With millions of furloughed workers and commercial closures, the COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to small and local businesses. Now, with a roadmap to recovery underway business owners are looking for creative and cheaper options to re-start their businesses and taking inspiration from Central Asia.

The commercial re-purposing of shipping containers could be an important pathway to post-COVID economic recovery for small business owners. Containers converted into commercial spaces are a sustainable, cheap and flexible option for those looking to open businesses in the UK and Europe.

This practice has been instrumental to Central Asian economies since at least the early 2000s. One early proponent was the entrepreneur, Timur Tillyaev, who founded Abu Saxiy market in 2007 by converting 680 abandoned containers into stalls:“Re-purposed shipping containers are very cost-efficient and therefore popular with traders. There is no doubt they have contributed to enormous growth in the Central Asian retail economy,”said Timur Tillyaev. Today, Abu Saxiy provides employment for over 5,000 people and has over 3,000 retail points, making it an essential economic player for Uzbekistan.

So how might these markets help European businesses? One of the key advantages is that unlike typical retail leases, businesses operating out of repurposed containers can have the flexibility of short or long-term lease agreements and therefore safeguard their businesses from long and expensive commitment periods. According to some estimates, average re-purposed container lease prices are half as expensive as traditional shop spaces. Furthermore, it is relatively cheap for a business to set up a converted container as a shop or restaurant, and practically feasible in any location.

While the practice of converting shipping containers into retail spaces is not new, it is growing in appeal for small businesses in the uncertain post-pandemic world. Before the pandemic several trendy pop-up container parks, such as Boxpark in Shoreditch and Pop Brixton, were already well-known to Londoners. In 2021, entrepreneurs sharing Timur Tillyaev’s vision see a much more expansive future for containers parks across the UK.

Based on the Central Asian model of using converted containers to create spacious, sizable and fully functional markets creating thousands of jobs, the UK is beginning to open its eyes to the economic possibilities of this model. Container park outlets are starting to pop-up in Manchester, York, Newcastle and beyond. But this shouldn’t be the limit.

In Central Asian countries container markets are more substantial contributors to the economy that the trendy pop-up spaces attracting young hip crowds in the UK, Europe and US. They offer huge varieties of products sold by thousands of small businesses and independent vendors and are an important part of local culture. Markets like the one set up by Timur Tillyaev are the go-to place for local consumers and tourists to buy practically any item they may want. They are also important outlets for wholesalers and key points of trade between China and European markets.

Kyrgyzstan’s Dordoi container market is spread over more than one million square metres and has become the largest taxpayer and employer in the country. Given their flexibility and open-air capabilities, many feel there are opportunities to recreate this model in the UK where market trading is already a significant element of the economy. There are over a thousand markets in Britain, including traditional and specialist markets, with a collective turnover of £3.1 billion in 2017-18. With new variants of Covid-19 implying that we may have to change our habits in the longer term, outdoor trading could see these figures grow and there is a post-pandemic economic opening for large container markets catering to all sorts of customers and accessible to any business or vendor. There is real reason to be hopeful that this economic model may help thousands of businesses out of the post-pandemic economic slump and provide a long-term future for container markets as a creative solution.

Timur Tillyaev knows first-hand that this model works. As one of the pioneers in the sector, while undertaking the Abu Saxiy market project in Uzbekistan, he oversaw the transformation of re-purposed containers into fully-functioning retail spaces with high safety standards, electricity and installed windows. Traders in Uzbekistan immediately saw all the advantages and seized the opportunities, turning Abu Saxiy market into the 5^th largest in Central Asia.

It is now time for small business owners in the UK, Europe and beyond to take inspiration from these Central Asian practices and to take a second chance on their businesses with a flexible, affordable and sustainable model to support them.

Choosing any form of technological tools or recruitment software for your recruitment agency could be daunting at first. There are numerous SaaS websites on the internet competing with their counterparts, trying to prove a point regarding who has the best and well-featured CRM for recruitment, Applicant Tracking System, skills-based assessment tools, interview scheduling software etc. This might all be confusing to recruitment entrepreneurs, who are just starting to wrap their heads around recruiting. Therefore, in this article, Recruit CRM will discuss how to choose a recruitment software for your recruitment agency.

Do You Even Need A Recruitment Software?

If you’re a recruitment entrepreneur, you pretty well know that your agency recruiters will need a Recruitment CRM if they work in-house. This is primarily because they’ll have to manage an increasing candidate pool; they’ll be proactively sourcing candidates, communicating with both candidates and clients to maintain fruitful relationships and so on. So what are the few pointers you must look out for to conclude whether you need a recruitment software?

• You actively source
• You have a responsibility of maintaining a diverse candidate pool
• You’re unable to recruit for those hard-to-fill open job roles
• Time is being wasted
• You’re still using the same old excel sheets to input data and manage the same

If this is what your agency recruiters are up to, then yes, you will need a recruitment software as soon as possible to balance work and time spent.

Top 5 Features Agency Recruiters Must Look Out For In A Recruitment Software

The main goals a recruitment agency strives to achieve when investing in a recruitment software are streamlining the hiring process, automating repetitive tasks, saving time, real-time data and analytics, and staying organised. Take a look at these 5 points below:

1. Must Be Customisable

A staffing firm needs to choose a software that can be customised according to their own personal and business needs. This will ensure that recruiters can work flawlessly and won’t have to switch ATS’ and CRMs repeatedly just because there’s one crucial feature missing. Remember that an Applicant Tracking System that can be configured as per your needs will always be the ultimate winner of the lot.

2. Interviews Can Be Scheduled & Managed

Another essential feature that recruiters need to keep in mind is not to look for a separate interview scheduling software. This will not be cost-effective, and constant switching between various software and apps can waste time. Instead, go for an ATS and CRM software that already comes with an interview scheduling and management feature. Figure out how much your ATS can automate. A good ATS and CRM will help you schedule interviews with candidates and clients and sync the same with everyone’s calendar.

3. 24*7 Customer Support

Imagine this— you’ve been stuck at a particular stage in your hiring cycle, and the entire hiring phase has been frozen because of it. It’s the middle of the night in the country where the ATS’ headquarters are, and there’s no customer support available. You’ll have to wait for another 8-10 hours to solve this query, and it’s going to be midnight now in your place. This cycle continues. Do you now understand the importance of 24*7 customer support? Research and find out which recruitment software in the market provides round-the-clock customer support and is fast because at the end of the day, all recruiters want is a sound investment in productive recruiting tools.

4. Real-Time Data & Analytics

Apart from providing top-notch security with GDPR and SSL sessions, ensure that your recruitment software also provides you with real-time data and analytics. Why is this important? Simply because you would now know which part of the hiring funnel you should invest more money in, which recruitment strategies are working, which aren’t and so on. Recruiters must be in touch with data to make informed decisions on how they’re approaching hire and something that would be useful in the long run.

5. You Must Have The Ability To Book A Free Demo

Now that you know some of the core features that recruiters need to look out for in a recruitment software, this is another feature that can help you understand whether the company is good enough for you. Book a free trial or a free demo, talk with their customer support team, ask them to come live on a webinar to teach you the basics of the software. This will ensure you’re informed in-depth about the ATS and CRM software. Once you’re pleased with all the features, you can, of course, go ahead and buy a plan as per your search firm’s needs.

If you have any more essential features in mind, comment below and let us know!

The business world today is vastly different than it was even two years ago. Today, businesses of all types, shapes, and sizes are making headway in their respective niches, adopting various business models. Dropshipping is one of them and has been a popular option for a while now.

But, what is dropshipping?

Should you start a dropshipping business?

If so, how do you make it work for you?

Well, this article will help you clear all the things. So, just dive in!

What Is Dropshipping?

Today, there are tons of dropshipping businesses on the market. Brands like HyperSKU sit at the helm of the dropshipping world.

Dropshipping refers to a business model where you essentially act as the intermediary between the supplier and the customer. You source products from a third-party supplier and deliver them to the customer, thus eliminating the need to stock products and maintain an inventory.

According to 3d cart’s statistics, approximately 23% of online sales in 2017 were fulfilled using dropshipping.

Pros & Cons Of Dropshipping

With a relatively new business model like this that has gained a lot of traction, it is vital to identify and analyze its pros and cons to determine if dropshipping is for you.

Pros

• Dropshipping businesses are more accessible to start than traditional businesses since you do not have to invest a lot of money to get things up and running. You also do not have to worry about getting business processes in places like sourcing products, staffing locations, and many more. All in all, dropshipping has a low barrier to entry.

• There is no need to manage an inventory, which happens to be one of the most important benefits of going with a business model like this. You do not have to worry about overstocking your products, doubling down on those that sell the best, seasonal sales, and so on. In other words, you are less likely to lose out on sales and deal with potential financial losses.

Cons

• You have to deal with massive competition if you decide to venture into the world of dropshipping. It is just as easy for you to start a dropshipping business as it is for anybody else, which means you have to compete with other companies that source and sell products from the same third-party suppliers that you are going to.

• Since you are essentially selling products one at a time and not in bulk, you cannot ask the suppliers for a bulk discount on the products.

How To Make Dropshipping Successful In 2021?

There are many things that you can do to stand out as a stellar dropshipping business. Here are a few:

1.    Research, Research, Research

As expected, you will have to take out the time to research your market. This is vital because you need to find out:

• What your customers want and the latest market trends
• What your competitors are up to and how they are going about pricing
• Third-party suppliers to make sure you are working with legitimate suppliers

2.    Stick To A Niche

Sure, you might be tempted to try your hand at every niche that suits your fancy. However, you are much better off selecting a niche that you think you will excel at. Considering there are countless dropshipping business niches, your best bet to stand out is by sticking to a niche that interests you the most, that you will do the best, making you the one-stop solution for your niche.

3.    Top-Class Customer Service

One of the main things that separate the average business from the best on the market is excellent customer service. According to Microsoft, “90% of customers use customer service as a factor to decide whether or not to do business with a company”.

The last thing you want is a dissatisfied customer. So, it is your job to ensure that you not only provide your customer with a seamless checkout experience but easy, accessible, and prompt support on your website, social media handles, and email. The result of reliable customer support and service is a higher chance of getting more customers through referrals.

4.    Create A Trustworthy Brand

This ties into the previous point since customer service is crucial to creating a trustworthy brand. You also need to present your brand correctly to let the customer know that it is legitimate. One of many ways to do this is through email authentication.

Conclusion

While dropshipping has its advantages and disadvantages, it is one of those business models here. Some of the leading platforms in the world of eCommerce use this model, and tons of upcoming businesses on the horizon will also do the same. However, the ideal way to find success with dropshipping in 2021 is to adopt suitable approaches, some of which are mentioned in this article.

There is a growing interest in marketing research these days. Besides, scientific research is a hotter topic turn in the B2B world, where it is a substantial factor in many organizations’ prosperity. For this reason, it is recommended to explore this powerful marketing tool and understand the entire B2B marketing research process effectively. Furthermore, it is recommended to seek decision support from an insights firm who specializes in B2B market research.

What’s B2B marketing research?

Simply put, B2B marketing research is a unique process that focuses on uncovering insights into your target marketplace by surveying a representative sample of the market’s participants. These participants may include current clients, prospective buyers, former clients, lost prospects, and influencers. In a highly competitive employment market, B2B marketing research may even include prospective employees and current employees as well.

It is essential to mention that the entire research process consists of two important parts. The first is data collection, and the next is data analysis and presentation. B2B marketing research can be classified into two categories. Qualitative research which focuses on customers’ experiences and opinions about your product business and other aspects of the entire marketplace. There is also quantitative data that allows you to dive deeper into a relatively small sample using standardized survey questionnaires.

The latter allows you to ask nearly everyone the same set of questions in which a single answer determines the next question. Although open-ended questions are possible in quantitative research, such questions may be less frequently used so that it is easier to analyze the huge volume of data collected. This form of research is often associated with a more rigid structure which lends itself to a different set of formats, including mail, telephone surveys, and online surveys.

You are probably wondering whether or not quantitative research is better than qualitative research. The reality is that there is no right or wrong answer. Each of these research types serves a different purpose, and your choice will majorly depend on your research objectives and the type of research you want to carry out. At a simplistic level, quantitative research may be useful for understanding what’s happening in the entire marketplace. On the other hand, qualitative research is ideal for exploring “why.”

Benefits of B2B marketing research 

Multiple studies have revealed a strong correlation between in-depth research and the profitability or growth of organizations. In fact, business organizations and not-for-profit organizations that conduct frequent research are likely to grow up to 70 percent faster and are nearly 50 percent more profitable than competitor organizations that don’t carry out B2B marketing research frequently.

Many successful organizations understand that the today’s market is in constant flux, and the best way they can stay on top of all that change is by carrying out B2B marketing research regularly. Having up-to-date and relevant data allows such business organizations to adjust their services and messaging to meet the growing needs of their target consumers. There are a limitless number of ways businesses can use marketing research to improve their operations. Here are some of the benefits of marketing research you should know.

• Discover who you are competing against in the same marketplace
• Understand your brand differentiators
• Uncover possible competitive advantage
• Learn more about the specific services your customers appreciate most and why
• Identify the emerging opportunities that you can seize in the marketplace
• Make the necessary changes to your current marketing messages to reflect what your target audience really wants to hear
• Get to know what your current clients and prospects think about your business or brand
• Uncover the specific weaknesses that must be fixed immediately
• Determine your net promoter score and understand whether your clients are likely to recommend your services products of brand to other consumers

The list of the benefits of effective B2B marketing research is endless. But one thing is for sure; effective marketing research could help you uncover opportunities that you had not thought of, identify weaknesses that, when fixed, could take your brand to an entirely new level, and understand your competition effectively. This is an effective step towards improving the overall performance of your organization.

Summary

Conducting effective marketing research can make your B2B organization more self-aware and attuned to today’s competitive marketplace. In case you have not done this type of research before, do not worry. There are research partners out there that can help you handle the heavy lifting and probably deliver a reliable interpretation of your research findings. Be sure to choose the most reliable research partner out there because this could make all the difference between effective B2B marketing research and an unreliable one