Sponsored by StarTrack
The StarTrack Online Retail Industry Awards (StarTrack ORIAS) are designed to honour Australia’s most innovative online retailers who set new standards of excellence.
The inaugural People’s Choice Award will recognise excellence in the e-commerce industry by giving every online retailer the chance to stand out and claim the title of ‘Australia’s favourite online retailer,’ as voted by the people that matter most, your customers.
With the amount of work the country’s small business community puts in to match demand, Australians should seize this opportunity to shine the spotlight on their favourite online retailer.
If you’re not entering your e-commerce business into awards like the StarTrack ORIAS, you’re missing out on some key opportunities – many of which you would usually pay big bucks for.
Five reasons why you should get involved today:
1. Reputation
A business’ reputation is similar to someone’s beauty – it’s in the eye of the beholder. Awards attract important eyes and being bestowed with one could increase your reputation. A business award can provide your business with a badge of honour of sorts, a picture or bit of text that shows people that you were recognised by a legitimate body can boost business activity greatly.
2. Marketing
It’s all about awareness in the game of marketing, and boosting a business’ exposure can be a pricey ordeal. Awards provide enterprises with the best kind of marketing, pushing them into the limelight by providing them with accolades and nods of recognition. Earning a nomination will not only create more awareness about your brand, it will show competitors and others with interest in your sector that your business is one worth watching. Winning will simply push all this to a higher level, earning you marketing from not only your promotion, but potentially from news outlets and the awards body itself.
3. Networking
Whether you are nominated or simply attending, taking part in an awards ceremony can provide you with countless networking opportunities. Having the right connections in a particular business sector can be incredibly difficult to accomplish. How hard has it been to get that e-mail address? That phone number? That LinkedIn profile? A business awards ceremony – particularly one focusing on one sector – will provide you with an event full of business-people ready to connect.
4. Competition
Being a part of business awards will see a business competing alongside others in its industry, both vying for the approval of the voters and/or judges. Whether or not you win, the opportunity to look at how you compare to your competitors is priceless. How are they serving their customers? What marketing techniques and tools are they using? What did the judges like or dislike? How do you compare?
5. Morale
Those who have put their sweat and tears getting that business off the ground know that tough times can take quite the toll. Small business owners often go without recognition from those in the industry and those they respect, discontent that can often roll down to employees. Being appreciated is a basic human need, and the boost of morale that taking part in awards can provide business owners and their employees is invaluable. Boost that spirit by ensuring you show your employees, and yourself, that you believe in the business.
Being awarded the StarTrack People’s Choice Award gives smaller online retailers the opportunity to gain a competitive leg up on their larger counterparts and with the digital toolkit, getting started is simple.
The top five online retailers with the most votes will be announced on 17 June 2015 and the ultimate winner announced on 23 July at the StarTrack ORIAS 2015 awards night in Sydney.
The StarTrack People’s Choice Award is an excellent opportunity for hard-working online retail businesses to increase their reputation, credibility, moral and audience reach while being recognised for their business efforts.
Voting is open until 1 June. Head to startrack.com.au/orias to download the toolkit. Australian online shoppers who vote for their favourite online retailer during the voting period will be in the running to win one of ten $1,000 gift cards. Terms and conditions apply, find out more at startrack.com.au/peopleschoice and place your vote.
