12 Best Email Marketing Ideas to Increase Conversion Rates

top10-websitehosting.co.uk
by LUCY DAVIS

Is your email marketing strategy working to its best potential? Is your click-through rate (CTR) not what you expected?

Ensuring that your email marketing campaigns are working is not only cost-effective, but can also drive more traffic, leads, and eventually sales.

Increasing conversion rates should be a top priority for any business; after all, that’s what’s going to keep your business running! The power of email is ever-growing, even more so with advanced technology, such as, smartphones, and voice recognition devices.

Spending more time focusing on your email marketing campaigns can essentially win you more sales and business. Emails can easily be forwarded and shared with others, so creating the right content, in the right format, at the right time is what we want to focus on.

In a 2012 report, data was examined for over 77,000 consumer orders; the results showed that email communication and marketing still presented itself as one of the top factors in repeat purchases.

Building an email list for your online store (whether you sell products online or offline) is an absolute must; an invaluable resource that you’ll wish you had of implemented sooner. Your customers, after all, are your business’s lifeline, they are the people that will continue to purchase from you and increase your conversion rates going forwards.

Building a relationship with your customers is a key factor here; if your customers trust you, and you can engage with them on the right level, you’re onto a winner where a lifetime of loyalty could be in your hands. Whether you’re engaging with your customers face-to-face, via social media, or email, the way in which you do so can affect conversion rates.

On average, around 21% of people will open your company’s email, with a 2.5% average click rate. Regardless of whether you’re a small business of up to 10 people, or a large-scale player in the hundreds, those figures count for something.

But, we don’t want you to settle for the average; we’ve put together 8 email campaign ideas that you can actually put into practice in order to help increase conversion rates.

We’ve put together a list of the 12 best email marketing ideas in order to help increase your business’ conversion rates.

#1 | Abandoned Cart

Customers abandon their online shopping carts for many reasons; Statista found that over 77% of online retail orders were abandoned in 2017 across selected industries. Research and investigation into why your customers are abandoning their carts is of course necessary to reduce the amount, however, email campaigns can certainly help in recovering some of what has been lost.

Creating an abandoned cart email campaign doesn’t have to be difficult; if you’re an eCommerce company using software, such as, BigCommerce, there are built in solutions ready and waiting for you.

There are some key factors to consider when putting your abandoned cart campaign together; a simple email, reminding customers that they may have forgotten to purchase their items simply isn’t good enough, and will most likely be dismissed or not even read.

• A large call to action image with at least one of the abandoned items
• Additional recommendations of other products that your customer may be interested in
• A call to action button to ‘shop now’ or ‘recover cart’
• Your company’s logo (or header and footer from your website)

We’ve taken an example of Topshop’s abandoned cart email for you to see what we mean. Creating an abandoned cart email campaign can recover 15% of potential lost revenue.

#2 | Promotional Emails

Whether you decide to offer a site-wide promotion, or a promotion targeting specific customers, promotional emails can be very successful. This is where it’s time to get creative, and again, this doesn’t have to be over complicated or difficult to do.

One study showed that video-based promotional emails saw click-through ratios (CTR) 96% higher compared to emails without videos. Video content alone is increasing in popularity across the web, so why not include it within your marketing campaign?

We’re not saying you need to create something big; a small video sample of promotional products, or an interactive coupon showing price decreases could provide a 9.68% click-to-conversion (CTC) rate.

#3 | Social Sharing

Social media usage is continuing to grow on a daily basis; in 2007, Statista’s share of survey respondents using social media every day was 30%. In 2015 those figures had increased to 81%.

Optimising your emails to include social links is very easy to do, but makes a big difference. GetResponse’s study showed that emails which contained at least 3 social links and options led to 55% greater CTR.

When you produce quality content that is share worthy, make sure it’s shareable! Your loyal customers are already dedicated to you, so why not allow them to share your company with others, leading to potentially more traffic and therefore higher conversions. At Top 10 Website Hosting, we always include social links/buttons across all of our content (and within our newsletter).

#4 | Up-Selling 

Once a customer has purchased a product from you, they’ve committed to your company; they obviously like what you sell, so why not optimise on that?

BlueCore produced a study to evaluate what effect up-selling and cross-selling products via emails had on CTR and conversion rates. Emails of this type generally produce a 0.55% conversion rate and 6.84% CTC.

The aim of the game is to follow up a customer’s purchase with similar or recommended products to those that they have already bought. You can even include this type of marketing within your product invoices and receipts that you email to your customers; call to action images with related products can entice further buying.

Another interesting up-selling tactic is through a lead generation quiz: you ask a number of targeted questions to your customer with the goal to discover his needs. Subsequently, you direct him to the most appropriate product page.

#5 | Life Events

If you’ve ever purchased something from an online store that requests your date of birth as part of its data collection, you’ll no doubt have received a “It’s your birthday, have [x]% discount on us” email.

These types of emails are not only clever, but make your customers feel that you actually care about them, and want them to enjoy something on the house, or at a discounted rate. Birthday emails, anniversary emails, etc. are really simple to set up regardless of which email marketing solution you’re using.

Customers will no doubt take advantage of your offer, and may even recommend friends and family to do the same, knowing that they’ll get something special on their big day.

#6 | Bundles and Subscriptions

This type of email campaign is quite specific dependent on your industry, but you could tweak the method to suit your business. Emailing your customers with extra offers, discounts, and products if they sign up to a subscription or bundle via your store could produce further revenue.

According to MailChimp’s research, out of at least 1000 subscribers in the games industry, 20.82% opened their emails, and 3.33% clicked through. If you can present a desirable subscription based bundle or package, that’s 200 customers that may open your email, and 30 that might click on your link.

Of course, those figures can be improved upon depending on how you pitch your ideas and target your market specifically. Generally speaking, subscription based products are more effective on increasing conversion rates, because often this works out cheaper for your customers.

#7 | We Miss You

If you’ve not seen or heard from your customers for a while, they may need a gentle reminder that you still exist! These types of emails should generally contain a short “we miss you” message, as well as the option to opt out, to reduce the feeling of spamming.

An overview of your latest products may be able to grab an old customer’s attention, along with an enticing offer code that appears specifically for them to use in order to come back and purchase again.

You may experience that these types of customers will only come back when an offer or discount is brought to their attention, but at least they’re coming back, and those small conversions can make a large difference.

#8 | Welcome Email

Welcome emails go a long way to converting new customers or subscribers to your website. First impressions count, and so should your welcome email. When a customer creates a new account, 74.4% of consumers expect to receive a welcome email.

• Engage your customers straight away; a small ‘about us’ section can introduce new customers to your company whilst getting to know you
• Let your customers know how often you’ll be in contact with them, and give them the option to change how often they’ll receive information from you
• Inform your customers of other ways they can contact you, engage with you, and stay in touch, for example, social buttons like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

On average, the open rate for customer welcome emails can be more effective than newsletters.

#9 | Mobile Optimised

In 2017, a study showed that 55% of emails were opened on a mobile device; this kind of trend isn’t due to decrease in the future. These statistics alone should be a driving force to ensure that all of your emails are mobile ready.

There are several factors to consider when creating an email marketing campaign aimed at mobile users:

• Subject lines and titles should be limited to around 30-35 characters to display correctly on a smartphone or device
• White space is key to ensuring that the end mobile user can read emails quickly and efficiently
• Larger fonts should be considered for a user-friendly experience
• Links should be visible and clickable
• Call to actions should be working and easily clickable

#10 | Subject Matters

When a new email pops up in your inbox, what do you look at first, what do you see? According to Litmus, 34% of people will read the subject line before deciding to even open an email.

Subject lines should prompt your readers to open the emails you send to them; you want to make the subject relevant, but also promote curiosity so that your emails are opened. Closely related to mobile-ready emails, subject lines should be short and sweet.

If you don’t nail the subject line, or your readers deem what they see as spam, they’ll likely delete their email before they’ve even read it, unsubscribe, or mark it as spam. Make sure your emails stand out and entice your users to open and read for more information.

#11 | Preview Text

Referring back to point 10, 24% of people will read the preview text included in an email before opening it. Common email clients such as Apple and Gmail both support and use preview text.

Email software often comes with the option to edit your preview text, however, if yours doesn’t, you can check out some standalone software here. The content of your email is very important, but you’ll want to ensure your users actually open the email to read the content.

Preview text needs to be short, snappy, and to the point. If you’re offering a discount code, state that within the preview text so that your users are encouraged to read more.

#12 | Timing Counts

This may seem a little odd at first sight, but the timing of your email marketing campaigns can really make a difference. According to research across the EU, USA, and AUS, the optimal email open rate was between 8PM to midnight. That’s a 20% increase in open rate compared to other times of the day, as well as increased CTR.

Now, we’re not saying to send an email every day at these times, but if you’re planning a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly campaign, timing is key to your readers opening their emails. When you think about it, by the time people have got home from work, had their dinner, and relaxed, they’ll probably check their social media accounts and emails, so it makes sense.
Original Post: https://www.top10-websitehosting.co.uk/best-email-marketing-ideas/

BLOCKCHAIN COURSES NOW AT TURKEY'S FIRST BLOCKCHAIN CENTER

mintdice.com

Turkey recently established its first university-level blockchain center with the aim of bridging the expertise gap in the industry. It will also ensure widespread national deployment and development of the technology. Universities around the world have been offering blockchain-related programs as a way to embrace the benefits of the distributed ledger technology (DLT). Stanford University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins amongst others have joined the trend.

However, this trend stems from a genuine need to solve a growing issue in the industry: a lack of talented participants. The number of people who currently partake in cryptocurrency investment and other related activities increases every day. It has been reported that digital currency platforms like Bitcoin and Ethereum see activity from more than 100,000 users each day. Global funding of blockchain-based startups has alsoincreased from $550 million in 2016 to over $1 billion in 2017.

As blockchain becomes increasingly popular around the world, significant applications of the technology in several industries including finance, agriculture, and even education are emerging. The emergence of these blockchain applications and the speed at which they are developing has created an employment gap that needs to be filled.

According to a report by Indeed.com, the number of blockchain business job postings on the site increased by 631% in 2016 alone. Large tech corporations like IBM, Intel, and Visa, as well as smaller startups, are in need of blockchain professionals to drive the rapidly accumulating partnerships within the space.

Unfortunately, although there are many people in need of jobs, there aren’t enough people with specific knowledge of the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. While there are many competent tech professionals, only a small number of them have the blockchain expertise that is necessary to ensure the survival of the industry.

To keep up with the developing field and its ever-growing job market, people are continuously seeking ways to expand their scope of knowledge. The Turkish blockchain community is no different in this aspect. They have realized this problem area and created their own solution to it. In response to the scarcity of industry professionals with blockchain expertise, the country hopes to give its residents the opportunity to gain blockchain training.

Many universities around the world have also developed research centers and specific programs targeting smart contract creation, blockchain analysis, and programming. One example is Duke University which recently created research labs for the development of new blockchain-related technology. Massachusetts Institute of Technology also launched the Digital Currency Initiative, as a way to drive blockchain development and support members of the community towards achieving their goals. Turkey is following closely in their footsteps by investing in blockchain research and development.

WHAT IS THE ISTANBUL BLOCKCHAIN AND INNOVATION CENTER?

The Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center (BlockchainIST Center) was created with the aim of propelling Turkey towards a technologically advanced future. It was inaugurated at Bahçesehir University (BAU) on the 31st of August, 2018 and will serve as the country’s most significant center for technological innovation, research, and development.

According to Center Director, Bora Erdamar, it will welcome students and entrepreneurs who are interested in conducting academic studies and worldwide projects concerning blockchain technology. Erdamar also stated the importance of cooperation with other educational institutions, businesses and government organizations to carry out proper blockchain research.

The statement reads: "The purpose of the BlockchainIST project is to be the most important center of research and development and innovation in Turkey in which scientific studies and publications are made in blockchain technologies. To this end, it is crucial to cooperate with other universities, the business world, and government institutions."

The center aims to boost Turkey’s growing blockchain community by using the same technologies that the rest of the world is using. According to its director, the Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center will be led by a competent team of Turkish and foreign field experts. This team will foresee the continuous development of the worldwide technology projects by its students.

Turkey is becoming more digitized every day and continues to strive to be on par with the rest of the developed world, technologically. It is no news that most countries are implementing blockchain in the core of their economies and even government organizations. Countries like Venezuela have developed national cryptocurrencies using this technology.

Other countries like China are partnering with blockchain-related startups to solve problems associated with health care and other sectors. These countries have a headstart in the industry and the only way to catch up is by focusing on the development of talent and human resources. This is why Turkey is focused on finding ways to train its interested residents.

BLOCKCHAIN DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY

Turkey has come a long way since the 2017 rejection of the technology by lawmakers of the State Directorate of Religious Affairs. According to the lawmakers, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are used for illegal activities. They stated that this is incompatible with the Islamic religion which is prevalent in the country. Despite this harsh stance, development of the technology has managed to move forward.

In February 2018, Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party, Mustafa Kalayci, proposed cryptocurrency regulations for the market participants. He also hinted at the possibility of developing a national digital currency that will be known as TurkCoin. Apart from this development, the adoption of digital currencies is rising in the country. This is mostly evident in the increasing number of vendors who accept payments in these currencies. The rise in the price of Bitcoin serves as encouragement for most of these vendors, who have agreed to accept payments for anything from art to real estate.

According to a report by Milliyet, a Turkish newspaper, there are currently up to 50 companies that accept payment in Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. Some examples of these companies are Miavita and Binbircesit. Miavita is the first Turkish real estate company to accept bitcoin as a means of payment and already has several customers willing to pay in the currency.

However, most sites that accept bitcoin in the country are not very popular so real adoption may take a while.

Turkey has also made big moves relating to stock exchange blockchain advancement. Borsa Istanbul, a state-backed stock exchange recently announced that it has developed a blockchain platform for the storage of customer data. The platform will allow new customers to upload KYC documents in a secure, transparent and easy way.

Using this platform, notable organizations like the national depository and Borsa Istanbul have been able to share and sync their data. This has led to more efficient clearing and settling operations within the exchange. The network will also facilitate the management and editing of customer information so that possible mistakes in the data entry process will be avoided.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The global trend of developing blockchain-related university programs is immensely beneficial to the industry. Even with the presence of great ideas, the lack of people to see them through is a huge problem. Various niche fields within the industry have emerged along with new projects and the job market is seeing significant growth. This is why the blockchain development of the Istanbul and Innovation center should be encouraged.

Turkey’s pursuit of digitization is evident in its willingness to develop its blockchain community despite religious sentiments. The country’s acknowledgment of the positive potential of the technology to change the world is a solid foundation for further development. Like the Istanbul blockchain and Innovation center director stated, a research center like this may truly give Turkey the opportunity to take the lead in blockchain technology on a global front.

Original Post: https://www.mintdice.com/blog/blockchain-courses-offered-in-turkeys-first-university-blockchain-center

Elkrem Allows the Creation of Blockchain IoT Devices

coincentral.com

What Is Elkrem?

The Elkrem project is bringing together the worlds of IoT devices and cryptocurrencies. These two emerging technologies hold the potential to create a future we might not have dreamed of. IoT stands for the Internet of Things. It proposes the idea that everyday objects like fridges, televisions, and cars (to name a few) are connected to the internet and can communicate smartly with each other.

But this is the material layer, the stuff we can get our hands on. Cryptocurrency is a virtual movement with concepts and solutions we need to wrap our heads around. Where the two merge just might be the sweet spot if we intend to take humanity to the next level of evolution.

The Backstory

After experimenting for hours on their own small projects, founders Amr Saleh and Islam Mustafa set out to empower other hobbyists by building easy-to-use electronics solutions. In 2013, they successfully launched their very first Kickstarter campaign by bringing a new innovative solution into the world of custom electronics. 

Amr and Islam aptly named their project 1Sheeld. It’s a solution which allows users to connect a smartphone to their Arduino board instead of having to buy several separate boards known as shields. Since most people are prepared to invest in a decent smartphone, this solution leverages the power we already have in our pockets.

(Side note: Arduino is an open-source platform that allows users to easily connect hardware and software together for various real-world applications. Open access to both the hardware and software is core to its philosophy and has made it an incredibly popular choice for enthusiasts all around the world.)

Needless to say, the campaign was successful as backers pledged over eight times the team’s initial goal of $10,000. $85,000 later, and plenty of online orders that followed, the crowdfunding campaign boosted their reputation and ability to raise capital for future projects.

When Hardware Meets Blockchain

Now the team is looking for a new challenge. And what could be more challenging and possibly more rewarding than building for blockchain? Their latest conception is Elkrem, a project which develops hardware and software tools specifically geared towards blockchain and other decentralized applications. Ultimately, they hope to reduce the learning curve for engineers and hobbyists when building prototypes. Elkrem has already grown into a nine-employee strong team based out of Cairo, Egypt.

There is no shortage of projects building software development kits (SDKs) in the cryptocurrency field. SDKs in blockchain allow other developers to quickly build decentralized applications on top of a usually more complicated system. So it’s particularly refreshing when a hardware development kit (HDK) comes along to create opportunities where the real world meets the virtual one.

The team is currently working on a blockchain hardware development board. At launch, it will support several protocols including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Whisper, Swarm, Status.im, and IPFS. According to their website, the board will be launching soon on Kickstarter. Given their previous experience and success on the crowdfunding platform, they should once again have no problem meeting their fundraising goal.

Getting Your Hands Dirty

At the Ethereum Denver hackathon held earlier this year (2018), the Elkrem team took first place after putting together a simple cryptocurrency-enabled IoT device:

This particular project uses both Ethereum smart contracts and the Status project’s whisper protocol to power a light bulb. To be clear, this isn’t rocket science, but we are only in the early stages of this interesting tech. Nevertheless, this may have enormous benefits in areas such as healthcare and the smart cities of the future.

Independent blockchain smartphones are already hitting the market with similar ideas. Companies are eager to capitalize on decentralizing other areas of our lives, such as hardware. This will certainly be good news in the face of dominant players like Apple who want to maintain control over the market.

Elkrem has already launched their own Bitcoin-enabled software kit called Koyn. It’s still in the early stages of development, however, this Arduino interface will make it a lot easier for developers to connect to the Bitcoin blockchain of the future. A quick peek into the side projects of the Elkrem team members reveal a number of interesting ideas. How about a Bitcoin-powered electrical outlet for savvy renewable energy producers? Or maybe a cryptocurrency payment vending machine?

Closing Thoughts: Elkrem

The future is coming. And coming fast! Projects like Elkrem are laying the groundwork for engineers and entrepreneurs to work smartly. Cryptocurrency-enabled devices will pave the way forward in a blockchain for dummies kind of fashion. The next generation of blockchain entrepreneurs won’t want to spend all their time programming. Instead, with the right tools, they’ll want to focus their efforts on solving customer problems and building their businesses.

It should, however, be said that applications will probably be limited to where they make the most sense. Switching on a light bulb with cryptocurrency is an unnecessary extra step when creating efficient systems. What matters most is using this technology in a smart way when exchanging value. Blockchain is all about maintaining a decentralized record of transactions, not just automating our lives. We don’t need to put everything on a blockchain.

Regardless, the exciting possibilities of the future remain. As more areas of our lives become decentralized, expect more cryptocurrency-enabled hardware solutions to appear. The future, after all, may not be coming. It may, in fact, already be here!

This article by RYAN SMITH was originally published at "CoinCentral.com: https://coincentral.com/elkrem-allows-creation-of-blockchain-iot-devices/

TOP 5 BLOCKCHAIN STOCKS

mintdice.com

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

NASDAQ BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Although the stock market and cryptocurrency market are similar in many ways, they are still far apart regarding regulations and volatility. This hasn’t stopped Nasdaq from exploring and incorporating the use of the technology in its basic applications and operations. The company was one of the first to adopt and implement blockchain technology and is currently on the forefront of blockchain’s transformative potential. With their customers in mind, Nasdaq is gradually transforming the global capital markets through significant acquisitions.

NASDAQ LINQ

In December 2015, the company announced that Chain.com, a blockchain firm and inaugural Nasdaq Linq client was able to use the Nasdaq Linq blockchain for the successful completion of a private securities transaction. The ledger also recorded the transaction accurately, marking the first blockchain application of its kind.

In the transaction, the issuer (Chain.com) was able to successfully document a record of ownership digitally on the Nasdaq Linq platform. This significantly reduced the time taken to carry out traditional clearing and settling, while eliminating the need for issuance of paper stock certificates. Apart from equity management, Nasdaq Linq provides issuers and investors the opportunity to complete and execute subscription documents online.

Chain.com is one of the most prominent providers of blockchain infrastructure and support to enterprises, especially financial institutions. The firm provides businesses with a platform for the secure issuance and management of digital assets using blockchain technology. They service customers in various markets, including banking, payments, telecommunications, capital markets, and energy markets.  Based in San Francisco, CA, Chains.com has received funding from top venture firms and investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, Visa, Citi, Nasdaq, Capital One, Fiserv and Orange.

According to former Nasdaq CEO, Bob Greifield, the company believes that the success of the transaction is a huge milestone in the advancement of the global financial sector and blockchain as a whole. He stated that this initial application of blockchain technology serves as the beginning of a process that could disrupt the core infrastructure of capital market systems. It could also proffer positive outcomes for outdated settlement and administrative functions.

Adam Ludwin, the CEO of Chain.com also expressed positive sentiments over the partnership with Nasdaq, stating that the transaction met all objectives seamlessly, drastically reducing manual ownership transfer time in the process. Blockchain technology can potentially expedite clearing and settlement from the current time standard of three days to as little as ten or fifteen minutes. This way, exposure to risk can be reduced by more than 99%, lowering systemic risks and capital costs in the process.

BLOCKCHAIN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

Nasdaq has also made plans to roll out its blockchain-for-mutual-funds solution in Nordic countries. The solution is designed to ease the brokerage issues generally associated with mutual funds. Normally, these transactions are carried out through a third party brokerage or the fund company directly. When the transaction involves buying a foreign mutual fund, things become even more complicated for the investor. To ensure that the transaction is verified, there has to be communication between all parties involved and the presence of intermediaries complicates the process.

As a result of the old methods used to verify transactions and track fund ownership, the process is inefficient. There are often errors, especially due to the country-specific record requirements. This often causes involved parties to start over, leading to a waste of time and resources. However, with blockchain technology, Nasdaq is working to solve these issues by eliminating most third-party involvement.

Due to the distributed nature of a blockchain, depending on Nasdaq’s specifications, country-specific requirements may be overruled. Overall, the application of this ledger technology will result in a more efficient process for issuers and investors. The platform has already been deployed among the Swedish mutual fund families and will be deployed to all Nordic countries soon.

CITIGROUP PARTNERSHIP

In 2017, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with CitiGroup which involved integrating the latter firm’s business payment service with the Nasdaq blockchain platform. Citi's bank transfer system handles transactions associated with commerce including payroll, dividend, and interest. The union of both platforms gave rise to the first enterprise blockchain transactions using the CitiConnect tool. On the joint platform, Nasdaq Linq automatically reconciles Citi payment transactions in real-time.

Nasdaq’s latest blockchain venture came in June 2018, when the firm announced the successful testing of its blockchain-based Proof-of-Concept (PoC) protocol. The Proof-of-Concept was created in a collaborative effort with ABN AMRO Clearing, Euroclear and EuroCCP. It will provide efficient round-the-clock securities collateral solutions for issues associated with making margin calls after trading hours are over. This will eliminate potential losses and make the process easier.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN NASDAQ?

Nasdaq's adoption of blockchain technology holds promise for the future of finance. Each partnership brings a different and more creative approach to so many problems faced by stock exchanges and investors. Even if cryptocurrencies cease to exist one day, Nasdaq will probably still be around, transforming the investment landscape as it has done since 1971.

2. IBM

Despite the popularity of International Business Machines (IBM) and the long string of blockchain partnerships the firm has accumulated, it is still considered old tech in the world of investment. This misconception stems partly from the fact that in the last five years, the company has only posted one-quarter of revenue growth. In that same amount of time, IBM has lost 20% of its value even though tech shares have more than doubled in price generally.

Despite its poorly performing stock, IBM is an excellent investment in one significant aspect: blockchain technology. The tech giant has managed to establish dominance in the cryptocurrency industry through a series of bold moves, centered around enterprise payment solutions. At this rate, IBM stock could see a major change in coming years.

Just like traditional financial institutions, Wall Street has not shown much acceptance towards cryptocurrency. This is mostly due to the lack of regulation that protects investors’ funds. It is also due to the theft and general insecurity in the industry. As a result, to some extent, IBM’s blockchain developments have not been fully recognized. While the idea of immutable digital public ledgers looks good on paper, the reality poses several complications. It also brings change, which the financial industry may not be ready for.

IBM BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Since its decision to enter into the world of blockchain, IBM has made several significant partnerships that have sealed its place as a high roller in the industry. The firm’s foray into blockchain began with the development of a public cloud service known as IBM Blockchain which runs on the Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source platform created by the Linux Foundation.

IBM blockchain allows users to build their own blockchain networks for various applications in a safe and straightforward way. The firm’s partners have all brought their unique applications to its platform. Each one is a leading innovator with the aim of transforming the industry.

STELLAR LUMENS PARTNERSHIP

IBM announced its partnership with Stellar Lumens in October 2017. According to the announcement, the partnership is geared towards facilitating cross-border payments, especially in developing countries. At the time of the announcement, both partners along with KlickEx Group had tested the use of their technology in the South Pacific Region. Leveraging Stellar’s token, Lumens or XLM, which has a current market capitalization of over $3.6 billion, and KlickEx’s financial experience and prowess, IBM is making payments easier for South Pacific residents.

Stellar will act as the intermediary between participating banks by allowing them to convert their currency to Stellar Lumens before carrying out transactions. For example, a company in South Korea that wants to send money to another in Malaysia will convert South Korean Won to Lumens which will then be converted to Malaysian Ringgits in a few seconds, at a low cost.

The firm is currently working with twelve major banks in the region to process cross-border payments on its platform in real-time. This will make the process more efficient for all relevant stakeholders. Technically, IBM and Stellar Lumens are competitors in the blockchain space but have embraced an open-source approach which will benefit the industry in the long run.

VERDE BY VERIDIUM LABS

Veridium Labs has been a force for environmental change since it first emerged with a plan to reduce carbon footprint by making it easier to trade carbon credits. The company has already formed important partnerships with corporations like KPMG and Infinite Earth to see its mission through. However, one of its most recent partnerships is with IBM and was announced by the latter firm in May 2018.

To make the tracking and trade of carbon credits easier, Veridium Labs created its token called VERDE. Each token is embedded with a “carbon charge” which gives it an “Emissions Offset Capacity.” This functions as the digital form of a battery which carries a charge to power the token. When VERDE tokens are used in the process of conducting trades, they discharge parts of their carbon capacity. This mitigates the negative environmental impacts of products.

BATAVIA BY INTERNATIONAL BANK CONSORTIUM

IBM recently partnered with the International Bank Consortium, consisting of Bank of Montreal (BMO), CaixaBank, Erste Group, Commerzbank and UBS to create a blockchain-powered trade platform. The platform successfully concluded tests involving five live pilot transactions. Some of the transactions included textile trade between Austria and Spain as well as automobile trade between Germany and Spain.

The trade platform, known as Batavia, executes smart payments and closes trade agreements using blockchain ledger technology. The success of the pilot transactions show that the technology can potentially change commerce globally, making it a less expensive, more efficient process.

FOOD SAFETY ALLIANCE WITH WALMART & JD.COM

IBM also partnered with Walmart and  JD.com, a Chinese retailer, as well as Tsinghua University in Beijing to improve the food safety and tracking process in China. The partnership has given rise to the emergence of a Blockchain Food Safety Alliance for the food industry on a global scale. According to Walmart, blockchain can make the process of food tracking easier, while fixing the issues associated with the current supply chain in the process.

WHY INVEST IN IBM?

IBM is a staunch believer in the power of blockchain and is making significant investments to back up their belief. According to Marie Wieck, IBM general manager of blockchain initiatives, the adoption of blockchain by governments and businesses, may add an estimated $3.1 trillion of value to the global economy by 2030.

The firm has also expressed intentions to continuously pursue not just blockchain applications but those of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence technology as well. The drop in IBM stock has been attributed to the fact that many market players are focused on the long term. While this is not encouraging, there are many reasons to invest in IBM.

For now, the attention mostly focuses on the smaller blockchain startups that emerge regularly. Some of these companies provide sketchy whitepapers and promises of what they hope to achieve with their technology. On cue, investors troop in from all areas of the world to bet on such companies by participating in Initial Coin Offering (ICOs).

IBM however, is a better option than such companies because it offers the promise of long-term sustainability. If Bitcoin is indeed a bubble and the bubble bursts, most blockchain companies involving ICOs will take considerable hits and in some cases, cease to exist. On the other hand, a company with a solid tech background and years of experience like IBM will not take as much of a hit. If it does, it has a good chance of recovering. Apart from this, there are a few other reasons to add IBM stock to any investment portfolio:

• IBM currently occupies the number one rank in blockchain according to a survey of 400 managers, executives and leading tech professionals, by Juniper Research, a digital commerce and financial technology research firm.
• The firm was ranked first by 43% out of all the businesses either actively considering blockchain adoption or are in the process of deploying it in various forms. Microsoft was ranked second by 20%.
• IBM is currently involved in heavy blockchain research and development initiatives, including its role in the development of Hyperledger Fabric. This technology will act as a launchpad and operation base for several business applications soon.
• The firm has built an impressive list of Fortune-500 clients across various industries.
• IBM beat Wall Street analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for the fourth quarter of 2017. Operating earnings of at least $13.80 per share are expected from the company in 2018.
• After a discouraging stagnation for 23 quarters, the company recorded a year-over-year revenue growth. New technologies showed a year-over-year growth rate of 11% and a quarterly growth rate of 17% for the quarter. This means that new technologies now constitute 46% of the company’s total sales. Cloud revenues also recorded a year-over-year growth rate of 24%, amounting to  $17billion in the last 12 months. These figures show that the company may finally be headed towards a positive growth trajectory.
• The firm is constantly developing technologies that have excellent use cases and make adoption easier.

3. HITACHI

Being one of the biggest firms in Japan, it is not surprising that Hitachi has adopted blockchain technology. The multinational technology firm is known for its long string of enterprise solutions and its bullet trains. However, it has added blockchain to its diverse portfolio. The corporation is currently developing a financial solution that uses blockchain technology like smart contracts to make trading and payment processes more secure.

Hitachi’s foray into blockchain began in 2017 when the company became one of the founding members of Hyperledger. Its role in stabilizing Hyperledger operations, and creating the application development environment has contributed to the success of the hyperledger fabric which powers several blockchain applications including the IBM Blockchain.

HITACHI BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Apart from its Hyperledger contributions, the company has made significant blockchain moves as far as innovation, and research and development are concerned. Currently, they are developing a solution to insure property and casualties. The solution uses blockchain technology to streamline communication in the event of an accident as well as purchase confirmations and verifications by making it easier to share information.

The company is also developing a trade solution which will manage most of the normal tasks in the trade flow. These tasks include contracts, clearing, and settlement. The platform synchronizes the status of contracts with the workflow and uses smart contracts to automate payment deposits and execution. This ensures that the tasks are performed more easily and efficiently.

Another project that the company is currently working on centers around payment traceability. Using this platform, users will be able to track the origin and destination of orders easily. It is specifically tailored to parts manufacturers and will solve a lot of supply chain problems. They aim to continue their committed research and development efforts to find and produce more use cases for blockchain technology.

WHY INVEST IN HITACHI?

Although the firm hasn’t been involved in blockchain development for as long as other companies like IBM, they’ve been actively working to close that gap. They have developed a 3-phase approach to blockchain applications as follows:

• Development and standardization of the Blockchain: Hitachi has been working, through Hyperledger, to develop a global-standard blockchain functionality. The Hyperledger program is an international non-profit initiative for the standardization of blockchain technologies. It was established in the United States by the Linux Foundation and currently has almost 200 members in the form of various companies and organizations. The firm believes that the technology will have a high social impact and is dedicated to standardizing it, to maximize its benefits.

• Research and development: The company is investing heavily in the research and development of more efficient functions for financial solutions. Their experience in creating such solutions is a solid foundation for the integration of blockchain technology. These functions also include security, a much-needed feature for any product within the industry. In light of recent hacks and thefts of cryptocurrency, Hitachi’s dedication to security is much needed. The company recently established the Financial Innovation Laboratory for FinTech R&D in Silicon Valley. The laboratory will serve as a base and accelerator for collaborative blockchain innovation with financial institutions.

• Consideration of use cases for social infrastructure: Apart from financial services, Hitachi has been exploring service applications that center around other types of businesses. This way, the company hopes to leverage their expertise in a broader scope of domains and apply their use cases in a social domain. One way Hitachi is achieving this is by creating each of the blockchain prototypes discussed earlier, which use a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) testing protocol. This protocol connects different types of businesses with the use of a blockchain.

The problems that Hitachi is trying to solve, cut across almost every industry in a broader sense. The conglomerate also has more than a century of tech experience in its bag and investors can be assured that it will thrive in the long run.

4. DAIMLER AG

This German multinational automotive corporation has made a name for itself through ownership of shares in several prominent automotive companies including Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Fuso, Mercedes-AMG and Detroit Diesel amongst others. It is currently the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer in the world, selling a total of 3.3 million units in 2017 alone.

Despite its popularity for manufacturing cars, Daimler AG has also seen considerable success from Daimler Financial Services; it’s financial arm. The automotive giant is also known for its presence in the global tech industry and has made recent innovative moves within the space. One of the most recent projects the firm has embarked on involves the testing of Blockchain technology for financial purposes.

Daimler AG recently announced its partnership with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) to execute a financial transaction using Blockchain. Every step of the transaction including origination, allocation, distribution, and execution were facilitated by the technology. The purpose of the test was to find out more about the new technology for the purpose of creating more efficient business models.

According to the Daimler website, the company has set up a €100 million 1 year loan instrument known as a Schuldschein through Landesbank Baden-Württemberg with several major savings banks acting as lenders. Due to the success of the test, Daimler has stated intentions to integrate blockchain technology into the full spectrum of its business activities.

The product of the partnership between Daimler AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, shows how various sectors interconnect where technology is concerned. The firm believes that this technology can disrupt the entire value chain including sales and marketing, customer relations, supplier management, financial services, and digital services.

WHY INVEST IN DAIMLER AG?

So far, the firm has been successful in the automotive industry. Its longevity and years of experience are a solid foundation for its adoption of Blockchain. Daimler has also been an active participant in the global technological innovation space, with an affinity for open source culture. The firm’s investors will get the chance to profit from a company that has already shown a significant history of past success and a willingness to innovate when necessary.

5. HIVE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES

This is currently one of the top blockchain stocks. It is also the only corporation on this list that has direct cryptocurrency and blockchain roots. It was founded in 2017 through a partnership between Genesis Mining and Foire Group. HIVE Blockchain was created with the purpose of accelerating the development of the blockchain industry. It is currently the largest blockchain infrastructure company and covers mining operations for up to 8 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Since its creation, the company has raised up to $115 million in funding.

Genesis Mining was founded by Marco Streng along with a team of early Bitcoin investors and is currently a global leader where mining is concerned. Mining involves a distributed network of computers that secure a Blockchain network by validating the transactions carried out on it.

So far, Genesis Mining has created several products and built their first large-scale Bitcoin mining farm in 2014. Two years later, the company established the largest Ethereum mining farm in the world. That same year, Genesis Mining launched the Logos Fund which caters to top-tier venture capitalists and has raised more than $100 million in assets to date. The company currently services more than 1 million customers and employs hundreds of staff globally.

HIVE Blockchain is working towards bridging the gap that currently exists between capital markets and Blockchain innovation. The company is achieving this through its multiple cryptocurrency mining farms. The farms, which have been placed at strategic locations, house equipment and miners who validate cryptocurrency transactions on various Blockchain networks, including Bitcoin.

They also recently announced plans to expand their mining operations and capabilities. To this effect, the company has secured an additional large-scale mining facility as well as $100 million in funding. HIVE Blockchain joined the Canadian TSX venture exchange in September 2017 and became the first publicly traded stock on a major stock exchange, which solely deals in cryptocurrency mining.

WHY INVEST IN HIVE BLOCKCHAIN?

Hive Blockchain leverages the experience of Genesis Mining Group to establish and maintain the infrastructure that users of Blockchain networks heavily benefit from. The company is currently at the forefront of global mining operations and plans to keep going. It’s plans for expansion, and it’s excellent use case are major reasons why this particular stock is one to watch.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although the profits accrued from stock investment can be attractive, it is important to select stocks deliberately instead of rushing into it. Blockchain stocks are even tougher to predict because of the volatility of the industry and how quickly and drastically stocks can be affected by events.

However, when choosing a stock, long-term sustainability is an excellent place to start. Each of the stocks mentioned above have shown strong foundations in one sector or the other, coupled with experience and in some cases, competitive advantage. IBM has been around for a long time, just like Hitachi.

While the former has become a household name, it has seen revenue stagnation for the past few years. This means that apart from long-term sustainability, the potential to perform is something else to look out for. A good way to find out is by looking at the quality of the company’s newest products and how willing they are to innovate.

While ICOs seem like a quick way to get rich, some of them turn out to be scams. Investing in the stock of companies like Nasdaq may not bring overnight wealth, but the risk of loss is greatly minimized.

Original Post: https://www.mintdice.com/blog/top-5-blockchain-stocks