Nokia 5230: Nokia´s colourful touchscreen phone

The latest addition in the Nokia touch phone portfolio, the Nokia 5230, is designed for those who lead an active life and use their mobile phone as their primary instrument for music, photos and videos, as well as sharing their lives online.

With the Nokia 5230, consumers can get new content, be it songs from the Nokia Music Store or apps, games, videos and other services from the Ovi Store, directly from their phones. The solutions offering is complemented by AGPS navigation and the latest version of Ovi Maps with aerial images, 3D landmarks for over 200 cities and terrain map views for pedestrian and drive navigation.

Nokia´s Ovi Store is accessible from the home screen of the phone and customers can immediately begin downloading and personalising their phones with popular apps and games.

The Nokia 5230 features a music player with 33 hours of playback time. In select markets the Nokia 5230 will include Comes with Music service.

The phone also comes with a 3.5mm AV connector and features a Media Bar with quick access to your favorite media and applications, such as music, photos, YouTube or Ovi Share.

On the other hand, the Contacts bar features thumbnail images for up to 20 close friends and provides easy access to them and their communications history including emails, phone calls, photos or other social media updates.

“Competitively priced at 149 Euros, we believe the Nokia 5230 is an unbeatable offer for many new customers who aspire a device that stars in music, mingles with social networks from Facebook to MySpace, navigates you to where it happens, when it happens, and comes in array of dazzling colors, ” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.

Meanwhile, the recommended price of the Nokia 5230 with the Comes with Music service will be 259 Euros before subsidies and taxes.

The Nokia 5230 is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Published Date : 27 August 2009

Source : Nokia press release

Related Video

Nokia 5230 The Nokia 5230 comes with a touch of colours Video from YouTube/NokiaConversations

Google Apps for small businesses

MENTION Google and many would say it is only a tool for searching things on the Internet. But if you care to explore further – particularly if you’re a small and medium-sized business (SMB) operator – Google has cost-effective applications for collaboration and communication that could be used in these tough times.

Ramanathan says Google Apps not only offers cost savings, but also includes tools that are simple to use, easy to learn and reliable.

According to Google Asia-Pacific’s enterprise marketing head Deepak Ramanathan, the company is able to help SMBs cut costs with Google Apps.

On the communications side, there’s Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk. For collaboration, Google Docs and Google Sites are useful to boost employee productivity.

“Our communications tools are good alternatives to what’s already out there where Webmail, calendaring and instant messaging are concerned. As for our collaboration applications, we see them as effective complements to pre-existing desktop tools,” Ramanathan said.

While travel may be constrained by a tight budget, users would probably still need to speak to colleagues who might be in different offices or locations.

“This is where Gmail and Google Talk come in. No phone calls are necessary; just add them to your Gmail or Google Talk contact list and either IM or call them from your PC. Our new video feature allows you to have the next best thing to face-to-face conversation by letting you have video calls anytime, anywhere, free of charge,” Ramanathan said.

And if a document needs to be edited and shared with multiple users, instead of sending countless copies of the document back and forth within a group, group participants can all edit it at once in real time, keeping track of the changes without losing the updated version.

“This is possible because of the greater computing benefits of cloud computing, which powers our Web-based applications,” Ramanathan pointed out.

Currently, over one million businesses use Google Apps in the Standard, Education and Premier editions. And over 3,000 businesses sign up every day, with more than 10 million active users as at Press time.

For businesses in Malaysia, be it small, medium or home-based, among the benefits of Google Apps is greater focus on the business. As Google Apps is hosted by Google, no software, hardware, installation or maintenance is needed. So, the business can focus its limited resources on more important business needs.

Then there is cost savings. The Standard edition is free while the Premier edition is offered as a simple per-user subscription.

Next, user satisfaction and productivity. “Google Apps includes powerful tools that are simple to use, easy to learn and reliable. Because the software and data are hosted centrally, users can collaborate together in real time without the usual hassle of document version control,” Ramanathan said.

What’s more, Google Apps can be accessed from anywhere. This means users can be productive at their desk, at home or on the road, from all kinds of Internet-connected devices, regardless of the operating system, Ramanathan pointed out.

New future of e-learning

Poor quality online learning programmes are damaging the reputation of e-learning as an effective training tool.

Failure to assess the benefits of new e-learning technologies will have long-lasting repercussions for many organisations. Ashley Wearne, managing director, Southeast Asia for Adobe Systems shares her view on how this can be overcome.

THE need to deliver meaningful, cost-effective training programmes to employees, partners and customers has never been greater. Organisations are becoming increasingly disparate – their workforces operate in multiple remote locations and different countries. Mobile working is encouraged, offering employees greater flexibility and work/life balance.

But the need for training hasn’t changed – people still need to be educated about new products and processes, updated working practices, and alternative methods and operations. This needs to happen at a place and time most convenient to the learner, not the trainer. Organisations today face challenges to make training work.

A recent report by the UK-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that the majority of employees still receive training in an in-person, classroom environment – 64 per cent compared to 26 per cent of training delivered electronically. The report shows that the majority of learners are happy with this traditional method. But how sustainable is it? Are some people missing out? The report states that nearly a fifth of trainees fail to take up the training courses offered to them. A large number of these (40 per cent) state that they are too busy and training does not accommodate their schedule. Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) also find the classroom method too expensive and unsustainable in training staff.

Low cost, low standard? E-learning has provided an attractive alternative, offering convenience to trainees and managers. But the pay-off has been a perceived decrease in the quality and effectiveness.

Subsequently, too many online training modules are just a “tick in the box” for development departments and add little value to the learning or career of the trainee.

In the past, one of the biggest barriers to e-learning was a flat and dreary output. A poor training session or disappointing user experience can turn the learners off, reducing their morale or perception of a particular company.

This isn’t good enough and as the economy gets worse and businesses become more competitive. Then, every training session, module and activity must deliver bottom line benefits and help the trainee to become a greater asset to the organisation. Retaining, motivating and improving the abilities of the existing workforce are imperative for organisations that want to remain afloat during a recession.

Create engaging experiences The solution lies in creating e-learning programmes that gives an interactive experience for the trainer and trainee.

Trainers must provide appropriate content that meets the needs of organisations and individuals.

Lessons must be easy to apply on-the-job and also easy for the trainee to access. The lessons should also be compelling enough for the user to want to complete the course.

The key to make e-learning more interactive and productive, is the ability for trainers to create, and amend their training materials.

Trainers require a solution which is easy for them to use and modify without having extensive technical knowledge.

Non-technical trainers should be able to pull together content-rich courses that captivate users by making use of interactive simulations, technology demonstrations or scenario-based training.

More importantly, the best e-learning technologies allow users to interact with the lesson using chat or Web video conferencing, assessed in real-time, and provide instant feedback. For the trainers, they benefit from being able to track the progress of participants and update content as often as necessary, which provides total control throughout the entire process.

Online can still be interactive Previously, one of the biggest obstacles to using Web conferencing in place of in-person meetings was the perception that you don’t get the same level of engagement from participants. But with new in-built tools, a Web conferencing host can reach out to participants to gauge their opinions, or just to see if everyone is paying attention.

Hosts can create an online poll, through which they can ask simple questions which are distributed through the user chat channel.

Reuters, for example, has added rich interactivity, such as quizzes and simulations, to make sure training is equally engaging and effective.

E-learning solutions can also create online spaces that replicate informal spaces which exist in real world training. For example, teachers can create virtual breakout rooms to focus discussions and simulate the classroom experience.

The trainer can monitor and move among breakout rooms and communicate with participants. This is a good tool for distance learning students, helping them to build rapport with trainers outside the traditional teaching space.

Invest in better learning experiences In the current economic climate, no organisation can afford to rest on their laurels. They have to get the best out of their workforce.

To do this, organisations need to invest in cost-effective tools and solutions. As e-learning solutions continue to develop, everyone can benefit from the greater collaboration and meaningful online learning experiences that they generate.

Similarly, all training managers must resist the notion from certain camps that e-learning is not an effective tool to get the best out of their workforce. Investment in sophisticated e-learning tools and solutions will make sure businesses are equipped to face the needs of a changing workforce.

MAKING MONEY ONLINE: THE NEW BREED

GOBALA Krishnan’s journey to become a Net millionaire began more by accident than design.
“In my first year, there was a compulsory course for all students at the university. It taught us how to build a Web site. When I was younger, people used to say I was artistic because I just loved to draw. But after high school, I just didn’t do it anymore.

Gobala’s winning strategy is having many Web sites to get traffic in.

GOBALA Krishnan’s journey to become a Net millionaire began more by accident than design.
“In my first year, there was a compulsory course for all students at the university. It taught us how to build a Web site. When I was younger, people used to say I was artistic because I just loved to draw. But after high school, I just didn’t do it anymore.
“For me, this was a transition. Web sites are also considered an art form because I enjoyed doing it at that point of time. I just continued to learn about it by myself. And I started a Web site talking about electric guitars because it is one of my passions. It was like art and a learning experience all in one,” he shared.
Then one day, Gobala read an article that said one can actually make money online.
“Back then in 2001, the idea of making money online was only open to a selected group of people. I decided I wanted a piece of the action. I was still studying back then and I could really use extra money. But in Cyberjaya, there were really not many places you could work part-time. So, I began experimenting online,” he said.
He tried many ways but still couldn’t make headways in his endeavour to make money through his Web site. And he finally gave up.
“But five months later, I checked my Web site and I found that I made US$43 (RM116) in sales selling an electric guitar. They were paying me a commission of five per cent. Considering that it is a physical good, it is a good percentage,” Gobala said.
The first sales changed his life. He knew then making money on the Net was possible.
“By the time I left the university, I was making US$200 to US$300 per month just from that one Web site selling electric guitars. What happened then was I wanted to get more money, I wanted to be rich – a millionaire. But then, I found that whatever I did, it never went past US$400 a month. So, I began to lose hope in the whole Internet thing.”
Gobala then worked with a company in the corporate line but after three-and-a-half years, he decided that wasn’t for him either. “That’s why I went back to the Internet. But then my Web site got rusty and I knew it was time again to learn from the start. That’s what I did.”
Of the type of business model he uses, Gobala said he has tried almost all categories. The one that really worked for him is information products.
“It is very low risk, low capital and has the potential of making a lot of money almost on auto pilot. From the moment someone finds your site, make their order, get the product, and you get the money in your bank. I tend to make sales every day without looking at it or thinking about it. And there’s nothing really involved for me to do any more once I set up the system of selling information product,” he said.
However, he is very involved in providing support.
“But that’s very minimal. Sometimes the Web site is down or customers cannot download the software. (These are) small problems. Also, I like to write, explain and teach, so this model works well for me,” he remarked.
Gobala said as part of his strategy, he has many Web sites. “Some are just flyers that get traffic to the main Web sites. My main Web site is gobalakrishnan.com.”
He is currently working on a project that aims to develop as many Internet millionaires as possible on the local front.
“It is a project to help people get started. At the internetmillionaires.com.my portal, people who want to achieve their million on the Internet is grouped to learn from each other,” said Gobala.

Toshiba launches hi-tech DVD player

Toshiba has just launched its XD-E500 DVD player, which uses a powerful suite of video processing technologies under its proprietary xDE brand. The regional launch for Asia Pacific was held in Jakarta.

The new DVD

The xDE technology is said to be able to enhance the overall quality of consumers’ current DVDs by increasing the standard definition to match the high-definition TV's resolution of 1080p.



The player is available now in Malaysia at RM499.

Apple launches MacBook pro

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc on Tuesday (Jan 6) introduced what it claims
to be the world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop with a new
unibody aluminium enclosure and a built-in battery said to deliver up
to eight hours of use and a lifespan three times longer than
conventional laptop batteries.

The MacBook Pro retail in Malaysia for RM10,099.

It also announced a revamp of its iLife suite of digital lifestyle
software at the Macworld Expo trade show here, in particular the
iPhoto photo management software which now comes with face detection
technology and built-in support for Facebook. Consumers can also teach
themselves to play musical instruments with the new version of
GarageBand music creation software.

Conspicuously missing from this year's expo is the company's iconic
CEO Steve Jobs, who is recuperating from a health problem. His place
as keynote presenter was taken over by vice-president of worldwide
product marketing Phil Schiller.

In a two hour-long keynote, Schiller showcased the star attraction of
the expo, the top-of-the-line 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro that now
features a design similar to Apple's two other laptops, the 13-inch
MacBook and the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Its body, carved out of a single
block of aluminium, measures just 2.5cm thick. The laptop weighs less
than 2.99kg. A high resolution, low power consumption LED-backlit
display and a large button-less trackpad made of glass has now made
its way into the laptop as well.

A new built-in battery powers the laptop for eight hours on a single
charge. Touted as the greenest notebook family, the new MacBook Pro's
battery allows up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the
lifespan of conventional laptop batteries. The typical lifespan for
laptop batteries is about three years.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will retail in Malaysia for RM10,099.

iPhoto, one of five digital lifestyle software in the iLife 09 suite
now, has new features called Places and Faces. Places automatically
imports photo location data from a GPS-enabled camera or an Apple
iPhone, while with Faces, iPhoto automatically scans photos to detect
people's faces and when names are assigned to those faces, iPhoto will
find more pictures of that person.

Taking things a step further, a button in iPhoto enables not just
convenient publishing of photos on photo sharing websites such as
Facebook and Flickr, but also to detect even more faces on the
Internet. Calling them "really powerful", Schiller demonstrated how
these features help organise thousands of photos.

The updated GarageBand 09 allows budding musicians to learn to play
the piano and guitar at their own pace. Basic Lessons allow newbies to
learn the fundamentals while a feature called Artist Lessons has
original artists including John Fogerty, Colbie Caillat, Norah Jones
and Sting showing how to play their hit songs.

"iLife has become one of the reasons people buy a Mac today. There's
nothing like it on any other computing platform," said Schiller.
Priced at RM299 for single user, iLife 09 will ship end of January.

Also announced at Macworld were updates to the company's iWork office
productivity suite. Called iWork 09, the three software that makes up
the suite, namely Keynote, Pages and Numbers have received new themes,
sophisticated transition effects and a quick way to group and
summarise data. iWork 09 is available immediately for RM299.

The "one more thing" announcement -- Jobs' trademark way of announcing
something unexpected -- was reserved for a new three-tier pricing for
Apple's iTunes online music store which is not available in Malaysia.

Jobs, who survived a pancreatic cancer in 2004 and appeared to be
losing weight throughout 2008, on Monday (Jan 5) wrote a personal
letter addressed to the Apple community, saying doctors have
pinpointed hormone imbalance as the reason for his illness. "The
remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and
straightforward, and I've already begun treatment," he wrote, adding
that he would remain as Apple's CEO and expects to be back in shape by
Spring this year.

Blogging For business

A community of business-savvy bloggers is emerging. And they are here to stay.

Ellie Darus

Fawiza Abdul Wahid

U blog, U sell
Syameen Md Khalili and Rozana Sani

A bunch of enterprising Malaysians have found a more effective way to sell. They blog their business. Siti Syameen Md Khalili and Rozana Sani write.

• Cupcakes, anyone?

Ellie Darus used Blogger.com to launch her part-time career as a custom-order cupcake baker. The 32-year-old IT professional first started using Fotopages in 2006 to share photos of her home-made cupcakes with friends, but when orders started to come in, she signed up with Blogger.com in the following year.

The mother-of-one frequently updates her blog (http://kekcawan.blogspot.com) with menus, pictures, pricing and promotional information.

To build her brand of cupcakes called de’ Heart, she also relies on other online platforms ranging from social networking sites such as Facebook and Friendster to online forums and e-groups.

The good part about being able to use online technologies to make money is the small overhead

and wide reach, Ellie points out.

“I don’t have to rent a premise. I make new friends, including customers and bakers. This means more contacts and links to extend my business. My customers are from all over Malaysia and overseas.”

Having tried many platforms to build her online business, Ellie says blogging is the most effective.

“Around 80 per cent of my customers found my blog through Google Search, links from other blogs and Web sites, and Yahoo! Groups,” she adds.

In the near future, she plans to include an online ordering form in her blog. She also plans to organise online and offline contests such as cupcake decorating contests.

• Personal shopper service

United States-based online entrepreneur Haniza Zainal Abidin blogs at http://blog.whoosh2.com. This is also a platform for her online business, Whoosh2, which is a personal

shopper service based in California.

Haniza says customers can order materials featured on the Whoosh2 Web site or blog or even request for items only available in the US such as Gap jeans or Coach bags and have Whoosh2 ship them to their address.

“I bought a domain name, rented hosting space and used a Mac application called iWeb to create and design my Web site at www.whoosh2.com. Then I used a couple of social media

sites to help bring traffic into the site.

“I found out that having a blog is one of the best ways to do so as Google picks it up whenever it’s updated.

So, I use Blogger and Facebook to disseminate news to the public.”

Although there are challenges that come with doing an online business, Haniza prefers to look on

the positive side.

“The best benefits are that the tools are free or

available at a low cost and that I can sell the items to anyone or anywhere without being stuck in a brick-and-mortar environment.

“The online payment system is also secure and reliable,” she explains.

Going forward, Haniza plans to set up a real online store.

• Custom ribbon embroidery

Kerteh, Terengganu-based electrical engineer Halina Abdul Hadi first started her blog (jahitanmaklang.blogspot.com) in mid-2006 to show friends her ribbon embroidery projects. Positive response and sales demand generated from it then prompted the 44-year-old to make the blog a focal point of her post-retirement plans.

Today, Halina does ribbon embroidery on a part-time basis. Jahitan Maklang showcases her products while another blog, Ribbon Chanteq (ribbonchanteq.blogspot.com), which she shares with her partner, Kak Ina, contains an ordering form. “But normally people will send an e-mail or call us to specify their requirements,” she says.

Halina’s spare time is spent mostly on sewing, so she keeps her blog postings short and sweet.

“The income from this venture has been satisfactory, given that it is just for fun. If I manage to complete a lot, then more money will be in the bank. But at normal pace, I can only complete two to three bags a month. This also depends on how many orders I get,” she points out.

Halina plans to improve the layout of her blog and create interesting products to woo more buyers.

• More cakes

Fawiza Abdul Wahid is the owner of online bakery Wizcakes (wizzcakes.blogspot.com), which is a registered home-based family cake baking business.

“I operate full-time from my home located in Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang. Running this company requires me to get e-mails answered, bake cakes and get them delivered, clean the utensils, and ensure that the working area gets scoured at the end of the day,” she says.

Wizcakes is the primary medium Fawiza uses to market her wares to the public. She actually has two blogs.

“Wizcakes is basically a presentation of some of my work enclosed with details such as price and description, testimonials from customers and an e-mail address for people to place their orders. The other (inawhiz.blogspot.com) is more of my cake journal – the stories behind the finished product,” she says.

Through her postings and word of mouth, Wizcakes has recorded a significant increase in sales by five-fold since it started.

“The challenge is probably the limitation of the features offered in this free service. The other challenge is my lack of computer know-how,” she says.

Fawiza plans to continue writing and sharing her thoughts, cakes and stories through the blogs.

• Sarawak craft and food

What began as an experiment for 26-year-old Mohammad Firdaus Othman turned out to be quite a success. His venture in selling craft from Sarawak online, as featured in his blog Puakumbu-shop (puakumbu-shop.blogspot.com), in May last year is drawing encouraging sales.

“I first started the blog to gauge the Internet market in Malaysia and apply what I have learnt in the university. Initially, I planned to just sell puakumbu, the hand-woven warp ikat textile of the Iban, but there was increased interest in other Sarawak craft and food. From there, I added more products to the catalogue,” he says.

Mohammad Firdaus is certainly happy with the way things turned out.

“The blog is my key business channel. I also use applications such as Friendster, Facebook and Alibaba,” he says.

With more traffic, he plans to have a Web site with his domain name and improve on the current selling and buying techniques being practised on the blog.

“I’ll be putting more focus on expanding my market reach to include buyers from abroad. Part of my expansion plan is to get listed on eBay,” he says, adding that his current buyers are from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

• Online boutique

Dazzling Daffodils (dazzlingdaffodils.blogspot.com) sells clothes online. If everything goes according to plan, the online boutique could soon have a physical presence in one of the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur.

“The (online) boutique has been around for only three to four months and the response has been quite good. I am quite optimistic about this business and hope it will grow further,” says proprietor and blog owner Joanne Looi.

Ipoh-born Looi, 25, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at a local university. She handles the online boutique business with some help from her brother after starting the business with a couple of girlfriends as a form of side-income generator. As the store is virtual, she is doing so with ease.

“Blogging has definitely made an impact on this business as Malaysian are starting to have the confidence in purchasing goods online. As the boutique has only started operations not too long ago, the business revenue ranges from a few hundred ringgit to maybe a thousand ringgit. I hope that the growth projection this year will be better,” she says, adding that shopping online saves time and can be done in the comfort of the home.

“Currently, the gallery comprises pictures of the apparels worn by models. But I plan to have some of my girlfriends to model the apparels for a more realistic feel. There are also plans to have a wider range of choice in products.”

Dazzling Daffodils also have a presence in Facebook and Friendster. “I make use of these online community to gain popularity. The boutique is also listed in some of the online boutiques directory and the bloggers central listing.”

• More apparel

Cats Whiskers Malaysia (catswhiskersmalaysia.blogspot.com) is a boutique with physical presence in five locations around the Klang Valley. Headquartered in Petaling Jaya, the business is run by three women who are all in their 30s.

The blog plays a supplementary role in the business.

“It basically features weekly newsletter which we e-mail to our customers. It shows our products and pricing, and customers can opt to order online if they are unable to visit our stores,” says partner Lim Siew Peng.

Through the blog, Cats Whiskers aims to target customers outside of Klang Valley as they offer delivery at a minimal cost.

The most challenging thing about running a business blog, Lim says, is it requires the partners to be innovative, creative, flexible and intuitive to find out what works and what brings in the sales.

“The other challenge is finding ways to engage customers on a routine basis and providing interesting content that will make them want to come back and tell others about it. If they are a bloggers themselves, we hope that they will link it to their blog,” Lim adds.

Cats Whiskers hopes to expand the online sales and maybe offer payment facilities (such as credit card, paypall, tie-up with local banks).

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Trend fast catching on
Rozana Sani

BUSINESS blogging is catching on in Malaysia, as observed by online fashion e-zine Emmagem.com.

And the opportunities are endless, says the e-zine founder and editor Tan Yet Mee. This is because Malaysians, especially Gen Yers (the Net generation), are now used to purchasing online.

“I think a blog to help a business is very important these days. Blogging allows for direct and current information about the products, plus consumers can communicate directly with comments and get an immediate reply.

“The setback is that a blog needs constant updating to be successful and responsive, or it will share the same fate as helplines, which do not give adequate information. And the backlash can be immense if a mistake is made,” she explains.

The other premise of a business blog, Tan says, is that it is a platform for the sharing of personal opinions and experience.

“It is an excellent communication and public relations tool, especially for small business owners. The younger, tech-savvy consumers like to relate with those like themselves, who are on the Internet a lot. I mean, how often does one get to speak to the owners or company representatives themselves and get their assurance?”

The blog system, Tan points out, is more systematic. And when optimised on search engines, it allows information on the products to be more easily accessible online.

A blog is also easy to set up, use and has a much lower maintenance cost compared to a regular Web site. Plus, blogs do not need much advertising.

“Treated correctly, a business blog with useful and credible information will have a strong following similar to recommendations through word of mouth or viral marketing,” Tan says.

Her words are backed by evidence found on Emmagem.com’s Malaysia Online Fashion Shopping Directory (MOFSD) and Classifieds page.

Emmagem.com’s assistant editor-cum-writer Karen Marie Christie says MOFSD has about 1,100 online shops listed to date. Most of them are individual independent entrepreneurs who set up shop on blog platforms such as Blogspot and Wordpress to sell their items.

“They get their clothing or accessories from suppliers and post them up on the blogs for all to see. Potential buyers who browse their shop can e-mail them to purchase the items. Once both parties have agreed on the price and shipping cost, the buyer will deposit money into the bank account by e-banking or by visiting the bank. And once the seller has checked that the cash is in, he will ship the items,” she explains.

As compared to an e-commerce-based shop, a blogshop involves more steps between the buyer and the seller, but it has a more personal touch, she adds.

Meanwhile, Tan says since MOFSD started in 2007, Emmagem.com has witnessed a significant growth in fashion blogshops.

“We get daily e-mails from newbies who want to start a business and ask to be

listed. A lot of conventional-selling e-commerce platform online shops get themselves listed on MOFSD to promote their sites, too,” she says. – By Rozana Sani

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Dos and don’ts
Dos:
- Be honest in the item description. This is, after all, an online business. People can’t see the items in real life.
- Take good photos of the items and probably in every angle.
- Communicate well. Always make sure that there is a written e-mail agreement on the transaction to prevent any miscommunication.
- State shop policies on the site for people to see as well as contact e-mail or telephone number.
- Ship on time. People want their
items promptly.
- Attend to complaints immediately.
- Market yourselves well. Introduce your shops to online magazines or fashion-related blogs.
- Get a feedback page (for example,
http://emmagem.com/feedback/) to monitor customer feedback on your customer service.
- Always take a feedback and improve
on it.
- Think long term for the business and make appropriate decisions.
- Advertise.

Don’ts:
- Sell items that are torn or spoilt (and can’t be seen through photo).
- Keep customers waiting. Always reply their e-mails as soon as possible.
- Trick customers with misleading information.
- Shirk when there is a complaint;
handle it.