Our first guest is Robert Carl, Insurance Agent with Chas. H. Bilz Insurance Agency, Inc. Today, he will discuss Medicare Products and what is new for 2023. Mr. Carl sells Property & Casualty Insurance, Medicare Products, and Individual & Group Health Insurance. Before becoming an Insurance agent, Mr. Carl was an experienced President with a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Food & Beverage, Budgeting, Business Planning, and Operations Management. Strong business development professional. Attended the University of Kentucky, Kansas State University, and the University of Cincinnati. For more information, you may reach Robert at his office at (859) 431-1235, on his LinkedIn profile, linkedin.com/in/robert-carl, or contact him by email at robertc@bilzins.com.
Our second guest is Karl Haller, Partner, Consumer Center of Competency Leader at IBM Consulting. Today he will discuss this year’s holiday trends and how the changing demands of consumers have pushed retailers and travel providers to change their business strategies dramatically. The mix of rising prices and decreased inventory availability means that when consumers shop is just as important as where. Continuing the shift away from the traditional Black Friday start of the shopping season, about 58% of consumers plan to start holiday shopping before November. Almost two in three people plan to pre-order their products to get them on time with guaranteed prices, and 73% said they are considering sustainability when shopping for the holidays. Travel is also an area where consumers look to get back to normal while mitigating any risk associated with potential price changes due to inflation and fluctuating gas prices. With even the best plans having disruption risks, the retail and travel industries are taking notice. Those embracing the uncertainty and leaning into technology like hybrid cloud and AI will win loyalty and sales this season. For more information, please visit www.ibm.com/ibv.