In 2020, the pandemic forced a large number of people out of the office and into their own homes as a means of public safety. Now, it looks likely that a large percentage of the workforce will continue to work away from the traditional office environment on a permanent basis. Indeed, remote working is fast becoming the “new normal” for many corporations, with some exploring the option of more flexible working styles. This raises questions about how employers and employees alike can make the most of this situation. Here are some useful suggestions that may help you.

Establish a Routine

Working in your own space and time can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing, as you are now more responsible for your own productivity. Set clear, regular working hours for yourself, and stick to them as much as you can. Being flexible is one of the bonuses of remote working, but make sure this does not interfere too much with your personal time.

You should also try to establish when you are most productive during the working day. If you find that you get more work done before lunch, for example, try to keep that period free of meetings. This will ensure you are using your most productive hours to get difficult work done.

Separate your Work and Personal Time

Having a home office or even using your bedroom for work purposes can create significant overlap between your work and relaxation time, and it is important to keep the two separate to maintain your own wellbeing as well as productivity.

If you can, try to establish physical distance between your personal and working life. Use a separate phone number to field phone calls if you’re away from your desk. If your house has the space for it, you can keep your work confined to a separate room from where you rest and sleep.

Invest in Cyber-Security Solutions

As remote working has become more prevalent, so too have concerns about the security of organisations’ network. Hackers are increasingly trying to breach a business’s defences, so it is extremely important to ensure that they are being secured. Common steps that should be encouraged by your IT or information security teams include keeping your passwords strong and safe (changing them regularly where appropriate), as well as utilising two factor authentication where possible. Taking steps to keep sensitive data securely stored, treating unknown emails with caution and taking steps to mitigate the risk of phishing scams are also now part of every responsible organisation’s security strategies.

Many organisations will use VPN software to allow employees to access their work from outside the office, but VPNs also have security benefits, as they shield your browsing activity from external observers. It’s a good idea to keep your VPN on as much as possible.

Beware, however, that companies using VPNs can normally view what you’re doing on them, so again make sure to keep your personal and working lives separate by turning off your VPN once your working day has ended.

For valuable advice tailored to the specific requirements of your organisation, seek the help of a respected and qualified cyber security consultancy.

Seek Training Opportunities

Being out of the office may mean that you are missing valuable opportunities to learn new skills, or improve existing skills. Some companies will run online training courses for their employees, and you should try to find out whether your employer has these available. Developing new skills will not only make you a more valued member of your current team, but will also boost your future employment opportunities.

As organisations are gradually returning to the office, more opportunities will arise to attend training courses in person. Make sure you are up-to-date about the goings on in the office and try to go into the office for courses when you can.

Socialise with your Colleagues

As many of us will already know, working from home can be a lonely experience, as you no longer have access to people to chat to or bounce ideas off of. Remote working software such as Microsoft Teams or Slack has a chat functionality, and you should definitely use it to try and simulate the office “buzz” that is missing from your home.

Do you have your own e-commerce business, and have you ever wondered who is actually your biggest customer?

The demographics of online shoppers and online shopping statistics is very interesting for dropshipping business owners, and this article will discuss all you need to know about the subject.

Think women are the biggest spenders? Think again!

This may sound sexist, but most people assume that women are more likely to shop online than men.

It’s interesting to note that women and men shop online in roughly equal amounts, and much depends on what you are selling.

If you sell makeup, skincare and jewelry, your target demographic will obviously be women.

However, sellers of fishing equipment, game consoles, and sporting equipment normally see far more men as customers.

Millennials are the group most likely to shop online.

According to recent online shopping statistics, millennials (18 to 34 year olds) are the demographic group who do the most shopping online.

Regardless of what you sell in your online store, your marketing strategy should therefore definitely target this audience.

The older generations have, in recent years, also shown an increase in online shopping. This, together with the recent Covid-19 pandemic, has seen an even greater increase in e-commerce, making it one of the most lucrative ways to make money.

Your business’s marketing strategy should depend on the product you sell.

If you consider the data in last year’s online shopping statistics, you will know that men are more likely to spend their money online buying mobile phones, technology, household goods, or vacations.

Women, on the other hand, spend most of their online shopping time buying clothing, groceries, and books.

Not all visitors to your online store will actually buy anything.

While it is a good sign if you see a lot of online traffic in your e-commerce store, recent studies have revealed that not all visitors will even end up buying anything.

67% of folks who regularly shop online admit that they often “window shop” online for entertainment purposes.

This statistic may seem rather depressing, but the good news is that 77% of all window shoppers will, at some point, make an impulse purchase.

This goes to show that the appearance of your online store and the attractiveness of deals you offer is very important as you could benefit from all these impulse purchases.

Over two thirds of customers conduct a Google search before making a purchase.

Studies into the demographics of online shoppers have shown that 68% (which is over two thirds) of all online shoppers will conduct a Google search of what they plan on purchasing before they buy it.

This should be clear evidence that you should do everything you can for your business to feature on the first page of Google’s search results.

Whether the consumer wants to compare prices of the product, read reviews, or learn more about it, this shows that today’s consumer is much more informed and has high standards when it comes to shopping.

Online shopping carts have a high abandonment rate.

Many online business owners often feel disheartened at the amount of abandoned carts on their website.

If this sounds like you, don’t feel bad because the global average for cart abandonment is a whopping 69.8%!

Research shows that many people will abandon their cart if they notice that there are hidden or unexpected charges. With this in mind, always be clear and upfront about shipping and admin costs because if these unexpectedly appear in the customer’s cart, they will feel disappointed and more likely to abandon the purchase.

To encourage potential customers to finalize the purchase, you could send them reminders about the items in their cart, and even consider offering them a small discount to entice them.

The international packaging industry makes a formidable financial contribution on a global scale to some of the largest economies. The cost of running a single Douglas case packer might not be that much. But when so many different industries combine their automated packing expenses it turns out to be a formidable contribution that drives the economy’s current spending trends. Consumer trends and industry inclinations play a huge role to spurt the growth rate of spendings in the packaging industry.

What Is Packaging?

Packaging is an all-inclusive business enterprise term that refers to the technical and structural layout of the efforts designed for the storage, shipping, and sale of consumer merchandise. In some cases, packaging may also include the product manufacturer’s advertising efforts. For some of the largest market-dominant manufacturers, packaging also includes their brand name and brand identity making it a fundamental part of the manufacturer’s business model. Packaging will always be the most important factor after creating an outstanding product.

What Are Some Of The Latest Packaging Megatrends?

Every sector of enterprise has megatrends which are alterations and modifications made by the manufacturers to their products based on the current market trends. These megatrends influence the business activity and success of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce websites. One such example is the drink manufacturers UK, who have adapted to these megatrends in their product development and packaging. These megatrends have influenced how each product gets packaged, labeled, and presented for sale in the market by top entrepreneurs all over the world, including drink manufacturers. Let’s look at some of the most superlative packaging trends in the world today.

Electronic Printing:

2020 is the start of a new decade and revolution dominated by entrepreneurs offering their products for sale on the world wide web. Electronic printing uses computer propagation as the main method for designing physical product packaging presentations to create an overlay of images or graphics to present the look of the product. Electronic printing is a trend that has influenced the success of some of the most distinguished products internationally. We can say without a doubt that electronic printing is a trend that is here to stay with developments rapidly progressing forward.

When we compare electronic printing to the obsolete mechanical methods of typesetting, electronic printing offers organizations much more options for personalization and customization. A majority of the companies worldwide replaced analog processes with digital processes within the last decade. It is not easy, both financially and logistically, for large industries to retool a factory completely to update their operating procedures to make the necessary changes to implement electronic printing. In 2018 very few entrepreneurial organizations had not made the changes to shift towards electronic printing because this was the first time there were more digital presses in comparison to standard flexo presses.

Personalized Packaging

Electronic printing makes it much easier for organizations to customize packaging to add a personalized touch to their products for their clients. This trend has been in the works by some of the largest organizations in the world but now it has become a relatively common practice for all of the companies worldwide. There is no universally valid packaging for all entrepreneurs. This is the driving force behind all personalized packaging solutions.

Personalized packaging grants entrepreneurs a way to make their product look unique and stand out from the crowd from the other competitors offering the same product. Some brands have started to target specific markets by using personalized packaging as a tool to help them compete with their adversaries and succeed. A can of cold beverage instantly becomes appealing to a customer when they see their first name printed on it. It instantly becomes hard to refuse a can of refreshing beverage that has its name on it.

Personalized packaging is also used to reveal a brand’s story. This becomes even more attractive for consumers especially if they can connect with the brand’s story with something in their own life. Personalized packaging is a trend that is here to stay for a long time to come.

Products Dominated By Unique Brand Names

Products dominated by unique brand names are an Avante-Garde trend for the packaging industry. Stores can offer a line of unique products that are one of a kind to their industry and they are only available in that particular brand’s store. There are multiple advantages for brand names to employ this practice to help them compete in the market to procure a fair share of the market with their distinguished product lineup. With the help of the practices of this trend private brand names have far exceeded national brand names in the global market.

Products dominated by unique brand names started to become available in the market a few years ago with some of the biggest American companies making the necessary changes to implement this trend. Amazon had purchased Whole Foods with the intentions of providing their customers an extensive line-up of products that would be associated with their brand name. Lidl also came into the US market and also presented its brand name on its products to the consumers in the United States.

Aldi and Trader Joe’s are some other big names within the United States that implemented similar practices to seize their fair share of the market. Today, private labels reach one out of every four products sold in the United States, and this is a trend that is not about to change soon.

Evolution Of Flexible Packaging Materials

A trend that is quickly gaining momentum and popularity is flexible packaging. Stiff packaging materials were once a staple in the market. Today that trend has declined to give rise to flexible packaging materials. According to the Flexible Packaging Association, almost 19% of the total US packaging market is dominated by products with flexible packaging. Bags, envelopes, pouches, and wraps are all different forms of flexible packaging material that are always easily and readily available in the market.

In the past, flexible packaging materials were made of polyvinyl chloride or plastic that does not decompose easily and has a bad effect on the environment. Today we find that polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene packaging materials are extremely durable and environmentally friendly at the same time which is the reason why it is so popular.

Digital marketing makes branding your business much easier.

Branding is crucial for business success. A brand is the collection of identifiers (name, logo, packaging, etc.) that help people recognise a company, product, or individual. If your customers do not recognise your brand, then they are more likely to purchase from an alternative they can identify. Additionally, branding helps improve the success of all of your product or service offerings. Customers having a good experience with one product increases the likelihood of them purchasing a separate product of yours in the future.

Digital marketing utilises online technologies and channels to promote products or services. But, how does digital marketing help branding? Digital marketing allows companies to increase visibility, create associations between their products and symbols, and target customers at each stage of the brand recognition process (brand rejection, non-recognition, recognition, preference, and loyalty). These abilities provide companies more flexibility in advertising to customers and help them make their brand identifiers more widely recognised.

Importance of Branding

Branding has many important roles in a business. It drives customer brand awareness and recognition, builds customer trust, improves advertising results, and generates customer loyalty. Brand awareness and recognition helps customers recognise your product, service, and logo, which increases the likelihood of them choosing your offerings over a competitor’s. Likewise, customer trust in your brand makes consumers more likely to purchase from you in the future.

Customer loyalty is arguably the most important metric because it greatly increases the chance that past customers will purchase future products. Customer loyalty is often measured with the Net Promoter Score (NPS) metric, which gauges how likely a customer is to recommend a product. Research America is a great resource for explaining more about the NPS and how beneficial it is for nearly every industry and organisation. Understanding how many customers have already achieved brand loyalty helps businesses revise their marketing plan to either target new customers, focus on converting existing customers, or focus on keeping current loyal customers happy.

Choosing Your Digital Marketing Strategies

There are many ways to market your brand online; prioritising the strategies that will provide the most value for your business is crucial for success.

Some of the most popular digital marketing strategies include:

• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Content marketing
• Blogging
• Video marketing (typically on YouTube)

Choosing the right mix of strategies for your business will depend on a number of factors, including your marketing budget, company goals, industry, target audience, and more. For small and mid-sized businesses, starting with social media and email marketing is likely the best strategy. These options are both low-cost and highly effective at building an online brand. Social media allows you to engage with a large audience and help more people achieve brand recognition, while email marketing is useful for connecting with past customers to encourage them to buy again or to build customer brand preference or loyalty.

Larger businesses can choose to specialise in a few strategies or diversify their efforts across multiple channels and techniques to see which performs best for their industry and target audience. Preliminary research can be used instead to eliminate this guesswork and find which channels generate the best results before investing a large amount of time and money in nonoptimal strategies.

Optimising Your Website

Your website is one of the most important places to create your online brand. On your company website, you have nearly unlimited freedom to showcase your brand colors, logo, name, products, services, packaging, and all other elements of your brand. Your website is likely the first place many customers discover your brand or research your products, so your web pages should be helpful, engaging, and branded. Adding a blog to your website is a great way to provide more value to consumers.

Your website should represent your brand identity and highlight how your products or services meet the needs of your target audience. Including demonstration videos, positive customer reviews, and suggested next steps (a call to action) can help market your brand to consumers. Providing your contact information or offering forms to request more information can help turn your website into a lead generation powerhouse.

Overview

Overall, digital marketing can be a powerful tool to build your brand and increase advertising success. Maintaining consistency in messaging and branding across digital channels is essential for creating a holistic and unified brand image. However, switching tones can be acceptable, especially when creating content for your website versus social media. Generally, social media has a more casual tone, but it is important to keep the core messaging aligned with your website or emails.

By choosing the right digital marketing strategies for your business, you can effectively build your brand, increase customer brand recognition, and improve your sales over time.