Shoppers are budgeting an average of $199.78 cents for gifts this year. That's up from $188.81 cents in 2025. Why? One reason is the expanded perspective on love in today's culture and how the holiday now celebrates a broader set of loved ones as compar...

The list highlights, purpose-driven startups and tech companies that create consistently positive employee experiences through strong leadership, thoughtful policies, and genuine care for people. The companies on the list provide workplaces where values show up in day-to-day decisions. Employees feel supported and included. And flexibility, wellbeing and growth are treated as essentials, not extra...

A new study from Tabula makes it clear AI generated ads during the Super Bowl broadcast performed at the same level as those created by humans. AI generated ads in some cases were deemed even more effective than ads created by actual human designers according to the study which was done by researchers from Columbia and Harvard universities. How did AI compete so effectively? One key factor was tha...

Brands are a lot like people nowadays, they all have personalities. We talk about them, and there's a variety of different factors that make brands appealing to different generations of consumers, and that level of appeal can change quickly. When it comes to brand momentum the more established your brand is and the more trusted that is, the more brand equity your brand has the less difficult it is...

Threads is part of the Meta family of platforms, the app benefits from being constantly promoted across Facebook and Instagram, along with a strong focus on creators and a steady rollout of new features such as communities, direct messages, long form posts, and experimental tools like games. It's time to add threads to the list of social media platforms you simply must establish a presence on. Hos...

The biggest challenge in video production isn't in the production process itself it's in the creative process, the ideation. 63% site coming up with ideas as their top obstacle, and that's an area where AI tools are proving especially useful. AI is also helping marketers save time in editing and in finding relevant content. It's also being used heavily when it comes to writing scripts. Now, despit...