January 2021 Summaries

Daily has introduced new properties and instance methods to its prebuilt UI, which allows developers to customize video calls without sacrificing too much time. The new properties include `showLocalVideo` and `showParticipantsBar`, which can be set individually or together depending on the use case. Additionally, two new sets of instance methods have been added: `setShowLocalVideo` and `setShowParticipantsBar`, which allow developers to dynamically toggle the display of these UI elements. These new features aim to help customers and Daily's own team quickly build a webinar app with a customizable video call experience.

Research confirms that customer engagement is a top priority for C-suite executives, with companies that prioritize customer experience outperforming their peers in revenue. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated shifts in consumer behavior, with B2B video interactions increasing by 69% and only 20-30% of buyers wanting to interact with reps in person once the crisis is over. To succeed, businesses must train representatives for video interactions and integrate video into sales pipelines and customer journey maps. Integrating video chat with chat apps can boost sales and support, while personalizing service through customer characteristics can enhance customer experience. Leveraging customer information and data makes it easier to connect with individual decision-makers within organizations. Delivering the right messaging at critical points of the user journey can also improve customer engagement. Hosting webinars and tutorials can provide valuable insights into customers' experiences and inform iterative improvements to the sales pipeline. By making video chat a core part of their strategy, businesses can win customer loyalty and set themselves apart from competitors.

The Daily call object provides direct access to call primitives, including other participants' audio and video tracks, allowing for flexible building of custom video chat apps. As of today, the call object also offers fine-grained information about participant track state, enabling developers to know why a track is available or not. The tracks property in the participants object contains details about the state of each track subscription, including loading, muted, and permission-related states. This level of detail enables expressive video app interfaces that change as a participant subscribes or unsubscribes from tracks. The updated callState.js code allows developers to access and update track state, and the getTrackUnavailableMessage function displays custom status messages depending on track state.

Video can play a significant role in car sales by providing an alternative to in-person experiences and enabling online channels for prospective car buying. Research shows that 64% of shoppers say they would be encouraged to buy a vehicle without taking a test ride if it were available through video formats like 360-degree views of the car. Over 55% of consumers globally want to pay digitally, and Google estimates that 30% of car sales will take place online by 2028. Video chat can boost after-sales care, profitability, and customer LTV by connecting with customers after a sale and providing solutions for complex features. Integrating video products like webinars and live streaming into the customer journey can be beneficial for OEMs and auto retailers, who should consider how to use video to create human connections, solve problems, and drive sales.

Daily design APIs to add custom features to apps quickly and easily. They compared building new features in apps versus using Chrome extensions, concluding that extensions are suitable for specific problems not requiring app-level handling. The team created a Chrome extension to auto-generate shareable links for screen sharing during calls, aiming to make this process faster. The extension has three steps: adding the Netlify link and saving it to localStorage, creating a new Daily room and launching a meeting with screen sharing enabled, and returning a shareable link that can be used to start the call. The team shared their code and provided tutorials for building the extension, including setting up manifest.json, creating the popup.html file, writing custom JavaScript to handle events, and deploying the extension to Chrome.

Here's a neutral and interesting summary of the provided text: The Daily demo showcases a fullscreen-prebuilt-ui for creating on-demand video meetings that can be dynamically generated via a REST API. This allows users to share a URL to join a meeting instantly, with features such as automatic screensharing and room creation when no room is specified. The demo utilizes Netlify's proxy feature to redirect requests to the Daily /rooms endpoint, injecting an API key via a build step. Additionally, a companion Chrome Extension enables users to create meetings at the click of a button and automatically share their screen. The demo's code provides insight into how these features are implemented, with opportunities for further enhancement and customization.

Retailers are using video to create customer-centric digital experiences that anticipate and respond to customer needs in a changing environment where consumers expect more online shopping. Video presents an opportunity for brands to connect with customers on a humanizing level, leveraging real-time video for streamlined customer journeys, cobrowsing, and personalized offers. Retailers like IKEA, Lowe's, Allbirds, and Nike are using video to share competences, provide in-home services remotely, bridge in-person and online shopping, and align brand values to support customers in need. By differentiating between types of video offering and implementing best practices, retailers can create unique digital experiences that respond to real needs and build customer loyalty.