Thursday, 16 August 2012

Are You In Need of a Florist in Johannesburg?


If you are looking for a way of sending flowers or gifts from Johannesburg, but you have never done this before or are new to the area, there is a far easier way to do this. If you need a florist in Johannesburg, and particularly in your area, no need to stress, as this can be done quite simply online. All you will need is your PC or iPhone and away you go!

Now you can send flowers plus a variety of gifts and experiences from your efficient and friendly online florist shop and where you will be able to choose anything and everything from baby arrangements, gifts for a all occasions including male gifts, something for your new boss, wedding presents, anniversary gifts or perhaps you would love to send a little something to say a big thank you to the agent who sold you your brand new home and who did a sterling job.

We all need to send flowers or gifts for one reason or another and once you have sent flowers through your online florist from Johannesburg, you will wonder why you had never used this method before as it is fast and efficient and with the vast selection to choose from you will never have to fight others at the mall again during peak times such as the Jewish holidays, Christmas and other busy times. Who, after all, can afford to take time out for these little (but necessary) chores in the frenetic world of city living?

You are new to Johannesburg straight from the “dorpie” in the Free State or from the farm, but it comes with many perks, and finding online services and shopping online – well this is just perfect and will save you so much energy and time, although you can also order your flowers online anywhere in South Africa – even from your little “dorpie” and have them delivered there as well. This way you can invest more time into your relationships with your family and loved ones.

Who said that online shopping was impersonal? Never! Your florist in Johannesburg with Netflorist has just become your new best friend!

Monday, 6 August 2012

Selling Online – How Does One Open an Online Store?


* If you want to open up an online retail store – how does one go about doing this? Online trading is really about e-commerce. There are definite things one needs to know when selling online.

* A website should have a services area and a products area, a shopping cart system and a checkout system in place.

* Acquire a merchant account from the bank of your choice. Once you have opened up a new account you will then have two options to make your online selling work for you:

Offsite Processing:
  • The company will have their shopping cart on their website, but as soon as the client activates the payment part of the process they will be redirected to a third party payment access.
  • Once the payment has been completed the client is then re-routed back to the company website.
  • This process is a little more affordable as you don’t require a SSL certificate plus other monthly costs and transaction costs.

Onsite Processing:

  • When you follow this route the company will need to obtain a SSL certificate from a third party and you would also need to create checkout systems, payment systems and a shopping cart.
  • The payment system is linked into an external payment gateway to process the payments.
  • You will do everything you require from your website, but take note - it is very costly.
  • Costs could be in excess of R1 500 per month and also include a percentage of each and every sale.

Merchants can also use Paypal to sell online without all of the expenses of normal e-commerce. This option is perfect for SME’s or for individuals who cannot afford to lay out thousands on e-commerce costs and fees. The negative part about this method is that it can only be used in conjunction with an FNB cheque account.

Selling online is lucrative, but needs to be done correctly right from the outset.

Quirky Shops Around The World


Your one-stop shop offers a modern-day feel at these four spots:

Sydney – Donna Hay General Store

The best thing about this shop is that the décor is within keeping with the Australian Martha Stewart’s famous minimalistic style. The crockery cones in soft, pastel colours, glass juicers, wooden cutting boards and tempting jars of chili jam and chutney than line the walls.

Visitors with a sweet tooth have a choice of baked melt-in-the-mouth chocolate brownies – mmm simply delicious!

Mr.Lee’s General Store and Haberdashery in Vancouver

Crammed from top to bottom with merchandise, this men’s store, which is stylishly decorated with antique cabinets simply overflows with carefully curated goods. Some of Mr. Lee’s offerings include stunning Filson bags and Stumptown Coffee generously served at Ace Hotels. Stop over at the Belmont Barbershop right next door, which also belongs to one of the owners, and pick up a couple of lovely items to make your shaving experience simply delicious.

Labour and Wait of London

This shop is situated on the city’s east end and is a fashionable and eccentric hardware store with a wonderful blend of practical items and fun things to buy. Here you will find ageless items for both the home and garden. Choose pie funnels, gardening tools, horsehair brushes, stunning plaid blankets or if you wish you can even find some exotic imported Portuguese toothpaste – the choices are  endless!

Fait ICI in Montreal

Discover exotic spices from the boreal forest and local organic ketchup in this boutique which can be found in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood. Quebec-made soaps and clever little toy trucks can all be found in this interesting and diverse store. The store has an old-school ambience combined with a general-store feel creating that warm and fuzzy vibey feeling making it a wonderful spot to savour a cuterie plate which consists of dried sausage from Baie-Saint-Paul plus the fabulously famous macaroni.

If it is shopping you love, discover these and other interesting little spots to share with your friends plus a little bit of gossip. Nothing quite beats a little bit of retail therapy in the company of friends.