Category: Tech News

Tech Tips for a Happy Festive Season – Tara Gale Dell Technologies Ireland

By Tara Gale, Client Solutions Product Manager, Dell Technologies Ireland

With the festive season fast approaching, people across Ireland will be spending significant time purchasing gifts for loved ones online. It is expected that this year’s holiday season will be another year of record-breaking online sales.

We often spend so much time on our chosen e-commerce platform, that it never crosses our minds what happens behind the scenes. There are many threats online, especially during this time of year, and it’s very important to make sure that as you navigate shopping online, you are doing so safely.

Often, we get excited to purchase and open a brand-new device that we forget how we can make use of our old one. Have you thought about recycling your old version or extending the battery life of your current tech gadget? At Dell Technologies, we are here to help guide you to safely shop for new tech, dispose of the old and keep powered up over the festive period.

SAFE SHOPPING ONLINE

The convenience of the internet continues to create new opportunities for online shopping by ways of apps, microsites and so on. However, it’s also a time of year when experts see an uptick in cyberattacks. With both An Garda Síochána and Europol recently warning businesses and shoppers of the dangers of ransomware in the lead-up to Christmas[1], consumers should stay vigilant and follow these tips to stay protected while online shopping:

  • Be sure to use a secure website by looking at the URL (https://)
  • Avoid making purchases on public computers and public Wi-Fi as they may contain malicious software and are not secured
  • Ensure you have a strong password or passphrase, consisting of numbers, letters and special characters
  • Never reuse or recycle passwords and use multi-factor authentication whenever possible
  • Never click on suspicious links

YOU BOUGHT A NEW PC, NOW WHAT?

You successfully got through the online shopping experience for your new device, now what?

Data is often stored on the hard-drive of your PC or computing device. So, when it’s time to make that holiday upgrade to a powerful new system you’ve had your eyes on, you’ll want to safely remove your personal files and information from your old device before disposing of it.

For this, you have options. Some computers already have data removal software. For Dell computers, many models include the Dell Data Wipe feature built into the System Setup. Other brands may have similar software. If your computer does not have software to erase the hard drive, there is software you can purchase.

Once you have removed your files from the computer, what should you do with it? We see out-of-use devices as a valuable resource, one that can go on to be refurbished, reused or recycled. We believe in working with industry to advance sustainability by recycling materials needed to produce our devices.

Through Dell Technologies, we make it simple for our consumers to participate in one of our free consumer recycling programs – taking back any brand, in any condition. In Ireland for example, if your computer is a bit older or no longer working, our Return to Dell mail-back service offers free recycling, even covering the cost of shipping.

TRAVELLING WITH YOUR NEW LAPTOP? TIPS TO EXTEND YOUR LAPTOP BATTERY LIFE

Whether you are closer to home or on the road to visit loved ones over the holiday break, I understand the obstacles that come with technology on the road and the feeling when your battery life runs out along the way. Now that you have your new laptop up and running, let’s make sure the battery life will last as long as possible during your travels this festive season. Here are a few quick tips that may help conserve some battery time:

  • Power off your device before placing it in a laptop bag or other enclosed area.
  • Always use the original AC adapter provided with the laptop. Do not use third-party AC adapters or batteries.
  • Reduce the brightness of the screen.
  • Reduce the amount of open software.
  • Avoid exposure to extreme temperatures. If the system is exposed to extreme cold or hot temperatures, allow it to reach normal temperature before use and before charging.

When it comes to online shopping it’s important not to lose sight of the dangers, even more so in the coming days and weeks. Whether you are buying a new device or disposing of old one, take note of all of the above and make your online shopping experience safe and sustainable.

From everyone at Dell Technologies Ireland, enjoy the festive season.

How to Deal with Friendly Fraud and Chargebacks

In order to have successful business operations, every company or organization needs to keep an eye on every element that makes those operations a success. From marketing, sales, engineering, accounting, HR to security, business can’t be successful if all of those elements are not doing as well as the others. While most of the businesses try to keep all of them in balance, a lot of them still don’t pay as much attention to the area of security as they should. Fraud and cyber attacks have become an ever present threat that can impact any business or organizations, which is why it is no longer possible to keep your head in the sand and ignore the threats. Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, the volume of cyber-crime and cyber-attacks has become significantly more prevalent around the world with the rate of attacks skyrocketing by over 600% compared to previous figures.

 

Protecting their business from the threat of fraud should become everyone’s priority, but ecommerce shops are under bigger risk than any other sector as they are one of the favorites targets. There are various types of fraud that can impact ecommerce shops from triangulation, transaction fraud, card testing or even an account takeover, but the one ecommerce businesses find hardest to deal with.

What is Friendly Fraud?

Even though this type of fraud is called friendly , it is nothing friendly in any type of fraud as they all cause significant damage to the ecommerce store. It is called friendly because it is conducted by legitimate cardholders and not by fraudsters using stolen card or payment details. SEON’s view on friendly fraud separates them into 5 different categories ranging from accidental to malicious fraud.

Unintentional Friendly Fraud: This happens as a genuine mistake as the customer either didn’t recognize the transaction on their bank account or they completely forgot about the purchase.

Intentional Friendly Fraud: This type of fraud happens when a customer deliberately requests a chargeback from their card provider even though they have knowingly made a purchase. 

Merchant Error: According to Braintree, this happens when a customer requests a chargeback because of merchants issues like a delayed delivery, missing products or even unclear merchant descriptors.

Shared Card Fraud: Also known under the name family fraud, CNBC explained that this type of fraud happens when unauthorized purchases are made with the shared card, often by the child that is using parents devices.

Policy Abuse Fraud: This happens when customers take advantage of flexible return or refund policies which is why it is imperative your return policy is accessible and easy to understand.

Protecting your business from friendly fraud

Main problem with friendly fraud is that customers don’t try to contact the merchant in order to resolve the issues but they go directly to the bank requesting a chargeback. This can cause even bigger financial damage to the merchant than just losing a revenue from sale, as they would have to pay a chargeback fee and in the worst case scenario the bank might terminate their account as they consider them a high risk. This is why it is extremely important that merchants are easily reachable and their contact info is clearly stated on their website. 

Second step you need to do is to update your return policy and clearly state all the terms and conditions that the customer is required to follow in order for you to process a refund. It needs to be easily understandable and more importantly accessible to prevent unwanted chargeback just because customers didn’t have access to your return policy. 

Next, you should implement a cybersecurity protocol that will help protect your business from different types of fraud, including friendly fraud.

86% of chargebacks are likely causes of friendly fraud which means 86% of chargebacks could’ve been prevented by clear return policy and open communication between merchant and customer.

YouTube’s growing creative ecosystem supports over 1,600 full-time equivalent jobs in Ireland

YouTube today launched its first ‘From Opportunity to Impact’ report in Ireland. Developed in partnership with Oxford Economics the report assesses the economic, societal, and cultural benefits of the world’s most popular video hosting website in Ireland.

Around one billion hours of YouTube videos are watched every day across the world. With a low bar to entry, in terms of cost, and access to a global fanbase, YouTube offers Irish creators the opportunity to build a business on the platform.

The report, commissioned by YouTube, found that the platform’s creative ecosystem supported the equivalent of 1,600 full-time jobs in Ireland in 2020. Oxford Economics also estimated that the total contribution of YouTube’s creative ecosystem to Ireland’s GDP was €30 million in 2020.

As well as measuring the economic impact, the report outlined the value of YouTube as a place to learn, as an amplifier of diverse voices and creative entrepreneurs and, as a source of relevant information during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A place to learn

Every day YouTube empowers people of all ages across Ireland to develop their personal and professional skills. It has become an unrivalled learning repository with 91% of Irish users accessing the platform to gather information and knowledge. Users turn to YouTube to learn new hobbies and solve practical problems with 68% regularly watching ‘how to’ and DIY videos for example.

Discerning this desire for educational content led Irish design engineer Brian McManus to leave his job in 2016 to pursue a career as a YouTube creator. Five years later, his two channels Real Engineering and Real Science have 3.1 million and 518,000 subscribers respectively. Brian employs four people full time and regularly hires freelancers who work as editors, animators, and writers in his production team.

Commenting on the report, Brian McManus said,

“I could see that people watched a lot of educational content on YouTube, but I could not find anyone creating engineering videos that represented how important the career was to the world. I began to teach myself animation and video editing in my spare time, and when I felt I was ready, I quit my job to start the channel.

“The channel grew rather quickly and within 6 months I had replaced my income. I’m now doing something I love and I’m also employing a vastly talented production team as well as hiring many more freelancers – and all based from the West of Ireland.”

YouTube provides a vehicle for Irish creators, like Melanie Murphy to find opportunities and economic success by sharing content with audiences, locally and internationally. Melanie’s videos on health, culture, and motherhood have been viewed more than 71 million times and she has earned a full time income for the past seven years from her YouTube presence. While Melanie describes herself as a ‘one man band’ she has, in the past, hired staff like camera crews to help in the development of content for her channel – further demonstrating the knock-on economic impact of the YouTube creator community. You can also find US on YouTube for hands on tech reviews

Commenting on the report, Pedro Pina, Head of YouTube EMEA, said,

“It is inspiring to see the many ways YouTube is touching the lives of Irish people, including those of Brian and Melanie. As the only open platform that allows people to both share their voice and the revenue  derived from their work, we’re bringing to an entire new generation of creative entrepreneurs — regardless who they are or where they come from — the chance to build thriving businesses on YouTube.” 

Ireland’s creators have cultivated a diverse audience with over 95% of time watched on content produced by channels in Ireland coming from international users. The global success of Ireland’s creators represents a real export opportunity with the potential to further increase the already significant number of jobs as well as the sizeable contribution to Ireland’s GDP – generated by the creator ecosystem here.

The number of Irish creator channels with over 1 million subscribers has increased by 20% year over year, with over 70 channels attracting those audience levels. There has also been growth in the number of channels that have 100,000+ subscribers reaching 450 further indicating the potential revenue growth opportunities that exist for creators.

Diverse voices and relevant content

On YouTube, viewers can find voices in every accent, creators of every colour, and people from every age and background on their screens. A key finding from today’s report is that 74% of Irish users agree YouTube is home to diverse content. The diversity of the creator population means that more viewers can be served content that’s familiar and important to them with 68% of users agreeing that they feel YouTube has relevant content for them.

In Ireland YouTube is valued by users as a trusted source of information. The research carried out by Oxford Economics finds that  69% of users agree that YouTube allows them to view content they can’t access through traditional media with over half of users agreeing that the platform has been a reliable source of information since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

PayPal study shows Irish people will spend 33% more on Christmas gifts this year

With Christmas fast approaching, PayPal’s Gifting and Giving 2021 study – involving over 1,000 Irish consumers – shows that Irish people are planning to spend 33 per cent more2 on Christmas gifts this year.

Compared to Christmas 2020, where the average spend on Christmas gifts was €541, those polled in Ireland plan to spend an average of €721 on gifts this Christmas. As for the most generous counties, these were revealed as Offaly (€1,004), Kildare (€928), Sligo (€890), Tipperary (€888) and Clare (€843).

 No Late Late Shoppers

It seems the majority of respondents aren’t hanging around either when it comes to ticking items off their list, with 32 per cent having a head start and finished with their Christmas shopping by the end of November. Furthermore, a quarter (25%) expect to have theirs completed by this first week in December.

However, a fifth (20%) of Christmas shoppers did admit that they usually leave their shopping until the last minute. Men are more prone to this than women with 30 per cent of male respondents leaving shopping to the last minute, compared to just 17 per cent of female respondents.

When it comes to how people are shopping, over half (53%) of Irish consumers Christmas shopping this year are doing more of their Christmas shopping online in order to avoid crowds. Meanwhile some 37 per cent plan to head into stores during quiet times for the same reason and almost a fifth (17%) intend to buy fewer physical gifts as a result of COVID-19.

Christmas with a COVID twist

The pandemic is causing some consumers a concern with 31 per cent worried about presents not arriving in time due to supply chain issues. Another main worry is that lockdown restrictions could prevent people from celebrating with family and friends in person (52%).

On a more positive note, 38 per cent of Irish people agree that it feels like Christmas will be back to normal this year and 56% of Christmas hosts are not anxious about hosting people over the holidays. Although, more than half (57%) of Christmas hosts said they will only invite double vaccinated guests for celebrations at home.

The Gift of Giving

The PayPal study also revealed that more than a third of Irish people (38%) say the pandemic has caused them to be more generous with their time and money in relation to charitable causes, with 92 per cent saying they donated to charity by giving money, donating items, offering raffle prizes or giving to a food bank.

According to the research, Irish people donate an average of €87 a year to causes dear to their hearts. Based on donations during the average year, the most generous givers are from Carlow (€178), Wicklow (€106), Sligo (€103), Meath (€102) and Wexford (€100).

Speaking about the findings, Maeve Dorman, Senior Vice President at PayPal, commented: “It’s that magical time of the year when people want to give back to their loved ones and their communities. After all, being generous to others makes us feel good and – something that is ever more important these days – helps us stay connected. Irish people in particular are known for their generosity and thoughtfulness, so it’s not surprising that they are going above and beyond this year when it comes to buying gifts for family and friends, and making donations to causes they care about.”

“At PayPal, we want to make it easy to support charities this Christmas and beyond, which is where ‘Give At Checkout’ comes in. It enables people to add a micro donation when they shop online with PayPal.”

‘Give at Checkout’ allows people to make micro donations of €1 when they do their Christmas shopping online with PayPal by selecting their favourite charity on this website or via the mobile app.

Infosys BPM to Create 250 Jobs in Ireland, With a New State-of-the-Art Delivery Center in Waterford

Infosys BPM, the business process management arm of Infosys, today announced that it is expanding its presence in Ireland, creating 250 jobs locally with the development of a new delivery center in Waterford.

Infosys BPM started its Ireland operations in Dublin in 2014, delivering exceptional service offerings across telecommunications, manufacturing, social media, healthcare, edtech, and fintech sectors. The company has since then, further expanded in Ireland through its offices in Waterford, Wexford, Clonmel, and Craigavon.

The new center in Waterford will provide voice support, customer service and technical support operations for large global enterprises. The new roles will cover several functions across various job levels, spanning a multitude of skills from customer and technical support roles to subject-matter-experts in the areas of finance, HR, planning, and capacity management.

The employees will be working at the cutting edge of innovation in the digital space, consistently providing anytime-anywhere experiences to empower some of the world’s largest organizations in navigating their digital transformation journeys. In line with the company’s mission to develop the workforce through continuous learning, Infosys will provide critical training and growth opportunities to nurture the next generation of digital talent.

The 250 new roles in Ireland will build on Infosys’ recently announced 1,000 jobs in the UK, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting post-pandemic economic growth in the region.

Leo Varadkar TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland, said: “Congratulations to the entire Infosys BPM team, on this impressive expansion which will result in the creation of 250 new jobs in Waterford. This is a great boost for the South East and demonstrates the attractiveness of Ireland as a location for investment from leading companies from around the world. The best of luck to the team, I trust you will be very happy in Waterford.”

 

Anantha Radhakrishnan, MD & CEO, Infosys BPM, said, “The launch of the new center is a testament to our continued focus on the workplace of the future, grounded in building a robust talent pool with strong digital skills. This investment in Ireland builds on our long-standing commitment to developing a highly skilled workforce in Ireland and our focus on achieving breakthrough innovation for our clients in a collaborative environment. Hiring the best of talent will not only offer a significant boost to the regional economy, but also substantially enhance growth opportunities for us. This will further enable us to deliver amplified business value for our clients with agility and a superior stakeholder experience.”

 

Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland, said, “As one of the largest employers in the South East, this announcement by Infosys BPM for 250 new roles at its new delivery centre in Waterford is very welcome. Infosys’ continued investment in their site in Waterford, as well as their other sites in Wexford and Clonmel, represents a strong endorsement of the talent available in the South East region – particularly in the IT sector. It should serve also as an example for other large international IT companies looking to expand into Europe that Ireland remains a premier location for doing so. I wish Infosys BPM the utmost success with their future operations.”

INTELLI launch clutter-free charging with new StepUp Magnetic Wireless Charging Station

Providers of clean, premium, intelligent technology products, INTELLI, is today pleased to announce the availability of StepUp, a clutter-free Magnetic Wireless Charging Station. The latest innovation in charging technology, StepUp is sleek, versatile, and has up to 15w of power delivery, with 2 pop out panels, allowing users to charge multiple devices such as the Apple Watch or AirPods simultaneously, anytime. The StepUp is available on the INTELLI website for $69.99/£54 and $69.99 on Amazon.com. Amazon UK is expected to stock shortly.

The StepUp wireless magnetic compatible hub features a modern design that can simultaneously charge an iPhone 12 or 13 series, AirPods and Apple Watch with 5MM induction distance. Compatible magnets hold the phone securely in place while charging, offering 5W/7.5W/10W/15W wireless charging for iPhones, 5W wireless charging for AirPods and 2.5W wireless charging for Apple Watch.

The AirPods and Apple Watch charging docks on StepUp can be pushed in or popped out as desired, giving the user the option of having a sleek looking wireless charger for their phone only, or the ability to charge their watch as well or even their AirPods with both docks out at the same time for a sleek and modern look with no cords or clutter.

The StepUp is available on the INTELLI website for $69.99/£54 and $69.99 on Amazon.com. Amazon UK is expected to stock shortly.

StepUp Specs

  • Magnetic Wireless Charging compatible
  • Charges up to 3 devices simultaneously
  • 5W/ 7.5W / 10W / 15W wireless charging for iPhones
  • 5W wireless charging for AirPods

Vestel introduces TV remote app for fifty TV brands across Europe

Vestel is set to bring viewers around Europe extra features for their Smart TVs with the launch of its TV Smart Centre app. Free-to-download, the new TV remote control app is designed for Smart TVs from fifty popular as well as premium brands, offering more personalised control, as well as ultra-convenient and fast access to TV listings, apps, and screen share functions.

Split into five sections – Home, Guide, Remote, Applications, and Settings, the app simplifies the navigation process, enabling users to enjoy a more intuitive user experience from their connected iOS and Android mobile devices.

Home screen 

To help narrow down searches, the Home screen’s Dashboard features extra information for up to thirty programmes and films, providing insightful synopses about shows and movies, as well as more detail about the genres and casts. While the Primetime section picks out and highlights specific programmes for peak evening viewing times between 8pm and midnight, the “For You” section does so for programmes, regardless of when they are scheduled.

The Home screen also offers quick and easy access to a whole range of flexible, and customisable viewing options. With one tap of the screen mirroring button, viewers can bring their saved videos, music, and photos straight to the big screen, and with one tap of the red control, record or set a reminder for their favourite TV series.

From the Home screen, Follow Me TV can also be accessed, enabling users to tune into live TV content on any connected mobile device from anywhere within range of the user’s home WiFi network.

Remote screen 

Bringing together all the most frequently used functions to one centralised place, the TV Smart Centre app Remote screen features a power button to switch the TV on, a 4-way D-pad, and buttons for several alternative search style options. These include modes for searching with numerical and alphabetical keyboards, and a touchpad, as well as a voice search function for simple remote control commands.

To stream the most highly sought-after content quickly and easily, there are also shortcut buttons for Netflix and YouTube, and a selection of media player controls that are immediately to hand.

Guide and Apps 

Giving viewers more personalised control and flexibility, the Guide screen offers further access to the screen mirroring button and the Follow Me TV function, along with the latest, most up-to-date TV listings with its “What’s on TV” section.

Searching for must-see VoD content is also quick and easy, thanks to the Apps screen. Viewers can count on one-click access to all the streaming apps available on their Smart TVs, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube as well as Rakuten, Twitch, Amazon Music, YouTube Kids and Red Bull TV2.

“We are pleased to introduce an app that can help to maximise the Smart TV user experience,” said to Barış Altınkaya, Vestel Vice President of Marketing and Product Management . “Whether you prefer to search by voice, touch, or traditional D-pad, the TV Smart Centre app gives you more personalised control, enabling you to choose the search styles that work best for you from your own connected mobile device.  

With features, such as one-click access to streaming apps, and selections of popular recommendations, the TV Smart Centre app is also ideal for navigating vast libraries of entertainment, ensuring that viewers can browse less, and find more of what they most like to watch, or listen to.” 

For a full list of TV brands, please view here

MFA vs. SSO: How Do They Compare?

Multi-factor authentication and single sign-on are important parts of identity and access management. 

They’re also something every business should understand right now because they prevent many of the main cybersecurity vulnerabilities that come with remote and hybrid work environments. 

Rather than looking at them as competing elements of a cybersecurity plan, you should instead consider them two things that work together. 

The general concept underlying both MFA and SSO is that a password and user ID combination are no longer adequate to protect sensitive data and information. 

Below are details about both. 

What is Multi-Factor Authentication?

Multi-factor authentication or MFA uses different factors to verify someone’s identity and then ultimately grant access to systems, data, and software. 

Most MFA systems will use at least two factors to authenticate users and devices.

The first is typically characterized as “what you know.” What you know might include recovery questions or a password. 

Another potential category is what you have, which can include a one-time password or a token. 

A third factor is who you are, meaning a biometric factor like a fingerprint. The fourth possible factor is what you do or where you’re at. This category can include location-based authentication or keystroke biometrics, which assess how you type. 

The advantage of MFA is the security. 

Other benefits of MFA, along with additional security layer include that it’s easy to implement, and your employees and customers feel like they’re being protected. Ultimately, you can lower your operating costs because you’re spending less on cybersecurity problems, and it can reduce the burden on your IT team. 

The biggest issue with MFA is that it can be cumbersome to manage, which is why a good MFA solution can keep your employees productive and make things easier for them without sacrificing security. 

What Is Single Sign-On?

Single sign-on, in some ways is a more straightforward concept than MFA. Single sign-on refers to scenarios where a user has a master sign-on to authenticate themselves before they start working. If they need to log into another tool to do their work, the SSO solution will log them in. 

The credentials to log into all needed platforms are stored by the SSO solution. 

Benefits of single sign-on include:

  • With the move to the cloud, employees are increasingly using apps for work, and each of those can otherwise require a different password or username. This is burdensome and leads to serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities stemming from password fatigue. Signing on once can improve employee productivity and save everyone time. 
  • SSO can save on IT costs because there’s less being spent on password resets and troubleshooting. It’s optimal if SSO is part of a centralized access management system that uses a central directory for the provisioning and de-provisioning of users. You can relatively easily define policies based on location, user role and other traits. 
  • The use of SSO can prevent shadow IT. Shadow IT refers to unauthorized workplace downloads. With cloud downloads so prevalent, the risk of shadow IT continues to grow. SSO can help employers monitor the apps employees use, reducing the risk of shadow IT.
  • Having SSO in place can encourage employees to use available technology tools. If you invest in new technology and employees aren’t willing to use it, it’s a wasted investment. You want any technology investments to make your employees’ lives easier rather than harder, and SSO can help with that. 

Comparing MFA and SSO

SSO focuses on users getting access to all needed resources with one authentication. Multi-factor authentication is about stronger verification of identities. One doesn’t eliminate the need for the other. They do different things and should ideally be used together. 

When using both MFA and SSO, benefits include enhanced security and convenience. You’re simultaneously taking the burden off employees to remember so many passwords, and you’re also reducing a potential surface area for a cyber-attack. 

MFA can serve as a backup for SSO because it adds additional layers of authentication. Both can work to increase employee productivity. Workers aren’t spending all their time concerned with password and log-in issues. 

MFA and SSO can both fit into the larger concept of identity and access management (IAM), which focuses on making sure the right people in your organization have access to the right resources at the proper time across increasingly diversified technical systems. 

Understanding identity and access management should be one of your top priorities for the upcoming new year, along with general cybersecurity in a modern, cloud-driven environment.

Giftable Experiences Now Available Across 19 European Countries Including Ireland

Giftable, the popular startup that’s been transforming online gifting into real life experiences, is expanding its service from its native Luxembourg to 19 additional markets across Europe. In doing so, Giftable will make it easier to rebuild social connections and boost social interaction.

The Giftable app combines the concept of online gifting – which has grown exponentially during the pandemic – with in-person experiences, empowering users to build meaningful relationships with their contacts in just three clicks.

Users simply select an experience, which can be anything from a salon visit to a romantic dinner, and send it to a lucky friend, family member, or colleague to show how much they care.

Previously available only to users within Luxembourg, where Giftable is based, a recent partnership with TUI Musement is helping the company to expand across Europe. A part of the TUI brand, TUI Musement provides a digital platform that enables brands to operate internationally with local delivery. This partnership also means Giftable’s gift catalogue will swell to more than 40,000 different options.

Now, anyone in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain can access the app, gift an experience, and boost the human connection.

Entrepreneur Michel Hoffmann, Founder of Giftable, says “During the pandemic, practically everything moved online. For the most part, that was a good thing. With online shopping, for example, we have access to more products and services from the sofa than we do from the high street. However, social interaction is one area where digital is still letting us down.

“Zoom is no match for a coffee with a friend. Skype is no match for an exhilarating game of laser tag with a group of good buddies. Through Giftable’s European expansion, we hope to show the world that all those things we loved to do before the pandemic hit are all still waiting for us and still possible.”

Giftable’s focus on human-centric relationships aligns perfectly with the ethos of parent company The Kindness Group, which prioritises ‘putting the human back in the centre of relationships’. The Kindness Group has enjoyed some highly positive news itself in recent weeks, having appointed former Princess of Luxembourg and renowned businesswoman Tessy Antony de Nassau to strengthen its board of directors following completion of an equity funding round.

Vafa Moayed, President of the Board of Directors, says “We are delighted to welcome Tessy Antony de Nassau to the board, and we look forward to growing The Kindness Group with the help of her entrepreneurial vision”.

The Giftable app is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices, with experiences available across 19 countries within Europe.

To find out more, or download the app, visit www.giftable.com