Applications have transformed the mobile phone into a sort of remote control, allowing consumers to research and shop for products and services whenever they want. This, coupled with the fact that they can also pay for these products and services digitally, has created the mobile market. In China, the mobile market has become a significant channel for retailers, and blurring these lines between the physical and virtual worlds has been a great way for Chinese merchants to reach customers.

The mobile market based upon messaging has been especially important in China. Since email arrived only late in China, mobile messaging applications dominated communication, leaving the country with a market that was mobile focused. In addition, because of the number of crowded urban areas, mobile is an easier way to research and a natural platform for marketing. Mobile adoption is also helped by the fact that entrepreneurs simply want to better market and grow their businesses.

The Chinese are using mobile as a direct business to consumer sales channel, encouraging all types of communication. Chinese retailers work on the basis that innovation online engages consumers offline. By using geo-targeting, merchants can engage consumers online while still offering the in-store experience. Simply put, geo-targeting is a way of delivering content to customers based on their location. This targeting allows brands to tailor content to what customers want and need based on their current, or even past locations. This type of insight improves the customer-brand experience, allowing brands to better meet customer needs, helping them deliver services to the right place at the right time, and allowing them to find new customers thanks to the gathered data.

Moxian, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOXC), a company engaged in the business of providing social media marketing and promotion platforms designed to help merchants grow their business via social media, not only offers merchants the chance to find out where their consumers are, but also allows consumers to search for merchants. Its two core products, Moxian+ User and Moxian+ Business, work together to create the ultimate shopping experience while giving merchants insights into their consumers’ buying patterns through intelligent data analytics.

This geo-targeting is coupled with a variety of other analytical tools that help merchants get to know their customers, retain them, and push informational and promotional tools to them. The company also offers a Loyalty Program feature through its Moxian+ Business application, giving merchants the chance to do precise and predictive marketing to the right audiences. The company recently announced its transition to its Moxian+ paid platform, moving away from the no-charge beta technology it has used since its beginnings.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Moxian.com

Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that up to 75% of the United States’ waste stream is recyclable, only 30% of it actually gets recycled each year, according to RecoverUSA.com (http://dtn.fm/C7ncW). Approximately one-third of an average landfill is made up of packaging material, with more than 60% of the landfill being paper, plastic, food waste, glass, and metal.

Only 1% of aluminum products and 1% of plastic products are recycled in the United States each year, although Americans discard 25 million plastic bottles every hour. With paper and cardboard making up most of industrial waste products, if companies establish a paper and cardboard recycling program, they would make a serious positive impact on the environment.

National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTC: NWMH), a growing solid waste management company, is doing everything in its power to educate the people of Florida about the critical value of recycling. Aside from the company’s recent shift in services, NWMH has plans of transforming its fundamental business model to include a portable picking station at the company’s landfill that will help the state meet its mandate for 75% recycling by 2020.

National Waste Management believes that, despite modern-day efforts to make the world more sustainable, people do not understand the full meaning of the common catch phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle”. According to the company: “It’s a simple premise but contains logistics that most don’t consider. By the time you’re ready to recycle something, there are already many environmentally-conscious decisions that have been missed.”

The company is trying to encourage a shift in consumer focus on products that are designed better and produce less waste. Not only this, it wants to help people put more thought into reusing materials and products, as well as educate themselves on products that are made of materials that are recyclable and are accepted by their local waste management services.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.nationalwastemgmt.com

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eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) will hold its annual shareholders meeting on April 27, 2017, at the Coronado Island Marriott in Coronado, California, and the company is urging eXp Realty agent-owners, entrepreneurial real estate professionals, and investors to attend. eXp World Holdings is the holding company for eXp Realty LLC, an agent-owned cloud-based real estate brokerage.

The meeting will be held against a backdrop of the company’s rapid growth to more than 3,000 agents in the U.S. and Canada, a 25% increase from the 2,401 agents recorded at the end of 2016. It took the company approximately four months to go from 2,000 to 3,000 agents, almost half the time it took to move from 1,000 agents to 2,000. The company indicated that, year-over-year, in 2015 and 2016, it enjoyed a 200% increase in agent count.

eXp Realty is a full-service residential real estate company. It offers its agents training through a fully immersive cloud-based environment. The company also attracts agents through its program of commission incentives supplemented by agent-ownership opportunities.

eXp World Holdings presented at the ROTH Conference and detailed its unique model incentives. In its February 2017 investor presentation (http://dtn.fm/3rmVJ), the company described its cloud-based campus, with its ability to eliminate brick-and-mortar expenses and support staff. The firm operates in 42 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Alberta, Canada.

EXPI also offers agents access to eXp University, a virtual classroom experience where agents can receive more than 25 hours of training a week. Agents in the cloud environment can work from any location, invest minimal capital, share commissions, and enjoy exponential bandwidth as the number of agents grows. Ownership is earned through an incentive program.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.eXpWorldHoldings.com

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Although legal in 28 states for medicinal use, cannabis is still considered a dangerous substance in much of the country. However, many experts now believe that cannabis is a safe alternative to pharmaceuticals for relieving symptoms related to multiple illnesses. Scientific research shows that phytocannabinoids, cannabinoids that occur naturally in the cannabis plant, are effective at relieving convulsions, seizures, anxiety, nausea, and inflammation. From fighting glaucoma to controlling epileptic seizures and easing pain, scientific research has repeatedly shown the efficacy of medicinal marijuana.

Due to government misclassification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, there has been only marginal progress in the utilization of phytocannabinoids, which hold such promise in disease treatment and pain mitigation. Although many pharmaceutical companies still avoid association with cannabinoids, attitudes are changing, and the medicinal benefits of marijuana are being recognized for their worth.

With changes in the acceptance of medicinal marijuana, some pharmaceutical companies are finally beginning to unpack the myriad of potential benefits phytocannabinoids hold. India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) is pioneering such efforts. A multi-faceted company with global experience, India Globalization has a primary focus on developing novel cannabis-based therapies for the treatment of debilitating or life threatening conditions. The company’s current pipeline of patented drugs is focused on large market maladies, including therapeutics for neuropathic pain, human and animal seizures, refractory epilepsy, and eating disorders. Several of the company’s products are scheduled for pre-clinical trials this year.

A transformation is now underway in the medical use of cannabinoids for disease treatment, and India Globalization “believe(s) that the legalization of the cannabis industry will create an explosion in demand for cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical therapies, technology, facilities, and financial services.” With a patent portfolio of cannabinoid-based therapies, the company is well positioned for the quickly arriving time when medical cannabis gains widespread acceptance.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us

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Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI), in its March 15, 2017, presentation at the ROTH Conference (http://dtn.fm/zhZm7), said that its B2B and B2C site, NextTrip.com, will be enhanced in 2Q2017 and its wholesale travel partner, Mark Travel (www.MarkTravel.com), is an important element of its strategic advantage.

Monaker Group is a high technology travel provider that offers users an all-in-one site with artificial intelligence that provides conventional travel, alternative leisure rentals (ALR), and a library of videos to help consumers and businesses choose their plans. The booking engine offers real-time digital data and reduces the time it takes to book diverse travel from hours to minutes, the company said in its ROTH Presentation slide deck.

The company said Mark Travel, through its Trisept Solutions technology firm, will power Monaker Group’s NextTrip and offer expanded product offerings and distribution. Monaker Group said Mark Travel offers both B2B and B2C advantages. In B2B, it offers its VAX XML link to more than 200 companies. Its VAX VacationAccess system is a portal for more than 70,000 travel agents and greater than 50 leisure travel suppliers, together accounting for more than $1 billion in annual bookings. In B2C, Mark Travel offers Monaker Group preferential pricing for air, car, hotel, and ground activities. It will also offer integration with its travel-linked artificial intelligence platform.

“Trisept has the most advanced technology available for leisure vacation packaging today,” commented Bill Kerby, chairman and CEO of Monaker Group. “Expanding NextTrip’s capabilities and access to agents and consumers will accelerate our growth and differentiate us from our competition.”

In addition to the technological advantages, Monaker Group’s marketing efforts are set to benefit from partnering with wholesaler Mark Travel. At $3 billion in annual sales, Mark Travel is the largest wholesaler of travel in North America. It owns Funjet Vacations, founded in 1974, which specializes in personalized and independent vacations for groups and individuals.

Mark Travel’s other brands include Southwest Vacations, United Vacations, Mark International, Showtime Tours, Blue Sky Tours, and My Destination Wellness. The company offers service to more than 1,100 destinations globally and specializes in end-to-end travel service for its clients.

To Monaker Group, Mark Travel offers Trisept Solutions, a high technology travel platform through which it offers several other booking advantages. These include VAX VacationAccess, a $1 billion booking engine that brings together more than 70,000 travel agents with more than 50 leisure travel suppliers. Also, Mark Travel brings its Xcelerator agency platform with artificial intelligence. Its Synapse provides back office travel functions on a secure and seamless platform, Monaker Group added.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

The U.S. medical and recreational marijuana industry continues to expand. Even though the debate over medical efficacy and the concerns over recreational marijuana use continue to cause political and social divisions within the country, the investment community is moving rapidly from benign interest to embracing the marijuana industry as a significant investment opportunity.

At the recent 29th annual ROTH conference, an investment conclave attracting global financial gurus, even traditionally conservative industries like private equity groups took serious consideration of the marijuana market opportunities. The opening conference panel discussion centered on the medical uses for marijuana and emphasized the upside potential in the burgeoning marijuana market that is already underway.

In attendance at the conference and presenting to fund managers and investment advisors was GrowGeneration Corporation (OTC: GRWG). GrowGeneration currently owns and operates 12 specialty retail hydroponic and organic gardening stores with locations in Colorado, Nevada and California. With the company’s focus on owning and operating branded stores in all of the major legalized cannabis states, it currently sells thousands of products to facilitate the cultivation of marijuana for commercial and home growers.

GrowGeneration went public last year and is fast moving toward its objective of becoming the first company in its vertical on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Interviewed at the conference, Darren Lampert, CEO of the company, stated in part, “Investors are seeking out investments in the cannabis industry and are hoping to profit from the fastest growing new market in the USA in some time. GrowGeneration benefits from all sides as more growers come to us for their equipment and nutrients, which is why we were able to grow as exponentially as we have without directly touching the end product.” By supplying a vast array of specialty retail hydroponic equipment, lighting, and organic nutrients and soils to horticulturalists and marijuana cultivators, GrowGeneration is focused on reaping rewards from the explosive growth of this fledgling industry.

Already one of the nation’s largest specialty retail hydroponic and organic gardening store chains, GrowGeneration acquired all of the assets of Sonoma Hydro last month creating a $2.5 million northern California retail distribution center. Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle,” home to a large concentration of cannabis cultivators, is a significant growth opportu­nity for the company, with the market projected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 18.5%, reaching $6.5 billion by 2020.

Further validation of the huge potential of this market can be found in GrowGeneration’s press release last week. The company announced that Merida Capital Partners, a cannabis infrastructure fund, has provided GrowGeneration $1.65 million in equity financing. When factoring in warrant exercises, funding will total $3.92 million in capital. Merida Capital Partners priced callable warrants at $4.12 or higher, an obvious indication of its belief in the company.

Whether one agrees with the surge in the cannabis industry or not, there’s no denying the wizards of Wall Street are believers. Now may be the time for individual investors to participate and potentially profit from one of the fastest growing new markets in America, which is occupied by a number of other innovators such as: MyDx, Inc. (OTCQB: MYDX), which offers CannaDX, a unique device that allows anyone to directly test cannabis products for THC, CBD, and CBN potency; Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE: IIPR), which focuses on an entirely different aspect of the industry, helping licensed MMJ growers meet capital needs by purchasing their grow-land and leasing it back to them; Terra Tech Corp. (OTCQX: TRTC), which designs and sells its own specialized hydroponic and associated equipment for indoor growing, in addition to the retail selling of cannabis products; and Aphria, Inc. (OTCQB: APHQF), which produces and sells a variety of “100% Greenhouse Grown” cannabis products throughout Canada.

MGX Minerals (OTC: MGXMF), a diversified mining company based in Vancouver, holds asset portfolios in lithium, magnesium, and silicon in western Canada, with a stated focus on the development of industrial mineral portfolios in specific commodities and jurisdictions offering near-term production potential, minimal barriers to entry, and low initial capital expenditures. Targeting properties where large-scale development opportunities exist, they prefer to acquire regional control in mineral properties to enhance portfolio value, and engage industry experts to mitigate execution risk and improve time to market.

Positive developments have made the company’s lithium operations a special point of interest. An important factor is the company’s engineering partner Purlucid Treatment Solutions, which has developed technologies representing a major step in the process of extracting lithium from petroleum brine water (petrolithium). MGX already holds the largest lithium portfolio in Canada, with its Sturgeon Lake property in Alberta and other lithium assets, and the company is the sole proprietary technology holder for processing petrolithium. Purlucid has now successfully demonstrated a way to upgrade brine samples from 67mg/L of lithium to 1600mg/L of lithium, while at the same time removing all magnesium, boron, and potassium. This significant pre-processing achievement, generating solutions 1200 percent higher than anticipated, can be expected to have an impact on the cost of production for the entire petrolithium process, since, according to Purlucid CEO Dr. Preston McEachern, the “biggest challenge in lithium recovery is creating a clean brine.”

MGX and Purlucid together are already in the bulk sample and pilot plant design optimization phase of development in preparation for deployment, progressing toward unlocking their calculated 2 million metric ton lithium carbonate resource. The initial petrolithium pilot plant is projected to process 12,000 liters of brine per day, and management now sees a future plant capable of handling over a million liters of brine per day. It can be reasonable that future plants will be located near a major operation’s water collection and reinjection sites, complete with available infrastructure already in place. Using a current conservative price of $12,000 per metric ton, and the potential to produce upwards of 14,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate per year, the potential from just one major plant would be revenues of nearly $170 million annually.

Additionally, MGX Minerals holds the sole legal patent on the petrolithium process across North America, and is now planning operations in Utah, near the emerging Gigafactory underway by Tesla, with its anticipated demand for lithium. The company believes there is a virtually endless source of lithium-bearing brines in North America.

Supporting this is the company’s operations with silicon and magnesium. MGX Minerals controls three high-grade silicon projects in British Columbia. There are currently no producers of silicon in western North America, and the company is evaluating the economic viability of producing silicon metal from high-purity quartzite. MGX is also now developing North America’s next magnesium oxide mine in central British Columbia, a location with good mineralization and excellent infrastructure.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MGXMinerals.com

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On March 15, 2017, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) gave a presentation at the 29th Annual ROTH Conference held in Dana Point, California. Bill Kerby, chairman and CEO of Monaker Group, made the presentation, covering what Monaker has accomplished, along with the company’s strategy and plans for 2017.

Florida-based Monaker Group considers itself a technology-driven travel company, with a B2B and B2C platform that offers a first-in-industry real-time system for the booking of Alternative Lodging Rentals (ALR), including vacation homes, resort residences, and unused timeshares. Importantly, the system integrates this with mainstream travel products and services, all on a single site. As a key engine for growth, Monaker has designed the approach to be compelling to major travel business partners as well as to end consumers.

Kerby began the presentation by explaining the value and potential of bringing, for the first time, ALR business into the mainstream travel industry. According to Kerby, Monaker has been working aggressively on building its ALR program for the past 15 months, based upon an online platform similar to Airbnb, but designed from scratch with greater functionality and flexibility. This is significant, since Airbnb has a market cap of roughly $31 billion. In addition, this work has been funded largely by Monaker’s own directors and key insiders, and they now feel they have the money in place to launch and take the company into profitability. For interested investors, MKGI is still in the small-cap range, with approximately 11 million shares outstanding.

The multi-billion dollar ALR market is the fastest growing travel sector, primarily because people increasingly view it as a preferable alternative to staying in hotels, offering more for the money, and yet it sits largely outside the traditional travel industry. Monaker’s innovation is to use superior digital technology to bring ALR into the mainstream travel industry in a way not currently available with any other platform. Currently, the overall global travel market is approximately $1.2 trillion, with the online services portion representing about $593 billion. The ALR sector has jumped from very little to $100 billion in just the past six years, and it is expected to grow to about $170 billion over the next couple of years.

People prefer the convenience and economy of ALR properties, and the soon-to-be-launched Monaker platform greatly exceeds Airbnb’s ALR by offering ALR properties with real-time booking and instant confirmation, versus consumers having to contact an ALR property owner and then wait and hope they get back in time in order to coordinate travel plans. Monaker lets consumers book ALR with instant confirmation, just as they would a hotel or plane travel. Monaker now has one million properties available for display, with another two million under contract, compared with Airbnb’s 2.5 million and Expedia’s Home Away at about 1.2 million.

Monaker will soon launch its platform on its NextTrip.com website and associated mobile app, with another critical factor being that the site will not only represent the best and most efficient portal for ALR properties, it will also offer 200,000 hotels and over 400 airlines, as well as all the major car rental companies, restaurants, cruise programs, tours and activities. As a result, it is expected to become the industry’s first and only one-stop shop offering instant confirmation for all types of travel booking.

Monaker will also be rolling out a Group Planner system, which will allow multiple individuals in a group to view travel plans, letting them participate and vote, and using PayPal to transfer any needed funds once ready to book. The system also offers rebates for booking and for trip feedback, generating an objective reference database for future travelers. The company will also be moving toward an optional Artificial Intelligence engine for smart travel planning based upon traveler preferences. Preliminary evaluations suggest that this AI option will significantly reduce the time required for planning and booking, but it will be a strictly optional offering so that users have complete discretion over the use of information.

A key driver for all of this, and especially the high-margin ALR business, is the large number of big-distributor partnerships that Monaker has developed. The company makes it easy and inviting for airlines, as well as cruise and tour operators, to access the Monaker property inventory, allowing them to flexibly pick and choose properties, adjusting the markups and fees they want to apply, and plugging it all into their own websites to present it exactly the way they prefer, and all with real-time booking. Monaker has also paired up with Mark Travel, the largest travel wholesaler in the U.S., to make the Monaker product available on its large VAX system, which is used by 70,000 travel agents. Monaker is also working with Recruiter.com, and its connection with nationwide business decision makers, to use Monaker products for company business and vacation travel.

Finally, Monaker also owns the major long-established upscale touring company Maupintour, offering luxury tours anywhere in the world. These are not just your typical tours, but customized private adventures for individuals or groups, with what the company considers the best professional tour planners in the business.

A replay of the live ROTH Conference is available at http://dtn.fm/Li0Vs.

For other information on Monaker Group, refer to www.MonakerGroup.com

Today, fewer consumers are carrying cash in their wallets. It’s not for lack of having it, but more because the technology surrounding payments has evolved significantly in the past decade. There are a variety of new payment methods, some of which include mobile and contactless. These new payment forms are an easy way to move money, and, according to a report entitled ‘Mobile Payments Convergence’ (http://nnw.fm/0v8rT), “Mobile proximity payment volume has tripled since 2013, reaching $10 billion in 2015, and is expected to surge to $92 billion by 2019.”

As a small business, it is easier than ever to participate in this new trend, and it is also recommended, as more customers expect to be able to pay with minimal effort. Mobile payments are growing and, according to a report by Total Systems Services, (http://nnw.fm/oHq7V), this new trend isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. The report shows that 44% of people surveyed were likely to or already have loaded their credit card details into a mobile phone or wallet.

One of the key reasons for small businesses to consider accepting mobile payments is the ease and speed at which payments of this nature can be processed. The customer simply needs to wave a wallet or mobile phone over the payment terminal and the transaction is complete. There is no need for printed receipts or a signature from the customer. With no need for invoice handling, businesses can be paid immediately.

But this system is more than just an easy method for companies to receive money. Mobile payments recognize the customer’s mobile phone identity, meaning that businesses can send these customers special promotions and coupons via mobile. They also have the option to enroll these consumers in a mobile loyalty program. Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a global technology-driven group specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactions, offers these services through its subsidiary, Digital Provider.

Aside from its mobile payment services, the company offers mobile marketing, an effective tool for the promotion of any business. This promotional tool is perfect to gain direct connection and interaction with the customer without any intermediaries, providing individual contact with each client and allowing for a long-term connection with a targeted audience. Companies will face minimal expenses, maximal efficiency, high SMS reading levels, and a fast promotion of their business.

According to the Total Systems Services report, consumers are now very open to receiving offers and promotions, and Digital Provider aims to do just this while establishing sustainable communication between businesses and consumers. The company offers a variety of services, some of which include classic offers such as codes on soda cans, as well as sophisticated SMS-algorithms. Digital Provider’s mobile marketing solutions can be integrated into projects with the participation of other contractors.

For more information, visit www.NetElement.com

Foodborne illnesses are more common than people believe. These infections are not only common but costly, and also very preventable. Every year, one in six Americans get sick from consuming the wrong food or drink. Unfortunately, because there are so many different microbes and pathogens that can cause disease, there are also many different types of infections.

With more than 250 different foodborne diseases now described, each has its own set of symptoms, and some have lethal results. Normally, a person contaminated will suffer from temporary nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea, but because of the variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in certain foods, these contaminated foods can also cause long-term health problems, or even death.

The hardest aspect of food safety is controlling the various times at which food can get contaminated. The food supply process today is extremely complicated and comes with its own set of very strict rules. However, there are many opportunities for food contamination to take place. These include on-farm production, harvesting or slaughtering, processing, storage, transport, and distribution.

Neogen Corp. (NASDAQ: NEOG) a company that develops, manufactures, and markets various products and services relating to food and animal safety, has, for its mission, to be the leading food and animal safety company, keeping people and animals safe throughout the food making and marketing process.

The company keeps food and animals safe from inside the farm gate through to the moment it arrives on people’s plates. From intervention products to diagnostic products, NEOG provides test kits, instrument systems, consumables, culture media, software, and services for the food safety market. It also provides a complete line of veterinary diagnostics, instruments, pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, disinfectants, and rodenticides for the safety of animals.

Although many companies today have replaced traditional lab methods with more modern test formats, Neogen still believes in the time-tested methods discovered and developed in the mid-1800’s. The company serves this market with its Acumedia dehydrated culture media lines and competes in each segment of the Food Safety market. It now has some of the world’s top food and animal producers and processors as clients, and offers more than 400 products to the market.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Neogen.com