#euro shopfronts

[dog-park-dissidents]

Hey! Is there any shopfronts sending your vinyl to the UK or Ireland? The American site charges $28 for international shipping.

Check Gunner Records for the Euro variant of Pink and Black. We'll update our own site to link to them too.

[webmeridian]

TOP 9 Best Payment Gateways for Magento 2 Merchants

The article was initially published in WebMeridian blog.

Each Magento 2 eCommerce organisation needs to choose the best payment gateway for Magento 2 in order to optimise performance and flourish. This article describes the possibilities available, whether you’re a corporation searching for a better eCommerce payment gateway or a person trying to start a website and assessing your options.

Many parties are involved in the eCommerce payment process, including the following:

buyers,

the seller,

the buyer’s bank,

and your bank.

The payment gateway is the service that connects your business to your bank account. Customers provide personal information on the payment gateway for website page once they have finished buying. The complete procedure takes 2–4 seconds if the payment gateway integration is successful.

We’ll look at the finest eCommerce payment gateways to help you choose the ideal one for your needs.

Magento 2 Payment System Integration: Step-By-Step Guide + Common Pitfalls

Enterprise Resource Planning refers to components that assist in operating an eCommerce shop. You can manage your product lifecycle, distribution network, warehousing, customer interaction, and sales order processing with the modules.

Magento may feature numerous business processes, but it is not an ERP. That is why, in order to create an ERP for a specific sort of customer, you must create a unique in-house Magento payment gateway integration.

Here are the actions to take to integrate:

Step 1: To begin, configure the modules. The first step is to navigate to the Payment method module setup page.

Step 2: The payment methods may now be configured. On the Payment method setup page, there is helpful instruction on achieving this.

Step 3: Now is the time to put your payment method into action. It allows payments to be processed between the payment processor (who you choose to handle transactions) and the Magento platform itself. In some cases, the payment gateway for website use may necessitate technical skills.

All of the instructions for integrating may be found on the Payment method façade option. Check to see the Payment info rendering in Admin checkout for further details on this part of the process.

Step 4: The last stage is configuring payment actions. Among these activities are voiding, authorising, and others. The explanations on the Add a gateway command page provide helpful advice and information for configuring them.

The payment method you configure on Magento may be changed from the shopfront or the admin panel, or both if you like. Please keep in mind that the setup parameters for your preferred payment method may differ from those of other choices.

As a result, Magento documentation includes a detailed overview of how to integrate.

Top Payment Gateways for Magento eCommerce Stores

Now that you understand what it takes to integrate. Let’s look at the best payment gateway for Magento 2 alternatives accessible to you.

NOTE: The names of payment gateways are hyperlinked to the documentation for each Magento 2 integration.

PayPal Pro

PayPal is the world’s most popular payment service. It has around 218 million accounts with customers. It is the preferred gateway for over 17 million merchants, giving it the top spot in terms of market share in this category.

PayPal Pro supports payments in 26 different currencies and accepts:

PayPal Credit,

MasterCard,

Venmo,

Visa,

and American Express.

Credit cards aren’t the sole option for payment. Customers can make payments over the phone, through online bills, or in person. PayPal has a presence in over 200 major markets, giving businesses access to a considerably bigger customer base.

The monthly membership charge for the gateway is $30. For domestic transactions, the per-transaction cost is 2.90 percent plus a preset fee (depending on the currency ($0.30 for the US and 0.35 Euros for the EU)).

All overseas business transactions are subject to a 1.5 percent surcharge.

Braintree

Braintree is a PayPal-powered solution designed for companies of all sizes (small, mid-size, and large). Braintree is a full-stack platform that supports more than 130 currencies and serves 44 countries.

Braintree is praised by users for its speedy checkout process and ease of use. Not only is security a top focus, but Braintree is also one of the few eCommerce payment gateways that motivates customers to make recurring purchases.

Braintree is the preferred payment gateway for large businesses because of its straightforward checkout experience.

GitHub,

Yelp,

GRUBHUB,

Avant,

Brandy Melville,

and more companies are among them.

Braintree, like its parent company, accepts major eWallets, credit cards, and PayPal in over 130 different currencies. It does, however, provide additional capabilities not available in the PayPal Pro edition, such as recurring billing, fraud protection methods, and data encryption.

Braintree Marketplace is a different solution that it spawned. It’s a terrific alternative for individuals who want to grow their business while also customizing it with the help of a software development team. The rate is comparable to PayPal, but there is no monthly charge.

Authorize.Net

Authorize.Net has a user base of over 430,000 businesses and has made a reputation for itself. It is a secure and cost-effective payment gateway. Most people praise it for having a user-friendly design with a lot of features and a low learning curve.

Many people find Authorize.Net to be easier to use than PayPal or Stripe. Payments of all types, including credit and debit cards, can be processed through the gateway (Discover, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, etc.).

It also handles payments for digital wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.

A merchant account (if needed) and a virtual point-of-sale system are set up for you. The monthly charge is $25, which is really reasonable.

Per transaction, the all-in-one merchant account will charge 2.9 + $0.30.

The gateway-only option is $0.10 per transaction plus a $0.10 batch charge every day.

Stripe

Stripe’s services are best suited to businesses with regular clients and are available in an astonishing 25 countries across the world. Those wishing to build a marketplace and those who need a mechanism to accept and process payments appreciate it.

This fully-featured platform allows you to scale and customize your eCommerce business. The method is developer-centric, allowing merchants and their IT professionals to rewrite the code and create unique payment capabilities to meet their business model and demands.

Stripe accepts over 100 different currencies and provides extra features such as:

mobile payments,

one-click checkouts,

and round-the-clock tech support.

Stripe charges 2.9 percent + $0.30 each transaction as a service fee. S

tripe’s integration with Magento 2 is not straightforward and will necessitate the assistance of technical professionals. The alternative is to download a ready-to-use extension. Before you go, double-check that your store is compatible.

Amazon Payments

Amazon Payments has been serving the eCommerce business since 2007, innovating to make transactions go more smoothly. With only one account, the payment gateway can handle many languages and accept any major currency.

Users can easily log in, identify themselves, and transact thanks to the “one account to rule them all” concept. The security is cutting-edge, with dynamic services that allow the firm to select between Amazon Simple Pay and Checkout by Amazon (CBA) (ASP).

The former enables your company to accept Amazon account information and process payments through Amazon. Customers are directed to Amazon’s secure payment site to submit identity information.

There are no monthly fees, just like Stripe. The cost structure for both is the same (2.9 percent plus $0.30 each transaction).

2Checkout

2Checkout is a favourite among international retailers, and for a good reason. 2Checkout links merchants and customers through a wide network that takes practically all major payment methods and supports 87 currencies and 15 languages.

This payment gateway for websites has configurable features as well as the option to interface with over 100 shopping carts.

Your company may set up automated invoicing for monthly memberships by changing the configurable elements. You’ll also receive aggregate information on payment history and product sales (digital & physical.)

There is no monthly cost structure for 2Checkout. Its costs, at 3.5 percent plus $0.35 per transaction, are higher than those of PayPal, Amazon Payments, and Stripe.

You’ll need an API (application programming interface) or GitHub source to integrate with this best payment gateway for Magento 2 option. You may get ready-to-use connectors to add to your store’s instance from this page. To minimize costly misconfigurations, get technical assistance from professionals if the integration appears complicated.

Dwolla

The Automated Clearing House (AHS) transfers are supported by this eCommerce payment gateway. Dwolla’s customisability and scalability make it appropriate for companies of any size. Dwolla accepts all banks situated in the United States.

Dwolla’s Application Programming Interface (API) allows operators to incorporate bank transfers into their shops because it is an open-source technology (ACH API).

Merchants can control finances, confirm bank data, acquire transaction information, and manage payments from one single dashboard after a simple integration.

It’s simple to understand why this service is ideal for B2B firms and markets with so much features. Dwolla offers three distinct bundles based on the size of your company.

Pay-As-You-Go is the greatest solution for startups because there are no monthly fees.

Custom is a customizable package that relies on a company’s demands.

While Scale is for midrange to big organizations.

Every transaction may be subject to an additional 0.5 percent fee (minimum of $5, maximum of $5). If you are not technically inclined, Dwolla is not the simplest to integrate.

What Is a Payment Gateway, and How Does It Work?

A payment gateway acts as a link between your company and a bank. It protects your privacy while also handling transaction processing. Let’s take it to step by step in four simple phrases.

The customer adds things to their basket and then proceeds to the checkout page to enter their credit card information. The transaction data is encrypted before it is transferred to the gateway.

The payment gateway gets the order and uses your online shop ID to authenticate with the business/store. The consumer is presented with a page that allows them to select their chosen payment method. The details are subsequently sent to the bank or the selected method by the gateway.

As the entity authenticates the transaction, it is either accepted or rejected (for a number of reasons).

The money is sent through the gateway and deposited in the merchant account.

NOTE: On average, the technique we just explained takes 2–4 seconds. Due to the fact that payment gateways have varied processing timeframes, the merchant may have to wait a few minutes (or perhaps a few working days) for the funds to show.

Summary

Any company relies on the components’ dependability to function. Because the seller, payment, and buyer are the most important factors, the company must be able to handle payments quickly. Consider technological competence when it comes to payment gateway integration

A firm may modify the payment system to better suit its needs by introducing personalised solutions. It also promotes growth by, among other things, promoting repeat purchases.

To discover the best payment gateway for Magento 2, all you have to do now is analyse the specifics of the payment gateways we reviewed.

We provide all-in-one technical services to help your store (online and offline) thrive in the digital realm and take advantage of the most cutting-edge eCommerce technologies.

Get in Touch

[opticien2-0]

Footfall in July stalls, but end of lockdown yet to play out, says BRC

Footfall has slowed, but there is hope as the summer rolls on

Footfall across the UK stalled in July, falling 28% when compared to the same period in 2019, pre-pandemic. There was a 0.4% drop from June, below the three-month average of 27.7%.

  So finds the latest data from BRC-Sensormatic IQ, which finds that footfall on High Streets declined by 34.6% in July (Yo2Y), 1.2 percentage points below last month’s rate and below the 3-month average decline of 34.1%.

  Retail Parks saw footfall decrease by 15.0% (Yo2Y), 6.9 percentage points below last month’s rate and below the 3-month average decline of 14.1%. Shopping Centre footfall declined by 38.4% (Yo2Y), 2.6 percentage points below last month’s rate but above the 3-month average decline of 39.1%.

  For the third consecutive month, Northern Ireland saw the shallowest footfall decline of all regions at -19.9%, followed by Wales at -25.8% and Scotland at -27.1%. England saw the deepest decline at -28.7%.

  Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief-Executive of British Retail Consortium, comments: “After improvements in footfall in the early part of 2021, the situation has plateaued with little change in footfall levels for a third month in a row. The turbulent weather, with initial heatwaves giving over to torrential rain, appears to have dampened the mood for shopping in July, with a particularly pronounced fall in footfall at retail parks. However, the last week of July offered a glimmer of hope for retailers as the easing of restrictions lead to the best weekly performance of 2021. Retailers hope this trend will continue as the rise of vaccinations and falling coronavirus case numbers boosts consumer confidence.”

  She adds: “Government and businesses must take the opportunity to build back a better future for our local destinations. With the number of empty shopfronts still rising in many parts of the country, it is vital we rebuild our local communities to integrate leisure, retail, services, and homes. For this to be successful, Government must fulfil their commitment to alleviate the unsustainable cost burden placed on retailers by the broken rates system in their upcoming business rates review. This will allow retailers to continue invest in their physical and digital offerings and provide communities with vibrant spaces to visit, work and shop.”

  Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, says: “With July’s wet weather dampening shoppers’ spirits, High Street footfall stayed subdued as consumers remained cautious. Even the hotly debated ‘Freedom Day’ failed to significantly shift the dial on shopper counts, perhaps losing some of its ‘shine’ to the EURO’s which brought forward shopping and socialising trips to earlier in the month. And in a tale of two halves, Freedom Day may have split consumer confidence, with those revelling in newfound freedoms increasing the frequency of their shopping trips, while those concerned about the relaxation of restrictions on social distancing and mask-wearing becoming more inclined to stay away. “

  He concludes: “However, while footfall performance was flat compared to June, the trajectory in the second half of July gave cause for more cautious optimism; weekend shopper counts improved by 7 percentage points week-on-week following Freedom Day. Retailers will now be hoping caution will give way to growing consumer confidence so that they can capitalise on summer trading.”

[techwiz93]

Ecommerce and Mcommerce has taken over the way we shop in the modern age and has also subsequently began eroding the department store industry as well and transformed it into a warehousing environment. Sites such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Etsy.com and even small business websites have taken to selling a bulk of their product online through digital shopfronts and mobile apps. Ask anyone, most people have the Amazon or Walmart APP, and have probably purchased at least one thing online in the last month. 

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/vectors/bag-money-shopping-ecommerce-euro-5000786/

Reference: https://rubygarage.org/blog/mcommerce-vs-ecommerce#:~:text=Ecommerce%20and%20mcommerce,-Ecommerce%20and%20mcommerce&text=Simply%20put%2C%20ecommerce%20is%20an,on%20purchasing%20via%20mobile%20devices.

[moayoub1]

10 Things to do in Marrakech on a Budget

If you think that that you simply got to spend a fortune to enjoy Marrakech, think again! Sure there are many places where you'll drop many euros an evening for an area and eat extravagant “Moroccan” meals, but you certainly don’t have to! With dozens of flights from Europe arriving everyday Marrakech may be a cheap holiday and cheap weekend break. Once you’ve got your flight and hotel squared away don’t worry about breaking the bank, instead save your money while still enjoying all the town has got to offer once you visit Marrakech.

Visit the choice Gardens Sure, the Majorelle Gardens are beautiful but they also charge an admission of 50+ dirham per person counting on the choices you select. it's going to not be tons of cash, but if you’re on a budget every dirham counts. Instead, take a rehearse the opposite two gardens centrally located near the medina. this is often one among the free things to try to to in Marrakech. Arset Moulay Abdeslam Cyber Garden or Kotoubia Gardens are on the brink of the medina and wonderful. within the Cyber Garden, you'll devour free wi-fi (note the web are often spotty) to see emails or post a Facebook update and find a clean comfort station. The Koutoubia Gardens also are an excellent spot to steer and capture some pictures of the towering minaret with fauna and flora around.

Combined admission to Musee de Marrakech, Almoravid Koubba, and Ben Youssef Madrassa

Visit the Musee de Marrakech first and buy a combined ticket for 60 dirhams which will offer you access to the three sites. If you don’t speak French the Marrakech Museum could also be a touch of a challenge but you'll still observe the various traditional items on display. The Almoravid Kubba is that the only piece of Almoravid architecture remaining in Marrakech (dating from the 1100s) and is a bit of history. Lastly Ben Youssef Madrassa -my favorite of the three. This once served as a faculty (madrassa means school) and attendees lived upstairs. There isn’t much remaining apart from the walls but the architecture and artisan work is gorgeous.

(Worth noting the Ben Youssef Madrassa is closed for renovations through 2019 making this combined ticket not as beneficial until afterward)

Eat on the road While reluctant travelers might not desire eating street food for the intrepid it is often not only a delicious meal but an excellent thanks to economizing. Moroccans’ don’t eat Moroccan food in restaurants – they eat it reception. So if you’re sitting down and paying for a 100 dirham tajine know that you’re getting straight-up tourist fare.

If however, you wander into a little shop serving roast chickens, Harira soup, or skillet-fried Msemmen you’re eating sort of a Moroccan – which means eating on a Moroccan budget too. For breakfast, a cup of tea and Sfinge (doughnuts) will set you back 5-10 dirham (about 1 euro), while a dinner of grilled chicken skewers with Moroccan salads and bread may cost 20-30 dirham (2-3 euros). You’ll find a spread of offerings in the least times of the day.

Free Cultural Performances

Cafe Clock is comparatively new in town but they need some amazing offerings, alongside great food. just like the Cafe Clock Facebook page to stay up so far with all of the items that are happening but make certain to drop by on Thursdays for traditional Moroccan storytelling (in English and Arabic) and Sunday nights for his or her concerts. Treat yourself to a cup of tea or one among their milkshakes with homemade ice cream!

Watch Craftsmen at Work

The souks aren’t only for shopping. The further you walk back the more frequently you’ll see workshops and not just shopfronts. Men are often seen piecing together leather shoes or carving wooden implements. Any number of other artisans are going to be busy too. If you are doing want to require an image, make certain to ask first and offer some change as a polite many thanks (5-10 dirham is acceptable).

Take an area Hammam

There is a good sort of hammams in Marrakech; from traditional neighborhood hammams to ultra-fancy spas like hammams and everything in between. If you would like to experience a hammam but are trying to find an inexpensive hammam in Marrakech, then choose the local bath. Entrance is 10-20 dirham but if you’d sort of a full scrub by an attendant also the soap if you haven’t purchased elsewhere it'll cost about 50 dirhams. Compare this to 200-500 dirham that you simply can spend during a mid-range hammam. the likelihood is that you’ll get a far better scrub with the cheaper option anyway!

Low Entry Fee Attractions

To visit the Badi Palace, Bahia Palace, or Saadian Tombs will cost just 10 dirhams each. get on the lookout there'll be people milling about offering to offer you a guided tour but you'll always decline. this may economize and you'll find much information before time in guidebooks and online.

Walk in the Mellah

The Mellah is that the old Jewish quarter of Marrakech. Here you’ll see a distinctively different sort of architecture. See if you'll find the synagogue (no longer operational) and make certain to go to the spice quarter across from the Gold Souk. A walk down the streets here causes you to feel almost like you’re during a completely different setting.

Free Exhibitions A great resource for free of charge exhibitions is to follow the local foreign language schools. There are two English centers, the French Institute, a Spanish Institute, and a German center in Marrakech – and possibly other languages also. These centers often host talks, movies, and performances within the language that's taught there and sometimes on topics concerning Morocco. Most of the time they're free and hospitable to the general public.

Sit during a rooftop cafe overlooking Djem al Fna

For the worth of a drink, you'll sit above the square and watch the action. Many rooftop terraces require you to shop for something, but even a soda or bottle of water will suffice. Enjoy the music below, people watch, read a book, whatever you’d wish to do these are an excellent spot to relax and take in the Marrakech vibe. If you set about 45 minutes before sunset you’ll be more likely to urge a seat overlooking the square as most of the people come just before this point and seats are at a premium.

A few more cost-saving tips; take the bus from the airport to Djem al Fna. It’s one of the nicer city buses and is never full. Cost is 30dh If you would like to require a taxi walk outside of the airport grounds to the most street. it'll cut the value of the cab fare a minimum of in half. Visit within the low season – remember even wintertime in Marrakech is nicer than much of the world! Stick with local drinks. Alcohol is out there and legal but it’s very expensive. Check with your hotel or raid for discounts or free admission/cover charges for clubs if you're curious about this. Negotiate on any large purchases you propose to form. But prices are assailed smaller things like water, fruit, food, etc.

[cleoburygolfclub]

James Williams Is Coming to CMGC!

2/3 of tickets already sold!

We are thrilled to announce that we have secured the extremely popular and talented James Williams for a night at CMGC! James will be performing at Cleobury on Friday 15th November. James will be bringing his Beyond Buble show plus extra classics to bring down the clubhouse!

We are looking to make it a little pre-Christmas night before all the parties etc start. It will be black tie giving us all a good excuse to get dressed up. Tickets are £35 which includes a delicious three course meal served from 7.30pm.

James was originally known as the singing golfer, he was a professional on the Euro Pro. He then went on the X Factor and made it to the judge’s houses.

Below is the menu that Claire and the team have put together, remember tickets are ONLY £35 and it is black tie.

You can get them online here - www.dpaingolf.com or from the golf club. Full invoices can also be sent out on request.

MG Shopfronts are sponsoring James performance meaning all proceeds from the event will go to the Steve Bull Foundation who do fantastic work with disadvantaged youngsters in the local area. Steve Bull MBE will also be attending with friends.

If you have any questions please message or comment below.

Starter

Farmhouse Pork Liver and Chicken Pate with a Decorative Roast Onion Topping Served with Crostini and Onion Chutney

Chefs Homemade Broccoli and Stilton Soup Served with a Soft Dinner Roll (V)

Main Course

Locally Sourced Roasted Sirloin of Beef with a Homemade Yorkshire Pudding

Oven Baked Nut Roast with Vegetarian Gravy (V)

All Main Courses Served with Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables

Dessert

Homemade Warm Triple Chocolate Brownie Served with Fresh Cream

To Finish

(Not Included in Ticket Price. £16.00 Per Table of 8)

A Selection of our finest cheeses accompanied by a mixture of crackers, grapes, celery and onion chutney for the table to share.

[rememberthattime]

Chapter 48. Athens

I didn’t plan on writing a post for this short work trip. I was only in Athens for five days, and three of those were filled with meetings... but it was the other two days that make this trip worth remembering. Yes, Athens itself is nice — I’m writing this from a cafe, sipping a coffee frappe with my zucchini fries. That wasn’t the best part though. What makes this short trip so special is the reminder it provided: a reminder of Chelsay and I’s past weekend adventures, and just how far you can go with two days in Europe.

Upon arrival in Athens, I received an immediate reminder of the “particularities” required when traveling in Europe. Simple task: I needed to get from the airport to my hotel. Problem: I had forgotten the travel skills Chelsay and I had built up from our time in London: always have cash, never rely on others, and plan alternatives. It took me four attempts before I successfully caught a ride. Eventually I made it to the hotel, where I was reminded why these “particularities” were worth it. From my hotel’s rooftop, I quietly looked across Athens: the birthplace of civilization, with a history and culture you couldn’t find on any other continent.

Because Chelsay and I had previously visited Athens, I wanted to get into some "deeper cuts" for this return trip. From researching, the Kaisariana Monastery was #1 on my list. Perched in the hills outside Athens, Kaisariana would be a quiet reprieve from the touristy city center. Now, I could have taken a cab, but walking only took an hour. We were well into winter in Sydney, and because it was 80+ in Athens, I decided a hike in the warm weather would be nice. This was absolutely the right call. Walking through the Athenian neighborhoods was like visiting an alternate dimension. The city had been built by and for humans, but there was just a different take on what a home, shopfront, and street should look like. This is the beauty of Europe: every city is SO unique, and their architecture, people, and culture are evidence that each developed independently over time. Although Athens certainly isn’t as pretty as London or Paris, it’s uniquely Greek.

With no set route, I was essentially just wandering in the general direction of the monastery. I’m a sucker for parks, so this flexible approach allowed for off-road detours. My Google Maps app reassured me that I was still going the right direction, though dense trees meant I couldn’t tell exactly where I was heading. What Google Maps doesn’t tell you is gradient, and the over hanging trees meant I couldn’t tell how much further until the path flattens out. I knew I’d been going up for awhile, and also that I was thoroughly sweaty, but I was shocked when I finally popped out of the tree line... How did I get this far!? From well above Athens, there was a river of white washed buildings flowing into the Aegean Sea. I could barely see the Acropolis poking out from the urban sprawl. For reference, my hotel was at the base of the Acropolis, and somehow I’d walked well beyond the fringes of civilization.

This was a phenomenal view, but it was also a reality check: where the hell am I? I need to find this monastery.

My search quickly turned into a Lake Bled-level fight to find the walking path. I hopped through prickly bushes, bounded from boulder to boulder, and braced myself along the edge of a quarry rock face. My legs were getting cut up, and I’m pretty sure the “path” I was following wasn’t a path at all... It was just a dried creekbed. Rather than going towards the monastery, I decided it was best to just find civilization first and follow paved roads from there. After a precarious descent, I finally emerged from the forest, scratched and sweaty, but ultimately appreciative that this route provided such unique views of Athens. Now following more established paths, I found the monastery easily. I’m actually not even sure it was THE monastery I was looking for, but it was religious looking and tucked away in a forest, so it checked all the boxes. That said, it didn’t seem like locals had trouble finding it: as I walked in, a community service was taking place. I tried to blend in, but a couple things were working against me: (1) I was extremely sweaty and my legs were cut up from the “hike”. (2) I was wearing a RVCA shirt... apparently not many of Nordstrom Racks around here. (3) I was the only visitor under 60. (4) I was also the only visitor that didn’t speak Greek, which the locals quickly figured out as they offered me snacks. This was their monastery, so although I poked around for a bit, I mostly stayed out of the local’s service.

My next destination was another “deeper cut”: the Athens Olympic Complex. Athens hosted the Olympics in 2004 (and also around 2800 years earlier). In the modern version though, the 2004 Olympics were billed as a Coming Home experience. To host the festivities, Athens built state-of-the-arts Olympic parks and stadiums at an expense of around Euro 4B. That may seem large, but I just looked up the costs of Beijing and Sochi: Euro 50B each! Now the reason I looked all of this up was because I’d assumed the cost of the 2004 Olympics was crippling, and part of the reason the country continuously seems to be on the brink of bankruptcy. As I walked the now decrepit venues, it was easy to reach this conclusion. What was once a grand exposition, hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world, was now just an unkept field of trash and cracking concrete. I could imagine the bustling crowds making their way through the cutting edge complex, but just 15 years later, there were weeds growing out of the basketball stadium’s roof.

This is why I’d assumed the Olympics were a budget busting expense, but at 1/10 the cost of Beijing or Sochi, these games were actually relatively affordable. What’s more: at least according to the government, Greece actually pulled a profit from the games. This makes for an interesting investment: I’m sure these stadiums were built with future intentions, but even only as temporary structures, the host city still came out ahead... I’m not so sure the same can be said for Sochi.

Back to my exploring though. I’d now been walking around in the sun and heat for over three hours, and was exhausted. I nearly passed out on the train back to the city, but managed to make it to shady Cafe Melina for a reprieve. Here, I ordered two of Chelsay and I’s Greek favorites: zucchini fries and a coffee frappe. I relaxed for an hour on Melina’s shady outdoor patio, and actually started this post while sipping my second frappe.

Revived, I was ready to continue my EUReunion, starting with the tiny lanes of Anafiotika. Anafiotika, which means little Anafio, is braced up against the Parthenon’s surrounding hillside. Anafio is a Greek island in the Cyclades (same as Santorini), and when the Anafioan people moved to Athens, they decided to build a neighborhood that reminded them of their old home. The result is a little slice of the Greek islands in the bustling city.

You might remember that I was very sweaty from my “hike” earlier, and that situation hadn’t taken care of itself. I decided it was time to head back to the hotel and shower, but not before stopping in Monasteraki Square for an obligatory gyro.

After a long rest in my air conditioned room, I decided to head on a city tour hosted by none other than Chelsay and I’s ol’ European go-to Rick Steves. Now, we’d already done this audio tour the last time Chels and I were in Athens, so I went a bit off script this time. While Rick made some corny jokes about the Parliamentary guards, I slipped into the royal gardens for a trip down memory lane. I routinely skipped through parts that required me to walk a long distance, and equally paused when I found a nice bench. One of these breaks was actually the highlight of my weekend. In our 2016 Greek adventure, Chelsay and I spent the last night of our trip at an outdoor restaurant in this small, charming, and most importantly, shaded square. Rick’s tour took me back through this same square, and I decided to relax on one of the benches. I took in all the hustle happening around, but was protected under the overhanging trees. I ended up staying on that bench for an hour (longer than the entire Rick Steves audio tour itself), and wrote most of the first half of this post. Although Athens doesn’t come close to challenging Paris as the best European city, this small park could at least contend with the Luxembourg Gardens.

That night, I wandered around a new neighborhood, Psyri. This place was hip, grungy, but gentrified: kind of like an Angel equivalent in Athens. It’s another example of a deeper cut, and a reminder of how many unique experiences are waiting for Chelsay and I in Europe. The next morning, I’d booked a ticket to visit the Acropolis. Before the trip, I wasn’t sure if I’d visit the Parthenon again, but I’d already covered so much of the city in my first day. Plus, it’s not like you can come to Athens and NOT visit the Parthenon. It’d be like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower... unthinkable. I’ve been to Paris about 8 times and visit its glittering light show every time. Anyway, the Parthenon is just as impressive the second time. This place is 2500 years old! Sure it’s been through a few pillages and rebuilds over time, but much of today’s structure is the SAME marble those PRE-Jesus builders hauled up the Acropolis hill. It was probably sourced from the quarry I almost fell into during my “hike”.

Having visited before, I took this trip at an especially relaxing pace. I appreciated subtle features in each relief or pillar crown, and equally, enjoyed people watching. These visitors were so excited to see the structure - they’d be staring up in an, not paying attention to where they were walking, and slipped all over the smooth rock walking paths. It made me wonder whether ancient Greeks took spills during their Panhellenic parades. Those togas wouldn’t do much to protect you...

After the Acropolis, I didn’t have much else to explore, so I decided to relax in the warm weather. I stopped in at an outdoor bar called six d.o.g.s, who’s hidden courtyard, tasty frappe, and strawberry smoothie helped me relax before my meetings.

I’m now off to my meetings, the whole reason I came to Athens. Although these past two days exploring “deeper cuts” were fun, the most exciting part was that it reminded me how easy unique escapes are in Europe, and a preview of Chelsay and I’s weekends to come. What a teaser for my next post! Oh, by the way, the hotel for my work meetings was ridiculous.

[motokristie]

Clermont-Ferrand

30/6/17 For 1.50 euro the bus took us 10km out of town to the base of the Puy de Dome. A rack railway goes to the top but the old volcanic cone was shrouded in cloud and misting rain and the trip up would have been a waste of money - even the guy at the information desk said so. Clermont-Ferrand was an industrial city, famous for the Michelin tyre factory which is now a museum. The city re-invented itself and has two universities and lots of little bars and restaurants tucked into narrow streets. The black-stoned cathedral sits on an old lava stump and towers above the surrounding old town which itself is situated on undulating volcanic land. Walking down a fold in the landscape, still in the old town, there is the restored Notre Dame du Porte basilica built in light cream stone, founded in the C6 and rebuilt in C11 after being burnt down by the Normans. It is a beautiful building with worn stone sculptures and vibrant stained glass. The city’s Jardin Lecoq is several hectares with formal flower beds, sculptures, giant sequoias, ponds, play areas - a beautiful walk to the old town from our hotel. We spent the afternoon exploring - there are a lot of artists and artisans working in small studios in the old quarter - someone was silk-screen printing - an artist invited us in to look at his works which were good - we saw a woodturner, a jeweller a painter, a violin maker working in their shopfront studios. And they are not producing for the tourist market - we saw no tourists. Clermont has been quite different to most of the cities we have visited so far - we hadn’t expected to find much of interest but on the contrary, it has been a great two days. There are many small restaurants to choose from. A sign outside L’Instantané said it was Michelin listed 2017. The food was sensational and prices similar or less than other places. I think I want to live here and I’d never wanted to even visit before yesterday.

[ericfruits]

The bag-storage industry is taking off

TIME AND time again, entrepreneurs have given business travellers services that they did not realise that they needed. Most were happy with hotels, until Airbnb came along. They were content to take taxis and rental cars, until Uber and Lyft, two ride-hailing apps, appeared. And now a new crop of startups have entered the fray to give travellers a place to store their bags.

The latter solution addresses a problem that the first two helped create. Travellers staying in Airbnbs generally have relatively strict checkout times and no place to stash their luggage upon checkout if they are not heading straight to the airport. The boots of hire cars are a sensible place to put bags for the day before leaving town, but Uber and Lyft rides do not offer that option. Worries about terrorism have also meant that many airports and train station have torn out their left luggage facilities.

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And so enter startups such as LuggageHero, Vertoe, CityStasher, Knock Knock, and Nannybag. As in the early days of any new internet-driven marketplace, there are a slew of companies competing to gain supremacy in this market. The basic idea is consistent. Shops, cafes, and other businesses sign up to participate with one of the bag-storage sites, and then when travellers need a place to drop their bags, they pull up the site, find a nearby shop, and pay a fee to leave their luggage there.

The fee structures differ. LuggageHero, which launched in 2016 in Denmark, now offers service in New York and London and costs one euro, dollar, or pound per hour, plus a fee of another two per bag. Knock Knock charges $2 per bag per hour in New York, San Francisco, and Boston. Vertoe, another startup, opts for a flat daily rate of $5.95 per item at its locations in six American cities.

Neha Kesarwani, Vertoe’s co-founder, says that company has focused on leisure travellers. But business travellers already comprise 10-15% of its customers. The company’s other co-founder, Sid Khattri, says a quarter of Vertoe users are staying in hotels. He says a traveller staying in a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, for example, would rather not have to travel back there to pick up his bags between a meeting in Brooklyn and a trip to nearby John F. Kennedy Airport. Instead, it is easier to drop the baggage at a store near the meeting and avoid the trip back to Manhattan. The company’s goal, he says, is for users “to be able to access and book space within five minutes, wherever you are.”

For now, no single company has yet cornered the market for bag storage. Different models, some based on leaving bags with third-parties and others using their own storage facilities in empty shopfronts and the like, are viciously competing against each other. But the need is real. Vertoe’s research suggests that about 30% of travellers face conundrums about where to store their bags. In time, when one or two of these businesses gain substantial market share, they may become household names—just as Airbnb has become for lodging and Uber and Lyft for getting around a city.

[jessicakehoe]

The Fashion News You Missed This Week

Italian brand Redemption is hosting a fashion show in Toronto 

View this post on Instagram

Thank you to the pattern makers, the seamstresses, the tailors, the embroiderers, the shoes and accessory makers, the manufacturers, the artisans, the teamsters, the carpenters, the electricians, the sound department, the hair and make up artists, the producers, the casting directors, the dressers, the models, the stylist and her team, the PR offices, the distributors, the show room, to everyone at the Redemption headquarter, the creative team and to everyone that came to our show! To everyone I forgot to mention. Thank you for your hard work, passion and dedication. This one belongs to you!!! And to everyone that attended the show in this very busy week, thank you for being an integral part of our journey! Thank you! #redemption #redemptionofficial #pretaporter #pfw #paris #sustainability #sustainable #fashion

A post shared by Redemption Fashion Brand (@redemptionofficial) on Sep 26, 2019 at 6:43am PDT

Luxury Italian fashion brand Redemption is hosting a fashion show in Toronto on Monday, November 4, to benefit The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, in partnership with George C Toronto. It is the first time the brand will have shown its pieces in the Canadian city, however it is not the first time the label has lent its hand to a philanthropic cause. In fact, the brand gives 50 per cent of its profits to charity each year, already having donated two million euros (roughly CAD$3 million). The brand will show its S/S20 collection on the night, as well as archival pieces. We’re thrilled to report that the event is already sold out, however you can still donate to the worthy cause here. Be sure to stay tuned to our Instagram Stories on Monday night for a behind-the-scenes look at the show.

Zac Posen is shutting his eponymous line

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I want to express my appreciation to our extraordinary team and for all those who have stood by me and the brand. I owe a great deal of gratitude for their unwavering support for and dedication to the Company. I am grateful to the team who lent their incomparable talent and commitment along the way. I remain incredibly proud of what we created and hopeful for the future. Love ZP

A post shared by Zac Posen (@zacposen) on Nov 1, 2019 at 2:09pm PDT

Zac Posen, a man who has dressed everybody from Rihanna to Clare Danes and Katie Holmes, announced last night that he is shuttering his namesake brand. In a statement the designer noted “the increasingly challenging fashion and retail landscape” as a catalyst, adding that he and his team “are disappointed that these efforts have not been successful.” In an Instagram post that followed the official announcement, the designer wrote, “I want to express my appreciation to our extraordinary team and for all those who have stood by me and the brand. I owe a great deal of gratitude for their unwavering support for and dedication to the company. I am grateful to the team who lent their incomparable talent and commitment along the way. I remain incredibly proud of what we created and hopeful for the future.”

Barneys was officially sold and plans to close its remaining stores were announced

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#2020

A post shared by Barneys New York (@barneysny) on Nov 1, 2019 at 11:24am PDT

In more sad fashion news, the sale of Barneys was confirmed on Friday. According to court documents, Authentic Brands Group purchased the business (which filed for bankruptcy back in August) for $271 million. Shortly after the news was confirmed, it was revealed that it is likely that all of the department store’s remaining shopfronts will close, and instead the brand will operate in a “pop-up shop” format in Saks Fifth Avenue. Stay tuned.

John Galliano renewed his contract at Margiela

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#MaisonMargiela AW19 ‘Défilé’ Collection designed by @jgalliano featured in @madamefigarojapon styled by @tamaoiida photographed by @alexblonde_

A post shared by Maison Margiela (@maisonmargiela) on Oct 31, 2019 at 12:04am PDT

It’s official: John Galliano is sticking around at Maison Margiela for a little while longer, with news that the French designer has extended his contract confirmed this week. Galliano has helmed the house since 2014, and WWD reports that its revenue has doubled since then. Renzo Russo, the man who owns the brand’s parent company OTB, said in a statement, “I believed John was the only person who could take this house five years ago, and I am even more convinced of this today. John’s undisputed talent is only matched by his understanding of today’s generations, their way of thinking, their struggles, their dreams. And he is doing exactly what this maison always did at its best – disrupt, innovate and inspire.”

Kanye West sort of, kind of hinted that he’s turning Yeezy into a sustainable brand

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YEEZY 700 V3 COMING IN 2020 FULL DETAILS ON YEEZYMAFIA.COM 📸 @freaky_mccav @ivanberrios

A post shared by YEEZY MAFIA (@yeezymafia) on Sep 16, 2019 at 12:28pm PDT

Kanye West is on a press tour at the moment for his newest album Jesus Is King, which means there’s no shortage of sound bites floating around from the rapper-turned-designer. However the one that caught our ear this week was West’s comments in relation to his fashion brand Yeezy and sustainability. Speaking with Apple Music, West said, “We’re building farms [in Wyoming], because of the climate and because of the soil, that have hydroponic cotton, wheat, hemp. We’re developing our own fabrics and we’re going to go from ‘seed to sew’, from farm to table so we can see the entire process. We gotta sustain, right?” He also added that the switch-up is already in progress. “The reason why I didn’t want to say 20 years from now but 6 months from now is really not about talking, it’s about doing. So we are doing, we are in the process right now.” Watch this space.

PETA announced the winners of its annual Fashion Awards

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One of the gang in our 100% cruelty-free Fur-Free-Fur coat and logo bag. Made with love for animals and the planet 💚⁣ ⁣ #StellaWinter19⁣ #FurFreeFur

A post shared by Stella McCartney (@stellamccartney) on Sep 22, 2019 at 11:28am PDT

Each year, animal rights advocacy group PETA highlights brands and fashion figures that are working towards an animal-free industry. And this year, there were plenty of recognizable names on the list. Chanel and Victoria Beckham received the Best Luxury Fashion Moment award for their banning of exotic skins, H&M was awarded the Progress Award for its Conscious Collection and Miley Cyrus won the Vegan Style Icon award. Other notable highlights include Amsterdam Fashion Week’s banning of fur (this won the Best International Fashion Moment) and Stella McCartney and ECOPEL’s team-up to create KOBA, a recyclable faux-fur material, which won the Collaboration Award. Footwear brand Hunter won Best Vegan Outerwear, too, whilst Topshop took home the Best Vegan Footwear award.

The post The Fashion News You Missed This Week appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

The Fashion News You Missed This Week published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[nationshopfron-blog]

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[allofbeercom]

Blackpool and Brighton – divided by Brexit – BBC News

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Blackpool and Brighton, alike in so many ways, have parted company over Brexit.

In the media, Brexit still rules the waves. The BBC’s Jonny Dymond has been to the seaside – to Brighton, which backed Remain, and Blackpool, which voted Leave. Armed with a bucket and spade, he sniffs the air and samples the atmosphere in the two resorts that cast rival votes.

Walk down the blustery seafront with your eyes closed. Be careful now, there are a lot of people about and some of them might have had a lager-shandy or two at some point in the day.

You can probably sense the piers stretching out into the choppy grey-blue sea, fortune-tellers, amusement arcades and fairground rides, all with the sea rushing in and out beneath – ornate Victorian ironwork holding the whole lot together.

Every few steps, you will get a whiff of that magic combination of hot fat and batter – doughnuts and fried fish, fat chips and sweet waffles, sugar and brown sauce.

There are the pleasure-squeals of kids, rollicking teenagers away for the first time by themselves, adults restraining their offspring, pensioners ambling along remembering days out from decades ago.

You are in Blackpool, up on England’s north-west coast, built to entertain the industrial working class of the north of the country and also Scotland.

You are in Brighton, down on the south coast, a salty blast of fresh air for millions of Londoners streaming down on weekend trains.

For Brighton, it feels like the best of times.

Behind the seafront, in the Lanes and beyond, the city oozes prosperity.

There are fancy boutiques with smart shopfronts, swanky restaurants and achingly fashionable cafes with ever-so-ironic decorations.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Blackpool is a popular seaside resort

In Blackpool, the seafront hotels are full, beer is a price you can afford and bingo nights are in full swing.

But step away from the seafront and you can feel the energy slip away.

The town feels desperately tired. On one of the main streets, the colour has drained from the shopfronts, there are boarded-up shops, tired pubs, cheap cafes and papered-over windows.

Complaints from residents come quickly. There is not enough to do if you live there, the wrong kind of visitors now, too much drink and drugs. “It needs a power-hose or a bulldozer,” somebody says.

There is still pride in the town and love for the people who live there. But this is a place that many would leave, or get their children away from, if they could.

Image caption Prosperity is in the air for people such as Kevin Newman, who runs the Brighton Business Walking and Talking Tour.

In Brighton, the talk is of the creative buzz, of industries other than tourism, of graduates lured back.

“We have,” says one happy resident, “the most overqualified baristas in the country.”

The sea air is, at times, thick with smug. Puncturing that is the referendum result.

In Brighton, referendum stories are of relationships falling apart under the strain of the “catastrophe”, of people weeping in the streets, of having to apologise to foreign visitors, of the sky falling in and “the end of the world as we know it”.

At a happiness workshop in a cafe-bar (there is quite a lot of this kind of thing in Brighton), the Brexit angst comes spilling out.

It is like a wake, with single-source Nicaraguan coffee substituting for glasses of Scotch whisky. “I feel really sad about it, because it effectively broke up my son’s relationship with his girlfriend,” says one member of the workshop.

“She started putting really stupid stuff on Facebook and had what would appear to be a minor nervous breakdown.”

There’s a fair amount in this sort of tone until Xen Calviou pipes up from the back of the room: “When I went outside, [on the day of the referendum result], everything was erupting, there were people crying on their mobile phones, people talking on their phones, ‘What’s going to happen?’

“Well, actually, everybody’s been asking for change and, if this hadn’t happened, we could have just been trolling along. But, actually, we are finding out who our friends are within our community and that’s a good thing.”

Image caption Some in Blackpool hope that Brexit will return the town to being one of the greatest holiday destinations on the planet

Up in Blackpool, they should have been punching the air in triumph at the result. There is no shortage of resentment towards the south of England here and the result was, for some at the very least, one in the eye for London.

Ian Atkinson, owner and manager of the Coronation Rock factory, doesn’t go in for schadenfreude. He has customers down in Brighton and likes the place, but he’s pleased that the vote went the way it did.

“I think already we’ve seen the exchange rate drop against the euro, probably 10 to 15%. Good for exports, therefore good for this business basically.”

But on the seafront, there is the serious business of holidaymaking to be had.

Inside the Doric Hotel, stories are swapped and memories lovingly burnished over properly priced pints of mild and a glass of “something for the Mrs”.

In the hotel’s biggest function room, Liam Halewood calls out bingo numbers.

Scouser Liam loves his adopted home of Blackpool, the people who come here to play and the rituals of nights at the Doric.

“All the fours, 44,” he chimes. “All the twos, it’s them two little ducks, 22.”

“Quack , quack,” choruses his faithful audience.

It takes you back to a more communal time, when Blackpool was perhaps the greatest holiday destination on the planet.

A time that, if Liam has his way, will come again, helped, perhaps, by a referendum that could be a catalyst for something bigger and paradoxically, more local.

“We’ve had a big change,” says Liam. “We’re out of Europe, we need to embrace the change and get on with it.

“People have got to stop moaning now, the vote’s been done.”

Media captionBlackpool rock businessman Ian Atkinson is optimistic for his company post Brexit

“Blackpool is amazing, it’s bright, it’s vibrant and I feel that if the residents of Blackpool stopped moaning and looked after their own town it would be absolutely amazing once again.”

It’s a fine thought, that Brexit will arrest a town’s long slide. Maybe it will.

But that’s for the future and for people such as Liam to make happen.

Right now, there is the uncomfortable reality that two cities, so alike in so many ways, have parted company so fundamentally – and that it took an earthquake such as the referendum for many people to notice.

You can hear the full report on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House on iPlayer.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/blackpool-and-brighton-divided-by-brexit-bbc-news/

[euro3plast-fr]

Busting marketing myths

10+ marketing techniques that need to be addressed for their place in 2018

In the past, many marketing myths were often elevated to the status of being sacrosanct. Given enough repetition, ‘facts’ degenerated from ‘hearsay’ to probability, to ‘gospel truth’.

Yet, despite the incessant repetition, unless the core message at the centre of a campaign resonates as plausible fitting perceived experiences, thanks in part to online information overload, even elaborate myths frequently get syphoned to the junk folder labeled, ‘marketing hype.’

So what happens online in 60 seconds?

As technology continues to progress at break-neck speeds – enabling data to provide deeper consumer insights - former best practices and market assumptions are being toppled faster than loose talk between Twitter Trolls suffering from interminable low-self-esteem.

Millennials

Unlike fine wine, some marketing assumptions become soured by simply hanging around too long for their own good. Take the tired obsession with marketing to Millennials.  Time to face up to the fact that the segment is maturing, people are having families, some even divorce, progressing in careers, or being lumbered (excluding ‘Generation Rent’) with hefty mortgages or grappling with over-bearing bosses to pay the aforementioned mortgages or rents.

‘Millennials’ (‘Gen Y’ … ‘Gen X’… ‘Gen Z’… even ‘Baby-Boomers’) marketing’s insistence on putting people into neat boxes sets a trap for stereotyping entire groups by age, rather than circumstances (which, as any sociologist can testify, more than often turns out to be the most significant driver of behaviours and attitudes)

Big data learning refines such assumptions as well eases the leviathan task of processing so zettabytes of information along with all its variables.

Having interviewed over 48,000 people across 20 countries, the research company Motivaction, shunned the myth that all Millennials think alike, and that their attitudes are different to other generations.  In fact, their findings revealed far wider differences in values and lifestyles within the millennial generation itself than compared to cohorts such as Gen X and Baby-Boomers.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?  Not my problem!

Save the date: May 25th, 2018.  

That’s when the new European data laws come into effect. The regulations are set to radically transform how marketers exploit consumer data. Brands will need explicit consumer permission to contact consumers on mailing lists, databases,  or simply process personal data, irrespective of whether they or a third party are responsible for the data.

Theoretically, for every 10,000 names currently on lists, up to 7000 could become redundant.  Brands can expect big penalties for not playing ball.  Non-compliance will result in fines of up to 4% of global turnover, or 20 million euros; whichever is greater.

To put that into some perspective, taking the UK alone, if GDPR had been in place last year, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) would have collected some £69m in levies rather than £880,500.

Once GDPR goes ‘live, any EU company conducting business with a consumer or another company will need to be compliant.

A survey by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) of major global brands spending more than $20 billion on marketing annually highlighted the knowledge gap. 70% of brand owners felt marketers were not fully aware of GDPR’s extent.  65% expected to be fully compliant by GDPR’s start date. 56% said European teams were aware of GDPR.  Only 44% globally and a mere 41% claimed to have any strategy at all in place.

Without necessary permissions in place, the ability for marketers to purchase mailing lists will notionally come to a grinding halt. What’s more, once a list is breached, with 72 hours both the regulator and the customers affected will need to be informed.

Telly is on the blink

Despite millions preferring to gongoozle smartphones and tablets rather than stare at the ‘goggle box’ in the corner of the living room, research by Thinkbox, the official UK marketing body for commercial TV, suggests that weekly, TV reach remains at an astonishing 93%. The average viewer is ‘glued’ to three hours 26 minutes watching per day of TV on an actual television as opposed to web-enabled portable devices.

Moreover, that viewing time is only four minutes less than back in 2006, when domestic Internet penetration was less than 50%.

What about binge-watching of pre-recorded box sets?  86% of TV viewing is live.  During the first half of 2017, the average person in the UK saw (as opposed to ‘watched’ and all the linguistic nuances associated with that word) some 43 TV ads per day. However, according to the Institute of Practioners in Advertising (IPA) one unbusted myth relates to younger people watching TV.  They watched less however, IPA’s research into Media Touchpoints noted that life stage impacts time spent viewing. The older the viewer the more they watch traditional TV. (Adding my personal observations from my elderly mother’s senior citizen apartment block – I would venture even further – suggesting that for many aged over 80 – watching TV – especially soaps and shopping channels – is akin to being hooked up to an oxygen machine 24/7).

Bricks and mortar shopfronts are kaput

Irrefutably brands are encouraging us to shop exclusively online. Huge budgets are invested in humanizing the story of online being the smart way ahead for anyone with even a modicum of style, savviness or societal awareness. However, despite continuous growth as of 2017 in the UK online only accounted for a relatively low proportion of overall retail sales: according to the Office of National Statistics: 16% of overall sales in July 2017.  Food only accounted for 5.3%. In the US, according to the US Census Bureau, e-commerce sales accounted for just 8.2% of sales in Q2, 2017.  Whilst retail ecommerce will increase to $4.058 trillion by 2020, eMarketer estimates that it will only make up 14.6% of total retail spending.

With marketers continuously integrating data collected from ‘touchpoints’ throughout the customer journey (including influences from third-party channels such as review sites) progressively the future will combine both online and Bricks and Mortar. (It’s one of the reasons why Amazon and Alibaba recently invested in physical stores which will play a crucial role in the final ‘few steps’ of the customer journey).  From the psychological point of view, this offers the consumer with essential human-to-human interaction and reassurance at the final critical point of sale.

More myths likely to fade post-2018 

Send-it-and-see email campaigns

In other words – personalized by either time, occasion, name or demographics emails. 

Blog blasts

In other words – unfocussed, irrelevant and/or excessive emails in the vain hope that quantity over quality will increase awareness. The solution? Employ professional writers rather than outsourced, unproven, undertrained casual workers to produce content such as blogs.

Expert e-books

Attention deficiency means people prefer to watch a video or take an interactive quiz than plough through the PDF e-book collective wisdom of yet another ‘expert’ who penned his or her clichéd tome at a local Starbucks in between jobs in the ‘gig’ economy.

Poorly mined sales data

Accurate monitoring of sales enquires, including demographics, requirements and so forth can make or break turning casual online inquiries into qualified bona fide leads. To be effective, implement simple lead-scoring schemes, ensuring sales and marketing departments collaborate at every stage of a new business journey.

SEO is all about the right choice of words

Great – you have run your content through keyword comparison software – but are you paying as much attention to tagging pictures, videos and so on?

Automated marketing is always the answer

Just as you can’t teach just anyone to be a virtuoso musician, you can’t teach a marketer to be creative through following automated marketing alone.

People love all brand posts

Facebook organic reach is at an all-time low.  Solution?

Less is more.

Boost Posts.

Consider advertising.

Stop insulting people with trite brand content.

Social sells anything

Er, nope… unless the content is useful it’s just another iteration of ‘cute kittens’ wallpaper.

More eyes mean more Ayes

Millions of ‘flick n flip’ mobile device consumers may see your digital content – but without engagement, you are just solutions and questions that pass each other in the ether.

Ad blockers are brand beta blockers

Whilst the rise of ad blockers has been extensive, consumers may still put up with ads -providing the ads are appropriate and non-obtrusive.

A great product will still sell itself in 2018

The codfish lays ten thousand eggs, The homely hen lays one. The codfish never cackles To tell you what she’s done— And so we scorn the codfish While the humble hen we prize. Which only goes to show you It pays to advertise!

from Blog – Smart Insights https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/busting-marketing-myths/

[intrepidmusician-blog]

Ultimately this city is worthy of way more time than just 24 hours. We just happened to have a 24 hour stopover between a short-haul and long-haul flight, and decided to make the most of it.

Where to Stay

When we discovered the cheapest backpackers hostel we could find was in excess of 70 Euros, we decided with a 6am flight just to sleep in the airport (not recommended when you have a long-haul flight directly after, but we survived). Amsterdam is expensive, to cut down costs avoid peak summer periods (July/August) and look out for deals on accommodation well in advance.

  Top things to do

Here’s a list of our top 10. If you start out early you can make time for them all.

1. Amsterdam Centraal 

We arrived by train from Amsterdam Schiphol airport early in the morning at this historic train station, which first opened in 1889. An attraction in itself, it’s beautifully designed by Pierre Cuypers and A. L. van Gendt.  Located right in the city centre, it’s a perfect base to explore and there is access to a number of tram lines. We also took advantage of the luggage storage facilitates.

2. Drop by Dam Square

From Amsterdam Centraal, make your way to Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam’s main shopping street (some consider it Amsterdam’s best), walk the length of the street and you’ll soon find yourself at Dam Square. In the centre of Dam Square you’ll find the obelisk shaped National Monument, The Royal Palace, the 15th Century De Nieuwe Kerk “The New” Church and Madam Tussauds.

3. Bloemenmarkt (Floating Flower Market) 

The only floating flower market in the world. We saw plenty of the Netherland’s national flower, the Tulip, in a rich array of colours. There were a multitude of other flowers, succulents and other plants, artistically potted, along with fresh produce, trinkets  & souvenirs.

4. Cruise on the Canal 

Take a short cruise through Amsterdam’s famous canals, while basking in some rays. There are plenty of different options from short 1 hour trips to day ticket hop-on, hop-off style where you can use the boat to visit various sites around the city. There are also sunset and three-course dinner cruises. If like us you’re on a budget Grayline 1 hour Canal Cruise visiting the city’s highlights for 16 Euros.

5. Stop for Lunch in the Jordaan neighbourhood

This picturesque neighbourhood is the perfect place to refuel and take photos of the well-preserved 17th Century houses, restaurants and shopfronts. We ate lunch just on the edge of Jordaan at Spanjer en van Twist. I can’t recommend this place as we had to send our arancini balls back twice because they were still frozen inside. There are a number of decent places however, check tripadvisor to get an idea for budgets and the best reviewed places.

6. Spend the afternoon exploring the by bike

Rent a bike for half the day and explore the city like a local. Starting in Jordaan, rent a bike from Black Bikes Rental from 6 Euros and explore the old churches, Westertoren,  Westerkerk and Noorderkerk. Black Bikes has 13 locations around the city where you can drop off your bike, so no need to pedal back to your starting point.

7. Cheese Tasting 

Making our way back toward the Bloemenmarkt, we found a collection of cheese shops. Many shops offer free tastings but you can also do proper tasting tours, some include wine and whisky tastings as well.

  8. Anne Frank House 

My favourite thing in Amsterdam, it’s best if you book online to avoid the long queues. We went late in the afternoon and lined up for about about 45 minutes, it was worth it. You can’t take photos inside the museum. This sunflower reminds me of the light that Anne brought into the world in what is one of the darkest times in history

 “Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude” Anne Frank

    9. Visit the Red Light District

Amsterdam’s Red Light District is located in ‘De Wallen’, where you’ll see prostitutes on display in windows illuminated by lights and an array of sex shops, sex theatres and shops legally and openly selling marijuana. There is even a whole museum devoted to Cannabis. While many travel to Amsterdam purely for an unadulterated experience. This is not our kinda thing so I can’t give any tips on how to make the most of this part of town. But you can’t visit Amsterdam without at least a stroll through this infamous neighbourhood.

10. Whatever YOU want!

Who am I to tell you how to spend your time. If you’re an art lover you might spend a whole day wandering the Van Gogh Museum or Rijksmuseum, it might be your hangover day napping in Vondelpark or eating your way through the street food. For me it was visiting Leger des Heils (Salvation Army) Museum. I once worked for this charity that founded much of what we know to be modern social work. For anyone who doesn’t know, I am a social worker by profession (apart from being a musician, traveller and perpetual dreamer). This museum is free however the opening hours can be a little random. It’s not surprising at all that it is located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where Salvation Army Major Alida Bosshardtn worked with the homeless, substance addicted, and prostitutes.

  24 Hours in Amsterdam Ultimately this city is worthy of way more time than just 24 hours. We just happened to have a 24 hour stopover between a short-haul and long-haul flight, and decided to make the most of it.

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