Rapid and constant connection to the Internet has already transformed how consumers interact with the market, but the digital revolution is by its very nature a continuing phenomenon. In this month's Consumer Trends, Ben Cooper investigates the link between a recent multi-billion-pound tech deal and the Moscow Mule.

Last month, Japanese technology firm Softbank paid around GBP24bn (US$32bn) for UK chip designer ARM Holdings. Even the well-informed were at a loss to know why a company few had even heard of could command such an exorbitant sum.

The explanation can be found in three words – Internet of Things....