Following news that the popularity of language learning is declining year on year (The Telegraph), it’s clear that less young people are considering modern foreign languages to be an important consideration for their future careers. Yet ongoing research consistently suggests that this doesn’t match up to the needs and expectations of UK Business. Back in 2013, the British Council published a report in which they pinpointed ten languages that would be crucial for the UK’s long-term prosperity, security and influence, using various indicators such as export trade, emerging markets and diplomatic concerns. The results were as follows (in order of importance): 1 Spanish 2 Arabic 3 French 4 Mandarin Chinese 5 German 6 Portuguese 7 Italian 8= Russian 8= Turkish 10 Japanese The report found that 75% of the adults polled were unable to hold a conversation in any of the languages highlighted, and the British Academy declared the UK to be trapped in a ‘vicious cycle of monolingualism’ whereby […]
26 February 2015 09:00
Last week we looked in to the types of eCommerce platforms available to you; Hosted, Open Source and Hosted Shopping Cart. This week, we will look at the features of specific platforms to help you find your perfect match. Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that is favoured by small retailers and start-ups because of its ease of use. All the technical information that a self-hosted solution would require you to set up is already taken care of, so you really can hit the ground running. There is also 24/7 help on offer so you will never feel stuck.
19 May 2014 09:00
The variety of eCommerce software available means there is something out there to suit each and every business. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the number of options, and the subtleties in difference between some of the products. To get started we are going to discuss the 3 types of platform on offer; Hosted, Open Source and Hosted Shopping Cart. By highlighting the main features, benefits and limitations of platforms in these categories, you should be able to deduce which category is going to suit your business the best. The right platform will give you all the tools you need to grow your business, whilst taking care of the behind the scenes technical tasks that can often hold us back.
8 May 2014 10:00
Many of our eCommerce clients sell on Amazon alongside their own eShops. But why would they do this? Isn’t that twice the work? Amazon is a sales channel that you should be taking advantage of. Yes, it will require some time and effort to get going, but it certainly won’t double your workload. To begin with you will need to create an account and upload your products. This can be done manually one-by-one, or via a csv file. Amazon provide the template for you, all you need to do is fill in the required information.
7 April 2014 14:47
Driving traffic to an eCommerce site requires time, effort and money. A carefully planned out eMarketing campaign will ensure new visits to your site, and encourage previous customers to repeat buy. Before making a substantial investment in a marketing campaign however, you need to set out your stall and ensure your goods are well presented, otherwise you risk wasting your money. The slightest annoyance or obstacle encountered on your website can put a potential customer off buying, or taking the action that you desire. Have a browse at this eCommerce best practice guide to ensure your visitors are converted into customers, and are not deterred by any aspect of your site.
12 February 2014 15:08