According to PSFK’s founder and editor-in-chief, Piers Fawkes (http://dtn.fm/Z7pRQ), “Travelers today are looking for an intuitive, rapid and personalized experience. They understand the trail of contextual data that surrounds them and they expect the smartest travel brands to leverage those data to serve them appropriately.” This is made more obvious by the fact that smaller companies are struggling to fully capitalize on the increasingly connected world we live in.

With Americans spending approximately $814 billion on domestic travel in 2015, according to the U.S. Travel Association (http://dtn.fm/52hVA), it is no wonder they are also investing a lot of time in planning these trips. But with advancements in technology, consumers are looking for a more unique and personalized but also more rapid travel planning experience.

CEO of the online fare aggregator Kayak, Steve Hafner, believes technologies are now changing how travelers book their holidays, saying that customers’ booking experiences will be less point-and-click websites, and more spoken word and chat bots. In an interview with CNBC’s On The Money (http://dtn.fm/uyN4x), he stated, “What we’re seeing is there’s a whole generation of people who are more familiar with text messaging and voice via Siri who are looking for a different interaction with an online travel agency.” Consumers have a need for more rapid, personalized, and mobile booking experiences, requiring companies to build more intelligent systems that offer a modern and on-the-go way for people to book their trips.

An example is Monaker Group’s (OTCQB: MKGI) NextTrip.com, a real-time booking engine that offers customers the opportunity to book various types of accommodation as well as flights, car rentals, tours, and more. NextTrip.com provides an all-in-one travel planner for every aspect of a person’s trip. The NextTrip planner enables travelers and holidaymakers to choose from some eight million trip ideas, and it gives users the opportunity to import bookings to one place on their mobile devices; discover a variety of nearby hotels, bars, and restaurants; save and attach important links to their devices; and collect travel money to split travel costs among friends and family. The free travel planner is an all-inclusive platform that is mobile friendly and allows consumers to book and save information about their trips, no matter where they are in the world.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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Short Message Service (SMS) or text messaging has come a long way since Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert first proposed the concept in 1984. Now, according to the Pew Research Center (PRC), texting is the most widely and frequently employed application on a smartphone, with 97 percent of Americans using it at least once a day. Some 23 billion messages per day, or almost 16 million messages per minute, crisscross the globe, about 26 percent, or 6 billion, of which are in the U.S. Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) is gearing up to capitalize on that ubiquity with its Pay-by-Text™ technology.

This Australian University of Technology Sydney website (http://dtn.fm/LihH1) outlines some of the virtues of text messaging. Even the simplest of phones can handle the technology, because it was designed to work with early telephony systems. It was the first communications technology to offer guaranteed delivery. If a recipient is switched off, out of range or if there is a network outage, the SMS message will be stored in the network and delivered when the recipient announces its presence, or when the outage is rectified. SMS can be sent or received during voice or data calls since it makes use of a separate channel, which is normally used for transfer of control messaging to transfer its packets. Furthermore, the low-bandwidth required to transmit short alphanumeric strings allows messaging worldwide with very low latency.

OneReach (http://dtn.fm/6ra2L) sets out the many other advantages of SMS. It is widely accepted, with 96 percent of smartphone owners using text. And some 98 percent of text messages are opened by the recipient as opposed to the 20 percent open rate of email. Text messaging has a 45 percent response rate, while email only has a 6 percent response rate. 55 percent of heavy text message users (50+ texts per day) say they would prefer to receive a text rather than a phone call. (In 2011, the PRC found that 31 percent of Americans preferred text messages to phone calls.) And it takes the average person 90 minutes to respond to email, but only 90 seconds to respond to a text message. Text, it seems, is the new lingua franca of our communications technological age.

The Pay-by-Text™ technology by Singlepoint appears to have garnered the best features of both worlds. It makes payment transactions immeasurably easier, and it allows communications in the pithy ‘sound bite’ size appreciated by busy people.

Singlepoint’s Pay-by-Text solution enables merchants to offer a ‘swipe-less’ mobile payment option to their customers. The Pay-by-Text transaction takes place on the customer’s mobile phone, which means he or she can pay at any time and from anywhere. To set up payment, the customer just needs to text the vendor’s keyword to a five-digit number and, once set up, can essentially pay with one click on all future purchases. In addition, the app becomes a marketing tool. Once the customer has set up a Pay-by-Text account, the vendor can issue an invitation to receive text messages.

Singlepoint is in the initial stages of rolling out Pay-by-Text. For this service, the company will receive a monthly fee ranging from $10 to $100, depending on the merchant, and one percent of each transaction. Pay-by-Text was designed with temporary point-of-sale opportunities such as trade shows and farmers’ markets in mind. In the near-term, the company will focus most of its efforts on the donations market, in which the spontaneity of text messaging aptly matches the impulsive spirit with which many donations are made.

Singlepoint recently finalized the integration of Pay-by-Text with a backend payment platform from RedFynn Technologies. RedFynn provides payment-processing, point of sale, and payment solutions. Singlepoint now has the ability to provide all forms of credit card processing including Apple Pay, point-of-sale terminals, and cashless ATM. The 150,000 merchants using RedFynn’s payments technology are now automatically set up to offer Pay-by-Text, needing no additional setup.

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

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Much has changed in the real estate industry over the past decade, with companies modifying everything from their offices and operations to the tools they use and their overall culture. Real estate companies have also changed the way they brand themselves in order to better target younger consumers looking for a more personalized buying or renting experience.

Traditionally, real estate companies have focused their branding on promoting awards and titles, such as being number one or becoming a top producer. Now, with generation X and Y part of the real estate market, things have changed. These younger markets don’t care much for titles and awards. While such new consumers are still passionate about becoming homeowners, they are looking for a wider range of services, coupled with online/mobile access to information.

Gone are the days when real estate agents could quickly and mechanically push clients through the sales funnel. Today, customers can easily switch companies, with no warning, and they expect the full package. They want someone who is going to support them, be knowledgeable, and, above all, is trustworthy from the moment they start searching for a home to the moment they finalize their transaction.

Moreover, customers are not the only ones whose needs have shifted. The requirements of real estate agents and brokers have also changed. Rather than needing an office, agents are more interested in quick availability of important resources. Advances in technology mean that they need instant access to a range of information to keep their clients satisfied, whether they are in an office or in the field.

Non-traditional offices are popping up, with agencies shifting toward smaller or, sometimes, no offices. In addition, they are now focusing solely on the consumer and using more “free” or inexpensive tools such as social media marketing applications, blogs, and search engine optimization (SEO) to reach the right audience.

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI), the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ that offers its services across the U.S. and Canada, has been powering higher in the industry for the better part of two years thanks to its ability to adapt to the changing perspectives of both consumers and the industry as a whole.

Through the company’s website, sellers list properties, while prospective buyers easily search real-time property listings, and both buyers and sellers have quick access to a network of professional, consumer-centric agents. EXPI has made significant operational changes compared to its competitors, shifting toward a more sustainable industry with virtual and on-the-go training techniques, virtual meeting platforms, and other tools that help agents and brokers collaborate and connect with consumers without depending upon brick and mortar facilities. Based on the changes the industry has experienced over the past decade, EXPI has tailored its services to perfectly suit buyers and sellers of the 21st century.

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

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Earlier this week, SeeThruEquity, a leading independent equity research and corporate access firm, issued an update on Medical Transcription Billing, Corp. (NASDAQ: MTBC; MTBCP). In the report, SeeThruEquity took a closer look at MTBC’s recently completed acquisition of medical billing firm MediGain, LLC, as well as its affiliate, New Jersey-based Millennium Practice Management, LLC. The transaction was characterized as MTBC’s largest acquisition to date, as well as its fourth deal so far this year and its tenth since 2014. With a total purchase price of $7 million, SeeThruEquity expects MTBC to deploy some of its cash on hand, which was reported at $6.7 million at the end of the second quarter of this year, while also seeking to raise additional capital in order to finalize the MediGain transaction in the coming months.

To view the full SeeThruEquity report, visit http://dtn.fm/kd93J

With news of the MediGain acquisition, SeeThruEquity updated its estimates for MTBC’s financial performance as 2016 winds to a close. In a news release announcing the acquisition, MTBC indicated that it expects MediGain to add significant revenues and spur the company’s financial growth in 2017 while also contributing to its positive adjusted EBITDA. As a result, SeeThruEquity updated its 2017 revenue forecast for MTBC to $35 million and adjusted its EBITDA estimate to $2.5 million. The research firm also revised its 2016 estimates to account for a later-than-expected close to the MediGain acquisition. SeeThruEquity’s 2016 revenue and adjusted EBITDA estimates are now $24.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively, leaning on the assumption of seasonal strength in the second half of the year.

“We are very pleased to have acquired MediGain’s assets at a compelling valuation that represents a significant discount as compared to the industry norm of at least one times annualized revenues for a company of MediGain’s size,” Bill Korn, chief financial officer of MTBC, stated in a recent news release. “Moreover, we believe that our newly acquired business will contribute to our positive Adjusted EBITDA by the end Q1 2017.”

Despite adjusting its revenue and EBITDA figures, SeeThruEquity left its target PPS unchanged in its latest report. According to the update, the research firm continues to view MTBC “as an attractive company in the healthcare technology industry that offers exposure to a massive market opportunity at a compelling valuation.” As a result, SeeThruEquity has placed a price target of $3.85 for MTBC. This figure represents potential upside of about 375 percent when compared to Wednesday morning’s price of $0.81 per share.

For more information, visit www.MTBC.com

iGambit (OTCQB: IGMB) is creating a portfolio of partner companies by acquiring, developing, and investing in small to medium-sized technology companies. A diversified holding company based in Smithtown, New York, iGambit’s goal is to push SMEs with a focus on licensing and/or services toward smart growth and to spin these tech ventures into public companies.

While iGambit has been in operation (developing software, servicing customers and licensing technology) since the mid-1990s, the company’s management team only turned its focus toward turning iGambit into a holding company in the late 2000s. Since then, iGambit’s founders and management have had practical experience developing start-ups into multi-million dollar businesses. The team has built these companies over three-year timelines and with internal capital, thereby steering clear of interference from venture capitalists or other investors.

An opportunity to survive and thrive is iGambit’s key offering to companies like ArcMail, the holding it is currently focused on, and other talented tech ventures operating profitably or near cash-neutral status in today’s tough economic climate.

iGambit acquired ArcMail Technology (ArcMail) via a stock purchase agreement in November of 2015. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of iGambit, ArcMail is a top provider of simple, secure and cost-effective email archiving and management solutions. Considering the rapid growth of email usage, the company was founded to help private- and public-sector organizations implement effective email archiving programs, boost email server performance and satisfy regulatory requirements. Through hardware and software sales, support and maintenance, the company addresses a need for email archiving solutions that are within the means of small businesses yet tough enough to meet the demands of enterprise companies and government entities.

iGambit occupies the role of facilitator comprehensively. The company helps to create and fund solid business plans and long-term exit strategies for the principals of its partner companies and all of its stakeholders. iGambit’s team provides the guidance that fosters natural relationships, technology solutions and marketing synergies for its portfolio companies, thus enabling these companies to generate high-margin recurring earnings. Finally, along with financial, technical and management expertise, iGambit offers its partner entities the board experience they need to increase their volume and profitability and emerge as industry leaders.

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

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Earlier today, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) announced that Scott Mendes, the company’s chief financial officer, will be presenting alongside executives from 60 other companies at this year’s MicroCap Conference, which is set to take place October 24-25 at the Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia. Mendes is scheduled to make his presentation on October 25 at 5:00 p.m. Planned topics of discussion include OurPet’s Company’s innovative, trend-setting pet products and accessories, including the cutting-edge OurPets® Intelligent Pet Care™ (http://dtn.fm/sOK6q) product line, which leverages Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies to foster a stronger connection between pets and their owners.

For more information on the MicroCap Conference, visit http://dtn.fm/kjJH5

Mendes’s upcoming presentation comes on the heels of a similar presentation by Kathleen Homyock, OPCO’s vice president of sales and business development, at last month’s National Pet Industry Trade Show hosted by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) Canada. In her presentation, titled ‘Technology Translated to Pet Fitness, Food and Fun’, Homyock offered an in-depth look at how intelligent technology accessories can help pet owners more effectively monitor the health and wellbeing of their pets. These benefits are at the core of the company’s Intelligent Pet Care™ product line, including the SmartScoop – Intelligent Litter Box (http://dtn.fm/7eSSn), the SmartLink Feeder – Intelligent Pet Bowl (http://dtn.fm/8rEpu) and the SmartLink Waterer – Intelligent Water Fountain (http://dtn.fm/6NllS).

“It is always interesting to speak with industry professionals about how smart technology is changing pet products,” Homyock stated in a recent news release. “I was excited to have the opportunity to speak at the show in September and I am even more excited to work for a company that values this technology and continuously works to bring intelligent health and fitness monitoring products into the marketplace.”

OurPet’s Company’s commitment to innovation doesn’t end with its Intelligent Pet Care™ product line. According to data from the American Pet Products Association, there are currently about 175 million companion dogs and cats in the United States alone, with roughly 650 million worldwide. The growth of the pet population in recent years has led to pet waste becoming a significant environmental concern, with companion dogs producing roughly 10 million tons of waste annually in the U.S. OurPet’s Company is currently focused on creating environmentally-friendly solutions to the growing problem. Through a new partnership with Paulee Cleantec, Ltd., OurPet’s Company aims to develop and commercialize innovative solutions to the environmental issues stemming from improperly managed pet waste.

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

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Consumer behavior is the study of why users buy or do not buy a product or service. This data also includes the why, what, when, where, and how. Consumer behavior attempts to understand the buyer’s decision-making process. It studies individual consumer habits while taking into account things like demographics, age group, religion, and more in order to understand what people want from their shopping experience.

There are, of course, a wide range of factors that can influence customer behavior. Some of these include: the environment, social variables, cultural variables, pricing, promotions, product quality, and customer service. Also, as mentioned above, demographic factors affect customer behavior. These include age, gender, marital status, income, education, and occupation.

With consumer behavior data being at the forefront of e-commerce today, the goal is to know what consumers want before they even ask for it. Algorithms and big data are now enabling retailers to capitalize on their consumers by offering them what they want based on their shopping history and all the other variables.

With marketers now having access to all sorts of useful data, it is no wonder they are able to target prospective clients and consumers and link them to specific merchants and products. Companies such as Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) who are in the business of providing social media marketing and promotion platforms to retailers allow merchants to run highly targeted and successful advertising campaigns.

MOXC enables consumers and merchants to better interact thanks to consumer behavior data compiled in the Moxian database. With this information, merchants are able to identify consumer patterns, identify individual customers, uncover opportunities to deliver integrated and targeted marketing campaigns, and optimize marketing efforts for the future. Moxian works on the basis that consumers and businesses should be able to connect and interact more easily with one another to achieve the concept of “online lifestyle, offline fun.”

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

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Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is on the rise, having multiple applications in various industries ranging from healthcare and storage to transport, animal and human identification, as well as for RFID-empowered credit cards. The technology allows for a much simpler card payment process by enabling the user to simply brush his or her card against a special RFID reader to process a payment, but it has also given rise to serious privacy concerns and fears that personal information is easier to steal by anyone with the right type of RFID reading equipment. As a consequence, tighter security requirements were enforced for manufacturers of RFID tag technology, while special equipment emerged, designed to shield against RFID skimming and hackers.

A leading provider of personal security production and data protection technology, Florida-based Stealth Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: STTH), comes to the aid of all owners of RFID-enabled cards with proprietary technology specifically created to protect the consumer’s data from any theft attempts or other compromising events. The company’s flagship product, the Stealth Card, can actively protect users’ RFID cards in their wallets by creating an electromagnetic force field that blocks any scan attempts and deflects the scans back to their source. Inspired by military technology employed to shield stealth aircraft from radar, the Stealth Card uses a proprietary PowerGrid Technology that blocks any inbound or outbound frequencies and effectively makes a card’s RFID chip invisible to theft threats.

At only 0.007” thick, the Stealth Card easily fits in the wallet and can protect up to 12 RFID cards simultaneously, as confirmed during tests run by The Center for Applied Research and Technology, an independent testing laboratory. The product does not require batteries or charging and works perfectly with cellphones, magnetic strips or Bluetooth technology without interference.

Encouraged by the success of the Stealth Card and facing a growing demand for RFID skimming blocking solutions on a market that’s expected to surpass $21 billion by 2020, Stealth Technologies has developed two other products designed to help protect users’ personal information: 911 Help Now and Stealth Mobile.

Rolled out in July of this year, the 911 Help Now device offers direct voice communication with emergency services with the simple push of a button. A compact, waterproof design powered by standard AAA batteries, the device works as a 24-hour emergency system that can be carried around anywhere, offering the user peace of mind in any and all environments.

Stealth Mobile has yet to be launched after having successfully passed the final testing phase of development at the end of September, according to company CEO Brian McFadden. The product is designed to protect the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip and any personal and financial information stored on the user’s cell phone. It can be easily attached to the back of the phone and will protect the user’s data by blocking any theft attempts via the NFC system.

In another effort to combat identity theft, the company recently launched a dedicated website, www.StealthIdentityTheft.com, which offers visitors access to ‘Data Secure,’ a unique personal identity theft protection and recovery service designed and used by law enforcement. The service uses a two-step prevention method: the Redaction/Privacy process that removes personal data from the Internet, and the Recovery Protection process that involves recovery specialists working to restore a stolen identity.

For more information about Stealth Technologies, Inc. and its innovative personal data protection services, visit www.TechnologiesByStealth.com

Earlier today, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI), through subsidiary eXp Realty, announced the addition of the Brent Gove team, a leading real estate team operating in California, to its family of agents and brokers. Gove brings nearly two decades of industry experience to the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™. During this time, he earned a spot as one of the 11 most successful agents in the global RE/MAX (NYSE: RMAX) network, completing 429 transactions accounting for about $169 million in sales volume in 2005 alone. Gove then moved to Keller Williams Realty, where he served as CEO and team leader of the company’s most profitable market center in 2010. Despite only switching brokerages once throughout his extensive career in the real estate industry, Gove pointed to the tremendous value proposition offered by eXp Realty as a key driver in his decision to make the jump to EXPI.

“Everyone on my team is excited about the opportunity to become an owner of eXp World Holdings and to be part of a community of agent-owners working closely together with systems and infrastructure that will allow us to continue to grow both as a team and as professionals — building relationships and organizations that span across borders,” Gove stated in this morning’s news release. “eXp Realty represents the best opportunity for us as a team and as individuals.”

The addition of the Brent Gove team to the eXp Realty family continues to build on what has been an eventful October for the company. Just last Friday, EXPI announced the addition of Miguel Herrera, the top international luxury agent in South Texas, to eXp Realty. In the news release, Herrera hailed the eXp Realty business model as “the strongest in the industry.” According to an update issued last week, the company’s real estate brokerage division currently boasts a family of agents and brokers that includes more than 1,900 members across 41 high-demand markets in the United States and Canada. This marks an increase of about 120 percent from the beginning of 2016.

“We are excited, not only by our growth, but by the quality of agents that are being attracted to eXp Realty,” Jason Gesing, chief executive officer of eXp Realty, stated in a recent news release. “Increasingly throughout the year, eXp Realty has become the brokerage of choice for top producing agents and teams, and for brokerage owners looking to increase profits, achieve scalable growth, and deliver the opportunity of ownership to the agents in their organization.”

These growth milestones come on the heels of EXPI’s third annual real estate convention, which took place from October 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas. The company reports that nearly one-third of the agents and brokers licensed with eXp Realty at the time of the event were in attendance, representing more than a threefold increase from the previous year’s convention and marking the first time that the company has sold out one of its major annual events. Russ Cafano, president of EXPI, summed up eXp Realty’s recent performance in a news release.

“[W]e have uncovered a total value proposition which resonates with real estate professionals but to date, no firm had figured out how to implement,” he stated. “Our growth numbers clearly indicate that we have hit a sweet spot in the industry.”

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

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Before the opening bell, Medical Transcription Billing, Corp. (NASDAQ: MTBC; MTBCP) issued a news release giving prospective shareholders additional insight into the company’s acquisition of MediGain, LLC. In the update, Mahmud Haq, chief executive officer of MTBC, highlighted the importance of the acquisition to the company’s growth strategy.

“As announced last week, we are very pleased to have acquired MediGain, which marks an important corporate milestone as our largest acquisition to date, and demonstrates the highly strategic nature of our successful, acquisition-based growth strategy,” Haq stated.

In the news release announcing the acquisition, MTBC CFO Bill Korn stated that the company completed the acquisition “at a compelling valuation that represents a significant discount as compared to the industry norm.” This morning’s update highlighted that MTBC, through wholly-owned subsidiary MTBC Acquisition, Corp., acquired all of the assets of MediGain and its affiliate for a purchase price of $7 million, which included $2 million paid at closing with a remaining balance of $5 million due at the beginning of next year.

Korn went on to predict that the addition of MediGain and affiliate Millennium Practice Management, LLC to MTBC will “contribute to our positive Adjusted EBITDA by the end Q1 2017.” This assessment was further validated with this morning’s update. In total, the accounts in good standing that were acquired as part of the MediGain acquisition are expected to contribute more than $10 million of annual revenues to fuel MTBC’s financial growth in 2017. With this performance, MTBC management expects incremental profits from the MediGain acquisition to greatly exceed its cost of capital, putting it on course to be accretive to the company’s shareholders as early as 2017.

To learn more about the MediGain acquisition, view MTBC’s Form 8-K at http://dtn.fm/4dGUh

“There are significant synergies between the two companies,” Gary Smith, a provider of leadership to MediGain Practice Management, explained in this morning’s update. “Our global team of professionals and proprietary technology will allow us to continue improving operating margins while delivering world-class service to our clients.”

On October 3, MTBC originally announced the closing of the MediGain acquisition, marking its largest acquisition to date. Included in the transaction, MTBC acquired substantially all of MediGain’s assets, including existing customer accounts, intellectual property, and offshore operations in both India and Sri Lanka. In addition to strengthening its total number of accounts, the acquisition effectively bolstered the MTBC team with talented members in North America while greatly expanding its Asia-based operations into new markets with “talented, cost-effective workforces.”

For more information, visit www.MTBC.com