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BUSINESS OWNER 23
THE BILLION-DOLLAR TURNOVER OF SA RETAILERS IN SEPTEMBER
SA BUSINESS JOURNAL www.adelaidenow.com.au/business
Online shopfront is a must ALEXANDRA ECONOMOU Promotion
ditional bricks and mortar storefront. ‘‘Changing consumer preferences and spending habits are resulting in more people shopping online,’’ Ms White said. ‘‘Online sales channels can provide diversified revenue streams for tra-
ditional bricks and mortar retail businesses. They also provide retailers the opportunity to win additional customers by tapping into new markets.’’ Offering online shopping also meant retailers did not have to rely solely on foot traffic. They could attract customers from outside their local areas and possibly even internationally. When establishing a payment system online, Ms White said factors to consider included: INCORPORATING an online shopping cart in website design.
ESTABLISHING a payment gateway. This is the infrastructure which enables payments to be processed so credit and debit card details did not have to be entered manually. MANAGING risk. Steps such as requiring a customer to enter a credit card’s CCV number can reduce the incidence of fraud. ‘‘Accepting orders online does increase the possibility of consumers using credit cards fraudulently,’’ Ms White said. Businesses should ask their bank if it offers a multi-currency merchant
Expansion into every state and territory
TOBACCO retailers say they are in limbo with just a month to get rid of printed packaging and no guarantees they will be compensated for outlawed stock. Under well-documented changes, plain green packaged cigarettes will only be on sale from December 1. Cigarette manufacturers were not allowed to produce labelled packages after October 1. While lobby groups supporting small retailers say they are not promoting smoking, they are concerned that their small struggling retailers will be left out of pocket. Australasian Association of Convenience Stores executive director Jeff Rogut said the move was a vote grab without any consideration to how it will impact on smaller businesses. It is still unclear what compensation, if any, retailers will receive for unsold printed cigarette packs they will not be able to sell after the December 1 deadline. The Convenience and Mixed Business Association and the Council of Small Business of Australia have also voiced concerns about the process. Businesses selling printed cigarette boxes after December 1 face fines up to $220,000.
ALEXANDRA ECONOMOU
PUB: ADV BUS. JOURNAL
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AUSTRALIAN Outdoor Living has continued its national expansion, opening in New South Wales. Plans were also in place to expand its footprint further into Brisbane, Darwin, the ACT and Tasmania, said managing director Colin Kuchel. Mr Kuchel started AOL in Adelaide in 2005. He has built the business from one showroom in Adelaide to outlets in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, employing 150 people. AOL has also diversified its product range to include outdoor PVC cafe blinds, artificial lawn, pergolas, carports, decking and Barrier Reef swimming pools. In the past three years, revenue has increased 360 per cent and turnover is at $27 million.
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We have increased sales in the last three years with all of our products
Conveyancing firms in merger ADELAIDE firms Conveyancing Matters and Strand Conveyancing have merged. Conveyancing Matters marketing manager Penny Erskine says the merger comes at a good time for both businesses. ‘‘This move enables the Conveyancing Matters group to provide an even more comprehensive service to the real estate industry and individual clients,’’ she says. Strand Conveyancing’s Frank Graney says its existing clients will benefit. ‘‘Clients of Strand Conveyancing will now have access to a larger base of professional personnel with skills and experience in all aspects of property transactions,’’ he said.
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Retailers: Stock going up in smoke
facility. ‘‘(This means) you can advertise and sell your product or service in international currencies,’’ she said. ‘‘Transactions will be processed in the foreign currency with the funds directed to a foreign currency account. ‘‘As a merchant, this gives you control over how you want to manage those foreign funds. ‘‘For example, you might use them to pay overseas suppliers or keep an eye on currency movements and delay converting them into Australian dollars until they move in your favour.’’
SPLASHING OUT: Australian Outdoor Living managing director Colin Kuchel.
Picture: MARK BRAKE
Mr Kuchel said the decision to open its own blind manufacturing facility in 2007 had been critical to the company’s success. ‘‘That has really spearheaded our growth,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s our core product and we have stuck to our guns in terms of quality and delivery.’’ The reason for AOL’s success was difficult to pinpoint, he said. ‘‘I had a conversation with somebody about this recently. We have increased sales in the last three years with all of our products. Word of mouth has had a lot to do with our growth,’’ Mr Kuchel said. He said there were a few other products in the pipeline, including an outdoor pit which was popular in the US. ‘‘It uses volcanic rock and at the press of a button you can have a fire outside,’’ he said. AOL’s most recent store opening was in Arndale Park, Sydney. Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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RETAILERS must consider developing an online shopfront to ensure they remain competitive, says the National Australia Bank. NAB’s most recent Online Retail Sales Index, released last month, found Australians spent $12.1 billion online in the year to September. This represented a 23 per cent year-onyear increase. NAB state general manager nabbusiness, Joanna White, said SA retailers needed to consider a multichannel approach by investing in their online presence alongside their tra-