Business News

Mon Feb 6

Australia Post and Alibaba partner to help local businesses export to South-East Asia

Written by Jared Lynch

Australia Post Chairman John Stanhope (standing), Australia Post Executive General Manager, Parcel & eCommerce Services & StarTrack CEO Bob Black (seated), Alibaba Group Managing Director (Australia & New Zealand) Maggie Zhou (seated), Alibaba Group Founder Executive Chairman Jack Ma (standing).

Australia Post today announced an expanded relationship with the world’s biggest online retailer, Alibaba, to strengthen trade between Australian businesses and millions of consumers across South-East Asia.

The partnership will involve extending Australia Post online storefronts beyond China to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, creating a powerful online platform for Australian businesses to sell products across the region.

The Australia Post-branded storefronts will establish the first Australian marketplace within South-East Asia’s leading eCommerce network Lazada, of which Alibaba has a majority shareholding.

Lazada provides merchants with direct access to more than 560 million consumers in six countries and features a wide product offering in categories ranging from consumer electronics and household goods to fashion and health products.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Parcels and StarTrack CEO, Bob Black said the South-East Asian expansion built on Australia Post’s strong relationship with Alibaba.

“We are committed to supporting local Australian businesses and delivering eCommerce solutions that make it easier to grow their businesses whether that be across Australia or overseas,” Mr Black said.

“International expansion can be daunting for many businesses, particularly small and medium sized enterprises. That’s why we are proud to have partnered with Alibaba to help give Australian businesses access to the booming eCommerce sector in China and now the lucrative South-East Asian market.”

Mr Black said Australia Post also planned to open storefronts on Lazada’s other sites in Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines beyond this year.

Australia Post’s relationship with Alibaba has already enabled Australian businesses to sell their products across Alibaba’s key platforms since 2014, including Tmall Global, Global TaoBao and 1688.com.

Thu Feb 2

The Development Drain - 5 Simple Ways to Reinvigorate Your Office

Written by Daily Bulletin

What can you do to make your business more productive, efficient and comfortable for your workers and clients alike? Revitalizing your workplace doesn’t always have to be a complicated, expensive process. So that you can get the most out of you employees and customers, we’ve compiled 5 simple ways that you can reinvigorate your office.

Bring nature into the office

In order for your employees and visiting clients feel connected to the outside world, you should incorporate as much nature as you can into the office. Be this with neutral, earthen tones or with office plants, making your space feel connected to the outside world is a surefire way to boost productivity and morale.

Vamp up your communication systems

So your employees and clients can communicate seamlessly, it is paramount that you have effective communication systems in place. Be that email, postal or telecommunications - be sure to have up-to-date and efficient processes. If you are having trouble with your communication systems, or you want to find out your options to update, enlist the professionals at Commander Centre.

Try out textiles

Textile products, like mats and cushions, offer an affordable and effective way to change the feel of your space – creating a relaxed, ‘dressed-down’ look while adding an extra layer of comfort to seating areas.

As well as changing the look and feel of your workplace, textiles are extremely sound absorbent, and can work wonders for noise reduction. This can be particularly valuable in parts of your workplace with an abundance of hard surfaces (like kitchens or lobbies) that might otherwise be difficult to keep quiet.

Change up your colour scheme

Often, all it takes to transform your environment can be a simple coat of paint. Whether you’re repainting just one room or the entire office space, make sure you try and stay consistent with the branding used throughout the rest of the building. As well as this, keep in mind that different colours elicit different moods, so try to consider the psychological impact colors will have on the people experiencing them every day.

Reinvent your flooring

Often an overlooked part of design, flooring has a huge impact on your clients and your employees. Covering your entire workplace, there is a huge range of colours and designs you can choose from. As a result, periodically changing your flooring design can work wonders for reinvigorating your office. Modern options have opened up a world of quick and effective design possibilities: allowing you to relay your flooring in a new pattern, and even switch-out particular tiles with different colors and designs to completely change the look and feel of the space.

Helping to reinvigorate performance and portray a professional image of your business to clients and visitors, the aesthetic appeal of your office is an extension of your business. Whether you want to do some small DIY touch ups or go for a whole office makeover, there’s no doubt that changing up your office space even in the slightest can refresh the entire space. Take heed of these 5 tips, so you, your employees and your clients can get the most out of your business.