The pandemic has hastened the move from offline to purely online for many retailers, and one of them happens to be tech giant Microsoft. The conglomerate announced that it would shut all 100+ of its brick and mortar outlets, leaving only four to be turned into ‘experience centers’. It’s a big move, but is it really surprising for a company that’s more software than hardware these days?

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No one was prepared for COVID-19. No one but a handful of epidemiologists and visionaries — including, most famously, Bill Gates in his now-viral TED talk — had an inkling that the next global pandemic was a matter of when and not if.

In retrospect, our unpreparedness is embarrassing and almost inexcusable. All the more so considering everything we know about HIV, SARS, MERS, and, most recently, the Ebola and Zika epidemics.

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For many, shopping over this period of pandemic is a luxury however, with many brands and retailers under immense financial pressure, sales and discounts are aplenty. But what are the right strategies in adopting ecommerce and how should the PENJANA stimulus package help local ecommerce platform players?

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The events industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when it comes to big gatherings like weddings or other celebrations — but it’s also one of the industries that’s coming back the fastest as restrictions on live events begin to cautiously ease. Here are some lessons and best practices from the new trend of “micro-events” that all events can learn.

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For many, COVID-19 has radically changed the topography of a typical workday. Almost 4 in 10 people in Europe began working from home during the coronavirus epidemic, with the number increasing to half in countries like Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK. Although stay-at-home rules are now relaxing across much of Europe and the US, it’s unlikely that the workday is going to snap back to the way it was pre-pandemic.

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What will homes start to look like in a post-COVID world? IKEA is trying to picture what furniture and interior design will be like in a world that’s coping, recovering, and surviving a pandemic… and the results are pretty interesting.

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The advent of online shopping has taken retail to the next level - and Instagram is finally opening the floodgates to aspiring entrepreneurs with Instagram Shopping.

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Virgin Galactic announced it has signed a deal with NASA to develop a “private orbital astronaut readiness program” that trains and supports private astronauts for missions to the International Space Station.

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It’s pretty obvious that no industry has been spared in the onslaught of COVID-19. A recent survey by JobStreet breaks down the negative effects of the ongoing pandemic on remuneration and workload, as well as level of happiness in the office. 

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