Rising Costs stories

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

CFOs rank AI skills and market shocks as top threats, as talent shortages, rising costs and geopolitical turmoil squeeze finance teams.

Late payments are pushing more Australian small firms into debt, draining weeks on chasing invoices and fuelling rising financial stress.

Fleet operators cautiously trial AI to tame rising costs as ageing vehicles and maintenance bottlenecks drive up downtime and service spend.

Trans-Tasman small firms are upbeat and boosting tech and marketing, yet consumers report patchy service and missing digital basics.

Spark and Icehouse will run free nationwide AI and productivity workshops to help New Zealand SMEs lift performance and overcome tech barriers.

Stress is surging for New Zealand's small business owners, with nearly half considering closing as rising costs and tax shocks take their toll.

Despite rising costs and softening profits, 92% of New Zealand's SMEs remain confident in their business outlook over the next year and five years ahead.

ReveNet warns APAC's USD $55bn A2P SMS revenue faces steep decline without urgent operator action to tackle rising costs, fraud, and fragmented regulation.

Legacy IT systems hamper security and performance, forcing firms to choose between protection and agility amid rising hybrid work and regulatory demands.

SMBs across Asia Pacific embrace AI and cloud to boost growth, yet face rising cybersecurity challenges needing smarter, integrated security strategies.

With Microsoft Exchange 2016 and 2019 ending support in 2025, organisations face critical choices over email privacy, cost, and data control in Australia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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