Target, Walmart prolong store hours to give consumers more time to shop in-store

What to read today: Canada Banking Tech Spend Forecast: Insider Intelligence highlights the underlying factors that we expect to remain as significant drivers or inhibitors of Canadian banks' IT/tech spend through 2024. These factors include: The economic slowdown, banks pushing to enhance their customer experience, and rising cybersecurity expenses, among others..

Every morning the Business Insider Intelligence team delivers research briefings covering key trends moving industries. As a bonus for being a frequent Business Insider reader, we're including some free content below. Want more content like this daily? Join our FREE Business Insider Intelligence Daily newsletter by clicking here.

December 19, 2020 Target and Walmart extend store hours to offset last-minute holiday ecommerce crunch. Retailers like Target and Walmart are prolonging their store hours to give consumers more time to shop in-store. Meanwhile, Best Buy made a similar move by extending its pickup hours and getting curbside pickup orders to customers faster. Major shipping delays may push consumers into stores as December holidays close in. Despite the pandemic initially pushing shoppers online, these delivery advisories might thrust consumers back into stores. Additionally, amid delivery delays and costly shipping fees, last minute shoppers might lean further into click-and-collect offerings for the remainder of December. Business Insider Intelligence's Adriana Nunez has the full story. BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS Canadian branches are losing digital-savvy customers Branch penetration in Canada will dip over the next five years, as the pandemic intensifies existing shifts toward digital banking. Read More → Starbucks ramps up expansion efforts with focus on digital offerings Starbucks announced plans significantly drive up its global store presence—growing from its current 33,000 global stores to 55,000 by fiscal 2030. Read More → Tink raises mega-round to power European expansion Tink has grown exponentially on the back of rising consumer demand for fintech solutions and its recent strategic acquisitions. Read More → Banks' M&A resurgence hints at better stability amid COVID-19 US regional banks Huntington Bancshares and TCF Financial announced plans to merge in an all-stock $22 billion deal. Read More → Insurtech wefox expects its revenues to double for 2020 Wefox is expecting $336 million in revenues this year, as it aims to help agents digitize their operations while also working directly with end users. Read More → Three must-have mobile alert features banks should offer Mobile banking alerts can help customers stay on top of their accounts—we've listed three critical features banks should offer to meet this demand. Read More → Singtel and UOBAM joined forces to make investing more accessible Singtel and UOBAM have partnered to launch a robo-advisory service in Singapore and capitalize on growing consumer demand. Read More → Lloyd's leads coronavirus vaccine distribution insurance initiative Lloyd's of London, along with insurtech Parsyl and other incumbents, launched insurance coverage for the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Read More → WhatsApp officially debuts its payment service in India The service will only be available for up to 20 million users—though this is expected to increase over time—per guidelines from the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI). Read More → Insurtech Bestow raises $70 million for term life insurance Bestow's seamless online application process and cheap offering is likely striking a chord with consumers amid the pandemic. Read More → RESEARCH IN FOCUS Canada Banking Tech Spend Forecast Insider Intelligence highlights the underlying factors that we expect to remain as significant drivers or inhibitors of Canadian banks' IT/tech spend through 2024. These factors include: The economic slowdown, banks pushing to enhance their customer experience, and rising cybersecurity expenses, among others. Get the full report → Usage-Based Auto Insurance In this report, Insider Intelligence evaluates the growth opportunities within UBI, outlines the model's benefits, and highlights key players in the space. The report profiles three incumbents and one insurtech within the UBI space and details information about their onboarding process, IoT devices, data collection, and pricing. Get the full report → Digital-Only Bank Account Holders Forecast This report is based on Insider Intelligence's US, UK, and Canada Digital-Only Bank Account Holders Forecasts, compiled in June 2020. In it, we focus on the top five digital-only banks in each country by account holder numbers, and the factors specific to each bank that we think could impact account holder growth. Get the full report → BECOME A SUBSCRIBER Did you know the Daily is just a preview of everything Business Insider Intelligence has to offer? Our Briefing subscriptions deliver analysis on the biggest trends and decisions shaping the future of a specific industry. Stay on top and subscribe today to receive: A cornerstone industry report Daily Morning newsletters Opportunities to join the conversation Get Started Today → FOLLOW US Email sent to: [email protected] Manage your email preferences | Unsubscribe | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy © 2020 Insider Inc. 1 Liberty Plaza, New York, NY 10006