WEBVTT - Black Friday Special 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.040 Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:13.080 This is Bloomberg business Weekdaily reporting from the magazine that 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:17.639 helps global leaders stay ahead with insight on the people, companies, 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:22.560 and trends shaping today's complex economy. Plus global business finance 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:26.279 and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Business Weekdaily 0:00:26.400 --> 0:00:31.480 Podcast with Carol Masser and Tim Steneveek on Bloomberg Radio. 0:00:31.960 --> 0:00:35.080 More retailers turning to the new technology AI that is 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:38.640 this holiday shopping season, but balancing the efficiency that technology 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.920 can bring with the trust customers place and human interactions 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.600 can be tricky. Dan O'Connell is the CEO of Front 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.879 and AI customer service platform Dan, welcome and thanks for 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:51.880 joining us today. So how does Front differentiate itself from 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:55.760 other purportedly AI dominated customer service platforms. 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:58.640 Yeah, great question and thanks for having me today. It's 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:01.840 a friend's really the only plot form that combines traditional email, 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.319 help desk and chatbots together in a single platform to 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.280 deliver exceptional AI drone customer experiences for incredible depth and 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:11.280 breadth of customers. 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:14.640 Okay, sounds interesting. So who are your customers and what 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:16.040 do they pay you for the service? 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:20.320 Yeah, so our customers today are really focused on two things. One, 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:24.119 they want to automate low value, repetitive tasks to deliver 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:27.720 exceptional customer experiences. And they've got high value relationships that 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:29.679 they want to have a human touch for. And so 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:33.680 our customers are b to B customers specifically at mid 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:36.240 market and lower enterprise that leverage us again as a 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:38.880 way to go and communicate and manage their relationships with 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:39.600 our customers. 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:41.559 All right, I'm going to just cut to the chase 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:46.040 cuz CEOs they understand and the terminology, But what is 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.080 it that you really are getting to for one of 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:50.600 your clients in terms of the customer information and what 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:51.480 you're doing for them. 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:56.480 Sure, every business out there needs to manage customer relationships, 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:58.920 and so again that can be how do we go 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.560 and respond to customers over chat, or over SMS or 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:05.200 over email. They need to understand the insights that are 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:07.960 coming from those conversations so they can better route them, 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:12.079 and again really focus on just these wonderful customer customer 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:16.959 experiences across really any channel that's out there, voice, video, SMS, text, 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:17.440 and email. 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:19.080 Dan, I have to say, I think it's either the 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.120 control rooms around here or everybody around us are like, 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:23.760 come on, we've all had a customer experience where we're 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:26.600 either don't get the answers or get into kind of 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.600 a chatbot that doesn't ask the right questions and says, hey, are. 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:31.919 You all done now? So how do we make it better? 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:36.720 So that really is this about, you know, customers companies 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:40.000 gathering information or is it really about making the customer 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.120 experience easier and more productive? 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:47.000 Well, I think it's a balance. Like we're at the 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:49.880 earlier segment. You know, we're all incredibly excited about the 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.720 opportunity for AI to deliver faster responses and instinct answers. 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:55.720 We know that every consumer out there wants to get 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.080 an instant answer any question or problem they have around 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.600 in order, and I think there's all so a balance 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.400 of Look like we're in this holiday season, it's really emotional. 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.560 If there's a shipping delay or an issue, you want 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:08.400 to be able to go and talk to a person. 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.120 And so I think the balance of finding this opportunity 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.720 is incredibly important for every brand that's out there. You 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:16.359 can't just automate away the people. You can't just automate 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:19.240 away every task or workflow, and so I think the 0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:21.720 best businesses are going to strike that balance, and I 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:24.400 think we're in this real time experiment right now in 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:27.240 this holiday season given kind of the excitement around AI. 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.520 So what do you use for large language models? Whose 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.400 AI do you use? And you know where is all 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:36.560 that data stored? 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.400 Yeah, So in terms of we've got a multipletive partners 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.840 that we leverage to provide our AI. We do some 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:48.480 work in house. We obviously leverage open AI and Mistroll, 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.600 who are large foundational large language models. I'm sure most 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.880 of the audience is familiar with some of them. And 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:56.280 one thing that's really important is we talk about this 0:03:56.400 --> 0:04:00.320 data is making sure that our customers have full control 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.600 to that data. Again, and then when we talk about 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.280 the customer experiences, nobody wants to be tricked out there 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.520 in terms of when they're engaging with AI, and so 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.280 I think this is also a fundamentally important focus for 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:15.120 us at FRONT, which is make sure that the users 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.919 have full control. Make sure that we're very clear around 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.520 where there are experiences with an AI or an automated 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.240 or automation and when you're actually engaging with a human. 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:26.160 So software as a service. 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:29.200 Your AI chatbot just brought me over to your pricing page, 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:30.880 which thank you very much and is asking me if 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:32.559 I have any questions, and you can get a starter 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:34.640 pack for twenty five bucks and it goes on up 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.640 to one hundred and five. But I imagine as small 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:41.520 and medium sized enterprises mainly that you're targeting, right, because 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:43.240 the bigger companies are doing it themselves. 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:48.120 No, you would be surprised. And so I think every 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:50.760 business on the planet is going through a platform shift 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:54.120 right now around customer experience. And so we are working 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.599 with some small businesses that might have five or fifteen seats, 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.440 and our largest sense to or upwards of thousand seats. 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.479 Some of the largest brands that are recognized. Uber Freight, 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.720 for example, is a business of ours leverages us and 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:10.200 so again, like I think what's interesting at this moment 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:14.080 in time is everybody you're picking new platforms around customer experience. 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:18.280 And again that's because of what AI is cap already demonstrating, 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.719 and capability has real capabilities and real revenue traction. But 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:23.560 I think also people are excited about what are the 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:26.039 opportunities that AI can deliver in the near future. 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:30.320 Hey, Dan, just got about thirty seconds here. You have 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:32.760 so much data on your platform. We all care about 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:35.720 what the US consumer is doing. In thirty second, how 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.640 would you say the US consumer is doing and fairing? 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:42.640 Yeah, I think what we see is I am expecting 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:45.359 us to have one of the biggest cyber mondays in 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:47.960 holiday seasons that we've seen. We already know that people 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:52.680 are shifting and making more purchases online and through mobile. Again, 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.919 that increase in volume obviously leads to there's going to 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:59.240 be some increasing frustrations and breakdown, and they're going to 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.560 want to have these ecceits optional customer experiences across any channel. 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:04.679 And so again I'm expecting to sta have a pretty 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:06.279 big holiday season here, all right. 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.680 So it sounds like you're gonna be pretty busy going ahead. 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.440 Hey Dan, thank you so much. Dan O'Connell. He is 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:12.520 the CEO of up Front. 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:16.440 Stay with us. More from Bloomberg Business Week Daily coming 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:17.440 up after this. 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:24.840 You're listening to the Bloomberg Business Weekdaily podcast. Catch us 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:28.359 live weekday afternoons from two to five pm Eastern Listen 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.960 on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app, 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:33.920 or watch US live on YouTube. 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.360 With consumer sentiment overall this month following the most since 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:41.359 the month of April. There are questions about how holiday 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:44.599 shopping and retailers full year earnings will be impacted. So 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.440 there's a lot going on this holiday season and expectations 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:51.240 to around it. We're joined now by Natalie Cutler. She's 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:54.440 Video's national retail and consumer products industry leader, and she 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:55.960 joins us on this Black Friday. 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:59.000 Hey Natalie, great to have you here with Vonnie and myself. 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.960 What are your expectations around this holiday shopping season? 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:05.720 Well, great to be here, thank you. You know what, 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:09.720 I think this holiday season is going to be challenging, 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.680 yet I do think it's going to ultimately be okay. 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:16.640 I think there's going to be winners and losers on 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.040 the retail side, just like we would expect to see 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:23.720 in any year. Those retailers that really understand what their 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:28.720 consumer is looking for, whether it's value, convenience, or experience, 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:32.560 those are the retailers that are going to be successful. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:33.400 Natalie. 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:35.920 One thing that I caught my attention this week's City 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:39.240 coming out and saying that Black Friday performance is overblown 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:42.880 as a metric for retailers, going on to say the 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:45.880 Thanksgiving weekend shopping event is given too much attention as 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:48.240 the season is quote typically one or lost in the 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:50.960 weeks leading up to Christmas, with the post Christmas week 0:07:51.040 --> 0:07:54.280 becoming more important to most retailers that city's view. 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:55.840 Does city have a point though? 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.760 So, I do think that the week'sly up to Black 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:04.080 Fridays certainly are an indication of what will happen on 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:07.120 Black Friday, the entire weekend, and then certainly for the 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:10.720 rest of the Monday December. Black Friday used to be 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.960 the turning point and the key day from most retailers, 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:16.760 and we know now that it is so much more 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:21.200 than that. It is now beginning November and even Amazon 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.200 as early as October, so the holiday season has really 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:27.240 stretched out more so than it has been in years past. 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.760 So it's kind of difficult just to nail down a 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:33.440 particular day. Having said all that, I do think at 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.840 Black Friday or this entire weekend and including Cyber Monday, 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.880 are still critical days for retailers because that is the 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.560 day that the consumer's mindset is, oh, I have to 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:45.679 go out there and get my shopping done. 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:48.360 Not are there any new approaches when it comes to marketing. 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:50.000 I picked up my phone a little while ago, and 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:53.959 there are must have been about fifty emails offering me things. Obviously, 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.280 these are people I've given my email to already and 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:58.080 they think of me as a loyal customer. 0:08:58.120 --> 0:08:59.280 But for many of them, I'm not. 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:02.920 So let's dig deeper a little bit on that whole 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:08.079 concept of loyalty. So loyalty programs are super important, and 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:11.960 retailers are doubling down on the loyalty programs. So in 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.600 the past, probably as you did in so many others, 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.560 as did I, you wanted a five percent ten percent 0:09:17.760 --> 0:09:21.320 sign on discount. Lots of consumers signed in, got their 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:23.760 initial ten percent, and that was the end of that, 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:28.480 and then we're all continuously getting these emails. But good 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:32.600 retailers are doubling down on the retail on the loyalty programs, 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.600 and they're offering either tier discounts by X get a 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:39.080 discount of ten percent, by why get a discount of 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:46.000 twenty percent. Some loyalty programs are offering exclusive promotions, they're 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:50.240 offering those promotions early, and then they're also offering exclusive 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:53.680 drops or exclusive products. So I do think that the 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:57.560 old loyalty program that we've seen for many years, where 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:02.439 you just get that initial discount, are no longer are 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:05.920 no longer the case, and retailers are not only providing 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:10.200 those discounts, but they're really doing is actually getting information, 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:14.480 and they're gathering data about us as consumers, what we're buying, 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:18.559 when we're buying it, and utilizing AI as to how 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:24.160 they can offer us better and more targeted and personalized promotions. 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:26.480 And I imagine they were turning some shoppers away with 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:29.000 the volume of these emails. I want to ask you 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:30.840 about omni channel because it used to either that was 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.480 sort of in person or online somehow, but that's expanded 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:37.040 as well now given that we can all shop through 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:38.040 our social media ups. 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:40.719 Should we want to, absolutely so. 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:42.679 It used to be just as you said, used to 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.840 be either in store, used to have online. Now we 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:50.199 have mobile commerce, and we have social commerce, and retailers 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:53.720 really need to have a very strong omnichannel to capture 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.880 all of those different channels so a not to lose 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.839 the consumer. You know, if you have a promotion in 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.720 the store, but you don't have the promotion available online 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.680 or vice versa, or in social commerce. And I think 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:11.439 social commerce actually opens up a whole nother area of 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:17.280 opportunity for retailers, and that's the through influencers. You know, 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:20.600 buying through influencers is someone that you can relate to, 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:24.400 someone in with your interest, perhaps in your age bracket, 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.719 someone you can really connect to. I think influencers are 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:32.920 certainly driving the sales and the interaction on social commerce. 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:34.880 Hey, Natalie, just to wrap up, because you know we've 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:36.839 talked a lot about the consumer, but you obviously work 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:40.920 with a lot of companies and businesses that sell stuff 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:43.480 to the consumer. Just got about thirty seconds left here 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:47.199 or so what are they saying about the environment right now? 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:50.880 Are they optimistic? Are they more conservative about the outlook? 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:52.079 Just quickly if you could. 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:54.480 I think you're really seeing a mix of all of that. 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:59.160 Some retailers are optimistic, the ones that have a very 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.959 strong front end back end in terms of how they 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:07.440 view how they view the consumer. Whereas some retailers that 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.360 are not as comfortable or do not have all their 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:13.400 processes in place. They didn't buy the inventory at the 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.679 right time or at the right price and now are 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:20.959 Therefore we'll be offering significant discounts in Q four and beyond. 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:23.640 All right, Natalie, thank you so much for joining us. 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.319 That is Natalie Cutler from Videos Retail and Consumer Products 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:28.240 Industry Group. 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:32.240 Stay with us more from Bloomberg Business Weekdaily coming up 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:33.000 after this. 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:40.200 If you're listening to the Bloomberg Business Weekdaily podcast, catch 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.480 US Live weekday afternoons from two to five pm Eastern. 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.679 Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:49.440 Business app, or watch US Live on YouTube. 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:53.200 Keeping up with that holiday theme, holiday travel, you know, 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:56.600 is often stressful in other place, maybe gummies and cannabis 0:12:56.920 --> 0:12:59.559 they come in handy. Some might say, Hey, this year 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:02.280 travel maybe a little bit different, though, as many Americans 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:05.840 made changes to their plans during or because of the 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:08.920 US government shutdown. Even so, it is expected to be 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:11.560 one of the busiest travel seasons in years. Let's get 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:13.760 more on what to expect with Clint Henderson. He's travel 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:16.880 insider managing editor of the travel media platform. 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:17.160 The Points Guy. 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:19.760 Always knows so much about what's going on and where 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:20.440 the deals are. 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:22.720 First of all, Clint, just look back. 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:25.839 How much do you think or how much are you 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:29.040 hearing that the government shutdown may have impacted holiday travel 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:29.480 this year? 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:32.280 Yeah? So we did a poll with you Gov at 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.080 the Point Sky and we found that forty percent of 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:38.160 those planning to travel for Thanksgiving, a Christmas were reconsidering 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:41.800 their plans, changing their plans, or canceling their plans. So 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:44.679 in the end, because the government shutdown ended when it did, 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:47.920 I don't think anywhere near that number ended up canceling. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:50.960 I do think some people chose to drive instead, and 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:53.160 maybe some people were scared off of traveling for the 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:56.880 Thanksgiving holiday. That said, there's still record crowds, so it 0:13:57.480 --> 0:14:00.800 didn't really dent the numbers as much as it could have. 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.160 But I definitely think the air traffic controller shortage thing 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.840 got a lot of publicity. That's an ongoing problem that 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:08.800 I think a lot of people hadn't heard about before. 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:12.640 So you know, we did see an impact to pricing 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:16.080 for Christmas flights. So we did an analysis with points 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.200 Path and we found prices dropped around six percent year 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:21.640 over year for Christmas, which is really unusual this time 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:24.320 of year. Usually it's only up, up, up for Christmas. 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.600 So I've noticed some great deals to some European destinations 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:29.800 that I definitely definitely didn't notice when I was speaking 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.720 with you last year, because I remember, well, give us 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:36.680 the skinny, we're the best destinations, were the best discounts 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:38.200 when it comes to Black Friday shopping. 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.520 Yeah, so pretty much every single airline has a Black 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:44.280 Friday sale on right now or is planning one for 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:47.600 travel Tuesday Cyber Monday next week. It's a great time 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.160 to shop for travel, especially if you have some spring 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:52.080 break trips that you're going to plan, because that can 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:55.520 be really expensive. But roundtrip under five hundred dollars is 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:59.720 common this week from everyone from Singapore Airlines, air Lingis. 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.640 American Airlines launched a huge sale today, so lots of 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.800 good deals to Europe for example. Out there. Also, American 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:09.280 Airlines has flights under one hundred dollars one way all 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:12.960 over the country, including trans cons between San Francisco or 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.760 LA and New York. So really good deals out there. 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:18.800 Alaska Airlines thirty percent off, and then all the hotels 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:21.840 are twenty five to thirty percent off today, so take 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:23.680 a look around. We have a whole ride up at 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:27.400 the Point Sky that I've been updating frequently, and so 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:29.600 there's lots of good deals out there, so much so 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:32.880 that I think travel has replaced sort of merchandise as 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:36.240 the best deal during these Black Friday holidays. It's pretty 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:38.960 remarkable because when I started out in this business, it 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:41.360 was really a gimmick. Travel Tuesday was not really a thing, 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:42.480 and now it really is. 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:46.040 I agree, I definitely have had good luck on this 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.120 particular weekend actually booking travel. Talk to us about some 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.960 of the domestic and international places that people are booking most. 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:58.080 Yeah, Europe is good, it remains hot, and it's always 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:02.000 the case. Florida, Las Vegas is still hot. New York 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:04.800 City crazy demand in New York City. If you've been 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:06.720 out in the city, you know what it's like out there. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.360 I just can't believe hotel rates eight hundred to one 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.440 thousand dollars a night. It's just crazy to me. But 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:15.960 Europe is hot, and then of course Japan. The US 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:19.240 dollar remains strong, so places like Japan are a relative 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:22.360 bargain for Americans and that's really well where everyone wants 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:25.240 to go. I don't know if it's Instagram that seems 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:26.320 to be the hot spot. 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:27.720 Really fascinating. 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.280 One of the things I want to go back to, though, Clint, 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.360 is in terms of deals, you talked about thirty percent 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:33.720 off or this percentage off. 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:35.840 What about for people who use miles. 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.600 Yeah, I'm not seeing as many mileage deals though they 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:41.840 are out there. I think you just have to be 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.680 really flexible and you have to be nimble with booking 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.000 mileage deals right now. You know, last year that's what 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:49.840 we were seeing more was mileage deals. This year it 0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:53.360 seems to be cash deals. So very interesting trend to watch. 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.840 I use tools like seats Dot arrow to find cheap 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:00.280 business class flights and you know, there's explanation of all 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:01.840 this stuff at the points guy. But you have to 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:03.520 be a little You have to be a little tricky 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:05.640 these days to get a really pine. 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:06.320 That is so true. 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:06.879 Hey, listen. 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:08.399 The other thing I want to ask you about is 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:12.359 cruise lines because I've seen a lot of commercials for 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:15.520 the cruise companies and they do seem to be saying 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.160 sign up now and a big percentage off. How much 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:22.000 of that is kind of amping up to bring in consumers. 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:25.560 Yeah, it's really interesting. The cruise industry was the last 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:27.679 to recover coming out of COVID, and we saw some 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:30.399 extraordinary deals. I just have not seen a lot of 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.720 deals in the cruise space these days. So if you 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:35.800 see something and now that looks really good, jump on it. 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:39.520 Because cruises are selling out. It's remarkable to come back 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.000 in the cruise industry. I haven't not seen a ton 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.680 of deals. I'm sure there's a few out there, but yeah, 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:46.600 if you see something on sale, grab it. 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:50.639 Klint just remind us, he said, seats dot arrow and 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:52.680 are there other websites that we should know about because 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:54.800 I feel like these websites change all the time. 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:57.919 Yeah they do. We've got a guide to all the 0:17:57.960 --> 0:18:01.399 best travel tools at the Points Guide, but seats dot 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:05.920 arrow is good, Points Bath points dot point dot me 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.679 is another good one. Uh, There's there's all kinds of 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:10.639 really fun tools out there where you can you can 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:12.000 beat the airlines at their own game. 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.400 Yeah, or at least, you know, spend spend an hour 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:18.000 or two and have fun dreaming. Clint Henderson, thank you 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:20.879 so much. Always wonderful to speak with you and actually 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.280 can be very profitable to speak with you as well. 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.080 So thanks again. That's Clint Henderson, who is managing editor 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:27.840 at The Points Guy, and do check out the Points 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:29.440 Guy website as well. 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:30.840 For all of those deals. 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:35.640 Stay with us more from Bloomberg Businessweekdaily coming up after this. 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:42.840 You are listening to the Bloomberg Business Weekdaily podcast. Catch 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.160 us live weekday afternoons from two to five pm Eastern 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:50.159 Listen on Applecarplay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app, 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.120 or watch us live on YouTube. 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:55.399 You know, look at the market today, Carol, we have 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:58.280 to point out that in this last trading day of November, 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:00.320 we've actually turned positive on the month with the S 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:02.320 ANDB five hundred. We're finishing the session of more than 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:04.000 half a percent and we only needed to make up 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:07.040 point four percent. So my math tells me that we 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:09.560 are in the green, having dropped four point seven percent 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:12.119 earlier on this month, really really rocky month than I was. 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:12.240 Like. 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:14.320 One hundred is up eight tenths of one percent to 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:15.960 continue this nice Thanksgiving rally. 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:17.439 The Dow up six tenths of percent. 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:22.040 Not much movement for the dollar, equity in disease, as 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.520 I say, higher equity markets closed. The bond market has 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.679 another hour to go, but not seeing too much movement 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.800 there either. The ten year yield just above for one 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:32.760 right now, the two year yield just below four fifty 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:36.120 and a little bit of addition to oil, so we're 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:39.399 about fifty nine to forty seven for WTI Brent crude. 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:42.480 Really no change at sixty three thirty seven, but plenty 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:44.800 of interesting moves today in the SMB five hundred, Carol 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:46.240 Energy was the best sector. 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:48.840 Yeah, really fascinating to see that at performance today. If 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:51.640 you're thinking about what performed best in the month of November, 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:54.199 folks healthcare at the top of the back, it is 0:19:54.320 --> 0:19:56.960 up about eight and a quarter percent. All right, let's 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.440 get more on the market trade for you. Let's bring 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:00.760 in someone who want which is it day in and 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:03.199 day out for us here at Bloomberg. She's the Blueberg 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:06.760 Markets correspondent, Norm Melnda. She joins us right here, Noura, 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:09.359 where shall we begin here? What kind of caught your attention? 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:12.080