Black Friday 2018 has come and gone, and the results are in - more and more consumers are placing their holiday gift orders through mobile devices.  According to Adobe Analytics, nearly half of this year's holiday browsing (not always resulting in a purchase) was placed on smartphones - while millions of dollars worth of orders were placed on devices.

Earlier this week PaperFree partner OpenText announced the introduction of their new OpenText Qfiniti for Amazon Connect product, a "self-service, cloud-based contact center solution that enables any business to deliver better customer service at a lower cost."

Saint Louis University (SLU) recently introduced 2,300 Amazon Echo Dot assistants to its student living spaces in an effort to make information more readily available on demand.  These devices have been customized to be able to answer specific questions about the university, such as library hours, and there are plans to expand their implementation into classrooms, offices, and meeting rooms.

Alexa, the popular smart home speaker, is moving into new verticals - like your hotel stay.  The recently introduced Alexa for Hospitality program is partnering with leading hotel chains to place customized Alexa devices in hotel rooms to aid guests with front desk needs, local restaurant and attraction suggestions, and even ordering deodorant because you left yours on the bathroom counter at home.  The devices can even control room lighting and other functions, keeping you from fumbling for a light switch as you enter your room.  Alexa for Hospitality's launch partner is Marriott Internati