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10 Considerations When Creating Packaging

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Packaging has a double function, that of storing or packing the product, and of being a ‘magnet’ that attracts the public through its image. These two functions must always be united if you want to have a space in the mind of the consumer and in the supermarket shelves.

Regarding packaging as another element of communication of the brand, according to one professional designer, “Advertising can be considered as the air force, but packaging is the infantry, and to take a hill you have to use it”. So, let’s look at some considerations to have a good infantry base.

  1. Characteristics of the product to be packaged

Normally the product can be presented in three physical states: liquid, solid or gas. According to the physical state of the product, you must consider the design of the container.

  1. Packaging process

The packaging will be designed depending also on the form of filling to which it will be subjected. The container must withstand pressure differences, as well as the vacuum, the internal pressure of the product subjected to thermal processing and external pressures, etc. The packaging design must take into account the tolerances and movements or vibrations during or after packaging.

  1. Anticipated shelf life of the product

The shelf life should be considered as the time that a certain product should remain with the original quality characteristics with which it was launched on the market. For this you will have to consider aspects such as its weight, shape, size, colour as well as the material of the container.

  1. Product-package compatibility

It is essential that the necessary tests are carried out with the materials that have been chosen and the conditions that the container and the product will be subjected to.

  1. Handling and application of the product

You must ensure that the effort required in unpacking and application of the product is as simple as possible for the user.

  1. Consumer market

You need to take into account the market to which the product is directed, as well as the positioning that you want to have in the market; therefore, the packaging must also be consistent with that objective, as well as with the “philosophy” of your product. Packaging materials will differ when you are targeting a market in which saving is fundamental compared to when you are designing a container for a luxury product, such as perfume.

  1. Selection of the optimal size

The size and shape of the container can be decisive in the choice of your product by the consumer. Studying those products that are directly your competitors and knowing the way in which they are presented is fundamental to determining your own packaging presence.

  1. Printing and labelling process

It is necessary to consider how the printing and labelling of the product will be carried out when you start to work on different design options. Perhaps you will need to eliminate some aspects of your design or modify them in favour of a more optimal printing and labelling process.

  1. Quality is important in the marketing approach

Current markets are characterised by two aspects: a very competitive offer and the growing awareness of consumers about the quality of products. Quality, from the point of view of packaging, has two elements to consider:

  • The quality of the product, referring to the materials and manufacturing processes of the container.
  • And the quality of the service / use; the correct operation of the container as well as a fair and competitive price.
  1. Ecological impact

When designing a container, you must take into account the ecological consequences of it, through the choice of material, manufacturing processes, life after use, reuse or recycling. The design of containers is increasingly important in terms of sustainability of the same with respect to the environment and trying to reduce the negative impact that your activity and products can have on the environment. It is essential that you consider an ecological design, efficient consumption of natural resources, and that waste can be managed well by recycling or reusing it.

So, there are 10 tips to consider when creating packaging for your business and product. Incorporate these suggestions and you will be heading in the right direction of your business!

The Importance of Uptime for E-Commerce Websites

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“Error 404” (CC BY 2.0) by WarmSleepy

In 2018, downtime for a website which relies on selling products or services to make a profit is borderline destructive. In this day and age, downtime for your website not only costs money, it can also negatively affect your reputation. Website errors not only affect the end-user too; the problems invariably require in-house engineers to resolve the issue, pulling them away from other key tasks as a result.

Website downtime is by no means an issue confined to e-commerce websites, but a rock-solid and consistent user experience is more important for online retailers than any other sector in terms of attracting and retaining customers. It’s all about those fine margins. Leading global marketplace Amazon recently calculated that even a one-second delay in their website’s operations could cost the company up to $1.6bn a year in sales.

Admittedly, the best way to ensure high availability for all in-datacentre and cross-datacentre websites is to incorporate a load balancer into your website’s infrastructure. Load balancing can work for online retailers where they operate using local servers in a single country or global servers in multiple locations around the world. At a local level, where online traffic to your website is shared across a number of servers within your data centre, a local load balancing application can optimise that distribution of visitors equally across all servers to improve the efficiency of your server loads and ensure swift, secure user experiences.


Image: Pixabay.com

E-commerce brands operating from multiple data centres, often in different countries to serve visitors in their native region, can also ensure high availability and dependable website performance with a global load balancing solution. With a global infrastructure, users are funnelled to the data centre with the fastest connection time, although it’s possible to configure the system to direct users to a location-specific data centre based on their geolocation. With load balancing, it’s possible to get real-time overview of the health and efficiency of your web servers and data centres and direct your users to an active data centre. This software can issue health check requests to each server to periodically monitor their performance.

Of course, downtime for any e-commerce website doesn’t just affect sales and reputation, it can negatively impact upon a website’s prominence in search engine results pages (SERPs). Both Google and Bing take a dim view of websites that have regular site outages, which could result in your website being outranked by competitors, although you’re doing the rest of your SEO absolutely right. In fact, Google’s John Mueller recommends that if you’re aware that your website will need to be down for some time, you should use a 503 server code to make search engine bots aware that it’s only a temporary issue. That will allow you to recover your SEO rankings more easily once you’re back online.

For any online retailer, it’s essential not to just be able to quickly respond to a crisis. In fact, it’s better to have a proactive monitoring system that allows you to keep on top of issues before they evolve into potential downtime-worthy problems. The failure of even the biggest retailers such as Amazon should serve as a clear warning to other e-commerce brands that downtime can – and will – happen. Minimise your website’s performance degradation and server failures with periodic testing and load balancing to help things operate on an even keel.

Rethinking the Approach to Product Design and Manufacturing

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(Image Credit: endomedion / 123RF Stock Photo)

Traditionally, Agile techniques have been the exclusive domain of software companies. Agile, which has been available to software manufacturers since the early 1990s, is a process that companies use to create new requirements and solutions for an application.

It breaks down product development into much smaller increments, minimizing the need for significant upfront design and planning. Thousands of companies have used it to create more efficient software solutions since its inception.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, hardware companies have come to appreciate the many benefits an agile manufacturing approach as well. The informal definition of agile manufacturing is an approach used by a company to manufacture its products. This includes the entire process, such as the training, tools, and processes a manufacturer must employ to get its products to the marketplace.

The main goal of agile manufacturing is to respond quickly to customer needs without jeopardizing quality or increasing costs.

Understanding the Four Key Elements of Agile Manufacturing

A successful agile manufacturing plan must incorporate all four of these elements:

  1. Corporate partners: Companies that implement agile manufacturing attempt to leverage business relationships with other companies whenever possible. The rationale is that cooperative and short-term projects can aid with entry or adjustment to new or evolving markets.
  2. Information technology (IT): The use of IT throughout the organization ensures that employees have the most recent information and can respond quickly to internal and external communication requests. This empowers them to make faster decisions regarding product design as well as ensures information distribution across several platforms.
  3. Knowledge culture: Adopting agile manufacturing means the company is willing to invest in employee training. This results in employee who can rapidly adapt to changing specifications throughout the company.
  4. Modular product design: This manufacturing process lends itself to modular products that allow for prompt variation and modification. Workers build modular products from a variety of pieces to ensure that this is possible. As an example, a worker incorporating modular product design would create several small pieces of the product that fit together rather than using a single type of material.

The Example of Wikispeed

Wikispeed, an auto manufacturer based in the United States, uses Agile manufacturing as a type of development technique. It just so happens that Wikispeed’s founder, Joe Justice, had been instrumental in Agile software development using Scrum since Agile first came on the scene. With this background, it was possible for Justice to implement the same techniques to manufacture a car. Wikispeed’s development process for cars dropped to just seven days. The result is a fully functioning automobile that consumes less gas than many other models.

While software and hardware development have obvious differences, the two share enough similarities for hardware manufacturers to seriously consider implementing Agile. Today’s winners in manufacturing aren’t necessarily the ones with the best product. It’s the company who can get new products to market the fastest, a goal that hardware manufacturers can reach easier by switching to the Agile process.

What Can I Do With My EIN?

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A Federal employer identification number is a requirement for some businesses. Even if you don’t need one to run your business, it is still a good idea to obtain one. An approved EIN application allows you to establish a separate credit history for your business. This not only helps to protect your personal assets but makes it more likely that you will receive the funding you need to operate successfully. Your EIN will also allow you to do several other things.

  • Open a bank account under your company’s name
  • Apply for a credit card for your company
  • File your business taxes more easily
  • Apply for necessary business permits

Using Your EIN Effectively

Using your employer identification number is easy once you receive the number, especially when you consider that it works much like your personal social security number. Simply include it where asked on IRS forms and business-related applications. The more you use it in place of your personal social security information, the more likely your business is to become recognizable. The EIN also provides a level of protection for your personal finances since it allows you to keep your social security number private.

How to Apply for an EIN 

Applying for your employer identification number is rather simple. In fact, you can even apply for your EIN online. Simply provide some information about yourself and your business, submit the application and wait. In most cases, you will receive an approval and your number in a matter of a few days. Some people even receive them the next business day. Once you submit your application, you can use a tracker to keep tabs on your status and learn when you are approved.

Are you ready to learn more about obtaining an employer identification number for your business? IRS EIN Tax ID Filing Service, also known as IRS-EIN-Tax-ID online, is ready to assist you. Contact the company via email, telephone or online for more information.

5 Reasons to Start the Business of Gift Franchise

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With the expanding base of online shoppers and the presence of a unified global market, more and more people are thinking about their own startups. They are constantly exploring new areas of investment to earn huge profit margins and business fortunes. Among all these start-ups discussion, taking the ownership of a gift franchise business has emerged as a new promising venture for people. Check out the reasons listed below that can understand why you need to involve in this particular business segment of gifting.

The presence of various occasions and events of celebration- In countries like India, there are various festivals, events and other personal celebrations from time to time. All these activities require the presence of amazing gift items to make the celebration a memorable experience. In all these circumstances, having the ownership of the gifting franchise stores can be a rewarding experience.

People have diverse taste and requirements- With the gradual increase of gifting stores around the world, it has suddenly become the most lucrative and profitable franchise business in India. Moreover, the diverse gifting requirements of people have made the gift franchise the requirement of the present times as they offer a huge collection of gift items.


People are focusing more on branded products- Gone are those days when people used to gift anything to their dear ones without much thought but all this has changed now. People want to offer the best gift items from popular brands only to express their love, affection, care and concern. This requirement can only be met through a gifting franchise like Archies, WHSmith and others.


They want everything at their doorstep only- As people have a very busy and hectic lifestyle and barely have time to  workout in between work and education or being with family, it is difficult to go for door-to-door shopping for buying gift items. This problem can be effectively resolved by the home delivery options provided by the various gifting franchise stores. It not gives a sense of freedom to customers but also saves their efforts. This is why gifting has become the best franchise business in India.

Opportunity of getting best products at the best price deals- With the presence of various gifting stores, people can get the best gift items at the best prices. They can easily explore the wide range of gift items and can avail the best discounts, price cuts and other offers on them. These gift franchise stores can easily offer the gift items for birthday, marriage anniversary, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and other such events.

So, take an active interest in the gifting business segment and secure high business returns without any trouble. It is certainly the perfect business start-up for people without investing a huge amount in them.

 

3 Crucial Technology Tips for Entrepreneurs

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It ain’t easy to be an entrepreneur. Once you have decided to become one, there are a lot of things you need to take into consideration. Whether you are going to run a big enterprise or a small business, you still have to prepare yourself for it. You need to ensure that you get sufficient funds, resources, and time to make it happen.

When it comes to managing your business’ tech side, you also need to know every bit of it. By simply learning even a few tips about technology, you will be able to be a better entrepreneur as well as streamline your daily business operations. Things will definitely be more advantageous when you get to use proper technology in your business. It is just a matter of looking into the right tools and processes to lead your enterprise in the right path.

So, in order to succeed in your venture, be sure to keep these vital tech tips in mind all the time:

Never cheap out on technology

Technology is as significant as the other factors making up your entire business, so you better put importance to it, too. Today’s modern world relies on technology that is why you have to invest in new business technology though it might be costly. As an entrepreneur, you need to put your money into more profitable and necessary software, machines, or tools, like Whois domain search database, to keep your venture off the ground. Choose the right technology and continue to grow your enterprise.

Ensure your technology is up-to-date

One of the most effective ways to boost your business is through the use of latest technology. Businesses that adopt new technology are said to compete excellently with other ventures, increase revenues, improve efficiency, and connect with new markets or customers. By using updated productivity software, cloud-based services, and Internet connectivity in your office and at work, entrepreneurs can make a drastic change to their businesses. You can even make more people do business with you and enhance customer satisfaction through technology.

Make technology a priority

In every business, there are a number of essential things you need to prioritize. You have to guarantee that one of these is technology because it will be of great help in your venture. Without technology, you won’t be able to communicate well with your partners and clients, be a match for your competitors, deliver your tasks on time, and advance your business growth. With this, you need to make technology a priority once you start your own business or when you are revamping your existing enterprise.

Technology is such a broad concept that businesses can benefit from at all times. As an entrepreneur, you have to educate yourself regarding the latest and most useful technologies you can incorporate in your own enterprise. This might be tough to do at first, but everything will pay off once you invest in the right technology. You will witness increased productivity, improved speed, efficient storing and sharing information, and raised revenue in the long run, making your business thrive.

Here’s What You Need to Do Before Selling a Property

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There are reasons why people opt to sell their properties. Regardless of the reason, it is never an easy decision. There are those who have resided in that place for a long time. They have established themselves in the area and leaving is not easy. The least that can happen to console them is to have the property sold at a good price.

If you are one of them, here are some things you need to do, so you will make the most out of the property sale.

Choose the best agent

This is the key in order to sell the property at a good price. You need someone who can assist you in selling the home. They will undertake proper research so that the property will be sold at its right market value.

Find someone who has been around for a long time. You need help from a person who understands the business well. Those with a proven level of success can make you feel more confident that they will also help you achieve the same results.

Get a market analysis

You can do it yourself or ask your agent to get one if you already have an agent. This is crucial as you take a look at other properties in the area. With this document, you will get a good deal out of the property that you are selling. The price won’t be too high that no one will want to buy it or too low that you are almost giving it away.

Check the property for possible problems

You need to be honest about possible issues in the property that you are selling. In fact, a property surveyor should come over first to check the property and give a full valuation. You will then know how much the property should be sold for based on the report. You can also use this document to show to potential buyers that the price tag is just about right. Understanding any defects related to the home might also make you consider renovation – before selling. It is not an automatic decision based on the report. You still have to weigh whether or not the renovation would be more beneficial for you. Some renovations are costly but if you set a budget their impact on the price of the property won’t be much.

Get the place ready for showing

Should there be interested buyers, they will surely ask for a visit. Prepare the place if they decide to come and take a look. It helps if the place is clean and organized upon arrival but it makes no sense to hide possible repair issues.

Get more advice from experts at www.beresfordsgroup.co.uk before you decide to sell your property.

 

How to Make Food Look Fancy: 7 Presentation Hacks

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If you’re looking for simple hacks, which will take your food presentation to the next level, simply continue reading to discover 7 presentation hacks, which will ensure that your food looks just as appetizing as the meals which are served at your favorite restaurant.


How to Make Food Look Fancy: 7 Presentation Hacks

  1. Purchase a variety of unique serving plates and platters

Instead of serving all of your meals on traditional circle style plates, you may want to purchase rectangle plates and triangle shaped plates. Rectangle plates are perfect for serving finger foods and mains, whilst triangle shaped plates are ideal for serving restaurant quality desserts.

If you frequently entertain guests for dinner parties, you may want to invest in a variety of fancy serving platters, which you can use to serve snacks such as gourmet cheese and crackers, sushi and bruschetta.

  1. Get into the habit of using freshly cut herbs to decorate your meals

It’s well worth growing fresh herbs such as thyme, basil, and rosemary, which you can use to garnish a variety of meals. Examples of which include soups, roast meals, meatloaf and pasta dishes. You can also use a sprig of mint, to decorate your desserts.

  1. Try serving your entrees and desserts in a cocktail glass

If you’re looking to wow your family and friends, you may want to repurpose large cocktail glasses as bowls for your entrees and desserts. Examples of dishes which can be served in a large cocktail glass include ceviche, prawns, gelato, and chocolate mousse.

  1. Use an inexpensive blow torch to flambee, toast or char your dishes

If you’re interested in replicating eye-catching restaurant quality dishes, in your own home it’s well worth investing in an inexpensive miniature blow torch. Which you can use to flambee, toast and char your dishes to perfection. As an example, your guests will gasp in awe, if they see you flambee, their creme brulee in front of their very eyes.

  1. Use a sieve to cover your desserts with icing sugar

One way to take your presentation skills to the next level is to your a sieve to shake icing sugar on top of your favorite desserts such as shortbread cookies and sponge cakes.

  1. Make sure that each dish you plate up boasts at least two contrasting colors

Monochromatic dishes which only feature one color are less appetizing than dishes which boast a wide variety of colors. So make an effort to ensure that each dish which you serve, boasts at least two different colors. As an example instead of serving an omelet on its own, you may want to plate your omelet with a few slices of tomato and avocado or other fruits (this will also make the meal healthier by including more nutrients).

You can even get fancy and use your vegetables as a decorative portion. There are lots of kitchen tools out there such as the ones found at, https://spiralizershq.com/, that you can use to give your vegetables a different and more unique form to add to your plate.

  1. Let your meat rest, before plating it up

If you plate up a piece of steak or a meatloaf, immediately after you’ve cooked it, excess oil and blood may ooze onto your serving plate. So it’s well worth letting your meat rest for 5 minutes before plating it up for your guests.

So if you’re determined to wow your family and friends, it’s well worth trialing out the 7 presentation hacks listed above!

Understanding Workplace Accidents and the Process Involved in Filing a Claim

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Safety at work is essential. Sadly, personal injury could occur, like slips and falls in the office or on site. Other incidents can even be fatal. If you have suffered from an injury and you believe that it had something to do with the nature of your work or the working environment, you can ask for legal help as you might have a case for making a work injury claim for compensation.

Any industry can have work related accidents. There are some that have more cases than the others. The construction industry for instance constantly exposes its workers to risk due to the nature of their working environment. The same thing is true for restaurants where employees can suffer from skin burns due to exposure to heat. If injured at work, they can make a burn compensation claim against their employer.

Workplace accidents

According to UK law, an accident at work means bodily injury that the worker suffers from as a result of work performed on behalf of another person. Since you are working for someone else, you can claim it as a workplace accident.

The body might have suffered physical damage, or an illness. Psychological illnesses and stress are also included. However, it should also be established that there is a causal relationship between the work and the injury sustained. If the injury has nothing to do with work or the working environment, the employee cannot claim for compensation. If it is outside the working environment (with no official work being done) or outside working hours, they will be unable to ask for compensation.

Hire a legal expert

This is a serious issue and you should not take it lightly. You should not feel worried that you will lose your job as a result of your decision to file a claim. As soon as you have suffered an injury, seek medical attention. You need a doctor to assess your physical condition and you also need to keep the medical document provided by the doctor, so you can prove that the accident really happened. The medical expert can also provide information on how the accident was sustained or if it has been due to something done related to work.

You will then need a legal expert like those at http://shireslaw.com who will be able to guide you in the process. They will ask questions to strengthen your case and help gather evidence if possible. You will then file the claim and the employer will have to respond.

It can end up with a settlement or it can be dragged to the courts. Either way, it is a long and tiring process. You need an expert so that you will feel confident in continuing until the case is resolved. You are just doing what you are supposed to since you didn’t inflict this pain on yourself. You just did your job.

An In-store Experience for the Tech Savvy Shopper

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Retail will be hard this year with eCommerce giants dominating the market. The disadvantage of eCommerce is that it’s become too convenient. It is fast with no fuss. But other than purchasing, customers lose out on other experiences that come with shopping onsite. Shops need to up the ante as far as experience is concerned to take back conventional shopping and eventually, take a share of the consumers’ wallet and money.

 

In-store Experience

Online shopping is nothing short of amazing. It can anticipate your every move and move faster than the regular sales lady assisting you with your purchases. Physical stores should not compete in this area. A human touch is more apt for an exceptional in-store experience.

On the other hand, a store’s layout plays an important role. Architecture is one thing for a store to carefully consider, advertising is another. Banner printing has long been a channel to depict a message that customers might be interested in. Also, try using pop up display stands to steer customers to your stores to let them know where they can find you. Brands have the full advantage of the senses to come up with a shopping experience that customers can come back to.

Moreover, brands with physical stores have more chances to create a remarkable affair for the shopper. This means brands have to focus on the customers more than the products. An example is to create a visual journey where pictures surround the store not with brands but with soothing sceneries. Another is to take care of the men who take their wives or girlfriends to stores by providing comfortable seating for them to wait on. This way, the shopping experience is a welcoming activity, rather than a chore.

People Business

It is not about the stores per se, but about the experience that you can offer the shoppers. Although last year was about digital discovery for the industry, retail is still a people business – it’s all about the customers and what they need.

While the digital experience made a huge leap in the last few years, extreme personalisation can also be too creepy, bordering on privacy intrusion. Because there is an abundance of data, brands forget that customers need space too. Physical stores have an opportunity to be subtle where the digital world is too upfront and noisy. Everything has become about the technology and less about what customers can feel when encountering brands.

Print advertising has persevered, with ubiquitous presence in stores, mainly because it is a familiar method that is meant to convey a brand’s message or respond to consumers’ needs. Other point-of-sale materials like mobile stands are still much used today because they create a place for customers and sales people to interact with each other.

Perhaps, the best experience is still a face to face encounter with products that they want.