Nigeria’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the eNaira, is now live following an announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

The digital currency has two applications to drive its operations— eNaira speed wallet and eNaira merchant wallet.

Checks by Business Metrics showed that the two apps were rolled out on Google playstore and Apple store on Monday.

In a statement on the eNaira website, the apex bank said interested individuals can sign-up on the eNaira speed wallet by inputting their details as captured during BVN enrollment.

The details include First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, State of Origin, and Email.

“Your Banks are waiting to assist you in validating and updating your BVN details to ensure seamless enrolment to the eNaira Platform,” the statement reads.

“Remember Your BVN details is YOUR Personal Information, Do not disclose to Anyone.”

Osita Nwasinobi, spokesperson of the CBN, over the weekend, said President Muhammadu Buhari will launch the digital currency today.

Nwasinobi said the launch of the eNaira is a culmination of several years of research by the apex bank in advancing the boundaries of payment systems to make financial transactions easier and seamless.

The apex bank had postponed the unveiling of the eNaira on October 1, citing key activities lined up for the country’s 61st independence anniversary.

The Following are six quick facts to know about eNaira vehicle set in motion.

1. The official unveiling of the eNaira – designed to complement Nigeria’s physical currency, not replace it – took place Monday having been announced last week.


2. The eNaira was developed by fintech company Bitt, whose digital currency management system (DCMS) is also behind the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s CBDC.


3. Two applications for using the CBDC – eNaira speed wallet and eNaira merchant wallet – are available for download from the Google and Apple app stores.


4. The eNaira was originally slated for launch on October 1, but was delayed in deference to the 61st anniversary of Nigerian independence that same day.


5. Some 500 million eNaira ($1.21 million) have already been minted, central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele said at the official launch.


6. Nigeria’s government and central bank struggled with the rise of cryptocurrency in the country, leading to a ban on crypto transactions within the banking sector in February. Four months later, plans were announced to introduce the eNaira


Source:
https://businessmetricsng.com/six-quick-facts-as-nigerias-enaira-goes-live-today/

Sensor Tower has released its download numbers for January 2021, with Telegram leading the pack as it was the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide with more than 63 million installs.

The latest download figure in the month which was about 4 times its downloads one year ago.

India accounted for 24 per cent of Telegram downloads within the past month with more than 15 million installs.

Read Also:
20m more Nigerians to join poverty rank by 2022 – World Bank
The second-highest number of Telegram downloads came from Indonesia with over 6 million.

The full top 10 rankings of non-gaming apps worldwide by downloads for January 2021 was compiled by Sensor Tower using estimates from Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform.

TikTok was the second most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide last month with close to 62 million installs.

The countries with the largest number of TikTok installs were China, with over 10.5 million installs (17 per cent), followed by the United States, with more than 6 million (10 per cent).

Top apps worldwide January 2021

Signal, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, ZOOM, MX Taka Tak, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger are the other apps that were in the top ten most installed non-gaming apps worldwide for the month of January 2021.

Store Intelligence registered users would be able to view additional content like an overview of the app’s performance over time and several other performance metrics, according to Sensor Tower.

Sensor Tower has also provided the top app downloads for January 2021 via the App Store and Google Play Store. TikTok, YouTube, ZOOM, Telegram, and Facebook were the top five non-gaming app downloads on the App Store, while the corresponding apps on the Google Play Store were Telegram, Signal, TikTok, MX Taka Tak, and Facebook.

The estimates include downloads for the App Store and Google Play Store from January 1, 2021, to January 31, 2021. It is noted that Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps were not included in the data, as they consist of unique installs only.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/from-10th-to-1st-how-telegram-became-the-most-downloaded-app-in-the-world/

One of the most effective devices in the information technology age is a computer system. Experience has shown that the search for a good system today often prioritises portability and durability. As such, laptop is always the word that comes to mind whenever the need to get a system to turn your office to a mobile abode arises. This is not misplaced as a good a good laptop allows you to be flexible and mobile with your tasks. The world has evolved to continuously welcome more sophisticated and durable systems.

The rise of these portable devices has been further intensified by the working-from-home policies issued by corporate organizations and government to cushion the spread of COVID19 all around the world, including Nigeria, many employees and entrepreneurs have gotten no choice than to have the most important tools to bring office home.

As various types of laptops from different manufacturers continue to surface in the market, users are concerned about getting a trusted store where they can get quality and affordable laptops.

Here are ten stores in Nigeria you can get original laptop devices of various brands and even many other smart gadgets:

SLOT:

Aside its reputation as a dealer in smartphones in Nigeria and Africa, SLOT system Limited also provides affordable and high standard laptops of various brands. The indigenous household name in the mobile telecommunications industry have been in the market for decades and was known as the home of quality products with their head office located at the heart of medical road, computer village, Ikeja Lagos with various branches nationwide and in Africa. You can check out any of your desired laptop devices in one of their stores closer to you or just checkout their store online at slot.ng



Pointek:

It’s a Nigeria leading wholesaler and retailer of mobile devices, laptops and other electronic devices. Pointek is aproud partner of manufacturers of these devices all over the world. If you are looking at getting an affordable device from a trusted store, you can count on Pointek with top-notch customer service in their physical stores across the nation. They also offer same-day delivery, In-store shopping and a flexible payment system for customers’ convenience. Walk into their headquarters at 6 Simbiat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos or any branches near you. Pointekonline.com also gives you the opportunity to check out your laptop choice and order for one.



Kaybec Technology Limited:

When looking for a trusted dealer in getting your Apple, HP, Toshiba and hosts of others laptops brand, you can surely check out for Keybec Technology Limited at Oshitelu St, opposite GTBank, Computer Village, Ikeja Lagos, Nigeria. Kaybec is known for its customer support and after sales service rendered in all of its offices. Just take a walk into Kaybec office to check out any brand of laptop you need to get your work going.



Blessing Computers Limited:

Founded in 2003, Blessing Computers has devoted its commitment into providing high-rated sales and supplies of laptop devices nationwide. They are authorized dealers to HP, Dell, Lenovo and many more brands in the information technology space. They are physically located in Kodesoh Street, Computer Village, Ikeja Lagos with their presence online.

Microstation:

With Head Office located at Otigba St, Computer Village, Ikeja Lagos, and many branches scattered nationwide, Microstation is known for providing standard laptop devices in the marketplace at pocket friendly prices. According to their official details online, Microstation tends to offer in-store shopping and same-day delivery for their products.



PC store:

It is a home of computer devices such as laptops and desktops. Located at Medical Rd, Ikeja, Lagos, PC store provides services such as sales, supply, repair and maintenance of computer devices in Lagos and nearby locations.





WESTGATE:

You might have known Westgate to be an official HP partner in other computer accessories, they are also well known for providing quality HP laptop devices in all their stores nationwide. With the head office located at Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. The company is known for its value added services with minimal cost on the side of the clients. If you’re for HP laptops, you can check Westgate out for all products of HP.



Ritelink Technologies:

Another store to get an affordable laptop in Lagos is Ritelink Technologies. Known for credible, trustworthy. warm customer approach and flexible negotiation. It offers same-day delivery even from Lagos to Abuja as testified by loyal customers. Adding to its selling point is getting to their physical store in Somoye Osundairo St, Ikeja, Lagos to get your device and have a free wifi to setup your laptop.



i-Store:

If you’re a lover of Apple devices, then i-store is for you. Aside from other Apple products that you can find in the store, you can also get the latest MacBook for your daily tasks. Located at Ikeja City Mall, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, you can step into the store to get any of your MacBook devices of your choice.



Amaget:

Located at Francis Oremeji St, Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos – Amaget is known for selling quality laptops and other accessories. They also have an online platform where you can shop any laptop of your choice and get it delivered to your doorstep.



Now that you have options to choose where you can get quality and affordable laptop devices in Lagos, you can just walk into them and get your devices without fear of getting a fake product.


Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/10-stores-you-can-get-pocket-friendly-quality-laptops-in-lagos/

Shelumiel:
This country is full of shit

Àbí shithole

donbachi:
Spirit of confusion don hug dem.

Aswear

Thousands of applicants have been locked outside of the offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) following a strike embarked on by NIMC staff.

The notice of strike was signed by the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), NIMC branch, Lucky Michael, and its Secretary, Odia Victor.

It read in part, “Consequent upon the just concluded congress of the above mentioned association that took place on January 6, 2020, the unit executive directs all members of grade level 12 and below in the head office and state offices to report to their respective duty posts tomorrow January 7, 2020 and do nothing.

“All members at the local government offices and special centres are advised to stay away from their various centres as task force and implementation committees would be on parade to ensure total compliance to the directive.”

Read Also:
NIN: Heads rolling at NIMC as FG suspends officials…
Why we ask NIN holders for N15000 payment - NIMC
FG goes smart, launches App for NIN verification,…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had last month asked all telecoms firms to disconnect the SIM cards of all persons who have not integrated their National Identity Numbers with their phone lines by the end of January.

Currently, over 100 million Nigerians have yet to do so which has caused huge crowds to gather at the various offices of NIMC in breach of the COVID-19 protocol.

According to a communiqué issued at the end of the congress meeting of the ACCSN, NIMC branch, the strike had become necessary due to the exposure of staff to COVID-19 risks, lack of personal protective equipment, irregularities in promotion and poor funding.

They also asked to be paid overtime and given enough tools to work with.

The congress noted that, “Staff members were infected with COVID-19 and adequate measures have not been taken to curtail the spread. The meeting resolved that safety of staff should be prioritised. Furthermore the office environment should be fumigated immediately.

The congress agreed that the NIMC staff salary structure approved by the Federal Government vide Presidential assent be implemented in the personnel appropriation of the 2021 annual budget effective January 2021.

“That the lopsided and irregular promotion done in 2017 and 2020 be reviewed, regularised and gazetted in accordance with public service rules.”


Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/nin-thousands-stranded-as-nimc-workers-commence-strike/

How to set a marketing goal for the New Year
By @harlongdigitech


Planning is prerequisite to achievement. When you’re working toward achieving a goal, there’s a need to develop a plan and work on it to achieve the goal. In Napoleon Hill’s words, “plan your work and work your plan”. Setting up a plan is the first step to success. It’s like a guide that directs your processes towards the end goal.

Having said that, marketing goals help your business to succeed by giving measurable KPIs to evaluate team works and contributions which in turn influence end results. Reason why every business must set a marketing goal to guide the business objective toward success.

Here are key tips on setting a marketing goal for your business.

� Evaluate your current position: It’s important to understand your business current position before setting up a new marketing strategy. The key factors here to help in understanding the current position of your company include: What is the business currently doing? How well is the company currently doing the business? How much of the marketing objectives have been achieved so far?… and so on.

�Create a SMART goal: you can’t stop hearing or reading about developing a SMART goal because it is valuable in achieving your set objective. The tenet of this is to guide your goal towards success. A smart marketing goal must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. For example, rather setting a goal of ‘having more followers on Instagram by the end of the year’, you can make it clearer like: Creating an active online presence on Instagram to have 5,000 followers by the end of the year. With the later, the goal specifically stated what will be done to achieve an attainable objective of 5,000 followers (measurable) within a time frame.

�Evaluate your competitors: competitors’ analysis is very vital in understanding how you can develop a unique selling proposition that will help customers choose your brand or products in the marketplace. Who are the major competitors? What are they currently doing or selling? What are they not doing? How can you leverage on their shortcoming for your business success? … among others. This will not only help your business to outsmart your competitors but will also help understand their strengths and weaknesses which will give distinctive advantages to achieving the marketing goals for the year.

�Study the Industry shift and trends: Believe it or not, every industry is changing. It’s either you welcome the change or ignore it and make others pass you by. Evolving your marketing strategy around the shift and industry trends will help your business standout and attract more customers who are also adopting the new trends. Prepare for the changes in the industry, follow trends, experiment with the latest change and improve your previous strategy to fit into the current ones. Gets insight into future marketing trends from experts, study analysis and reports, attends seminars and so on to keep informed of industry news and trends.

�Develop a marketing strategy: a well defined marketing strategy will help you reach your objectives with focus. Marketing strategy will define the type contents to be shared, the channel to use, the frequency of the contents, the form of the content for various platforms among others. However, the marketing strategy must be in line with the customers’ needs as well as the marketing goals. Deviating from these can be ineffective for the business success.

�Develop metrics for evaluation: Regular evaluation is a key success to achieving set marketing goals. Evaluation gives rooms to understand the success or failure of your marketing strategy that has been adopted. There’s a need to set how frequently your review and report take place: weekly, monthly, quarterly or biannual reports. Also, there must be metrics to be evaluated in giving reports – reach, engagement, followers, clicks, conversion e.t.c. These are the Key Performing Indexes (KPI) to which the marketing goal will be reviewed, redesigned and reported. Tools like Google Analytics, Moz SEO, HubSpot CRM and others will help you to evaluate your marketing success effectively and efficiently.

End Note

It’s important to note that the step-by-step process can be restructured to fit into the industry style or needs. In other words, there is no one silver bullet or perfect formula in setting these marketing goals; how you set goals will certainly be different for each company, product, team, manager, and client. “Nonetheless, simplicity, focus, authenticity, systems and the ability to consider both your short and long-term vision are key,” stated Chloe Mason Gray.

Should you need a marketing strategy drive your business to success for the year, you can send us a mail today or chat with a representative via WhatsApp


Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/how-to-set-a-marketing-goal-for-the-new-year/

The coast is not yet totally clear for public universities in Nigeria despite the thrilling news of termination of a nine-month old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that erupted wild jubilation today.

While ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, announced the calling off of the strike during a press conference in Abuja, he also warned that the Union would return to strike without notice if the government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers.

The Union chairman, however, stated that the reopening of the schools, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, lies with the Federal Government and Senate.

The government and ASUU have been at loggerheads over the reopening of public universities in the country.

Both parties have held series of meetings but failed to reach a conclusion for ASUU to call off the strike since February 2020.

ASUU demanded that its members should be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending the approval of the proposed payment system – the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

However, the payment of arrears remained the most contentious issue without agreement between the government and ASUU.

The union insisted on the settling of the arrears of his members’ salaries before calling off the strike.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Tuesday disclosed that the government has already met 98 per cent of the demands of the ASUU leadership.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/why-ASUU-may-embark-on-strike-again/

One major source of concerns for users of high end mobile gadgets such as the Samsung brand is the cost of repair, particularly of the screen.

To help users of the Samsung mobile brand get over these worries, TD Plus, a subsidiary of Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading technology, lifestyle and solutions distributor, TD Africa, has signed a partnership to provide quality support services to customers of Samsung, a global Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in Nigeria and beyond.

TD Plus has been certified as an Authorized Service Centre for Samsung Mobile and Consumer Electronics.

TD Plus has also partnered with Samsung to offer free screen repairs for mobile devices at fifty per cent discount.

The offer covers the first 50 Samsung mobile users, with interested persons expected to call 08129851224 and 08129851226 to take advantage.

A top-notch after-sales support company, TD Plus is expected to bring its years of premium support and unmatched swift service delivery to millions of Samsung electronics and mobile device consumers in Nigeria.

The partnership is expected to strengthen Samsung’s support offerings and reduce average waiting time for customers.

Further, the partnership represents a watershed in Samsung’s ambition to secure a bigger share in the Nigerian electronics and mobile devices markets, which require an efficient, responsive and round-the-clock-support service to navigate

Head of TD Plus, Mr Karthik Ramachandran, urged consumers to take advantage of the partnership and experience the best of TD Plus and Samsung.

Ramachandran said the partnership between TD Plus and Samsung is a welcome development, adding that it is an extension of what TD Plus has been doing for major OEMs in the consumer electronics and mobile devices market.

He added that TD Plus is well known for swift issues resolution, zero downtime culture and long-standing tradition of rendering tough engineering and support services to clients.

“This partnership holds a great opportunity for Samsung customers to resolve their issues, relating to their home appliances such as television sets, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, irons, microwaves, wireless speakers, blenders, as well as mobile devices such as phones, tablets, among others in record time.

“Warranty and out-of-warranty bound products will greatly benefit from this collaboration. TD Plus remains the support service brand of first choice in Nigeria,” he disclosed.

TD Plus has existing service support partnerships with other renowned OEMs such as HP, Microsoft, Dell EMC, Toshiba, Acer, APC by Schneider, among others.

Sources: https://businessmetricsng.com/how-you-can-get-50-discount-on-samsung-screen-repair-cost/

Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has ordered suspension of sales , registration and activation of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards in the country.

This is in line with the government’s desire to consolidate the achievement of the SIM card registration exercise of September, 2019.

FG orders MNOs to suspend SIM
Pantami
Thus, Minister Pantami has directed the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to embark on another audit of the Subscriber Registration Database again.

A statement signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s director of public affairs, explained that the objective of the audit exercise is to verify and ensure compliance by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) with the set quality standards and requirements of SIM Card Registration as issued by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Commission.

The statement partly read: “Accordingly, MNOs are hereby directed to immediately suspend the sale, registration and activation of new SIM Cards until the audit exercise is concluded, and Government has conveyed the new direction.

“However, where it is absolutely necessary, exemption may be granted in writing by the Commission following approval from the Federal Government.

“MNOs are to please note that non-compliance with this directive will be met with strict sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating license.”

As the Minister has earlier directed in January, 2020, all citizens are urged to immediately secure Digital Identification from the National Identity Management Commission and submit it to the Network Operators.

Why this matters

This directive by the federal government is another effort to sanitise the telecoms industry and purge the system on preregistered and not properly registered SIM cards.

Over the years, the government has established a connection between the spate of crimes, terrorism and kidnapping and the use of SIM card for accessing telecommunications services by the perpetrators, hence the need to register properly each of the country’s 205.25 million active telephone lines.

Meanwhile, it is certain that heavy sanctions await any of the operators found wanting at the end of the audit based on extant rules. In the past, the telecoms regulator had never hesitated to wield the big stick for violation of the SIM card registration guidelines and rules by the operators.




Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/fg-orders-mnos-to-suspend-sim-sale-registration-activation/

The total value of Nigeria’s foreign trade from January to September is estimated at N23.2 trillion, while trade in the third quarter of 2020 (Q3 2020) alone stood at N8.37 trillion, the NBS has said.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said this in its “Nigeria’s Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics Q3, 2020” published on its website on Monday.

According to the report, the Q3 figure represents an increase of 34.15 percent, compared to Q2, but a decline of 8.85 percent, compared to Q3 2019.

Giving details, the NBS said that the import component was valued at N5.38 trillion, representing an increase of 33.77 percent in Q3, against the level recorded in Q2 and 38.02 per cent compared to Q3 2019.

The value of imports in Q3 2020 represented the highest level for any quarter since 2017, it said.

On the other hand, export component accounted for N2.99 trillion of the total trade in Q3, indicating an increase of 34.85 per cent compared to the value recorded in Q2, but a decrease of 43.43 per cent compared to Q3 2019.

Aside from Q2 2020, the value of exports in Q3 2020 represented the lowest level of any quarter since 2017, it added.

“Due to lower exports and higher imports compared to 2019, the trade balance recorded a deficit of N2.38 trillion during the third quarter.

“This also represents the widest merchandise trade deficit since 2017. When compared to the deficit of N1.8 trillion recorded in Q2, the Q3 deficit rose by 32.45 per cent.”

The report, however stated that the predominant export, remained crude oil, which was valued at N2.42 trillion, representing 81.02 per cent of total exports.

It said that non-crude oil was valued at N568.2 billion, or 18.98 per cent of total export during the period under review.

Categorising the imported goods, the report said that imported agricultural goods, increased in value by 21.13 per cent in Q3, compared to Q2 and 109.82 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter in 2019

“The value of raw material imports increased by 24.47 per cent in Q3, compared to Q2 and 114.95 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2019.

“Solid minerals imports increased in value by 21.57 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2 and 77.23 per cent compared to Q3, 2019.

“Manufactured goods imports increased in value by 23.18 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2 and 23.47 per cent year-on-year.”

The NBS said that the value of energy goods imports decreased by 53.69 percent in Q3 compared to Q2 and a considerable decline of 69.06 per cent year-on-year.

It added that other oil products imports, grew by 216.28 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2 and 32.38 per cent when compared to Q3 2019.

As for exports, agricultural goods export dropped in value by 22.6 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2 but increased 43.7 per cent year-on-year.

It added that the value of raw material goods export recorded a decline of 24.6 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2 and a decline of 61.9 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2019.

“The value of solid minerals exports registered an increase of 253 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2, but a decrease of 12.2 per cent compared to Q3 2019.

“Manufactured goods export decreased in value by 47.7 per cent in Q3 against the level recorded in Q2 and a considerable decline of 86.7 per cent compared with the corresponding quarter in 2019.”

Meanwhile, crude oil exports grew in value by 56 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2, but decreased in value by 35.3 per cent year-on-year.

Also, energy goods increased in value by 3.9 per cent in Q3 compared to Q2, but decreased by 20 per cent year –on-year.

It added that other oil products increased in value by 13.1 per cent in the quarter under review compared to Q2, but decreased by 23.2 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2019.

According to the NBS, Nigeria’s imports by country of origin shows goods were imported mainly from China (N1.64 trillion worth or 30.51 per cent), United States (N482.3 billion or 8.96 per cent), the Netherlands (N443.5 billion or 8.24 per cent) and India (N354.1 billion or 6.58 per cent).

For exports by country of destination, Nigeria exported goods valued at N500.6 billion or 16.73 per cent to India, Spain N328.5 billion or 10.97 per cent, the Netherlands N227.8 billion or 7.61 per cent and South Africa N203.9 billion or 6.81 per cent.

By continent, during the quarter, Nigeria imported goods mainly from Asia, valued at N2.58 trillion.

Other major imports originated from Europe, valued at N1.8 trillion while imports from America amounted to N746.4billion and Africa N175.4 billion.

Imports from Oceania stood at N532.4 billion while goods valued at N12.5 billion originated from ECOWAS, the report said.

Sourced from: https://businessmetricsng.com/nigerias-foreign-trade-stands-at-n23-2trn-in-9-months-nbs/

Facebook plans to release its digital currency, Libra, in January, 2021 to offer a cross-platform payment system.

Libra, which is still awaiting approval from FINMA (the Swiss-based Financial Market Supervisory Authority), seems to be more of a PayPal-type payment system that would be more volatile and accepted across multiple platforms for payment.

The cryptocurrency would commence only in the United States and in some Latin American countries for a start, source says. It’s value will be backed by the US dollar, in the form of stablecoin.

“A stablecoin is a virtual currency much less volatile than cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, since its value is fixed. In this case, it will be backed by the US dollar. Therefore, a Libra would have the same value as a dollar – its value will depend on what the dollar is worth,” Entrepreneur reported

The project would also include the digital wallet Novi (previously called Calibra), from which stablecoins could be acquired and operated on platforms liken WhatsApp and Messenger in a way that allows the sending, reception and administration of the new cryptocurrency.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/pathways-for-cryptocurrency-as-facebook-set-to-release-libra/

While not take time to go through this article...

https://www.nairaland.com/6269666/how-small-business-boost-sales

What is Black Friday?

A brief origin of the event can help to understand why sales promotions and deals are usually flying around the traditional media and digital media during this period of the year.

Black Friday is a day after United States Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November, an event that showers the commencement of Christmas holidays and shopping season dated back to 1952. During this period, people turn out for Thanksgiving – families, friends, associates and community members have their time to come together and celebrate. Since there is traffic of cheerful people, retailers and salesmen used the period to sell their goods and services at a very discounted rate in the competitive marketplace. Stores opened at the early hours during Thanksgiving Thursday over to Friday to lure customers with attractive sales offers and discounts; thereby, increasing their sales and profits. This custom becomes competitive and more popular to be adopted into the business marketing strategy by much larger corporations.

The word ‘Black Friday’ was said to have been made by the Police in Philadelphia to describe the heavy traffic that was experienced during the Thanksgiving season in 1961. As time went by, the words were indoctrinated into retailers dictionaries to describe the heavy sales experienced after Thanksgiving Thursday, hence, the name Black Friday.

Why is Black Friday important for small businesses?

According to reports, the US made a whopping $5 billion in sales on 2017 Black Friday, a number that increased to $6.2 billion in 2018 and $7.4 billion in 2019. This year’s Black Friday is projected to beat the records due to the massive shift to online shopping, an effect of social distancing from the COVID-19 pandemic. As 2020 Black Friday is on the corner, this article will help businesses and retail stores to leverage on this year and make more revenue in sales.

Here are the key strategies to boost your sales during this Black Friday for your small business.

Shift to Online Transactions: Your customers are spending more time online having their various moments with their devices, data are dropping in exponential rate about your customers preferences, interest, shopping habits, location and many more. It is only wise to meet your customers at the point of their spontaneous moment online. Creating a special Black Friday product or service offers for your customers who are already online on your website or social media platforms will go a long way to drive sales at the same time, drive more traffic to your page which can be rechanneled to other benefits. With the help of a good SEO and Google My Business, you can also redirect the online visitors in close locations to your online stores or physical location when searching for related products or services.

Deal Of The Hour: Pick an hour during the Black Fridays for a deal with your customers or prospects. Give your customers a top irresistible mouth watering sales splash within a particular hour and see people jostling to benefit from the offer in your digital stores. Giving 70% off for 5 lucky customers to shop within the hour of 12 noon to 12:30 will not only bring more people to notice your offer but also help people to check out your other products or services they might be interested in. Jumia Nigeria has vividly shown this with their sales splash strategy during their Black Friday promo. At every hour, Jumia would give massive discounts on some products that customers can benefit from; thus, directing buyers to their shopping page where other products can also be introduced to the visitors for immediate transaction or retargeting. A great idea to get customers data for further analysis.

Create A Gift Guide: Have you ever seen a product that described who or what is meant for? The seller will unconsciously lead the pathway of the gift in your mind and trigger your emotion to take action for the product, it’s known as a gift guide. You can simply create a gift guide with one or two of your products that will activate the interest of your buyer to get the product or service for the course. Imagine a gift store creating guide with the tag ‘Hamper for Mum’, or tag as ‘Perfect gift for Her’, or even for the supporting boss in office with ‘Special Package for Boss’. However, having deep knowledge about your audience needs, their value and their preferences will help you to develop a better gift guide for the Black Friday sales. Audience segmentation will help you know who your audience are, where they can be found, what they like, how to sell to them among others.

Introduce New Product: There is no better time for your customers to know about your new product or service than the time they slide into your product page in larger quantity to benefit from your promo. There are chances that your new product will come to their understanding and may interest them to take action, which is the ultimate goal. Therefore, it is advisable to introduce a new product or service during the Black Friday in order to create more awareness and more importantly, get patronage from your customers and prospects. If it is possible and profitable for you as a small business, you can also give a discount or gift for getting the new product to optimize interest and sales.

Promote Your Deals: If you want to make more sales during the Black Friday window, you will need to promote your offers beyond your immediate organic reach. Major businesses and retail stores have been flying their irresistible deals all over the media – both traditional and digital; letting people know about their offers and deals for Black Friday. If that works for them, it can also work for your small business or organization as well. Create contents, blog posts, social media posts, copy or short video ads for posting on the digital media across platforms. Aside from posting it on social media, promote your content with paid ads on social media platforms. Paid social media allows you to specifically target specific audiences of your choice. Depending on the platform your audience can be found, you can target audiences by criteria such as location, age, gender, search history, interests and activities, device use, even things like employer or job title. Using this will help you direct your message to the right people who are likely to take actions. You don’t know how to strategize this, consult professionals or agencies to help your business out with a great idea that can bring more sales.

VIP Discount or Referral Coupon: The most effective means of marketing is through referral or word of mouth, especially when it comes from an opinion leader. Getting important personality to promote your products based on discount for their referee will not only bring more sales to your business but also help you to access greater networks. Generate a coupon code for close influencers or opinion leaders around you for your product and watch them doing the marketing for your brand to get more sales. Aside the fact that this will help your small hustle during the Black Friday sales, it will also boost the ego and prestige of your influencer within and outside his networks.

Last Minute Sales Extension: To be honest, you can’t just make all the sales on a single day, you won’t want to stop your buyers from buying at the end of Black Friday. The sales can still be extended to the preceding Saturday, Sunday and even the Monday known as Cyber Monday. So, you need to prepare to extend your sales at the last minute to enable more people to benefit from your discounted offers. However, there is need to carefully strategize this process to retain the trust of your customers along the line.

Conclusion

Having explained the key strategies for Black Friday offers, there’s need to look beyond just the Black Friday sales. Looking beyond just the Black Friday will help your business to rechannel efforts to the end of the year sales strategy which can also be of great value for your business growth. Don’t hesitate to drop your comment, suggestion and question on these tips for further engagement and enlightening.



https://businessmetricsng.com/how-small-business-can-boost-sales-on-black-friday/

[
quote author=bukkysam post=96178842]ah[/quote]

Ah báwo?

Twitter has appointed a famous American hacker Peiter Zatko, popularly known as ‘Mudge’, as its new head of cybersecurity.

The appointment comes a few months after the biggest cybersecurity crisis hits the social media giant where prominent accounts were hacked.

Recalled that in July 2020, Twitter was hacked by a group of young hackers who gained access to internal tools, publishing messages from the accounts of prominent people including Elon Musk, Bill Gates and the current president-elect of the United State, Joe Biden.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Zatko said he would work to address “information security, site integrity, physical security, platform integrity — which starts to touch on abuse and manipulation of the platform — and engineering.”

Prior to his appointment at Twitter, Zatco has worked with many top organizations in the United States in ensuring data security and integrity in cyberspace, fighting against cybersecurity.

His resume reads “overseeing the security of the Stripe electronic payments site.” He has also collaborated with Google on special projects and oversaw the delivery of grants from the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA).

Zatko, who will report directly to CEO Jack Dorsey, will be monitoring the information security, structure and practice of the company. The former hacker will be in charge of overseeing the security and integrity of the powerful social network which will help to improve public conversation.

Peiter Zatko is expected to take office after a 45-60 day review.

https://businessmetricsng.com/fireforfire-twitter-hires-famous-hacker-to-head-its-cyber-security/

Digital tech giant, Google is set to launch a new pay app, Google Pay, with a Live video announcement in strengthening its digital bank accounts goal.

The video premieres today, Wednesday at 9:27 AM(PT) (18:27 Nigeria Time) on Google’s YouTube Channel. The video is currently pending a livestream starting at that time and the video’s description says:

“We invite you to watch live and learn more about the new Google Pay app, designed to help you improve your relationship with money. It’s coming to Android and iOS, starting in the US.

Link to the YouTube page
(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2hL32k7Y0I)

According to Google, “this falls in line with the smart budgeting features that are expected when Google Pay starts offering digital-first banking accounts that are accessed primarily through an app.”

The features of the pay app have not been fully stated. However, it is expected to expand Google Pay beyond the current NFC-based payment to full digital payment system, making ways to personal finance and banking.

Looking at Google’s resources, data, and infrastructure, this initiative will no doubt pull off launching a ‘Google Bank’ of sorts, thus, setting a bigger challenge to Fintech companies when it eventually gets to Nigeria.


Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/fintechs-fidget-as-google-launches-new-pay-app/

WhatsApp Business has introduced a shopping button in its business chats to maximize e-commerce activities within the platform

The newly added shopping button is said to facilitate easy payment and transaction between businesses and customers using the chatting service on daily basis

As explained by WhatsApp, “Now you can easily discover something you’d like to buy from your favorite business by tapping on the new shopping button at the top of chats.”

Similar to the new Shop options on Instagram and Facebook, the WhatsApp shopping button takes you through to a product listing in-app, where you can select items and tap through to make a purchase.

It’s impact, experts say it is huge for small businesses to make easy transactions with their customers since the messaging app is free with over 2 billion active users across the world, presenting remarkable opportunities for small businesses to utilize the shopping button to make more sales.


https://businessmetricsng.com/whatsapp-introduces-shopping-button-to-boost-e-commerce/

Heritage Bank Plc has rewarded the winners of the rendition of the October 1st National Pledge in Pidgin English in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary.

The four patriotic Nigerians, who emerged as the winners are Idowu Ilesanmi (Lagos); Christiana Chukwu (Lagos); Onovo Chukwuebuka (Edo) and Paul Eze (Abuja) received cash prize of N250, 000 each.

The bank slated an online competition for customers to make videos recitation of them presenting the “National Pledge” in Pidgin English and the four best videos were rewarded with total cash prize of N1million.

This was to commemorate the independence and inculcate patriotic spirit in the citizens on the importance to reflect on the past, what led them here and the bright future that awaits Nigerians.

Read Also:
FirstMobile wins Best Mobile Bank App award
Speaking on the reasons why they participated in the online pidgin language competition, Ilesanmi, one of the winners said having being brought up in Benin City where Pidgin English is natural to them and adopted by all and sundry hence, it was golden opportunity to participate as a patriotic Nigerian.

He commended Heritage Bank for the initiative, as Ilesanmi disclosed that the information of the competition was sourced from a colleague’s page owing to the fact that he was never a customer to the bank.

He advised that, young people should grab opportunities such as this which speaks to something they would do and get rewarded for.

“Anyone who is interested in things that will encourage them to do what they have interest in, then Heritage Bank is where they should be,” Ilesanmi stated.

Another winner, Christiana Chukwu also appreciated Heritage Bank for picking her as a winner and she mentioned being fascinated with the Bank’s online applications in the likes of HB Padie and *745#, which has made transactions easier and seamless to her and other customers.

In a statement by Fela Ibidapo, the divisional head, corporate communications/product management, said that the bank considered use of Pidgin English as a marker of identity and solidarity, also as means to promote local content use of language.

He affirmed that the importance of reciting the National Pledge in Pidgin English would help invoke in every individual their national pride of love, devotion and sense of attachment to out fathers’ land and alliance with every citizen who share same sentiment

“This attachment could be a combination of different feelings relating to the country in terms of socio-cultural, ethnic, political and historical interests.

“We are not just excited, but we are also reflecting on what our commitment as individuals has been to our great country Nigeria. Looking inwards at our journey over the last 60years, we believe as an institution that this is the best time to reflect on the National Pledge and what it means to us as a Nation.”

https://businessmetricsng.com/how-pidgin-english-earns-4-persons-n1m-from-heritage-bank/

Good point there...

Kindly read this also
https://www.nairaland.com/6216429/why-businesses-should-consider-opening

For a while now, tech companies and workers have been eyeing smaller cities to escape the exorbitant real estate costs, manic lifestyles, and endless traffic jams in traditional tech hubs. The time is ripe for this trend to pick up as COVID-19 has induced massive reverse migration with employees moving back to their homes, closer to their families.

Another trend that the pandemic brought forth is expatriates returning to their respective countries due to job loss or other reasons. This reverse-globalisation goes hand-in-hand with the sudden rise in the demand for local goods and services. Soon, delivering local solutions for local problems will become essential. At Zoho, we call this transnational localism – crafting localised solutions with a global mindset to create small, self-reliant communities.

There are businesses that are bound to a geographical location because their customers are in the same area. However, if you are a cloud service provider and serve national or global customers, there is absolutely nothing that binds you to a crowded city. With the availability of high-speed internet in smaller towns and rural areas, work can happen from anywhere. For startups, there are many more benefits of moving away from urban areas.

Lower costs give you a longer runway

Most costs are determined by the cost of the real estate. If you choose to be in a metro city, not only do you face exponentially higher office expenses, you also have to pay high salaries to support the higher cost of living. If, on the other hand, you choose to be in a small town or a village, you will be able to set up the office at a fraction of the cost, and also afford your employees a much better standard of living. The costs that you save will provide a longer runway for your company and also contribute to continued R& investments.

In an industry like software, your geographical location is of little importance as you can serve customers from anywhere. With this belief, we opened Zoho’s first village office in southern India almost a decade ago, and even launched our customer support software (Zoho Desk) from there in 2016. We continue to manage the whole product from there, and have recently expanded our efforts in opening more rural offices.

Solving the talent problem

One of the often-cited reasons for businesses to stay in crowded metros is the dearth of talent elsewhere. The reality is that people from small towns and villages migrate to cities in search of better-paying jobs. By opening an office in rural areas, you will be taking the jobs to where the talent is. You can hire and groom the local youth, who can prove to be an asset to your organization.

In Zoho’s rural office, we run a branch of Zoho Schools of Learning, a programme wherein high school students are inducted and trained in computer programming for 18-months, after which they are hired. These students, who are today full-time employees at Zoho, have contributed in building products that are used globally. Empowering the rural youth with similar opportunities will close the skills gap in smaller towns and encourage people to stay.

Cross-pollination of ideas and overall development

Since the middle of the 20th Century, urbanisation has increased exponentially. The majority of the world’s population has lived in cities since 2009. Despite the benefits, there’s also been a cost for this. Around the globe, once-thriving small towns have either been killed by urbanisation or are shadows of their former selves, with declining and ageing populations.

By building smaller, distributed offices in these areas, tech companies can help revitalise these small towns and villages. Not only will their presence act as an incentive for people to live there, but they’ll also encourage growth of other businesses that support that presence. When smart and talented people get involved at the grassroots, they can apply their knowledge in solving local problems. This will help create a better future for rural communities, which, in turn, will contribute to holistic economic growth of the country.


https://businessmetricsng.com/why-businesses-should-consider-opening-offices-in-small-towns-and-villages/

President Muhamadu Buhari has approved free business name registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for 250,000 businesses across the nation.

This was announced on Tuesday evening by Bashir Ahmed, the new media aide to the President, announced the development through his Twitter handle.

“President Buhari has approved free business names’ registration for 250k MSMEs nationwide; according to the CAC, 6,606 names in each of the 34 states, Abuja will have 7,906, Lagos 9,084 & Kano 8,406,” he tweeted.

“The free registration commences today, visit http://cac.gov.ng for details” he added.


With this gesture by the federal government, each small business owner in the country will be saving about N20,000 that is hitherto paid to have a business name registered.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/be-among-250000-smes-to-get-free-business-name-registration-by-cac/

HRHQueenPhil:
Very nice
I wish I had such money to bless their lives
A new Nigeria will emerge

Lol

Access Bank has announced N50 billion in support of Nigerians through interest-free loans and grants to support communities, the youths as well as micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

The bank disclosed this through its official LinkedIn page.

It said the move was to support businesses following the crippling COVID-19 lockdown as well as the looting and arson that trailed the #ENDSARS protests.

According to the bank; “Now more than ever, we remain committed to our purpose of impacting lives positively.

Read Also:
N1,000 Airtel free airtime is compensation, not from…
Cordros announces 3 new subsidiaries
Heritage Bank begins fresh exercise for SPW's…
” In light of the recent occurrences, we will be supporting Nigerian businesses with N50 billion interest-free loans and grants. Watch this space for more information.”

The support by Access Bank is expected to help business owners and entreprenuers alleviate and stimulate economic activities, as well as produce many positive multiplier effects on the economy.

“As a way of supporting SMEs and the working class of the country following the recent damage of properties and livelihoods experienced across the nation, @myaccessbank has rolled out interest free loans of up to N50 billion.

“The fund is expected to serve as a kickstart to these affected communities, people and businesses. #AccessCares #All4One,” the bank added.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/access-bank-announces-n50-billion-interest-free-loan-for-small-businesses/

Italian luxury car manufacturer, Ferrari, has issued a recall of its 812 Superfast vehicles in the United States.

Reports show that the manufacturer has recalled about 1,063 units of the model manufactured between 2018 and 2020.

This is due to a rear window that can come off during high speeds. The windows were alleged not fixed properly during the manufacturing phase. The error is believed to have emerged from the non-cleaned glass bonding area on the bodywork

The manufacturing glitch was first reported in March this year in Germany. Following two more complaints, Ferrari launched investigations leading to the recall order.

Read Also:
Law Union & Rock to delist as NSE places its shares…
The recalled vehicles will be ready from December this year. The move by Ferrari contributes to the growing list of vehicle recalls this year.

Notably, as of July this year, approximately 13 million vehicle units had been recalled due to various defects. Toyota accounted for the highest recalls at 3.95 million units.

The 812 Superfast model is the company’s fastest road-going vehicle by Ferrari. The vehicle comes with a 6.5 liter and V12 engine. The model was introduced to replace the F12tdf.

The recall comes as Ferrari plans to announce its 2020 Q3 results on November 3rd. During the announcement, investors will be keen to understand Ferrari’s plans. Most specifically, stakeholders will be keen to learn if the company will venture into electric cars.

Source: https://businessmetricsng.com/ferrari-recalls-1063-of-its-812-superfast-model-due-to-rear-window-glitch/

neonly:



My brother me I don't even take serious again they betray d trust Nigerian had on them to fight for them
So sad honestly

Yes óò... So sad

pharmagba:
Selfish set of people
Issue on fuel hike, NLC muted
Issue on electricity hike NLC muted
Issue on #endsars, NLC muted

Now NLC suddenly got a voice?

Àbí ooo...