Message from the CEO: 6 November 2018

dom's ceo column

Another week has come and gone in the retail world, and with it we are one week closer to Christmas 2018. In last week’s NRR we outlined five key areas that retailers of all shapes and sizes should pay close attention to in order to maximise Christmas sales. In the past we have also discussed […]

How to get the most out of your digital marketing campaigns

Is your business looking to generate more revenue or leads online? NRA are excited to announce our partnership with News Xtend, the digital marketing solutions arm within Australia’s number one media company – News Corp Australia. Is your business looking to generate more revenue or leads online? If you haven’t already, you’ll soon find that […]

Wannacry Ransomware – What you need to know

Leon Fouche BDO Cyber Security Expert

by Cyber-security expert, Leon Fouche, BDO On Friday, the world experienced the wrath of a well-coordinated ransomware attack, known as WannaCry. A number of large companies have already been impacted, including Britain’s public health system, FedEx in the USA and Spanish telecom provider Telefonica.  As of this morning, the Australian Cyber Security Centre indicated that none […]

New Digital Scorecard rates businesses

All organisations, big and small, need to take advantage of the latest technologies to thrive. The Queensland Government has launched a new tool to help small-to-medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organisations get better prepared to take advantage of digital technologies. The Digital Scorecard will help businesses identify ways to improve their digital capability and be more […]

Message from the CEO: 14 February 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

Last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its retail trade figures for the month of December 2016 and the results demonstrated that the National Retail Association was close to spot-on with its Christmas trade period projection. In November, we forecast that for the Christmas trade period – which encompasses half of November and all […]

Retail 5.0: Check-out the Future

Retail 5.0

EVENT: BRISBANE 7 MARCH From bartering stone axes to distributed exchange of digital artefacts: retail has been with us for as long as we can remember. As the digital economy dawns on us, we are all reconsidering our traditional understanding of retail. Retailers are racing to create competitive advantage. Customer centricity, real-time delivery, highly personalised […]

Building your cyber resilience

Leon Fouche BDO Cyber Security Expert

Leading advisory firm BDO is urging retailers to get back to basics to ensure they stay ahead of potential cyber security breaches, after releasing the results of its inaugural cyber security survey. The 2016 Cyber Security Survey, which was completed in conjunction with AusCERT, aims to help the market understand the cyber security challenges Australian […]

How’s your security?

If your retail business has little to no security policy in place, you run the risk of security breaches which can cost time, money, consumer trust and can result in legal actions. What are the 4 main motivations for retailers to adopt security practices?  Protection of operational systems (eg. system shutdown)A virus is capable of disrupting […]

Last days to apply for digital grants

If you’re part of a small business in Queensland, it’s a good time to purchase software and get the training you need to use it. Until 9 December, the Queensland Government is offering small businesses matched funding of up to $10,000 for hardware, software and services as part of its Small Business Digital Grants Program. […]

Cash & cheques decline in favour of digital payments

The Milestones Report released by the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), the payments industry self-regulatory body, shows that the drop in cheque use in the 12 months to June 2016 is the greatest annual drop in the last decade. The report shows that cheque use dropped by 17.2% to 126.4 million. This compares to a 15.7% […]

Growth of online shopping slows

Australians spent a total of $20.1 billion in online retail shopping in the 12 months to June 2016, according to a new report commissioned by data analysts Quantium. This total is still well below the amount spent on traditional bricks and mortar retail, which came in at $296.9 billion for June 2015 to May 2016. […]

How to keep up with digital innovation

by Matt Forman, Traffika Do you ever get the feeling with almost every passing day there’s a new advancement in digital marketing? Maybe it’s a new platform popping up, new ad formats and functionality plus advancements in the ability to track each and every step of the process. The old metaphor of ‘moving the goalposts’ […]

Free digital lessons for the time poor with Google

Google Digital Garage

Google in partnership with the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry have created a free training platform offering practical training modules on all things digital called The Digital Garage. Each lesson is broken up into two parts, Watch the Lesson and Put it into Practice. Lessons are short 3 or 4 minute videos with transcripts […]

Learn about omnichannel retail from global leaders

SYDNEY 26-27 OCT: Omnichannel Retail Experience & Digital Transformation Conference The retail world has been changing significantly for the past few years and the paradigm shift of the consumers’ expectation has been the main talking point for every retailer. Consumers want a seamless customer experience in their shopping journey and expect the retailers to always stay […]

FREE digital training for small businesses

Google Digital Garage

Having a strong online presence is increasingly important for companies of all sizes. Now there’s free digital training to help small businesses to help level the playing field. Officially launched at last week’s Australian Chamber Business Leaders Summit, Google has officially launched The Digital Garage in partnership with the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The free […]

Australians spending even more time online

New research commissioned by the company rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN) has found that internet users are expected to spend an extra 22 days online this year compared with two years ago. “Most of us are getting online when we open our eyes in the morning and before we go to sleep, while […]

Are online marketplaces right for you?

Indirect selling or third party online marketplaces, such as eBay, can be a great way to broaden your reach, trial new products, and test different regions with lower costs compared to setting up a new storefront. Groupon, eBay, Etsy and Zazzle are just a few examples of third party websites being used by Australian retailers […]

71% of people using mobile to make payments

Mobile commerce (mcommerce) is continuing to grow and if your business isn’t offering mobile payment options you could be missing out. Mobile commerce relates to the use of wireless handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets to perform transactions. This includes everyday banking, consumer purchases, money transfers, mobile ticketing, mobile vouchers, and even information […]

Is your customer data safe?

Retailers that are engaging in online sales (e-commerce) or collecting customer data in registrations forms have unique security and privacy considerations. Retailers may be using proprietary solutions or using a 3rd party program to collect and process this information. If a retailer collects this information, they are responsible for its security, whether hosted locally or […]

Dark patterns killing your customer experience

Dark patterns are manipulative techniques used in interfaces to trick users into doing things they normally wouldn’t. Benefiting the company at the expense of the customer. Bait & switch, hidden costs, forced continuity and disguised ads are regularly used in businesses across the globe. The use of these sneaky techniques may increase your database, profit […]