Posts Tagged ‘business’
Friday, November 1st, 2013
Photo credit; Images of Money on Flickr
Xero, a New Zealand-based online accounting software company focused on small business, is opening a Denver-area office as part of a U.S. expansion.
The local office, in the Denver Tech Center, will be Xero’s fourth in the U.S.
The Wellington, New Zealand-based company recently moved its U.S. headquarters to a new space in San Francisco and has offices in Los Angeles and New York, in addition to the United Kingdom and Australia. Xero has 210,000 paying customers in 100 countries.
Tags: accounting, business, New Zealand, online, Xero
Posted in New Zealand, new zealand business, Success story | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 30th, 2013
Photo credit; Nick Kean on Flickr
Successful New Zealand online advertising firm Gopher aims to make online advertising easy for small businesses, making it accessible both in concept and price. It does this by offering a wide range of digital advertising products and packages.
Co-founded by John Campbell, Gopher has central hubs in Auckland and Jakarta, which service New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. It also has key partners in other countries like Singapore, where it regularly sends staff.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: Auckland, business, Gopher, New Zealand, online
Posted in E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, Success story | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 16th, 2013
Photo credit; Ronaldo Ferreira on Flickr
Former teacher David Cameron started his online tutorial service, LearnCoach, off small, offering math and physics tutoring to New Zealand students. But when he shifted his focus to teaching English in China via online videos, that’s when his business really took off.
“In the six weeks it was active we had more than 3,000 students and teachers signed up for our learning resources and were delivering over 40,000 learning tutorials per day,” said Cameron, who was teaching secondary school in Dunedin when he launched the business in 2012.
Cameron secured funding through AMP’s Regional Scholarship programme and was then accepted into a three-month business accelerator programme called The Lightning Lab where he received $18,000 in seed funding, an office space, and mentoring that prompted him to refocus the business on China.
“They really encouraged us to move faster. We thought ‘how can we create a more scalable business that can help more people in a way that’s more profitable,” he said.
“It just got to a stage where we thought China was the bigger market.”
Lightening Lab culminated in a “demo day” at Te Papa in May where Cameron pitched the new idea to 150 investors and ended up attracting $750,000 in capital.
Cameron, 25, has since relaunched the business as LearnKo, offering English language lessons to people living in China.
The business’ new home is in Wellington where he has six full-time staff and another 30 part-time staff situated around New Zealand.
The next step for the business is to launch its own video service where students can meet one-on-one with their tutors.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, LearnKo, New Zealand, online, Wellington
Posted in E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, new zealand business, Success story | No Comments »
Monday, October 14th, 2013
Photo credit; Steve on Flickr
If you have been thinking about starting an online business, but you also think you might be a little on the mature side for that, these two Kiwi sisters will be an inspiration to you.
Back in 2001, before online businesses really took off, sisters Rhondda Sweetman and Justine Kingi developed pioneering New Zealand online retailer, KiwiArtz.co.nz when they were in their 50s. They sold the business ten years later, in 2011.
The sisters shared what they describe as an undeveloped interest in NZ art and craft at the time and believed online retailing, although in its infancy back in 2001, would be an interesting way of sharing this work with the world.
They began it at a time when they had eased up on their full time jobs. Rhondda had been head of science at McCauley High School and was then doing part time teacher training at AUT University. Justine lectured in social policy and social work on the Bachelor of Social Practice degree at Unitec Institute of Technology when the two started their business.
The sisters say they got to the stage where they were representing over 100 New Zealand artists and other suppliers. Some of whom did very well out of the business. As the business grew the sisters were consistently busy all year round and rushed off their feet ahead of Christmas and other public holidays.The business grew so much, they had to automate their accounting practices and hired other employees.
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: art, business, KiwiArtz.co.nz, New Zealand, online
Posted in Exporting, New Zealand, new zealand business, online marketing, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, shopping, Success story | No Comments »
Friday, October 11th, 2013
Photo credit; Blaise Alleyne on Flickr
New Zealanders spent $5.4 billion online last financial year according to Roy Morgan Research’s Digital Universe report, but despite that seemingly large number, Kiwi money largely remains outside the digital realm.
“The bulk of New Zealand’s net wealth is not yet in the digital universe,” Roy Morgan client services director Howard Seccombe says.
The reason for that is the baby boomers who have the wealth only deal in the fringes of digital technology. That will change over time as the boomers age out and the next generation who is more familiar with digital technologies take over.
Other findings from the report included:
- This year’s survey shows 61% of New Zealanders are worried about their privacy, Â up 11% from the survey carried out four years ago.
- Smartphones have seen spectacular growth, with 1.4 million users. That’s a growth of 227% in four years.
- Right now 39% of New Zealanders have smartphones.
- The Roy Morgan numbers show smartphones amplify people’s digital behaviour. Smartphone owners are ten times as likely to shop online as non-smartphone owners, eight times as likely to bank online and nine times as likely to view video clips.
- Roy Morgan notes a dramatic 20% decline in desktop ownership. This echoes the fall in traditional PC sales. Meanwhile tablets have grown 557% in the past four years.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: baby boomer, business, digital, New Zealand, online, Roy Morgan Research, wealth
Posted in computer, consumers, E-mail & the internet, Going Digital, New Zealand, new zealand business, online marketing, online messaging, Online Sales, online security, online shopping, onlines store, smartphone, smartphones, tablet, tablets, wi-fi | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 9th, 2013
Photo credit; David Antis on Flickr
New Zealand’s answer to eBay, Trade Me, posted slower profit growth for 2013 and said earnings growth would continue to be lacklustre in the coming year as it reinvests in its business.
Trade Me profit rose 4% to $78.6 million in the year ended June 30, slower than the 8.4% pace a year earlier, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. Revenue rose 15% to $164.1 million as classified advertising sales surged 29% while fees from sales of general items rose 5%. Profit was just above First NZ Capital’s estimate of $77.6 million.
“We expect to grow top line revenue and bottom line earnings but these will reflect slower growth than we’ve recorded this year while we focus on reinvestment in the business,” said chief executive Jon Macdonald.
Trade Me, which has attracted about two thirds of New Zealand’s population to its online marketplace, is adding to its core auctions business to drive future growth.
The company said it had agreed to buy online insurance comparison business LifeDirect, adding to its purchase of inventory management company Tradevine and holiday rental accommodation website Holiday Homes in the past year.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, New Zealand, online, Trade Me
Posted in E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, new zealand business, online shopping, onlines store | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 25th, 2013
In a bit of news that will make anyone with an email inbox smile just a little, an Australian man who spammed New Zealand businesses has been fined $95,000 for doing so.
Photo credit; epSos .de on Flickr
Wayne Robert Mansfield of Perth, Western Australia, sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited emails to individuals ans organisations in New Zealand in 2010. The emails were promoting his company, Business Seminars NZ.
After more than 50 complaints from recipients who said they had no business contact with Mansfield’s company and had continued receiving messages even after unsubscribing from them, the Department of Internal Affairs decided to take legal action against Mansfield under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act.
High Court Justice Edwin Wylie imposed a fine of $95,000 and awarded costs of more than $8000 against Mansfield in August 2013.
This wasn’t the first time Mansfield has been fined for spamming.
In 2006, Mansfield and his Perth-based company Clarity1 Pty Ltd were fined a total of A$5.5 million in the Australian Federal Court for sending 70 million spam emails to about 5 million recipients between 2004 and 2006.
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: business, New Zealand, online, spam, spammer, Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act
Posted in computer, E-mail & the internet, email, emails, New Zealand, new zealand business, online messaging | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013
A New Zealand company calling itself GoogleDirectory and charging people thousands of dollars to be listed is now being investigated for fraud because it has no actual link to Google.
The company launched in July of this year but has been signing up companies since May, promoting itself as a new way for companies to market themselves online.
Fraud police are investigating a New Zealand company calling itself GoogleDirectory – set up with no links to the internet giant but which has listed thousands of businesses and state agencies.
The company launched last month, but had been signing on companies since at least May, promoting itself as a new online marketing tool.
Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Pascoe, of the Auckland central police financial crime unit, said police had received several fraud complaints from businesses.
“The financial crime unit has received information about GoogleDirectory and we’re aware of allegations which has prompted us to look into it. We have spoken with a representative of the company,” he said.
Google, the search engine giant, has also launched its own investigation.
GoogleDirectory offered New Zealand businesses special internet advertisement packages ranging from $200 to $15,000.
The packages – which cost between $200 and $15,000 – promise to get a business advertised on its site, several other international websites and links to social media pages.
Business people who had been duped by GoogleDirectory said the company told them it was associated with Google and that the services they were purchasing would lead to a bonanza of online activity, none of which turned out to be true.
GoogleDirectory director Simon McLeod could not be tracked down by the New Zealand Herald for comment.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, fraud, Google, GoogleDirectory, New Zealand
Posted in E-mail & the internet, fraud, Google, New Zealand, new zealand business, online scams | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 28th, 2013
New Zealand businesses have been sluggish in responding to automated cyber attacks, leaving businesses of all sizes vulnerable, cyber security experts have said.
Modern hacking tools mean that cyber criminals can quickly and easily scan the internet for vulnerable websites and launch attacks and New Zealand is becoming a prime target, Mark Kraynak, senior vice president of US- headquartered data security company Imperva, said.
“Now that the bad guys can find anyone online, [things have] changed. They’ve figured out that the little guys are actually pretty good targets,” Kraynak said.
“It’s probably true that criminals weren’t paying much attention to New Zealand but it’s become easier for organisations to find places to attack here.”
Kraynak claims data attacks in New Zealand are ten times higher than in Australia, on a per capita basis and businesses from the largest banks down to the smallest online retailers are at risk because while other countries were diligent about beefing up online security, New Zealand lagged behind.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, hacking, New Zealand, online, risk, security
Posted in E-mail & the internet, fraud, hacking, malicious software, New Zealand, new zealand business, New Zealand government, online scams, online security, onlines store | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 21st, 2013
New Zealand’s Claire Ongley always dreamed of working for herself so when she moved back home a few months ago after six years in Sydney, she decided to start her own online business.
With the help of an online store service, she got IzzyandJean.co.nz up and running, selling unusual home wares and accessories imported from overseas.
The products Ongley sells include cotton fouta towels, which come in all different colours and are like Turkish bath towels, coats for dogs, neck ties from a New York designer and boots from Morocco.
Her first task was to get the website up and running. She used a popular e-commerce platform.
“You can set up your online store quite easily without having any technical knowledge. So that’s allowed me to do it all myself, except the logo that was designed by a friend of mine.”
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: business, IzzyandJean, New Zealand, online
Posted in New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, shopping, Success story | No Comments »
