Well-tailored 
Well-packaged 
An Ultimate Guide: ESG Data Sources for 2023
With a growing expectation from firms to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, enterprises are transitioning towards ESG data providers and searching for authentic ESG data sources. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data is becoming an integral part of investment decision-making. ESG data offer insights into a company's sustainability practices, enabling investors to evaluate risks that traditional financial metrics cannot capture. There are different types of ESG data sources available. Let's explore some of the significant data sources- Types of ESG Data Offered by Providers Market Data Market data is information related to market values, prices, commodities, and other elements of market trends. This data can also include any factors that involve long- and short-term operations and strategy. Providers, including FTSE Russell, MSCI, and Bloomberg, offer ESG data related to topics like carbon emissions, fossil fuel reserves, and climate change. ESG-Exclusive Data With ESG reporting becoming more central to corporate sustainability goals, ESG data providers offer more than market analytics. They specialize in ESG- and sustainability-related data, ranging from ESG data analytics to ESG scores. By employing proprietary metrics and risk-assessment tools, these data providers compile information for assessments. Specialized Data Specialized ESG data providers concentrate on one or two elements of ESG. While some concentrate on climate and environmental data, others prioritize governance matters and community relations. This information is a vital asset for enterprises exploring ways to enhance their ESG performance as well as identify risks and market opportunities. Read more: Sustainable Aviation: How Sustainable Aviation Fuel Will Assist in Flying CO2-neutral Since its introduction, ESG reporting has transitioned from a valuable extra to an essential element of modern investing. To drive capital towards a sustainable future, organizations need to power their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies with industry-leading data research and expertise. By embedding comprehensive ESG data in every aspect of their investment process, they can integrate transparency into the company's ESG performance. However, to generate comprehensive reports, reporting entities require the latest and most accurate ESG data that encapsulates a wide range of metrics and measurable outcomes. Incorporating ESG into investment decisions will help in connecting ESG data with innovative workflow and flexible delivery options. For reliable and comprehensive data, organizations are turning to ESG data providers. These statistical specialists present organizations with a range of informational solutions to help them expand their sustainability programs and improve investor engagement. ESG Data Sources in the Market Today Differentiating among the plethora of ESG data providers to support the organization's requirements can be a challenging task. However, there are a few industry-renowned data providers who won the majority of the market share. Every ESG data provider has their methodology to determine ESG ratings by weighing in factors uniquely. This is the reason why certain firms find it useful to subscribe to more ESG providers and then average their rankings. ESG Data provider ranking systems involves a fair share of statistics, mathematical calculations, and trust, which is why many firms choose to opt for two or more of the larger ESG providers. Mentioned below are some standout sources that have deeply grasped the ESG market and offer organizations comprehensive research and precisely constructed rankings. Read more: Driving Sustainable Revenue with Product-led Growth Corporate Sustainability Reports Corporate sustainability reports are disclosures made by organizations to offer information related to their sustainability practices. These reports offer valuable insights and information on companies' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies, strategies, as well as performance. Investors can employ this data to evaluate an organization's commitment to sustainability and its impact on society as well as the environment. As an ESG Data source, corporate sustainability reports are rich with data, but it can come at the cost of infrequent updates or lack of standardization. Regulators Industry regulators, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), are mandating companies to disclose their ESG-related information. The SEC requires businesses to declare climate-related risks that enable investors to assess the impact of climate change on their operations and financial performance. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Global NGOs like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collect and facilitate ESG data on companies. NGOs offer valuable insights into a company's environmental impact along with their social responsibility, including labor practices and human rights. Social Media Social media platforms offer insights into an organization's ESG practices. A company's social media posts often provide information regarding its sustainability initiatives, its involvement, and its contribution to the community, as well as employee engagement. With the new wave of alternative ESG data sources on the rise, data providers are offering additional ways to accumulate the right insights. ESG-Rating Service Providers ESG rating providers like MSCI and Sustainalytics offer organizations comprehensive ESG ratings. These ratings help in evaluating a company's sustainability practices based on different ESG factors like carbon emissions and board diversity. Investors can use these ESG ratings to compare companies and make informed investment decisions. Read more: Sustainability in Tech: 3 Ways for Companies to Become More Sustainable Choosing the Right ESG Data Source Selecting the right ESG data provider is a vital function for market maturity, budget, fund size, operational support, and growth goals. Organizations should ensure that the data sets they receive are reliable and comprehensive for their requirements and, at the same time, are delivered in a way the organization can easily parse and consume. While navigating the vendor landscape, they should also look for peer benchmarking and consider vendors that regularly update their information and stay abreast of any new trends that are likely to affect the firm’s investment decisions. Top ESG Data & Rating Providers Sustainalytics A subsidiary of U.S. financial services firm Morningstar, Sustainalytics provides organizations with over 30 years of ESG expertise. The firm has grown to cover 20,000 companies and 172 countries globally. Sustainalytics estimates material ESG risk and issues reports that enclose a company rating, risk, and company analysis, material ESG issues, and ESG risk decomposition. MSCI Securing a top position spot with Sustainalytics, MSCI is considered one of the most reliable ESG data providers. They contain data reports on over 8,500 companies and 680,000 equity and fixed-income securities worldwide. In ESG investing, MSCI presents organizations with fund ratings, ESG indexes, ESG ratings, and sustainable finance solutions. Bloomberg Bloomberg is considered a leading provider of ESG data solutions. They also provide Bloomberg ESG Disclosure Scores. Their product includes historical data, along with sector and country-specific data points. They also offer organizations as-reported data as well as derived ratios. Moody’s A renowned name for its credit risk ratings, Moody’s provides organizations with sustainability ratings, climate risk scores, and sustainable finance reviews. S&P Global S&P Global carries an unusual approach to ESG data and ratings. They base their ESG scores on a combination of companies’ responses to the Corporate Sustainability Assessment along with a selection of publicly available data. Read more: Sustainability Outlook: Is ESG an Investment Strategy or a Path to Creating a Sustainable World? Final Thoughts ESG data can be employed for a plethora of corporate activities. Data providers assist organizations in aligning their data with existing ESG reporting frameworks. With multiple ESG reporting platforms mandated for use by regulatory bodies, it can be quite a challenge for organizations to meet legal requirements along with investors' demands for high-quality ESG data. Today ESG reporting has become mandatory for organizations as investors are mandating ESG evidence. By collaborating with established ESG data providers, businesses can gain access to data gathered with rigorous standards and methods. This further guarantees accuracy and verifiability across all relevant metrics. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in ESG Services, SG Analytics offers bespoke sustainability consulting services and research support for informed decision-making. Contact us today if you are in search of an efficient ESG integration and management solution provider to boost your sustainable performance.
Navigating Supply Chain Challenges through Innovation and Investment
The global supply chain emerged as one of the primary casualties of the pandemic, propelling VCs into action as they sought to invest in companies tackling the multifaceted challenges within this crucial sector. In 2021, VC funding in supply chain tech soared to $60.8 billion (about $190 per person in the US), per Pitchbook, up 70% year-on-year. Although the funding momentum has somewhat tempered since then, investments in 2022 have consistently maintained levels equivalent to or even surpassing historical levels. This sustained funding underscores the profound significance of supply chain technology in mitigating disruptions and optimizing efficiency. Read more: Innovation in Defense Tech: Private Funding Opportunities on the Rise Figure 1: Market Snapshot: Digital Supply Chain 2022 Source: IoT Analytics Read more: Secondary Deals to Heat Up as IPO Slowdown Continues While supply chain disruptions have eased since 2021, the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index – an index that tracks the state of global supply chains using data from the transportation and manufacturing sectors – is still higher when compared with historic levels. With ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the profound impacts of inflationary pressures and recessionary environments, the consequences of climate change-induced weather events, or unforeseen challenges lurking on the horizon, the flow of goods will undoubtedly continue to be hampered. The interplay of these multifaceted factors necessitates the widespread adoption of resilient and adaptive technologies within the supply chain landscape. Accordingly, innovation in critical domains such as predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotics holds ever-increasing importance and aims to mitigate risks and optimize the intricate workings of supply chain operations. This is also evident from a Gartner survey of supply chain leaders which found that 73% of supply chain IT budgets this year will be allocated to growth and performance enhancements. Read more: National Cybersecurity Strategy: Net Positive for the Cyber and Cloud Security Sector The landscape of supply chain technology continues to evolve as several innovative companies secure substantial venture capital investments. Overhaul, a dynamic player that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to fortify the security of physical supply chains, recently achieved a significant milestone by securing an impressive $73 million in equity and debt. Pando, another AI-powered supply chain startup, recently secured $30 million, highlighting the confidence placed in its groundbreaking approach to optimizing and streamlining complex supply chain operations. Everstream, a trailblazer in harnessing the potential of big data for supply chain management, successfully raised $50 million, underlining the growing recognition of data-driven insights as a catalyst for enhancing operational efficiency and informed decision-making throughout the supply chain ecosystem. Altana, an AI-powered platform that provides comprehensive insights into complex supply networks, also secured $100 million. These strategic investments collectively underscore the increasing realization of the transformative role that technology plays in reshaping supply chain dynamics. As the industry continues to embrace technological innovations, these investments serve as a testament to the immense potential for technology to revolutionize supply chain operations, ushering in a new era of agility, optimization, and strategic advantage. Read more: US Job Growth Report: Why is the Market Slowing Down? In the ever-evolving landscape of supply chain management, innovative technologies are playing a crucial role in driving efficiency, reliability, and competitiveness. Looking ahead, technologies such as fog computing, robotics, inventory tools, and advanced analytics will continue to improve supply chain operations. By dispersing data across multiple servers, fog computing eliminates the reliance on a single point of failure, making big-data analytics more secure and stable. The integration of robotics in supply chain operations has triggered a seismic shift in warehouse management. Gartner expects 75% of large enterprises to embrace these robotics and autonomy by 2026. Organizations are also increasingly turning to inventory tools to streamline their production, storage, and distribution processes. These tools leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and data science to unlock the full potential of inventory management. Research from Gartner also suggest that more than 75% of commercial supply chain management application vendors will embed advanced analytics, AI, and data science into their solutions, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions and achieve operational excellence by 2026. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. Partner of choice for lower middle market-focused Investment Banks and Private Equity firms, SG Analytics provides offshore analysts to support across the deal life cycle. Our complimentary access to a full back-office research ecosystem (database access, graphics team, sector & domain experts, and technology-driven automation of tactical processes) positions our clients to win more deal mandates and execute these deals in the most efficient manner.
Data-Driven Influencer Marketing Campaign: The New Strategy for Growth
Marketing terms for the moment, 'influencer marketing' is on the radar of every marketer and brand. Compared to SEO and rate per thousand impressions, influencer marketing is slowly emerging as the new strategy to attract the right audience. Influencer marketing strategy is one of the most prevalent marketing strategies employed by businesses in recent times. Many brands or marketing agencies are collaborating and partnering with influencers with clout and followers across multiple platforms. Influencers today have captivated their audience’s attention, enabling them to establish trust and authority. Due to this reason, they are becoming a powerful tool for brands to influence their consumer actions and decisions. With social media ushering in the age of user-generated content, influencer marketing is equipping brands with a more powerful approach than corporate marketing campaigns. Customers today want to experience raw, unfiltered, and authentic posts that speak to their fears and dreams. As a result, influencer marketing is evolving to be a prominent tool for brands to raise brand awareness and drive conversions. While there are some unavoidable risks, with the right insights to guide every decision, influencer marketing can be highly profitable for a brand's bottom line. Read more: The Ultimate Guide: Tips to Choose a Top Marketing Analytics Company Data: The Gold Mine for Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing statistics in the last few years have portrayed a robust picture. Agencies, companies, and marketers are identifying the potential for influencer marketing to establish, solidify, and elevate their brand's presence in the market. However, data is a vital necessity to see the complete picture and to make the influencer marketing strategy work. And the process begins even before a brand establishes a connection with the influencer. Data is used to inform where, when, and why influencer marketing should be used in the brand campaign. Data accumulated on consumer behavior helps in understanding the target audience, their online behavior, as well as the best time and strategy to engage with them. When looking at data, it is important to look beyond the engagement rates and click-through rates. It is important for marketers to determine which influencers will help in driving the most ROI from a campaign. In addition, it is equally important to track the effectiveness of a campaign to understand if the influencers are targeting the right audience. The Power of Data-Driven Influencer Campaigns Influencer marketing has slowly carved out a space of its own in the marketing world, and the trend is not going to go away anytime soon. Researchers have predicted that influencer marketing campaigns are set to reach $24.1B by the year 2025. While there lie some inevitable underlying risks, such as fake influencers and low-engagement audiences, influencer marketing is highly profitable for brands and their bottom line if the right set of data insights is used to guide the marketing decisions. However, influencer marketing campaigns are likely to fall flat if the strategies are not backed by the data, including the ideation of the campaigns, the selected influencer, and the flow of the influencer strategy forward. Read more: AI in Marketing: An Essential Tool for Modern Marketers Building a Data-Driven Influencer Marketing Strategy Today, influencer marketing has progressed from being a social media buzzword to one of the most influential tools in the digital world for businesses. With traditional ways of advertising struggling to capture the attention of new-media audiences, brands globally are turning to influencers to directly connect with both their existing as well as potential customer bases. While influencer marketing is proving to be a successful enterprise, many brands are still struggling to find the best influencer and devise a strategy that is equally effective for them. This is the reason why mastering data-driven influencer marketing strategies is vital for brands looking to find an edge, as well as working to solidify their position in the market. Let's explore some of the steps involved in designing a strong data-driven influencer marketing strategy. Defining the Objectives Before beginning the campaign planning and execution strategy, it is important to determine the goal that needs to be accomplished with a data-driven marketing campaign, along with the steps to carry it out. Platforms, influencers, and content should be decided on based on the brand's objectives. They should also focus on brand mentions as well as product reviews to further increase brand awareness. However, paying influencers is not enough to increase product sales; offering consumers coupon codes and special discounts to influencers’ followers can also be a good addition to the campaign. The Search for Influencers Once the campaign's objective is defined, the next step is to determine influencers that align with the brand. This phase will require some time as the number of influencers is growing by the day. It is vital to identify influences who are already in the target audience. Influencers with more followers, popularity, and sponsored partnerships are considered more successful. Micro-influencers with less than 50K followers and macro-influencers with more than 50K followers can help your brand in generating higher engagement rates and ROI. Read more: Market Research Role: Guide to Decision Making in Business Choosing the Right Platform When devising a marketing campaign in terms of content, project goals, and other factors, thorough research will allow them to select the best platform for brand promotion. Instagram today is considered the most popular social media platform when considering sponsored posts and broader audience reach. Today more than 23% of marketers plan to integrate influencer marketing into their promotional campaigns. Instagram helps brands to optimize their projects with renowned influences on the platform. And the saturation of existing markets is further making it easier for brands to stand out across different platforms with fresh ideas. Driving Insights for On-Going Projects Today the major goal of any marketing campaign is to reach the target customers as quickly as possible after finding the right influencers and launching the campaign on the right platform. They can optimize their marketing campaign by breaking it down into smaller parts and evaluating the metrics at regular intervals to track growth. The sales funnel model can also be integrated to track results. By incorporating marketing messages, brands can complete several tasks and connect with their consumers through a series of important steps, ranging from brand awareness to action. Embracing the Current Trends Identifying and following current industry trends is a popular way for brands to employ data collection in the context of influencer marketing. It is also important to collect current user trends across different domains of the industry. This will help in assisting the marketer as well as the influencer in deciding which components to devote more time and production as well as resources, thereby determining where to direct the dedicated marketing dollars. Planning and Executing the Perfect Campaign Measuring the outcomes of an influencer marketing campaign requires extra planning. Brands should align their influencer campaigns with strategic business goals to witness the results through reliable data. It is about making attractive content across platforms that have in garnering attention and engaging the audience for a longer time. Read more: From Awareness to Adoption: Marketers are Exploring New Ways for Technology Adoption Final Thoughts Handling all of the accumulated data is a time-consuming task that mandates a thorough understanding of how influencer marketing campaign works. Data-driven influencer marketing involves analyzing every aspect of a marketing campaign to identify and understand the effectiveness of every influencer, along with the strategy to enhance future campaigns. With influencer marketing continuing to evolve and become more prevalent, organizations are putting in extra effort to set up reliable strategy mechanisms to yield more efficient outcomes. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in Market Research, SG Analytics enables organizations to achieve actionable insights into products, technology, customers, competition, and the marketplace to make insight-driven decisions. Contact us today if you are an enterprise looking to make critical data-driven decisions to prompt accelerated growth and breakthrough performance.
Web 3.0 Marketing Trends 2023: Everything You Need to Know
Technology has evolved to a stage where certain businesses are probably missing out on Web 3.0 Marketing. A digital trend, Web 3 marketing is compelling brands not to neglect the strategies and devise a plan to leverage the latest opportunities for higher ROIs. Today marketing is vital for every business making its transition into Web3. Brands within the ecosystem are now exploring and designing attention-grabbing campaigns to capture the attention of numerous users as well as to retain them. What is Web 3.0 Marketing? Web 3 marketing explores the web for emerging trends and new technologies. It is revolutionizing the way marketers and businesses use the Internet. Web 3.0 marketing entails more than just websites and SEO. A Web 3.0 environment helps in enhancing the user experience by offering rich and interactive advertising opportunities. It empowers marketers and brands to deliver more targeted ads to their consumers. With Web 3, marketers can devise a more efficient strategy to advertise their products. It also offers them access to different sources of data that are likely to affect their purchase decisions. These advanced user experience capabilities of Web 3.0 marketing enable marketers to dive into a new world of innovation in advertising and marketing. Read more: Role of Data Science, AI, and ML in Transforming Business Operations Preparing Brands for Web 3.0 Marketing A relatively new concept, Web 3 Marketing has introduced decentralized technologies in the world of marketing. With Web 2, organizations were integrating tools like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to attract clients to the products and services. However, Web 3 marketing takes them in a different direction, enabling them to leverage emerging trends and new technologies such as blockchain. In Web 3 marketing, marketers are adopting user-centric strategies to present and promote opportunities. Businesses are opening up to the idea of Web 3 marketing strategies by introducing new campaigning frameworks for their users to benefit from. Web 3 marketing enables businesses to accomplish similar brand and marketing goals, driven by a mission that focuses on its user's needs. Marketers and businesses are now considering Web 3.0 to be a marketing revolution. It is being perceived as the next evolution of the web in which website content and users are interconnected through seamless interfaces and communication channels. This integration allows companies to offer a personalized experience to the user that can be accessed on any device with real-time data-sharing capabilities. How are businesses being affected by the Web 3.0 wave? Businesses will have to be highly user-centric and transparent due to the integration of a decentralized structure. Users can have control over their data and privacy. Business owners will have to adapt to emerging blockchain technologies in order to ensure data transparency and open access. Read more: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Invest in 2023 Trends in Web3 Marketing The rise of Web3 technology has compelled businesses to explore innovative ways of engaging with their audiences. It is vital for marketing and PR firms to stay up to date with emerging trends, thus offering their clients the best possible service. Web3 has been popping up quite frequently and offering marketers unique opportunities where traditional earned media often fail to deliver. Let’s explore some of the significant trends in Web3 and how marketing and PR firms can leverage them. Metaverse Marketing By creating virtual experiences in the metaverse, brands are engaging their clients and reaching new audiences in unique ways. Today, a brand’s presence is crucial in the metaverse as it enables them to create an experience that resonates with their customers. Collaborating with other brands also offers a great way to reach and engage with audiences in the metaverse successfully. Many brands and marketing firms are working with their clients to create a virtual store across the metaverse platforms, allowing users to try on virtual products and purchase them. Such virtual events allow them to engage with their audiences in real time. Web 3 is enabling them to leverage social media and online communities and promote virtual events by building and fostering a thriving presence in this new space. Influencer Marketing In the emerging Web3 world, influencer marketing is evolving and becoming increasingly critical for brands for many reasons. Influencers with a deep understanding of Web3 platforms can better explain their benefits and use cases in a more accessible way. This further equips the brands to reach new audiences and increase adoption. The decentralized nature of Web3 technology implies a lack of credibility and trust in new projects. Known influencers can help establish trust in the community and products. Marketing or PR professionals are further collaborating with influencers who have large followings across social media platforms to promote their clients’ projects and products. Read more: Market Research Role: Guide to Decision Making in Business Additionally, they are also leveraging virtual influencers to create engaging content to reach new audiences. These metaverse influencers are digital characters that interact with the audiences and promote the brand's products. Some of the digital characters are even powered by artificial intelligence. Building a Strong Community Building and fostering a community is essential in the Web3 world created by decentralized networks and platforms. By building communities around a brand's products and services, marketing can create engagement, loyalty, as well as advocacy. Leveraging decentralized autonomous organization models allows the clients to incentivize their audiences and contribute to their brand innovations, thereby creating a sense of ownership and participation. If ownership is decentralized, the user can own a share of the organization through tokens. This further helps in creating a more democratic ownership structure, making the brand's user base more powerful and engaged. Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) Non-fungible tokens have emerged as the new popular elements in the Web3 world. NFTs are digital artwork designed by renowned artists that could be turned into an NFT, and the ownership of the NFT artwork is recorded on a blockchain. This would make the artwork unique and impossible to replicate. The NFTs are bought and sold on a digital marketplace. For marketing or PR professionals, it is vital to identify ways to integrate NFTs into their campaigns for their clients as it offers endless opportunities to create unique experiences for their targeted audiences. They can create NFTs and auction them off across different blockchain-based platforms to generate buzz for their brand. Additionally, NFTs can also be used to reward consumers for engaging with the brands. By embracing the new world of NFTs, marketers can further establish themselves as forward-thinking companies with a pulse of innovative strategies. Read more: From Awareness to Adoption: Marketers are Exploring New Ways for Technology Adoption Final Thoughts Technology has had a massive influence on the way businesses operate and connect with their audience. When considering marketing specifically, there have been different waves of technological advancement that have landed them with Web 3.0. Brands are continuing to leverage valuable resources, offering them the necessary exposure and helping them stay ahead of the trends. Web3 marketing is one of the emerging trends that even traditional businesses are taking advantage of to expand their reach. NFTs, metaverse, influencer marketing, and community building are some of the significant Web3 trends that businesses are embracing and leveraging to help their clients reach new audiences and build trust. By adapting to the new marketing frameworks, marketers are unlocking success in the Web3 world. By adopting the rich opportunities in Web 3 marketing, businesses can attain next-level growth and scalability, enabling them to retain a significant market share and stay ahead of their competitors. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in the Technology domain, SG Analytics partners with global technology enterprises across market research and scalable analytics. Contact us today if you are in search of combining market research, analytics, and technology capabilities to design compelling business outcomes driven by technology.
Tech Talent: Ways Organizations Can Diversify Their Talent Pool
Despite the looming recession and tech layoffs across organizations, there is a rising demand for tech talent. A recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlighted that there are approximately 162,900 openings for software developers, as well as quality assurance analysts and testers, and the field is developing at a rate of 25%, faster than average. Due to the growing war for talent, organizations understand the benefits of creating a diverse work environment to foster growth. It is vital for them to search for underrepresented talent for the betterment of the entire industry. While innovative and unique perspectives are critical, diversity helps bring in professionals from a range of backgrounds. Today it is important for industry leaders to identify that talent is all around us, not restricted to particular levels of education, gender identities, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, or abilities. Research has highlighted that organizations with diverse senior leadership are likely to attract the best talent and accomplish better than their competitors. Organizations are developing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and the benefits are more fully reflected in the expected outcome as well as the broad customer base. The impact of technology across the business and consumer worlds is continuing to expand, thus fostering the need to have a tech team with diverse cultures as well as educational and life experiences. Tech leaders are actively working to form diverse teams that can serve end-users better and also tap into the realm of new skills and potential. Read more: Market Research Role: Guide to Decision Making in Business Rethinking the Recruitment Process Many organizations still put traditional hiring methods into play when selecting talent, but with the evolving landscape, they cannot rely on them completely. One area that organizations need to be revamped is the job description. Many times, these job descriptions are full of bias. It is, therefore, imperative for employers to use inclusive language to attract diverse candidates. Additionally, they should also focus on skills rather than factors such as educational attainment rather than the kind of person they are seeking. Hiring managers are undergoing training to eliminate bias that too often creeps into the recruitment process. And it then becomes impossible to eliminate. However, managers are becoming more aware of reducing it. They are employing AI-powered tools that identify skills and competencies and limit the underlying human basis. It is therefore encouraging businesses to hire based on qualifications. Establish New Mentorship Initiatives Promoting diversity and inclusion within an organization requires building a culture of belonging and feeling a sense of belonging. One way for organizations to promote this sense of belonging is to introduce mentoring programs. By pairing senior and junior professionals together, new talent will be able to gain a sense of belonging and learn greater insight into the possibilities available in the tech world. With mentorship programs, the new talent will be able to understand how professionals succeed and become leaders in the industry. They will also learn ways to advance in their careers. Organic mentoring relationships will help establish a sense of accomplishment and belonging. The introduction of new programs will further help in ensuring that more individuals are included. Read more: US Job Growth Report: Why is the Market Slowing Down? Building a Connected Remote Workforce The philosophy behind designing a remote workforce is the belief that talent exists everywhere. By casting a wide geographic net, organizations will be able to identify and find untapped talent. They can reach candidates with a range of backgrounds that otherwise are not accessible if the talent acquisition teams rely on those within the immediate physical vicinity. This will further aid in adding to the rich diversity of the workforce. Training Employees for Rapid Innovation & Growth Industry leaders are understating the growing need to point out rapid technological advancements that are outpacing their ability to train the workforce properly. With new innovations, there is a growing threat of cyberattacks, as it is clear that hackers are also leveraging technologies to become more sophisticated. Traditionally, tech hiring practices always overemphasized an engineering background which also led to fewer women in the pipeline. However, it is important for organizations to note that talent can come from anywhere. Rather than excluding candidates, they should recruit talent with a focus on the requirements of the position. Employers should commit to upskilling their workers. While leadership cannot expect overburdened tech teams to take it upon themselves to explore and integrate new techniques or enroll in a course – the onus lies with the employers. Every organization should cultivate learning programs for the employees to be in regular contact with the latest industry trends by providing sponsored opportunities for training. They can also offer personalized training and certification recommendations, enabling the talent to upskill and cross-train talent at scale. Read more: From Awareness to Adoption: Marketers are Exploring New Ways for Technology Adoption Making Diversity Central to the Organization's Mission. Diversity can’t be listed as an item on the organizational to-do list. It is an ongoing process that should be a top priority and central to their mission. Integrating diversity across every operation should be a well-communicated value. Organizations should continue to explore opportunities to further this mission by fostering diverse individuals with strong potential, establishing ERGs, brainstorming initiatives, and offering new learning opportunities. Today businesses depend on innovation and the best talent to succeed. It is, therefore, vital to establish an all-inclusive and diverse culture, allowing employees to grow and contribute to the industry. Revamping the Traditional Recruiting Practices The tech industry is notoriously popular for its lack of diversity. A recent report highlighted that 25% of tech workers are women. Representation of women as well as people of color, in the tech industry, is significantly below the average across all sectors. It is, therefore, crucial for organizations to welcome diverse talent pools by revamping their hiring practices. Many employers often demand a degree for entry-level jobs. And adding a four-year degree requirement screens a majority of candidates from different programs. While it is unrealistic to expect recent college or apprenticeship graduates to possess the required industry skills for a decades-long career in cybersecurity, by creating a learning and development framework, organizations can introduce employees to the key components of the employee lifecycle and get fast-paced with growth. By reiterating degree requirements and considering candidates from non-traditional educational paths, organizations can facilitate new growth opportunities and make their tech teams diverse with skilled talent. Read more: How will Organizations Prioritize Employee Health and Well-being in 2023? Final Thoughts It is time for tech leaders to ensure that their organization is genuinely inclusive. This implies that the company's culture should foster a sense of belonging and be authentically collaborative. The organizational policies should proactively discourage silos and exclusive behavior. But filling key IT roles is tough, especially across specific domains like cybersecurity area. Attracting the right talent is an equally significant challenge. One shortsighted action many organizations take a traditional four-year degree or related field into consideration for an entry-level role. Reports have presented that almost 57% of tech employers decline to interview a candidate who does not have a degree, regardless if the candidate has the necessary experience. Employers are expanding and diversifying their existing talent pipeline to offer their employees real-world learning opportunities and build their skill sets. With a diverse talent on board, employers should also ensure that the talent feels supported. This growing cultural shift within teams and technology companies mandates more attention to implementing comprehensive DE&I strategies across different domains and providing equal opportunities to learn, grow, and advance further. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in Market intelligence consulting, SG Analytics enables organizations to achieve actionable insights into products, technology, customers, competition, and the marketplace to make insight-driven decisions. Contact us today if you are an enterprise looking to make critical data-driven decisions to prompt accelerated growth and breakthrough performance.
Is ESG & Sustainability the Next Big Thing in the Finance Industry
While the financial industry and sustainability do not go hand in hand, the scenario is about to change. The value of financial assets in the global capital markets is continuing to increase. The financing gap to reach the 2030 Agenda represents only 1% of the hundreds of trillions of dollars saved in the global financial system. However, the financial sector is not yet aligned in support of the global goals. The financial services sector has a stake in ESG, from the impact of climate change, fossil fuels, and alternative energy sources on the growing capital markets. These effects have had and are likely to have negative impacts on financial services globally. It is in the best welfare of the financial sector to address the underlying ESG risks from one perspective and work towards aligning their social forces to push for change. While some financial institutions have been advancing this trajectory, many are slowly addressing ESG primarily as a reactive effort to align with their external pressure. But with the appropriate strategy and the right processes, and technology capabilities, organizations can integrate ESG initiatives into their framework and use it to their advantage to create more business opportunities. Read more: Sustainable Aviation: How Sustainable Aviation Fuel Will Assist in Flying CO2-neutral Taking Customer's Conscience into Consideration Financial institutions are shifting their priorities from shareholder to stakeholder, mainly in the form of changes to governance models to accommodate socially responsible behaviors. And with the announcement of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, financial institutions are adding the environmental and social aspects of ESG to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable growth. Today consumers are of the opinion that companies should be actively working towards creating ESG best practices and aligning their beliefs with their own. And as customers are following their conscience, they have an increasingly critical voice in how sustainable practices are being embraced globally. The rising pressure to embrace diversity, equality, and inclusion is being further strengthened by the prevalence of ESG ratings and social media. Customers' demands for financial institutions to behave in ways that align with socially responsible policies are becoming more visible than ever before. Many customers are changing loyalties and selecting to do business with organizations whose strategies address environmental and social responsibility. There has been rising equality and a lack of accountability to measure sustainable efforts. And there is an urgent need for firms to better understand the existing environmental, social, and governance factors that impact long-term risk-adjusted ROIs. Financial institutions need to take action and advance the alignment of the operational systems to be in more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development. Integrating Sustainability Metrics in Investment Plans Most public institutions are updating their investment methodologies to incorporate sustainability metrics as a vital part of their return on investment (ROI) analysis. The transition from viewing sustainability as a source of risk management to a unique driver of returns is becoming transformative for many companies. Read more: Driving Sustainable Revenue with Product-led Growth Many organizations today have evolved from a purely risk-oriented approach by targeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. They have started optimizing their operational frameworks to attract customers, investors, and talent. However, the next stage in this evolution is to drive sustainable transformation by making ROI a key focus. The increased adoption of ESG into investment cycles across financial institutions is leading to an increase in ESG expertise within investment teams. But the real potential for disruptive innovations can be encountered at the intersection of ESG data analysis and financial data. For many, taking the lead on ESG involves embedding ESG into the investment cycle along with due diligence, onboarding, and reporting is still a hard nut to crack. A few players in the finance industry are meaningfully stepping up their ESG policies by examining material issues through the lens of value creation and compliance checklists. They are identifying new opportunities that are contributing to generating healthy returns. Embracing ESG as a Driver of Returns Traditional investment methodologies overlooked the value of intangible benefits when considering investment returns. However, today organizations are embracing sustainability and integrating it as a driver of returns. They are updating their investment criteria and assessing the nontangible benefits of their investments. Organizations connecting to a broader corporate strategy witness new benefits and be perceived as a favorable option by investors and other stakeholders. Financial institutions are partially mitigating the challenges of a higher interest rate environment by allocating ESG-linked bonds that gain more favorable discount rates. A recent Gartner report predicted that more than $3 trillion of ESG-linked bonds are likely to be issued by the year 2026, which will account for approximately 30% of total market issuance. Many institutions have already experienced positive returns by placing emphasis on sustainability and through small-scale, green capital investments. It is further enabling the industry to facilitate longer-term and transformative sustainability investments to investors and businesses across different sectors. Read more: Sustainability in Tech: 3 Ways for Companies to Become More Sustainable Adjusting ESG Investment Methodologies To further align their sustainability goals financially, industry leaders are adjusting their investment methodologies across different areas, like: Assessing their geographic portfolios to explore new opportunities with stated ESG objectives. Gartner highlighted that almost 30% of multinational organizations are set to streamline their geographies and subsidiaries due to sustainability regulatory requirements by the year 2026. Ensuring that investments that demonstrate a clear benefit to the organization are considered equal. Aligning operational framework with strategic objectives by balancing long-term sustainability investments with additional aggressive short-term investments. Leveraging existing frameworks and accounting models to support the growth in organizations estimating the value of intangibles. Key Highlights Investors and companies are increasingly weighing the current climate risk into their investment decision framework and finding answers to persist whether regulatory solutions offer a better sustainable path forward. Scientific research indicates climate risk is likely to impact global growth soon. Uncoordinated regulatory responses are further creating confusion and doubt in the financial markets. But market-based solutions are also plagued by inconsistent standards and terminology. With effective and standardized ESG disclosure, institutions need to foster sustainable growth. Read more: Sustainability Outlook: Is ESG an Investment Strategy or a Path to Creating a Sustainable World? Making ESG a Priority for Growth Implementing an ESG capability requires finding solutions to some vital queries. They are as follows: What areas of ESG does a business want to address? Are there clear of their short- and long-term objectives? Do they have measurable key performance indicators that can be used to track their journey? What constitutes "wins" and "losses" during the journey? What lines of business or domains will be impacted? How will they track their efforts? How can the accumulated insights be used to shape future ESG policies? If any future ESG regulations arise, will the existing data support the audit and compliance? How will organizations track their investments in ESG along with ESG-based initiatives? How will they manage the possible risks in ESG initiatives and other frameworks? What skills and technologies will be required to manage ESG compliance? How will they integrate ESG into overall business planning and governance? Integrating ESG practices into existing operations is a complex undertaking. However, for financial institutions to succeed, the frameworks should be backed by a variety of skills and technology. This involves introducing a new breed of risk management and strong data analytics capabilities along with automation to avoid creating new sources of complexity. The financial industry now needs to start identifying answers to these questions and employing technology that aligns with the ESG requirements. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in ESG Services, SG Analytics offers bespoke sustainability consulting services and research support for informed decision-making. Contact us today if you are in search of an efficient ESG integration and management solution provider to boost your sustainable performance.
2023 Outlook: Top Data Analytics Technologies Transforming Organizational Operations
Big data is no longer an emerging technology; it has officially established itself in the mainstream. Today, almost every organization is on its big data journey. With big data adoption growing, analytics is becoming the natural next thing to make sense of the accumulated data efficiently and ethically. With technologies in data analytics maturing, they are shaping the markets across sectors. Many emerging data analytics technologies are impacting organizational performance. And with businesses moving to a data-driven business model, integration of advanced data analytics is becoming necessary to survive the cut-throat competition in the digital age. In this evolution of data, the biggest impediment for organizations is the adoption of cultural challenges, including organizational resistance, operational alignment, and lack of understanding. The ability to employ data for intelligent business decisions is becoming the key differentiator for a successful and unsuccessful enterprise. Intelligent data-based workflows and seamless operational interactions are becoming the standard. Read more: An Ultimate Guide: Business Intelligence in Data Analytics Establishing a Technology-driven Data Analytics Strategy Big data analytics today plays a vital role in organizational efficiency. The upcoming data analytics technologies combine several techniques and processing methods to obtain relevant insights for strategic data management and implementation. However, to leverage the power of data and transform the enterprise, organizations are still struggling to establish a data-driven culture. The benefits of data strategies are enabling organizations to gain a competitive advantage, thereby assisting with enhanced awareness of workforce gains by employing analytics as the basis for decision-making. How can organizations benefit by deploying a strong data analytics strategy – Reduce organizational costs Data analytics solutions help in establishing efficient manufacturing processes with demand-driven production. Automation and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling businesses to reduce manual work to achieve cost efficiency in operations. Further insights help managers in designing frameworks that promote agile work environments, thereby reducing overall costs. Enhance workforce efficiency Data-driven decision-making enables businesses to boost confidence in the processes as well as the employees. With employees becoming more proactive and productive with decision-making, quantifiable data helps in making insights-driven decisions. This further helps in increasing the efficiency of the organization as a whole. Establish competitive pricing By creating differentiated pricing strategies, businesses can develop competitive pricing and associate revenue benefits. Organizations are also able to tackle similar products and services by employing big data to gain a price advantage. Drive brand loyalty Customers respond better to relationship-driven marketing. By integrating data analytics, organizations can leverage the existing insights of a client's requirements and expectations to provide services accordingly. This enables them to significantly improve the chances of repeat orders and establish long-term customer relationships. Read more: Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS): A Brief Overview of the Next Data Evolution Top Data Analytics Technologies in 2023 With data emerging as an increasingly significant part of everyday operations, the need to collect, store, and analyze data has never been greater. Data analytics technologies are constantly evolving to meet these challenges, and the landscape will only become more complex in the years to come. Let's explore some of the top data analytics technologies businesses should be aware of in 2023. Predictive Analytics One of the exceptional tools for businesses to avoid risks in decision-making, predictive analytics assists in discovering, evaluating, and deploying predictive scenarios by processing big data. Predictive analytics solutions help businesses to be prepared for future trends as well as help them identify and solve problems by analyzing them. With the data analytics market maturing, enterprises are integrating data analytics to leverage data and predict the future. Across industries, predictive analytics is already in use. Banks and financial institutions are designing analytics solutions to predict and manage risks across credit cards, insurance premiums, loans, etc. Marketers are undertaking data analysis to display the right advertisement and attract the right audience at the right place. Law enforcement agencies are employing predictive analytics for crime detection and prevention. The healthcare industry is integrating its operation with predictive analytics for early disease detection. Augmented Data Analytics One of the biggest problems businesses face with big data is the need to cleanse and prepare the data by building analytics and dashboards. But manual processes significantly restrict the capabilities of data analytics. It is due to this reason that augmented data analytics is steadily gaining attention. Augmented data analytics involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) along with natural language processing (NLP) for business intelligence. And chatbots are also assisting organizations with data discovery, data cleansing, data management, categorization, etc. Stream Analytics Data accumulated within the organization needs to be processed and stored on multiple platforms in different formats. Stream analytics software is highly helpful in filtering, aggregation, and analysis of the accumulated data. With stream analytics, organizations can establish connections with external data sources and integrate them into the application flow. Distributed Storage Distributed files help in containing the replicated data and offer a way to counter independent node failures and loss of big data sources. The data is often replicated for low latency, enabling quick access across large computer networks. These are usually non-relational databases. Read more: How is Data Analytics Equipping Organizations to Accelerate Diversity and Inclusion? Data Virtualization Data virtualization allows applications to retrieve data without implementing any technical restrictions like data formats. It is employed by many significant distributed data stores to establish real-time or near real-time access to data stored across different platforms. Data virtualization is also considered one of the most employed big data technologies. Data Integration A key challenge for many organizations is handling the accumulated big data and processing it in a way that can be useful for customer deliverables. Data integration tools enable organizations to streamline their data across different big data solutions. Data-as-a-Service (DAAS) Organizations are increasingly integrating Data-as-a-Service (DAAS) software into their operations. Established on cloud computing technology, DAAS enables businesses to access, manage, as well as analyze data from any location. It also makes data storage and analysis cost-effective. In 2023, more and more companies are expected to join the bandwagon and implement DAAS tools across their framework. The market value for DAAS is estimated to grow to $10.7 billion in the year 2023. How can Businesses Benefit from Data Analytics? Many businesses today lack the resources to go all in on their big data investments. Therefore, they require a smarter strategy to stay updated with emerging data analytics technologies. Instead of worrying about using big or small data sets, businesses should invest in small-scale analytics and focus on utilizing data technology analytics for enterprise decision-making. Rather than collecting all sorts of data in anticipation of future usage, they should use data sets that solve immediate problems. Business executives today rely on personal experience instead of business data-driven results. For an organization to integrate the tech, they need to introduce the big data culture across organizational operations. Employing cloud computing is also fundamental for implementing data analytics solutions effectively. Businesses can benefit a lot more from big data implementation if they set their goals. However, the successes of businesses in implementing big data solutions rely on - the availability of data and the implementation of the right technologies. Read more: Integrating Data and Artificial Intelligence in Business Strategy to meet ESG Goals Final Thoughts In today's data age, the challenge for businesses lies not just in surviving the evolving landscape but also in thriving. The rapid adoption of data analytics tools is radically encouraging many corporations to gain an edge over competitors. Developing these technologies is further helping companies augment their operational potential and reimagine business fundamentals while driving value. This rise in new innovations is further set to accelerate change and expansive growth. While data analytics is already being used to improve operational efficiency, it is also equipping organizations with the ability to make informed decisions and stay updated with the latest up-to-the-moment information. And there is no doubt that data analytics will continue to play a vital part in many different industries. But, in order to reap more benefits, it is equally important for organizations to train their employees in evolving data analytics management. With proper management, businesses can become more productive and efficient. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in Data Analytics, SG Analytics focuses on leveraging data management & analytics and data science to help businesses discover new insights and build strategies for business growth. Contact us today if you are looking to make critical data-driven decisions to prompt accelerated growth and breakthrough performance.
Employing Data and Analytics to Drive a Strong Marketing Strategy
With the marketing world evolving and becoming more complex, businesses are experiencing a growing need to incorporate data and analytics into their marketing plans. It equips them to understand their customers and how they interact with the brand. It is also assisting them in making more informed decisions about reaching their target audience and meeting their marketing objectives. Businesses are incorporating data-driven marketing strategies to generate more ROI. Understanding Marketing Analytics Marketing with data analytics indicates measuring, analyzing, and applying data to marketing campaigns to track the results of campaigns and enhance the ROI. Incorporating analytics implies using data and business intelligence for informed decision-making. This involves measuring marketing activity as well as performance while gathering insights into customer behavior. The goal is to understand better how customers are engaging with a specific brand. Today data is changing the marketing game for all. Companies integrating data and analytics have reported profitability 5-6 percent higher than their peers. Data enables them to make informed decisions and improve their marketing ROI. The process begins with data collection and adding tools like Google Analytics to the website to collect information on the behavior of users. The real component is to analyze and interpret the collected data and apply the insights to the marketing campaigns. Businesses can incorporate data analytics into new as well as existing marketing campaigns. However, it can often be difficult for businesses to decipher and figure out how to react to these insights. It is simply not enough to keep track of progress. This is the reason data and analytics are emerging as the most useful tool to interpret the accumulated data and use it to transform their marketing plan. Read more: Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS): A Brief Overview of the Next Data Evolution Using Data Analytics in Marketing Marketing with data analytics offers results. Research by Forrester highlighted that marketers who integrate five or more tools in their marketing analytics are 39% more likely to witness improvements in their marketing campaigns. It helps in removing the guesswork from the campaigns and allows marketers to make choices related to marketing spend. Marketing with data analytics enables businesses to set better goals, too. They can incorporate insights from past performance and determine whether there is a visible increase in web traffic from SEO. Data analytics enables businesses to create better and more personalized campaigns. Personalization plays a significant role in marketing. Businesses cannot personalize their marketing strategies and messages to customers if they are now aware of their wants, needs, or behaviors. With consumers becoming incredibly selective of the brands they interact with, employing data to create amazing customer experiences is vital for success. Finally, using data makes it easier for brands to grow their marketing budget. While securing a marketing budget is one of the biggest challenges for businesses, data analytics makes it much easier to design a case by incorporating the right insights into the marketing campaigns. Data analytics helps in proving to the executives that increasing the marketing spend is likely to have a measurable increase in sales. Incorporating Data and Analytics into the Marketing Plan Businesses are embracing data-driven campaigns and prioritizing data analysis skills. If you are a business trying to identify how to make use of all the data you’ve been collecting, the following insights will help you understand how data and analytics can help you revamp your marketing strategy. Read more: From Awareness to Adoption: Marketers are Exploring New Ways for Technology Adoption Personalizing the customer experience Customers generate data with their habits. This data can be used to study and identify the browsing behavior of the consumer based on their previous purchase. This data further helps in designing a personalized marketing campaign for the target audience. The data can be used to design and send customized messages to customers. Business intelligence coupled with data analytics enables marketers to tailor their marketing campaigns that resonate with the target audience. Business intelligence further equips them to identify the keywords that generate the most traffic. These keywords can be used in the website content and blog posts to rank higher on search engine pages. Analytics further helps in tracking the website’s click-through rate, providing marketers with an idea of how effective their website is in terms of SEO. If the click-through rate is low, businesses should optimize their website for better results. Additionally, data also helps in determining the websites that help in generating the most referral traffic. Creating Content that Customers Care About Businesses can leverage data and analytics to design content that their audience will love. Marketing analytics helps in understanding the type of content that can drive the most engagement. This data can be used to produce similar content that resonates with the audience. Based on the collected insights, marketers can create content with the latest trends to engage the audience as well as boost awareness of your business. Marketers can also use data analytics to enhance the quality of their content. They can track the average time spent by the audience on their page. If the average time spent is low, it indicates that the content is not interesting enough. In such cases, marketers can use data analytics to improve the quality of their content. Read more: Data & Analytics Strategy: Must-Have Crucial Elements for Decision Making Enhancing Customer Journey Almost 90% of digital marketers agree that understanding user journeys across different channels is an important marketing practice. Therefore, businesses should integrate analytics to rethink as well as improve their customer journey. Data analytics can assist in removing guesswork and creating a seamless experience. Data analytics tools such as Google Analytics enable businesses to track metrics that indicate how customers engage with their brand. Some of the crucial factors to remember when re-designing the customer journey include the following: Checking the content drill down and identifying pages that the customers visit the most. Identifying opportunities to improve the web and social media pages. Tracking the bounce rate to see how people behave on the website. Boosting social media efforts It is easy to employ data analytics and enhance social media campaigns. With the right tools, marketers can track the engagement of their posts as well as their reach. This helps in understanding the types of content that garner the most attention. Marketers can also use this data to generate similar content that attracts more engagement. The data can also be used to track the demographics of social media followers as well as to create targeted and relevant content. Read more: Top Data Science Trends to Look Forward in 2023 Building a strong buyer persona One of the best ways to employ big data and analytics is to design a buyer persona depending on the behavior of the target audience. This data helps in gaining insights into consumer needs and wants and thus helps in creating strong buyer personas to guide marketing efforts. By leveraging data analytics, marketers can create a buyer persona that can significantly help boost the success of their marketing efforts. With accurate buyer personas, businesses can align their marketing tactics with the requirements of their target audience. Leveraging Data Analytics to Improve Marketing Today data is considered the new gateway to customer insights and interests. By employing the collected information, brands can revitalize their marketing strategies and deliver accurate marketing messages to the right audience with the right channels. Data and analytics are emerging as essential tools for businesses to stay a step ahead of the competition. Big data is a must for brands that are exploring opportunities to improve their decision-making as well as understand the customer journey to strengthen their marketing efforts. To launch a new marketing campaign or optimize an existing one, data analytics is assisting businesses in improving their results and helping their business grow. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. A leader in Data Analytics, SG Analytics focuses on leveraging data management & analytics, and data science to help businesses discover new insights and build strategies for business growth. Contact us today if you are looking to make critical data-driven decisions to prompt accelerated growth and breakthrough performance.
Secondary Deals to Heat Up as IPO Slowdown Continues
A challenging macroeconomic backdrop significantly reduced VC- and PE-backed exits in 2022. The overall VC and PE-backed IPOs on US exchanges dropped from 309 in 2021 to just 42 in 2022, representing a massive drop in total proceeds, which also dropped from $763 billion in 2021 to just over $9 billion in 2022. Even considering 2021 to be an outlier, the drop is huge, with the total proceeds at the lowest level since 2009. Read more: Will Big Tech be the Ultimate Financial Services Disruptor? Figure 1: US IPOs See Dramatic Dip In 2022 Note: Data as of February 1, 2023 Source: Pitchbook As the sharp pullback in the IPO market is leading to a liquidity crunch, secondary markets – where buyers and sellers can trade pre-IPO stock – are in the spotlight. Once considered a rather niche segment with limited participants and a focus on distressed sellers, the secondary private market has grown into a large market with deal volume reaching $134 billion in 2021, nearly 5x from 2013, per data from HarbourVest and Evercore Secondary Market Survey Results. Figure 2: Secondary Private Markets’ Growth Since 2013 Read more: US Job Growth Report: Why is the Market Slowing Down? Why are Secondary Private Markets Poised to Grow? Over the last decade, secondary transactions have gained prominence in the VC world due to a number of reasons. For one, the tremendous growth of private capital and the subsequent rise in demand and supply of liquidity is capturing the attention of the big secondary players. According to estimates from Hamilton Lane, the net asset value in the entire private market is $6.5 trillion today. Additionally, a longer timeline for an IPO makes it hard for early investors to exit within their fund’s lifecycle, necessitating the need for alternative exit options. With median time-to-IPO now touching 11 years (per research by the University of Florida Professor Jay Ritter), the typical 10-year fund structure doesn’t fit the exit-at-IPO strategy. Moreover, the proliferation of new secondary deal structures has contributed to the growth of the venture secondary market. A survey from Evercore suggests that a diverse range of players, such as family offices, insurance companies, and funds of funds, are getting familiar with secondaries. These investors often have large portfolios and are looking for ways to rebalance their holdings. Fig 3: Secondary Volume Growth Drivers Source: Hamilton Lane, Evercore Read more: The Future of Decentralized Data Systems Driven by Artificial Intelligence Additionally, the increasing value accumulation in unicorns could drive more secondary activity. Per CB Insights, there are around 1,170 unicorns globally as of July 2022. Companies like SpaceX and ByteDance are now valued at more than a large majority of their public counterparts and have billions of dollars in unrealized gains. Industry Ventures estimates around $1.1 trillion of unrealized NAV in VC funds of 2016 vintage and older. And while not all LPs are willing to wait for the IPO market to open, secondaries could serve as a meaningful source of liquidity. To take advantage of the thriving secondaries market and strengthen their presence in the industry, investors are either raising new funds for secondaries or considering doing so. In 2022, Apollo Global Management launched its $4 billion secondary platform, called S3, with capital commitments from investors, including Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Ardian and BlackRock too raised new funds for buying secondary shares in private equity. According to research by Oxford Economics and the Beneficient Company Group, more rebalancing opportunities in private markets would lead to better returns and reduced risks for investors. Secondaries allow investors to rejig their private markets portfolios based on economic cycles and macroeconomic factors. The US secondary private market has also become more efficient and accessible in recent years, with the growth of technology platforms and specialized secondary funds. These platforms and funds provide liquidity to investors by matching buyers and sellers, and they often have more flexible investment criteria than traditional venture capital firms. Read more: Innovation in Defense Tech: Private Funding Opportunities on the Rise As we navigate 2023, the outlook for the secondary private markets appears bright. The latest 4Q22 secondary data from Caplight, a startup that monitors secondary activity, reveals an increase in the number of bids, indicating that buyers are more willing to offer better prices for shares in companies. This trend is a positive sign for the secondary market and reflects renewed confidence among investors. The increased interest in secondary activity is also reflective of a broader trend in the investment landscape, with investors seeking new opportunities to diversify their portfolios. As a result, the secondary market is becoming an increasingly attractive option, offering investors the chance to access high-quality assets at more competitive prices. With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide. Partner of choice for lower middle market-focused Investment Banks and Private Equity firms, SG Analytics provides offshore analysts to support across the deal life cycle. Our complimentary access to a full back-office research ecosystem (database access, graphics team, sector & domain experts, and technology-driven automation of tactical processes) positions our clients to win more deal mandates and execute these deals in the most efficient manner.
