Archive for the ‘online shopping’ Category

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Gen Y employees best investment for businesses

Tuesday, 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

Thursday, 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.

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 | No Comments »

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

Tuesday, 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

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

Kogan expands into New Zealand

Thursday, 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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Posted in E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, Success story | No Comments »

Online spending increases, trust still an issue for Kiwis

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
Photo credit; Karl Baron on Flickr

Photo credit; Karl Baron on Flickr

Online spending grew last year, with New Zealanders spending $6 billion online last year, including almost $2 billion on travel and more than $800 million on entertainment.

However, Roy Morgan’s Pip Elliott says even though consumers are embracing the technology, they still prefer trusted retailers, citing that 45% of New Zealanders research online before buying in a shop, and 51% only buy online from retailers they know.

Less money was spent online on electronics, food and other products than the previous year.

To read more on this story, click here.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, electronic spending, New Zealand, new zealand business, online marketing, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store | No Comments »

Nearly two-thirds of businesses in New Zealand have no online presence

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

That same research shows that 97% of Kiwi consumers use the Internet to search for products and services.

“Our research shows that New Zealand consumers love looking for websites that end with .nz, and that .nz sites are trusted far more than any other domain. Businesses are obviously unaware of this — as today, two thirds of New Zealand businesses are not reaching these people,” InternetNZ CEO Jordan Carter says.

Soon, New Zealand businesses will also be able to get .kiwi domain names, as startup DotKiwi will sell the .kiwi domain names.

The research also illustrates the growing importance of mobile-friendly sites. About 65% of sole traders and 74% of businesses use mobile devices to access the Internet, but only a quarter of these businesses design their websites with mobile usage in mind.

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 | No Comments »

Online gift registry aims to become largest in New Zealand

Thursday, February 27th, 2014
Photo credit; Larry Lamsa on Flickr

Photo credit; Larry Lamsa on Flickr

Online gift registry The Lovely has one goal in mind and that’s to be the biggest in New Zealand.

Set up by George Kivell and Sarah Melrose last July  due to the pair’s frustration with the registry offering in New Zealand when planning their own weddings, the e-business plans to become the largest gift registry in New Zealand by 2017, with 5,000 users forecast by the end of the year.

If the duo makes it to 5,000 users that would mean a return of $250,000 for their investment of $15,000.

However, The Lovely expects most revenue will come from retailers paying for their products to appear in the featured section of the site.

Kivell and Melrose, who both work in the design industry, say they also plan to launch the site in Australia and further afield.

Melrose says the fact that the site is geared for all celebrations and no physical stock is held would allow the concept to translate to international clientele easily.

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, Success story | No Comments »

Kiwi woman opens online store just weeks before giving birth

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
Photo credit; Frank de Kleine on Flickr

Photo credit; Frank de Kleine on Flickr

As if she didn’t have enough on her mind, Kiwi woman Sandy Hayer opened her online business Tummy Mummy NZ just weeks before giving birth to her youngest daughter.

The online store sells products from the Earth Mama Angel Baby range of care products for mums and babies. Hayer used the products in the UK and set up the business in New Zealand in 2012 when she realised she couldn’t get her hands on the products here.

“I used the Earth Mama range of products during pregnancy and postpartum recovery with my first child when I lived in the UK and when I found out they didn’t deliver to New Zealand I was horrified!” Hayer says. “I felt that the products needed to be available here so I guess I had a ‘lightbulb moment’ and took the opportunity. I was quite relaxed about it though as at that time I had no great goals other than to make the products available to other mothers and their families.”

Hayer says it’s been challenging balancing the business with raising two young children, but it’s rewarding to be able to help mothers and babies and it’s also rewarding to be able to have a flexible schedule while raising her children.

Plans for the business include trying to increase sales.

“This year I’d like to see an increase in sales particularly for our gift bundles within corporate offices,” the entrepreneur says. “I’m looking forward to heading to the city to meet with companies and show the quality of this range that is 100% free of all toxic chemicals, which I believe all products should be – especially for newborns and children.”

If you want 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, Success story | No Comments »

New domain name extensions coming to NZ

Friday, February 21st, 2014
Photo credit; Tristan the Booklight on Flickr

Photo credit; Tristan the Booklight on Flickr

New Zealand domain name registration provider Freeparking is getting ready to help Kiwis to register the influx of brand new internet domain names as soon as they are released.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is expected to release hundreds of new domain name extensions such as .BIKE, .ESTATE and .CAMERA.

“Customer feedback across the industry indicates that the introduction of hundreds of new domain name extensions within a relatively short period of time will create confusion and uncertainty among web users and SMEs in New Zealand and internationally,” says Maria Brosnan, Business Manager at Freeparking. “As a leading domain name registration and web services provider, we have made it our mission at Freeparking to ensure New Zealand small businesses are provided with the highest level of support to navigate such an historic change and take advantage of the new marketing opportunities arising from this event”

To help New Zealand businesses and marketers in what’s regarded by industry analysts as the biggest change to the Internet since its inception; Freeparking has released a dedicated online pre-registration Watchlist through which customers will be able to submit their expression of interest for any new domain name extension.

To read more on this story, click here.

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