Small businesses face an uphill battle in capturing the hearts of younger customers, as a mere 22% of Gen Z believe their customer service rivals that of larger competitors. This is particularly concerning for smaller fashion brands, considering that 75% of spending by Gen Z is on fashion. The Small Business Customer Service in 2023 research, from FM Outsource, looked into what customers want from small businesses and what they’re actually offering. Despite reservations from Gen Z, the research revealed that older generations are more confident in the capabilities of small businesses. An impressive 60% of consumers, aged 55-64, believe they can offer…
Author: sme-admin
In today’s economic climate, workplace benefits are no longer just a perk, they are a necessity. Employers should be helping employees’ salaries stretch further during the cost-of-living crisis, not only because it will help keep their staff happy, but because it is the right thing to do. This article, by Blackhawk Network Extras, an employee benefits platform, delves into the crucial insights from their recent report, ‘The Cost-Of-Living Crisis: Support Your People with Employee Benefits.’ We recently conducted research among 500 HR decision-makers (HRDMs) and 2,000 employees up and down the UK to understand attitudes towards workplace benefits and how they can…
E-commerce fraud is growing fast and financially impacting businesses across the globe, according to new research from Ravelin. In the last twelve months, merchants have seen a huge leap in online payment fraud (up 59%), account takeover (up 51%), promotion abuse (up 52%), refund abuse (up 53%) and customer fraud / friendly fraud (up 40%). Merchants are now throwing more and more money at the crisis and expanding fraud teams in a bid to mitigate losses. Three-quarters (75%) of all online merchants say fraud budgets will grow this year (global average figure.) In the UK 62% will be spending more on…
Whether you’re interviewing for a job role with a new company or for an internal position, preparing for a job interview and ensuring you perform at your best can be daunting. It’s easy for nerves or lack of confidence to set in, which can mean that you struggle to communicate your suitability for the role to the interviewer. Sheelagh McNamara, Executive Coach and Lead Tutor on RADA Business’ Executive Presence for Women programme, offers her key insights and skills for creating a connection with your interviewer, tackling nerves and projecting confidence to make a standout first impression. Prep for success Take some…
Over a million small and medium sized businesses across the UK have upskilled their digital capabilities thanks to the free business guidance and training available from Vodafone via platforms such as V-Hub. The V-hub platform, which recently celebrated its third birthday, provides free access to training, tools, and an in-depth knowledge centre. Through V-hub users also have access to free one-to-one expert guidance from a V-Hub business expert either online or over the phone. Training covers everything from setting up a business, finding new customers online and protecting yourself from cyber-threats. The most popular courses on the V-hub platform are Tips…
Revolut, the global financial superapp with more than 30 million customers worldwide, today announced it has enabled Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone contactless payment acceptance technology for Revolut Pro and Revolut Business customers across the UK.With Tap to Pay on iPhone and the Revolut iOS app, designed for customers with a Pro account, such as sole proprietors or small business owners, or the Revolut Business iOS app for business of all sizes, Revolut customers will now be able to accept in-person, contactless payments with just an iPhone – no need for additional terminals or hardware. The feature provides an…
Small businesses across the UK are being urged to have their say on the future of the high street, by taking part in a UK-wide survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) from today (13 July) on issues such as business rates relief, public transport and parking, access to cash and street cleaning. The findings will be analysed, and recommendations then submitted to the UK and national and local governments and devolved administrations to help the UK’s high streets to flourish into the future. The survey will run from 13 July to the 27 July and can be found…
With the cookieless future already here, advertisers are beginning to explore new ways to track customers and measure performance. Cookieless solution and programmatic expert Crimtan is sharing its expertise to explain why marketers should no longer be reliant on cookies. Depending solely on cookies is no longer a viable option to provide the comprehensive measurement and insight necessary for campaigns to be successful. Although marketers do have the ability to use first-party data to communicate with audiences, it does not give them the opportunity to target new customers. For a campaign to be successful, the right audience needs to be targeted at…
AI is evolving so rapidly that it’s almost impossible to keep up with – and many people don’t know what it’s capable of. For employers, a key fear is that their employees are using ChatGPT to help them do their work, without realising that this could be a breach of data protection laws. Elliot Fry, Managing Associate at Cripps and Alice Hunter, Associate at Cripps, look at the dangers of AI – with focus on the data protection angle. They also outline some practical tips on how to mitigate the risks of AI in the workplace and use it both safely…
The benefits of social media advertising are undeniable. It can help businesses with finding and attracting new audiences, crafting strong brand messaging and, crucially, driving sales. However, choosing the right social media platform is vital to realising the full potential of your paid social campaigns. LinkedIn, in particular, offers multiple features and benefits, along with detailed, granular ad targeting that puts it into a class of its own depending on your business and marketing goals. Many companies, especially B2B firms, have not properly considered LinkedIn, with a common concern that it is more expensive than other platforms. Despite this, the…