Trends
The constant evolution of technology means the pace of change is more relentless than ever. Keep one eye focused on the future, with regular content exploring fresh business ideas and the latest technology trends across Australia.
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Could selling on social media help boost your sales?
More than just a new place to broadcast your message, social media can help you to make direct sales.
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'Buy now, pay later': Could it help boost your business?
Today, the way your customers expect to book and buy online is more diverse than ever. As a small or medium business, this brings a new opportunity to strengthen your online pr...
How big data analytics can help your business
The internet – and the devices it connects – has become central to the way we interact. What many may not know is how much data is created and collected from all global digital interaction.
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Are you harnessing the power of online reviews?
Before choosing to buy, customers are turning to online reviews to see how a business fares. Discover how skillfully managing feedback online can give customers more reason to ...
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Telstra Business Intelligence 2020: Insights & advice to help your business thrive
No two small or medium-sized businesses are the same, but there’s one thing most share – a scarcity of resources. When you’re overseeing daily operations, it can be challenging...
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3 businesses that are winning with video
Video technology has helped a lot of businesses deliver their services – and remain operational – throughout COVID-19. And for many, adopting this technology is not a Band-Aid ...
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Conscious consumption: Even online, consumers choose local
Consumer behaviours and attitudes shifted in many ways as COVID-19 enveloped our reality. But one sentiment has become clear: consumers want to support local businesses, even w...
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Online shopping: A Q&A with Handsom on adapting through COVID-19
Sam Rush is the co-founder of Aussie fashion label Handsom, based in Melbourne’s inner-north. In this Q&A, Sam shares how the brand is navigating a changing retail landscape in...
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Hospitality goes digital: 3 ways venues are adapting to COVID-19
Social togetherness is the essence of the hospitality industry. When this core ingredient was taken away from cafes, bars and restaurants, many were forced to change their usua...
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Responding to COVID-19: How The Digital Picnic reshaped its content strategy
Melbourne-based digital agency The Digital Picnic provides its readers with engaging blog posts and consistent social media content. When COVID-19 struck, the business’s online...
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How-to: Keep your business thriving during COVID-19
Australian businesses are adapting to life in the time of COVID-19. With some quick thinking and a little ingenuity, businesses across the country are finding opportunity in th...
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Responding to COVID-19: A Q&A with Cat Webb, owner and operator of Good Times Pilates
Good Times Pilates in Melbourne’s inner-north is more than just a place to work out. If you’ve been before, you’ll remember the delightful scent, the quality service and the su...
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Responding to COVID-19: A Q&A with William On, CEO and co-founder of Shippit
Shippit is a technology platform that powers delivery for retailers across Australia, connecting e-commerce stores with courier companies. When the realities of COVID-19 struck...
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Explainer: Decode the latest business tech jargon
Here’s your go-to resource to understand tricky tech jargon. With new technology comes new terminology. So many acronyms and jargon words are created on the internet all the ti...
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Should you believe what your consumers say?
Effective market research is vital to running a successful business, but how exactly do you ensure that the information you're getting is valid? Consumer research professionals...
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Is your business nbn™ ready? Take the quiz
Getting ready for the nbn™ network is simpler than you might think. Test your knowledge and learn more about what to expect with the Smarter Business™ nbn quiz. The nbn network...
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How to make your videos go viral
It’s possible to create your own viral story, here are the core ingredients you’ll need to do it. When a story or a picture goes viral, it can be a wonderful marketing tool if ...
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How your business can be an Instagram Video star
Instagram has evolved well beyond still images. We look at video-sharing: what does it mean for your business and how can you use it. Grab a cuppa and take in some of the best ...
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Staying on top with GeoOp
Running a jobs-driven business with a mobile workforce? It’s a challenge, but smartphone app technology trends are making it much easier. Field service, mobile sales and consu...
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Hotels serve up business lessons with tech
Hotels have been around for centuries, but the hospitality and accommodation sector has certainly embraced the digital age by using the latest technology to improve operations....
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5G is set to change the world, and business, forever
5G networks across the globe are set to change the very nature of wireless connectivity, with predictions suggesting they could have the same impact as the introduction of mobi...
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Cyber security: Is your business cyber-secure? Take our interactive quiz
Cyber security is a hot topic across the business world. Whether your business is big, small, or somewhere in between, data protection is now essential for you to gain and main...
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Four tech trends for small business
In an increasingly connected world small businesses need to embrace technologies and tools that can make them stand out from their rivals, according to a Telstra Business Award...
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Artificial Intelligence is more than just a futuristic fad - you're already using it!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of Ian Aitken's tech startup, SofiHub. He believes businesses should stop trying to understand it and instead focus on how they can...
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Artificial intelligence not dumb science
Since computers were invented, we've given them information and told them what to do. What if they could decide what to do with the data themselves and become smarter in the ba...
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In the Loop: Is small business overlooking the opportunities presented by increased mobility?
Welcome to In the Loop, our monthly snapshot of Telstra’s research into the state of small business in Australia. Small businesses may be underestimating how much mobile tech...
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The rise of the microbusiness
The microbusiness boom is a 21st-century phenomenon. These days, thanks to the power and accessibility of technology, almost anyone can start up a business – and a huge number ...
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In the Loop: Small businesses struggling with IT
The increasing complexity of IT systems has been outed as the biggest challenge for Australian small businesses in 2017. Welcome to In the Loop, our monthly snapshot of Telstra...
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On the money: Business funding without a bank
What do a vegan dairy and real estate styling business have in common? They used new tech platforms to help fund their growth, without a bank manager in sight. For Jules Dono...
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A day in the life of a construction manager in 2020
It’s 2020 and the demands of clients and ever-growing use of smart technologies have changed the way construction managers operate, for the better. Off to work … Fresh from...
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Omnichannel vs multichannel: Providing a seamless experience
Customers increasingly expect an omnichannel experience. But what does that actually mean and how might it differ from a multichannel retail strategy? “You say multichannel, I ...
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Why play is the secret to keeping up with business tech
“Since the ancient Greeks, every generation has said that the pace of change has never been so fast. They’ve always been right but I think this time it is especially true.” Tec...
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Into the Abyss
Michela Ledwidge and Stuart Ridley take a deep dive with Nasir Ahsan and Masood Naqshbandi of Abyss Solutions into the world of underwater autonomous drones revolutionising map...
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IoT: Making a big bang in healthcare and retail
Connected devices are fundamentally changing the way healthcare and retail operations are using technology. And it’s not going to slow down. The Internet of Things (IoT) is as ...
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In the Loop: Less than half of Australian businesses have a website
Welcome to In the Loop, our monthly snapshot of Telstra’s research into the state of small business in Australia. Ever been frustrated at not being able to find a business onli...
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NBN future: How will your industry change in 10 years?
The big principle of the nbn™ is to give everyone in our nation fast, reliable internet access. It’s a simple idea with a lot of future-proofing potential for your business and...
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Not just entertainment: How virtual reality can work for your business
Thanks to VR, visitors can spend minutes rather than seconds on sites, and the more time they spend, the longer you have to convert interest to a sale. Joseph Wall of Wow 360 V...
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Virtual Reality: Revolutionary or redundant?
With rapidly changing technology and big bets being placed by companies like Google, Facebook and eBay, Virtual Reality (VR) is about to have its moment. So who is using it wel...
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The latest technology from CES 2016
We round up the best up-and-coming technologies from The Consumer Electronics Show, and look at how these revolutionary ideas can be applied directly to your business. The Cons...
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To attract and retain, making 2016 your year of learning and development
Technology is the key to staff training that can help make this year the education year. So stop looking for the best talent and start growing it, says Jeff Haden. Your employe...
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Buyer, seller, and controller: The on-demand economy
The on-demand economy is turning the world into the consumer’s oyster. So how can your business benefit? Things work differently in New York. In New York, you walk faster, and ...
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Are the days of accountants numbered?
Automation and technology is disrupting businesses across Australia, with finance predicted to be among the most affected. So should accountants be worried? As an accountant, I...
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Sealing the deal with Docusign
Signing on the dotted line doesn’t need to slow down your workflow with a suite of new apps. Whether you are looking to put on new staff, or add a new supplier to your lists, c...
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Why construction needs to think beyond the bottom line
Builders and project managers operate in one of the most competitive industries in Australia. And this competition means a bottom-line approach to management is no longer enoug...
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Making paper(less)
The idea of a paperless office has been on the cards for the world since 1975. It’s 2015. What’s happened? Back in the 70s, innovative thinkers imagined a future where paper wa...
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Trend watch: What's happening in healthcare?
The healthcare sector is seeing significant challenges. But with great challenges comes great opportunity to evolve.
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The changing face of finance
For finance, accounting and other professional services, technology has fundamentally shifted operations. What used to be primarily functional is now about much, much more. Whe...
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Sensis e-Business Report: Online sales mean connectivity is key
A recent report from Sensis looking at the state of online business in Australia has shown connectivity is more important than ever.
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Anatomy of a yuccie
The hipster trend is on the decline, but now we have another on our hands. It’s time to meet your new customers. First we had yuppies. Then post-GFC it was all about muppies (m...
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Virtual Guardian: Technology meets HR
HR can be one of the most complicated areas for small business including strict regulations and legal obligations. But tech is helping simplify the process. There are plenty of...
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Fiscal forecast: Finance and insurance
Regulatory requirements put onto the big four and Macquarie Group mean big changes for the financial sector. The big issue affecting the finance industry over the next three mo...
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The small business economy
Leon Gettler says tech, the dollar and changes to GST are the big things for Aussie business to watch out for in the coming months. The biggest trend to watch out for in small ...
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Data, research and the new social landscape
Facebook IQ could change how Aussie businesses market themselves online. What happens when you take the world’s largest social network and a world-class group of researchers, d...
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Fiscal outlook: Manufacturing
Manufacturing has had a challenging few years, but great challenges have led to a leaner and more efficient industry. Activity across the Australian manufacturing sector fell s...
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Economic forecast: Retail
Figures show that retailers could be in for a rocky ride for the next six months. But being adaptive and online can help manage a difficult period. In the months ahead, retaile...
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Trend watch: Frictionless mobile payments
Mobile payments open a world of new opportunities for small businesses in Australia looking to accept credit card and smartphone payments. The mobile payment revolution doesn't...
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Google Trends: What can it do for your business?
Rather than just track your own performance, you can chart Google searches for your business alongside searches for your competitors – offering a snapshot of how you're faring ...
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The future of M2M in the industrial sector
The Land Of Sweeping Change report released by Telstra on trends in the Machine to Machine (M2M) sector shows varied uptake and interest, but the sector shows great promise. Th...
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Fiscal forecast: Construction
The construction industry has been going through healthy growth but there are doubts from some analysts whether it can be sustained. We look at what the future holds for constr...
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Small business outlook: The quarter ahead
The Aussie economy can have a huge difference to how small businesses run. Leon Gettler looks at what it holds for the first quarter of the new financial year. The most recent ...
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Amazon Dash and the future of retail
Technology is rapidly changing the way that Retailers, both online and offline, operate. We look at the Amazon Dash, and how it’s reflective of changing customer demands. Want ...
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Tesla's Powerwall helps businesses in their darkest hour
The ability to help keep your business up and running during a blackout could save the day, ensuring your customers don't take their business elsewhere. Elon Musk is the vision...
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Get ahead with Smarter's Small Business Reports
In a series of six research reports, Telstra Smarter Business™ explores the trends affecting Retail, professional services, construction, healthcare, finance and manufacturing.
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Your business' virtual reality
A quick visit to new surroundings might help you seal the deal with customers. We look at what’s coming onto the market and how you can make virtual reality a business reality ...
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Can Bitcoin benefit your business?
Much has been made of Bitcoin – an anonymous, unregulated currency. But is it worth the time and investment? Maybe all you know about a Bitcoin is that it represents yet anothe...
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Hungry for a sale: What SMBs can learn from food vans
Pop-up restaurants aren’t just creating heat in these portable kitchens, but in the business world, too. Food vans are all the rage. Restaurant owners looking for new ways to b...
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What are computers doing to our brains?
As we offload more of the storage of information to technology, might we humans be losing the art of remembering? Find out about the repercussions of ‘outsourced memory’ and le...
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5 Ways Beacon marketing can change retail
Beacon technology promises to turn the shopping experience on its head – or at least that’s what Retailers hope.
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Read Fiction to Learn How Customers Think
If you want to understand your customers, pick up a good book and get lost in its characters. Discover what prolific writer and psychologist Hugh Mackay thinks about the insigh...
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Business innovations to take off in 2015
From 3D printing to reality computing, here are four tech trends set to take off in 2015. Find out how they could help improve business efficiency.
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Diving Aussie dollar to cause pain for SMEs
Recent falls in the value of the Australian dollar are placing upward pressure on costs for local businesses.
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Is the Blackberry back?
Remember when BlackBerry was the king of the smartphones? Times have changed since then but the Canadian manufacturer is hoping to gain some of its former business-friendly moj...
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Inspired By Films: Future tech we want to see
Films and books dream big – what was once just imaginings on the page or screen can become everyday technology. Being open to ideas could be the next start-up goldmine. Here we...
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Bluetooth Beacons: Retail hope or hype?
Beacons, small bluetooth gadgets that can communicate with smartphones, are one of the hottest technologies on trial in the Retail industry.
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Smartwatches worth your time
On average, a mobile phone user checks their handset a staggering 150 times a day. With a smartwatch, you can stay on top of your day by simply glancing at your wrist while you...
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The Net: Now Your Smartphone, Soon Your Shoes
In the next few years, everything from trains to shoes will connect to the internet. Things will have built-in sensors that will transfer data over the network, and the informa...
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2015: Mobile retail trends coming to you
2014 was a pivotal year for many mobile technologies – 2015 will extend the gains.
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The best business gadgets of 2015
Straight from CES 2015, the biggest consumer electronics conference in the world, Krishan Sharma rounds up the business gadgets that help you cut down on business administratio...
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Technology trends that will help give your business the edge in 2015
There’s been more than a few “light bulb moments” in the innovation of new technology avenues for small businesses. Here are six trends primed to deliver success in 2015.
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O come all ye shoppers: Retailers counting on a solid christmas
By the standards of recent Christmas seasons, 2014 is shaping to be solid, if a little unspectacular, for the nation’s Retailers.
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What will the mobile customer look like in 2015?
Our smartphones are always with us so it’s no surprise it’s estimated that in four years m-commerce will account for the same global sales as e commerce did in 2013. The portra...
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A customised future
Customisation is a means for customers to fulfil their ultimate product fantasies. Thanks to emerging technologies, innovative companies are seizing new opportunities.
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How is technology transforming daily life
Smart mobile devices are reinventing the average Australian’s workday with almost 50 per cent saying they are doing work after they get home. What's surprising is the percentag...
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Rise of the vending machines
Vending machines may be shaped like a box, but the thinking behind them is outside the square.
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Everyone wants to be a retailer now
Where would you go to buy a Swiss Army Knife? To a Swiss Army Knife store, of course. Michael Baker explains why manufacturers are increasingly opening up their own stores to s...
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Global fashion retailers in the 'burbs
What does it mean for local stores when shopping centres build spaces for international brands to establish a presence in Australia? How do these mega-malls fit into the overal...
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RFID: The new retail hero or all hype?
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has a million applications, but is Retail one of them?
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Management to do list Q2 2014-15: What you need to know now
Keep on top of legal, marketing and technology matters this quarter with Australia’s leading experts.
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Box Ready: Making the most of mail order
Australia Post gives spice vendor Gourmet Morsels a variety of delivery options for orders of all sizes.
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Cashing in on our cravings: 6 start ups reveal their recipes for success
We’re a nation of dessert lovers: in fact it could be said we have somewhat of an obsession with confection. We’re mad for macarons, crazy about cupcakes and all scream for ice...
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Should your business have an app?
Australian consumers are showing signs of being sceptical about the value of paid smartphone and tablet apps, a new survey has found.
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How 4G boosts diagnostic images for Qscan
Fast connections are essential for Qscan Radiology Clinics. The business's 16 centres in Brisbane are linked by fibre-optic lines, and out in the field its consulting doct...
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Nearly half of Australian mid-size businesses face extinction
Close to half of Australian medium-size enterprises could start failing in three years, according to a new survey of chief financial officers. Close to half of Australian mediu...
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7 gadgets that will make you productive (in the car)
Always on the road? Safely boost in-car productivity with 7 top gadgets. If you spend a lot of time in the car, you can boost your daily productivity significantly with the fol...
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The highly speculated Apple Watch is here, almost
The ultimate accessory for your iPhone has arrived. Earlier this morning, Wednesday, September 10, Apple announced their entry into the wearable market with the long-rumoured A...
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Farmers expect business performance to improve despite worrisome agricultural economy
Australian farmers are less confident about the national agricultural economy but more confident about their own business performance, according to a recent report. The latest ...
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Retail comes full circle
It’s back to store for etailers as online shopping collection points get physical. On August 12, Craig Woolford, consumer sector retail research analyst at Citi drew attention ...
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What will become of Bitcoin?
Australian Retailers may risk swallowing a double dose of GST liability if they choose to trade in crypto-currencies, law firm DLA Piper Australia warns. The Australian Taxatio...
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Is retail the worst industry to work in?
According to a ranking published by 24/7 Wall Street, a US financial news / commentary site, they are absolutely at the bottom of the corporate heap as far as their current and...
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Post budget gloom for micro businesses
Despite the increasing optimism of small, medium, and large Australian businesses since the May 2014 Budget, Australia's micro businesses are feeling the pressure according to ...
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Building a future: The changing face of construction
These six free apps use your little data to streamline your day. Construction companies are integral to the Australian economy, with their total contribution to the production ...
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Can Aussie retail win back fickle digital customers?
Avoid end of financial year (EOFY) stress and ensure your business is well prepared. When three leading minds in Australian Retail recently met to share their views on the...
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In the market for a 3D printer? Here's what you need to know
Before you invest in a 3D printer, there are some key things to be aware of which could ultimately save you time, money and frustration. Here’s what you need to know. 3D printi...
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The outlook on retailers In Australia
Independent Retailers have been doing it tough in recent years and the accelerating globalisation of Australian fashion Retail isn't doing them many favours. As recently as fiv...
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The high-tech route to faster checkouts
When people think about technology and the shopping experience it’s common to focus on the ‘wow’ factor of technology as entertainment. There is a more prosaic and arguably muc...
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What Aussie business travellers miss most
A recent survey discovered that Aussie business travellers get more homesick than global counterparts. Aussies miss the comforts of home more than business travellers from the ...
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Give not take: A look at social entrepreneurship
Social responsibility: Why doing your bit for the community can do wonders for your small business. Earlier this month Gail Kelly, CEO of Westpac, announced that the group had ...
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Playing to win: Are TV commercials and viral videos effective?
Like David and Goliath, one small business dared to take on the big names in the Super Bowl ad war and went viral. Find out how TV and social media campaigns can benefit your b...
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Top 5 time saving tips to beat the clock
Research shows all Aussie small business owners want for Christmas is a better work/life balance. A survey conducted by Telstra Business has found Australian small business own...
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In first place: Braaap's top 5 social media tips
How motorcycle business braaap gets the most out of social media. Brad Smith was 18 when he designed the motorcycle of his dreams. Then he got on a plane to China in hope o...
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Can your customers get through the checkout?
Why Aussies are browsing on mobile devices but not checking out the cart. While the country has the one of the highest rates of mobile device ownership in the world, with 65% f...
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Gold medal's socially responsible practices
Apprenticeships are built into the foundations of Gold Medal Services, a plumbing service based in Darwin. Business manager Jackie Maclean says they have employed at least one ...
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5 future business trends set to go the distance
JWT have peered into the future again. Here are the business ideas that are taking off. Each year renowned marketing communications brand JWT compiles a list of 100 of the bigg...
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Dealing in real time: How technology is creating a power shift between consumers and retailers
Not so long ago, uttering the word 'showrooming' was enough to evoke a shudder of fear and loathing in a room full of Retailers. The word raised the image of iphone-toting merc...
