Archive for March, 2014

Keeping up with online business trends hot topic in Australia

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
Photo credit; SEOPlanter on Flickr

Photo credit; SEOPlanter on Flickr

Online marketing guru Paul Neihus from Can Do Training says it’s imperative for Australian businesses to keep up with the latest online business trends.

Recently, 78 local businesses attended an Online Essentials seminar held by The Morning Bulletin to hear Neihus, from Can Do Training, talk about winning the battle between clicks and bricks, and using the internet to drive customers their way.

With $14 billion in online sales in Australia last year alone, online marketing has changed the way companies do business.

Chemist Warehouse Rockhampton owner, Paul Arnold said he was part of the biggest online pharmacy in the country, but his interest was in growing a local presence.

“Today [Feb. 11] brought home the importance of linking with local customers and realising that a lot of people do their research online, but still shop locally,” he said.

“We need to do everything we can to build that relationship so they want to shop here we’re not just entitled to it.”

To read more on this story, click here.

Finding online niche takes small town retailer nationwide

Monday, March 3rd, 2014
Photo credit; Tatiana Gerus on Flickr

Photo credit; Tatiana Gerus on Flickr

When Jane Cay bought an existing retail business in the small New South Wales town of Cooma in 2004, it was an eclectic mix of saddlery, Akubra hats and women’s fashion and employed five staff.

After removing the outfitters merchandise and honing in on women’s fashion, the business began to grow solidly at a rate of 10-20% per year. And in 2006, given the growth in online business, Cay made the decision to take Birdsnest online.

“We quickly realised that we weren’t in the business of selling dresses — we were in the business of solving a woman’s wardrobe dilemma,” Cay says.

She did a lot of online research to get her website up and running and develop the brand, focusing on giving online customers the same high standard of customer service that the in-store customers received.

Cay’s thorough planning and commitment to the website and customer service has paid off: since the website started, the business has grown to more than 100 team members, the website records five million page views or 500,000 visits every month, and it sells to people all over Australia and the world.

To read more about this story, click here.