Group purchasing and discount sites are all the rage among local businesses and their customers. According to recent research by consultancy firm BIA/Kelsey, the US market alone is set to grow from USD873 million in 2010 to USD3.93 billion in 2015.
Naturally, consumers worldwide are rushing to seize on great online deals being offered by SMEs, from restaurants to manicurists. For consumers, the idea is simple: sign up to receive digital coupons (sometimes with strings attached, but more on that later) and then enjoy discounts and savings when you spend money on a selected product or service. (more…)
eBusinesslive, eMarketing, Facebook, Google, Group purchasing, Groupon, LivingSocial, SMEs
With sales increasingly being driven by online customer comments, it’s timely for Irish businesses to look at ways they can harness and control the influence of online customer feedback on their business.
To make the most of the opportunities presented by online dialogue, Irish SMEs need to first overcome their fear of the repercussions of negative online reviews and comments, says Conor O’Neill from Irish customer review specialist Loudervoice.
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Customer feedback, customer satisfaction, eBusinesslive, eMarketing, SMEs
As more and more businesses turn to social media sales channels, Facebook is fast becoming a popular place for SMEs to host their own online stores.
A Facebook presence provides several benefits to SMEs, says Bob Curran, e-commerce business development manager at Buy4Now Technology Group. “I’ve always felt that Facebook is a good place to start as the user demographic crosses all age lines and genders, whereas for the likes of Twitter the age demographic of users isn’t as broad.”
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eBusinesslive, eMarketing, Facebook, SMEs, Social commerce, Trends
Although the online world offers a range of powerful tools to help you interact with customers, every SME knows that when it comes to generating sales there really is no substitute for face-to-face meetings.
“People like to get involved with online networks and interact with brands, but there’s nothing more powerful than actual face-to-face meetings and social engagements,” says Dublin-based internet and social media strategist Brendan Hughes. “Besides deeper engagement with customers, face-to-face meetings give SMEs an opportunity to either get their product into their customers’ hands or to tell a story to their customers. There’s no better way of communicating.” (more…)
eBusinesslive, Meetings, Online media, SMEs
Online trading offers smaller companies operating in limited markets an opportunity to punch above their weight on the global stage. Irish companies have certainly embraced this relatively low-cost method of reaching international markets. E-commerce accounts for 26 percent of the total turnover of Irish companies, compared to 15 percent of the revenue of UK-based companies, according to a European Commission Eurostat survey published January 2010.
However, simply putting a website together is no guarantee of success in online sales. There are millions of sites selling all sorts of products and services available to consumers these days and only those that are supported by a well-developed e-commerce strategy will succeed. (more…)
eBusinesslive, ecommerce, eMarketing, SMEs
Small companies have traditionally lacked the IT resources in terms of staff, infrastructure and finance to purchase, install and maintain enterprise-quality applications. They have also been hit with having to purchase expensive software, and carrying the cost of installing and maintaining it.
But all that has changed with the advent of online applications – sometimes known as Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud computing applications – that allow you to run software programs over the internet, from inside your browser. The range of available applications is impressive, covering everything from email management to CRM, accounting to travel expenses software. (more…)
Applications, Cloud Computing, eBusinesslive, eMarketing, SaaS, SMEs
Irish retailers are racing to be ready for the Christmas rush. Online orders are set to flood in from ‘Cyber Monday’, the first Monday in December, so there’s no time to lose in preparing your store for the upswing.
There are plenty of challenges facing online retailers at this time of year, not least of which is ensuring they have the infrastructure and security systems in place to deal with the surge in activity. (more…)
eBusinesslive, ecommerce, eMarketing, Retail, SMEs
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