Gen Y employees best investment for businesses

April 29th, 2014
Photo credit: Gareth Williams on Flickr

Photo credit: Gareth Williams on Flickr

While Generation Y gets a bad rap for constantly having their faces glued to their electronic devices, it’s this constant interaction with their devices that also makes them invaluable for businesses.

“The ceaseless interaction of NZ’s youth with their portable online devices means they are constantly consuming information, increasing their offering to a company on a macro level,” Scott Bush, general manager for Domino’s New Zealand, says.

“Gen-Y are more worldly than the generations before them because of their ability and opportunity to access the digital world, and businesses need to tap into this and make the most of its relevance in today’s market.”

Bush says the digital space is becoming increasingly important for businesses to engage with their growing tech-savvy consumers and by employing Gen-Y staff, companies can arm themselves with a better insight into the needs of consumers who use digital platforms.

To read more about this story, click here.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, smartphone, smartphones, social media | No Comments »

Head of Google New Zealand shares online business insights

April 24th, 2014
Photo credit; Blaise Alleyne on Flickr

Photo credit; Blaise Alleyne on Flickr

A new Internet NZ study shows Kiwi businesses who use the internet extensively are more productive than their less-connected peers, and are four years ahead of their industry average in terms of competitiveness.

With that in mind, Google New Zealand’s Tony Keusgen shares the five golden rules every business should be following online.

1. Use location tools to show people where you are

Register with Google Places to be found on Maps, Google+ and mobile devices and sign up to popular options like Finda, NZS or the Localist so people can easily find you. Registering is simple and almost always free. You just need to submit a website link and enter your details.

2. If you don’t have one already, get a website

Even for primarily offline businesses, having a presence on the internet is important. Websites are still the primary means by which customers learn about all the great things your business has to offer. There are plenty of tools online that will allow you to create a website with no technical expertise relatively inexpensively.

3. Work your web traffic

Sign up for Google Analytics and Webmaster tools to learn how your online visitors behave. Both provide free insights and tips which can help you tailor content and create a great user experience – leading to more people talking about your site, sharing your content and linking to you.

4. Go mobile

Research shows 89% of smartphone users in New Zealand have looked for local information, and 87% have taken action as a result. Click here if you want to see Google’s thoughts on how best you can show off your business across all the different screens people use.

5. Embrace the cloud

The most exciting and fastest growing companies today are those moving toward cloud technologies that make them more collaborative, creative, and help put customers first.

Tools like Gmail, Google Calendars or Google Docs allow you to share large files quickly on the cloud, and work on projects together in real-time, from across town or across country.

Whether you’re installing insulation or baking cheesecakes, cloud technology can save you money and help you work smarter.

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New Zealand independent book stores take on the big digital stores on their own turf

April 22nd, 2014
Photo courtesy of Brenda Clarke on Flickr

Photo courtesy of Brenda Clarke on Flickr

New Zealand independent book sellers are going head to head with the big online players like Amazon by playing their game.

Independent stores such as Unity Books in Wellington and Auckland, Ponsonby Road’s Women’s Bookshop and Timeout in Mt Eden all reported good Christmas periods last year and promising growth in 2014, and they’ve made strides in the online world, too, selling e-books and physical books through their respective book stores.

Approximately 10% of sales at the Women’s Bookshop come from its online store and customers seem undeterred that its prices aren’t as competitive as Amazon.

”People are politically aware and many think that to support [tax exempt] Amazon is an unethical act. We can often get our books out to customers faster on a courier,” owner of the Women’s Bookshop, Carole Beu, said.

To read more on this story, click here.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, Going Digital, GST, New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, shopping, Success story | No Comments »

Self-help tool for Kiwi businesses launched online

April 17th, 2014
Photo credit; Laughlin Elkind on Flickr

Photo credit; Laughlin Elkind on Flickr

New Zealand’s business growth centre The Icehouse has unveiled an online tool meant to help small businesses better gauge their performance.

The impetus behind creating the tool was to answer the question of what it means to be a Business of International Quality (BIQ), says Dr Lisbeth Jacobs, Icehouse’s director of strategy and development.

“What we’ve found is that success is not just about operating internationally, it’s about being of a certain quality,” Jacobs said.

The Icehouse worked with Professor Darl Kolb at The University of Auckland to create the online BIQ Barometer tool.

In less than an hour, businesses can have a personalised report detailing how they perform in six key areas as well as highlighting areas for further development.

The six key areas are:
  • Leadership,
  • Offering,
  • Market,
  • Processes,
  • Governance, and
  • Capital.
According to Jacobs, these are the six areas which contribute most to the success of Kiwi organisations.

By answering the simple questions across each of the areas, businesses have instant access to a tailored and personalised report.

The Icehouse expects more than 500 New Zealand small and medium sized businesses will complete the self-assessment tool this year.

The full BIQ barometer tool costs $249 or a one dimension analysis can be obtained at no charge.

To use the BIQ barometer, click here.

To read more about this story, click here.

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Small business confidence rising in New Zealand

April 15th, 2014
Photo credit; Michael Button

Photo credit; Michael Button

Confidence in New Zealand small businesses is at its highest level in 15 years, according to the latest ANZ survey of small businesses.

In addition to that, this also marks the sixth consecutive quarter that confidence has risen.

Small businesses are seen as a good indicator of the country’s mood because they make up nine out of every ten firms and employ almost a third of New Zealand’s workers.

The service sector tops the survey, but sentiment is also up in retail, construction and agriculture.

ANZ says the record confidence is due to the Canterbury rebuild and business coming out of a tough five years.

Retail and business banking managing director at ANZ Fred Ohlsson said hiring intentions are stronger across small businesses with a third expecting better profits.

“These are confidence levels and activity levels that we will see for quite a while,” he says. “It (the confidence level) has risen slowly, and over time – this is not a one-quarter wonder”.

To read more about this story, click here.

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New Zealand ranked fourth in the world for ease of trade

April 10th, 2014
Photo credit; Yasuhiro Chatani on Flickr

Photo credit; Yasuhiro Chatani on Flickr

A new report from the World Economic Forum ranks New Zealand  fourth in the world for enabling trade.

The Global Enabling Trade Report 2014 measures the extent that economies have institutions, policy, infrastructure and services in place that facilitate the flow of goods and services.

According to the index, New Zealand’s border administration ranks sixth out of 138 countries for facilitating the flow of goods and services, while its operating environment is ranked seventh. New Zealand ranks first on integrity and lack of corruption in its trade and payments systems.

Trade Minister Tim Groser welcomed the release of the report.

“New Zealand’s positive result endorses the Government’s Business Growth Agenda,” says Groser. “New Zealand’s border arrangements and operating environment make it easier for New Zealanders to do business with the rest of world, and for the rest of the world to do business with us.”

Two of the most significant barriers faced by New Zealand exporters are tariff barriers imposed by other countries and the high cost of delay caused by international transportation, according to the Forum.

To read more about this story, click here.

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New Zealand economy could get huge boost if all businesses used internet to full potential

April 8th, 2014
Photo credit; Blaise Alleyne on Flickr

Photo credit; Blaise Alleyne on Flickr

The New Zealand economy would get an estimated $34 billion efficiency and productivity boost  if all businesses were using the internet to its full potential, according to the “Value of Internet Services to New Zealand Businesses” report.

Currently, New Zealand’s economy is worth around $210 billion of output annually.

The report, issued March 31 and funded by Internet NZ and Google, says firms using the internet well are between 6 and 11% more productive than their competitors in the same field. Best practice users were as much as 73% more productive than average businesses in their industry.

The research was conducted by the economic research consultancy Sapere and used data from 5,589 businesses in the Statistics New Zealand Business Operations Survey. It excluded firms in the information technology sector, which were presumed to be high internet users and interviews with 76 businesses were conducted in the tourism, retail, dairy/agriculture, and professional services sectors.

The report says while internet speed and connectivity were once the major issue, that is no longer so. The use to which the internet is put is the larger issue for most firms.

To read more about this story, click here.

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Survey finds Kiwi businesses not taking advantage of digitisation

April 3rd, 2014
Photo credit; Walknboston on Flickr

Photo credit; Walknboston on Flickr

PwC’s 6th Annual Digital IQ Survey suggests New Zealand companies’ technology investments may not be paying off, even though digitisation is the biggest transforming trend impacting Kiwi business.

The survey shows just one in five global business and IT executives understand what digital means for their business and how to use technology to advance their business goals, in an environment where digital spending is increasing.

“With the worldwide IT spend predicted to grow by more than 3% this year, reaching NZ$4.4 trillion, it’s crucial businesses unlock the potential of their technology investments,” PwC Partner and Digital Market Leader Paul Brabin says. ”Our study shows organisations that get it right will be twice as likely to be top performers in revenue growth, profitability and innovation.

“Technology is a great enabler, and our ability to use it well is the greatest predictor of performance. Simply put, you can’t afford to underestimate digital if you want to stay in business today.”

This finding is consistent with PwC’s 17th Annual Global CEO Survey that shows how 91% of New Zealand CEOs believe technology will be the biggest transforming trend for their business over the next five years.

To read more about this story, click here.

 

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New Zealand tech startups eschew social media apps, go for accounting software

April 1st, 2014
Photo credit; Images of Money on Flickr

Photo credit; Images of Money on Flickr

While a lot of tech companies get into the flashy world of social media applications to try and break into a global market, New Zealand tech startups are relying on taking on more mundane tasks, namely accounting.

Wellington-based Xero Ltd. is leading the charge and now New Zealand’s cloud-based tech industry is the country’s third-largest export earner behind dairy and tourism.

Official data shows that technology services exports have doubled since 2005 to NZ$682 million in 2013 (although many firms have yet to make profits).

This rapid growth is thanks to the government’s push to promote high-growth startups, including incubation finance, like a NZ$160 million investment in the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, a public-private venture.

To read more on this story, click here.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, Exporting, New Zealand, new zealand business, social media | No Comments »

Kogan expands into New Zealand

March 27th, 2014
Photo credit; Nick Kean on Flickr

Photo credit; Nick Kean on Flickr

Australian online retailer, Kogan, has expanded into New Zealand with the launch of a dedicated web site for the country recently.

The move gives NZ customers access to a portion of Kogan’s portfolio of brands spanning technology and homeware, as well as its own Agora range. Currently, not all products available to Australian customers can be purchased via the NZ online store.

To support its local operations, Kogan has established a warehouse in Auckland which will stock larger items, including things like televisions.

Smaller items will continue to be shipped from the retailer’s Melbourne and Hong Kong warehouses.

To read more about this story, click here.

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