Welcome to The Signal – a column from Neudata that curates the latest, interesting data vendor research on market trends. Each link below highlights a research study or report released by a data provider, in which they analyse their own data in conjunction with this month's relevant market headlines.

In our December edition, we highlight how flight data can help track the omicron variant’s spread, explore how a shortage of truck drivers is jamming up global supply chains, and reveal which retailers are winning the online grocery delivery race.

Flight data could reduce the need for omicron travel bans
Qatar, UAE, UK and Ethiopia accepted the highest number of travellers from the eight southern African countries that had been designated as ‘most at risk’ due to the omicron variant of COVID-19, according to ForwardKeys. The data, collected between 1-23 November, may help policymakers avoid blanket bans on travellers from specific countries.
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Chief green(washing) officers wanted
The recent uptick in hiring more sustainability experts may just be a public relations exercise for many firms, a new report from Revelio Labs states. Only 1% of chief green officers actually held a science-based position in their previous role — instead most have backgrounds in communications or corporate strategy.
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How do driver shortages factor into the global logistics crisis?
The shortage of short- and long-haul truck drivers could cause the global shipping glut to drag on for even longer than expected, according to Datamyne. The current US driver shortage stands at 80,000 and is projected to increase to 160,000 by 2030.
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What’s on your online grocery list?
Amazon Fresh has been outperforming Instacart for several months, new data from Consumer Edge shows. While Instacart hasn’t hit double-digit spending growth since March, Amazon Fresh’s growth was above 20% until October, when it dropped to 13%. And while traditional grocers like Kroger and Safeway are seeing bigger basket sizes in their direct online orders, that doesn’t always translate to more spending.
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