Posts Tagged ‘business’

Suncorp appoints Edge agency to run online business insurance website

Thursday, June 26th, 2014
Photo credit; Laughlin Elkind on Flickr

Photo credit; Laughlin Elkind on Flickr

The Suncorp Group, including AAMI, GIO and Vero, has appointed content marketing agency Edge to spearhead their new joint venture, the Business Insurance Hub.

Edge will deliver a suite of content and tools, including a mix of opinion editorials, articles and social media updates meant to help small to medium businesses become more informed about business insurance.

“Producing regular content for the Business Insurance Hub is one way the Suncorp Group plans to support Australian businesses in their efforts to research business insurance online,” Edge’s Head of Strategy Richard Parker said.

“For an online resource to be relevant and engaging there must be a constant flow of current news and information about changes in the market, as well as tools that assist the decision making process, whichever channel they ultimately choose,” said Parker.

“Edge will be helping to breakdown the industry jargon to produce easy to understand content that makes sense. This content will underscore the long-term strategy for the website to be the premier resource for Australian business insurance information.”

To read more about this story, click here.

Herald offers legal advice for domain owners

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014
Photo credit; Tristan The Booklight on Flickr
Photo credit; Tristan The Booklight on Flickr

The Sydney Morning Herald offers the following advice for domain owners to help them better protect their domains:

When you register a domain name you get a license giving you the exclusive right to use that domain name for a specific period. For .au domains this is two years.

Can someone register domain names that are similar to my business?

Yes they can. You have a license to use the specific domain names that you register. Other parties can register and use similar domain names.

Is this illegal?
No, simply registering domain names that are similar to another business’s domain name, does not breach current Australian law.
However, there are other serious considerations, including:
  • Australian Domain Name Authority (auDA) policy applies to all .au domains and all Australian domain holders. Australian domain names may only be registered to Australian businesses. com.au and net.au domain names must be “an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name or trademark or closely and substantially connected to the registrant”. Failure to demonstrate this connection can lead to the domain name being cancelled, under auDA policy.
  • Using another trader’s registered trademark in the registered classes may be trademark infringement and a breach of the Trade Marks Act 1995.
  • Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct, including false and misleading representations that one business has an affiliation with another business that it does not have.
  • Using another trader’s branding and/or trademarks, even if the branding is not a registered trademark, may be passing off.

How can I protect my brand online?

Legal solutions

  • Choose a brand that is clearly distinguishable from your competitors can be easier to protect and defend.
  • Include a copyright notice in your website terms that sets out your intellectual property rights.
  • Consider registering variations of your main domain name.
  • Register your business trade mark to give you the exclusive right to use this trade mark as a brand name for the products or services specific in your registration.
  • Check for infringement.

To read more on this story, click here.

WooCommerce Announces Partnership With Social Rebate

Saturday, June 21st, 2014

best-WooCommerceplugins-logoWooCommerce has announced a new partnership with social commerce platform Social Rebate.

WooCommerce users will now have access to Social Rebate‘s unique social commerce plug-in, which allows brands to reward customers with instant cash rebates for promoting them on social networks.

“WooCommerce is always on the lookout for the best ways to boost sales for our users,” said Joel Bronkowski, WooCommerce Business Development Manager. “Social Rebate won us over with their unique ability to drive new customers to businesses through social commerce, we’re happy to offer this revolutionary tool to everyone using WooCommerce.”

To read more about this story, click here.

Federal government to aid small businesses in adopting cloud computing

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014
Photo credit; FutUndBeidl on Flickr

Photo credit; FutUndBeidl on Flickr

Federal communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, wants Australian small businesses to adopt cloud computing, and the federal government plans to help them by releasing a series of guides this week aimed at helping small businesses adopt and employ cloud services.

The guides have been launched following the findings of the Department of Communication’s Cloud Computing Government Stock Take report (PDF), which was released recently and reviews the existing regulation that applies to cloud services in Australia.

The new series of guides for SMEs comprises four titles:

  • cloud computing myths;
  • questions to ask your cloud provider;
  • small business privacy factsheet; and
  • legal tips for small business using cloud services.

“The guides … will assist Australian small businesses to be part of this revolution. They cover a range of topics from questions to ask your cloud provider, to legal issues to consider in the cloud,” said Turnbull in a statement posted on his office’s website.

“Cloud computing is already proving to be revolutionary for small businesses, as it significantly lowers cost barriers to ICT adoption,” he said. “KPMG estimates the increased adoption of cloud services in Australian firms could boost the Australian economy by AU$3.32 billion a year.”

To read more on this story, click here.

 

Facebook brings video ads to Australia

Thursday, June 12th, 2014
Photo credit; Jason A. Howie on Flickr

Photo credit; Jason A. Howie on Flickr

Facebook is bringing its Premium Video Ads and Video Metrics to Australia, one of seven markets outside of the US where Facebook is rolling out the new services.

Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) chief executive Alice Manners said recent estimates showed video advertising was growing at 55.7 per cent, representing 14.3 per cent of digital display dollars, for the quarter.

Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said that Facebook Premium Video offers brands new ways to engage and connect with over 10 million Australians who access Facebook daily.

“In the coming months, we’ll be working closely with advertisers to deliver high-quality video campaigns that create the best possible advertising experience,” Mr Easton said.

The 15-second video ads appear in users’ newsfeeds and play automatically with the sound muted until they are clicked on.

Facebook began selling ads in the United States in March.

To read more about this story, click here.

New online business for procurement professionals launches from Australia

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
Photo courtesy of Maryland GovPics on Flickr

Photo courtesy of Maryland GovPics on Flickr

Procurement professionals now have a place to collaborate online thanks to the launch of Procurious in Australia.

Procurious is an online hub aimed at procurement professionals looking to advance their careers, develop their skills and expand their professional networks.

The network will include groups and lively discussion forums, news tips and advice, access to online and offline events, plus a range of mobile and desktop accessible e-learning modules — all compatible with a full range of devices, from PCs to mobile.

“Procurement has a new face. It’s now younger, more ambitious and more global than ever before.  There’s a huge opportunity for bright and ambitious procurers to begin changing the face of the profession from the inside out,” Founder Tania Seary said.

“Corporate supply chains are in the media spotlight every day — but procurement often remains the unsung hero for its role in creating competitive advantage and upholding the reputation and value proposition of businesses and brands.”

To read more on this story, click here.

 

Brick-and-mortar giants finally making strides online

Thursday, May 29th, 2014
Photo credit; Timothy H on Flickr

Photo credit; Timothy H on Flickr

Both David Jones and Myers appear to finally be getting the hang of this whole internet fad.

While Myer’s third quarter sales were down, its online sales had increased. Myer says it has 119,000 products now available through the website and nine million visits to the site over the quarter.

David Jones fared better, but its third quarter sales still weren’t great. However, the upmarket department store reported a 190% increase in online sales over the past year, albeit from a very low base. It is seeking to offer a dual in-store and online offering.

To read more about this story, click here and here.

Online sales spike comes from unlikely source

Friday, May 16th, 2014
Photo credit; Matteo Paciotti on Flickr

Photo credit; Matteo Paciotti on Flickr

Online retail sales growth in Australia shot up during March, spurred on by products that don’t normally get associated with online sales: groceries and liquor.

Groceries and liquor posted the biggest increase in online sales, according to National Australia Bank’s Online Retail Sales Index.

To read more about this story, click here.

WooThemes introduces new booking plugin

Thursday, May 15th, 2014
Photo credit; Sylvia Schade on Flickr

Photo credit; Sylvia Schade on Flickr

WooThemes has just released a new, innovative booking plugin for WooCommerce.

The extension, aptly named WooCommerce Bookings, will allow online businesspeople to:

  • trade their time for cash money,
  • set up appointments,
  • connect with clients,
  • link dependent resources, and
  • integrate their services with their website.

What makes WooCommerce Bookings unique is that it takes a website from being just an online brochure, to being a place where people can go to actually book an appointment online.

The plugin is highly flexible and the WooThemes team has been perfecting it since 2011, according to WooThemes co-founder Mark Forester.

To read more on this story and check out a video about WooCommerce Bookings, click here.

Team of young South Australians recruiting next wave of business people

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
521986-9b6b439e-d1a6-11e3-ae84-eacdfc097015

The Engine Room team of Sean Clarke, Marcus Bailey, James Sargent, Sally Noonan, Leigh Morgan, Toby Bensimon, Toby Strong and Steve Dorman. Photo credit; Matt Turner from News Corp Australia

A group of young business people from South Australia who dub themselves The Engine Room are looking for the future of South Australian business.

Launched by investment bankers Marcus Bailey and James Sargent, and wine and hospitality entrepreneur Leigh Morgan, the group aims to recruit 500 business owners aged 18 to 40, turning over a billion dollars a year, and representing more than 25,000 employees.

So far, they’ve gotten about 100 signed up.

Members will have access to events, mentoring, investment advice and a network of peers with the same enthusiasm and drive to succeed in South Australia.

Members of The Engine Room are:

  • Sean Clarke,
  • Marcus Bailey,
  • James Sargent,
  • Sally Noonan,
  • Leigh Morgan,
  • Toby Bensimon,
  • Toby Strong and Steve Dorman.

Bailey, who co-founded Adelaide-based investment bank Fortis Ago three years ago, said The Engine Room was about fostering real business growth.

“If we can stand up and say, ‘In our group there’s 500 company owners representing over a billion dollars of revenue’, we think what that will do is start to build on the entrepreneurial spirit in SA, whereas what we’re seeing at the moment is individual acts of brilliance dotted around the place,” he said.

To read more on this story, click here.