Why use Groupon Clone?

Recently, there has been an up-roar in the area of e-commerce, with portals such as Groupon, 8coupons, Couponcabin, Sgdeals, GreatDeals and Tip-it. We foresee the promising increase of similar portals as it can be catered to many different industries such as F & B, beauty care and many more. We provide a quick and easy method to obtain such a feature to be added to your Joomla! website, thereby allowing you to bring more services to your customers. Furthermore, Groupon Clone provides a better solution to bulk buying. It provides opportunities for additional revenue to be brought in to the associated merchant through advertisement spaces present on its sleek and spacious UI. Its installation is quick and easy, involving very little technical know-how or background. This is complemented by its user-friendly design in both its storefront and administrative backend. Businesses looking for an easy and effective electronic coupon solution need look no further with En Masse’s full range of features and solutions. En Masse comes as a package that works on all Joomla version 1.5.X, 1.6.X and 1.7.X

What is Export of Service?

Defining export of service has been very tricky due to intangible nature of service transaction. Due to this nature of services, there has been constant confusion regarding meaning of export of services. In Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. v. CST, New Delhi [2009 (15) STR 680], an attempt was made to define the export transaction in services. This case relates to Stay application and hence the view taken by the Hon’ble Tribunal in this case is prima facie view. This prima facie view has also been approved by Delhi High Court as reported in 2009 (16) STR 545 (Del). The facts in the Microsoft case is that M/s Microsoft India Pvt. Ltd. has an agreement with Microsoft Singapore Operation Limited. On behalf of the Singapore entity, Microsoft India was providing services to customers based in India. M/s Microsoft India was receiving payment from M/s Microsoft Singapore in foreign currency. The question was whether it is export of service? The Hon’ble Tribunal held, “The service provided in India was consumed without reverting back to foreign principals for consumption abroad. Ultimate outcome of service having been exhausted in India, there appears to be no export of such services since efforts in India generated service recipients in India only. The benefit of service terminated in India only without travelling abroad. Whether service is directly provided by a foreign principal in India or foreign principal providing service in India through its agents in India makes no difference under Service tax law when Service tax is a VAT and that too destination based consumption tax.”

In any transaction related to Service, we need to understand as to who is the Service Recipient. Service recipient is the person who is making payment for the service. Any person who is not making payment of services to the service provider is not a service recipient in the eyes of service provider. Further, service provider is not raising any bill to the person who is not paying for the services, and hence he cannot collect service tax from that so called service recipient. In the present case there are two transactions. Microsoft India is providing services to Microsoft Singapore. This is export of service. Various persons in India are receiving services from Microsoft Singapore, and they may be liable to pay Service Tax through reverse charge method under Section 66A of the Finance Act. The distinction between Service Recipient who is paying from the service, and persons actually availing benefit of these service are always different. A corporation, who generally pays for the services cannot avail benefit of most of the services- it cannot stay in hotels, or travel. It cannot use software also. The persons actually availing these services are different from corporation. It appears that in the present case these points were not considered and I am sure at the time of final disposal of the case, these issues will be examined.

Export of Service Rules, 2005 defines export of services in two parts. Rule 3(1) defines export of services in terms of places where services are provided or received. Rule 3(2) defines export of services in terms of payment received in foreign exchange. It is to be noted here that Rule 3(1) and 3(2) are independent of each other, i.e. a provision of service is export of service if it satisfies either the definition of 3(1) and 3(2). Export of anything (goods or services) and receipt of payment in foreign exchange are two entirely different things, governed by different statute. Export is governed by trade & revenue statutes, where as receipt of payment is governed by Foreign Exchange Management Act. Thus there can be export f goods and services, without receipt of payment in foreign exchange. In custom parlance, connected with export of goods, it is well known in terms of waiver of Guaranteed Receipt given by the authorized dealers. Let us take a simple example. Jet airways provides air travel services from London to Newyork. An Resident Indian national book an air ticket. Obviously the Indian national is required to make payment to the Service provider in Indian Rupees. Is it export of Service? Obviously yes. Irrespective of the fact that payment is received in Indian Rupee, it is an export of service. These types of cases are covered in Rule 3(1) of the Export of Services Rule, 2005. Rule 3(2) of the Export of Services Rules defines what we understand as “deemed export”. It reads as, “The provision of any taxable service specified in sub-rule (1) shall be treated as export of service when the following conditions are satisfied, namely……….” The term treated as export of service is very important. What Rule 3(1) defines is export of service, whereas Rule 3(2) defines as something which may not be export of service, but shall be treated as export of service. Let us take another example of Jet Airways. It provides air travel service from Delhi to Mumbai. Say, a person based in London book a ticket for this service. Obviously he will pay in foreign exchange. Is it export of service? In terms of Rule 3(1), it is not export of service but due to deeming definition of Rule 3(2) of Export of Service Rules, it is export of service. The concept of export and deemed export is well known in tax parlance. Rule 3(1) provides the concept of export, whereas Rule 3(2) defines the concept of deemed export, i.e. something which will be treated as export. When those concepts are applied to Rule 3(1) and 3(2) of Export of Services Rules, the matter becomes clear and easy to comply with.

WordPress Groupon

It is well known that WordPress is one of the simplest and widely accepted systems used for blogs but it is also an uncommonly known fact that WordPress can effortlessly be configured to perform in many other ways including the internet. Its vast capacity for customization and development makes WordPress Groupon a very attractive plug-in for developers and users. Furthermore, WordPress Groupon allows switching between themes adding new functionality and looks to the website without changing the informational content or installation. Daily updates of the website along with SEO friendly options make it a great tool for any online business. Finally, WordPress’s loaded Plug-in architecture helps developers go beyond the En Masses’ core functionality and extend its capabilities with a database selection containing 18,000 plug-in options.

EXPORT STRATEGY

Developing a sound business plan for export

An export strategy is an essential component of your business plan. Keep it simple, but make sure everyone in the company involved in achieving export results is aware of the plan and has a sense of engagement with it.

Why have an export strategy?

Developing a sound export strategy helps you define your export aims and match your resources to those aims. Your export strategy will help you manage the market sectors you have identified as core business. Focusing your resources enables you to provide quality responses and service to your new export customers.

A well-developed export strategy will help in dealing with a range of service providers. It singles you out as a company that has well-developed, realistic goals and programs designed to achieve them.

Incorporating exports in your business plan

An export strategy must be integrated with your company’s overall business plan. Align export activities with daily operations and avoid any conflicts between your domestic and international activities.

Understand the areas where you have a strong competitive advantage. These areas may include your technology, your staff or business systems. Determine how best to use them to achieve your export goals. Also identify any weaknesses.

What are the key elements of an export strategy?

Bring your key export goals into sharp focus – so you know exactly where to aim your efforts. Particular aims could include reducing seasonal demand swings, reducing fixed costs, fully realising production capacity, accessing new technology, consolidating your international reputation or matching the performance of your domestic competitors who are already selling offshore. There are excellent export planning tools available online – see the list of websites below.

Use some simple scenarios

Assess the outlook for your business in the Australian market. What are the constraints on your export growth? Apply three simple scenarios from low growth and intense competition to a high growth situation. Prepare yourself for a range of marketing contingencies to help assure yourself of your company’s ability to meet varying levels of resource commitment and market demand.

It’s not complex

The best export strategy is concise and simple. It involves on-going discipline to assess why your company should export and how you will achieve your goals. Make sure your objectives are clear and that all staff involved in export contribute to the strategy.

Useful websites

Business Victoria 

The Victorian Government website will take you through two sample export strategies and provides a good template to construct your own.

Digitalbusiness.gov.au 

This website provides guidance for small businesses, not-for-profits and community organisations to establish and/or enhance their online presence so that they can access the benefits of participating in the digital economy.

Exporting online 

Information focusing on export business online and developing your online presence – specifically for export. Here you will find tips on search engine visibility, online security and domain names, plus free access to three e-learning modules.

NSW Small Business

Lists the 10 key elements of a sound export strategy and provides a sample export plan.

The US Department of Commerce

A sample export plan and data on export strategies is available.

WA Department of Industry and Resources

Western Australia has good advice on export marketing plans. Other state and territory governments and industry associations also feature advice on export market planning and strategy.

Store Locator

You need to put up a Google Map that shows many branches and stores or their distribution points to the public? On top of that, you will need the user to be able to search for the location that is most suitable for him/her. Google Map Store Locator is the solution that you are looking for, with the ability for the end-user to search by area, business services , residential addresses and many more types of location. This component is an excellent choice for users who needs to have long and complex list of retail stores or distribution points. E.g Banks, Food Chains, Post Offices, Fashion outlets and etc. Key Features: - Allow you to define the services for the location. - Categorized the location by geographical areas, thus when user searched by the area, it will allow recentralized of the map and zoom in to the area. - Allow you to categorized the location by different types, so you can filter them if need be. - Search by Area, Type, Services and Address. - Backend Administrator Module to update the information easily.

How to Get Started in the Import Industry

Importing is a great way for you to grow your product line. It will also give your company the potential to earn bigger profits by reducing costs. The idea of setting up an import business seems like an expensive and complicated feat. At times, that is the case. Nevertheless, there are some simple tips to follow to help you take the first steps towards becoming an importer.

Step #1. Research the product you want to import:

Most companies already have a product that they want to buy or produce and sell in the market. However, if you are still in the planning phase, include researching the products that you will be importing in your list of priorities. Remember to check out your competition. Importing products that other players are in already selling will affect your pricing limits. If you want to be competitive, you want to make sure that aside from selling quality products, you should be able to realize an ideal amount of profit after all the additional costs of importing and other possible expenses.

Step #2. Can your products be imported?

When you have an idea of what products will sell to your target market, then it is time to find out whether or not the goods can be imported. Most items can be imported. However, there are certain types of food, equipment, and plants that cannot be shipped from one country to another. Determine which countries offer the products you need. Then, communicate with the export bureaus of that country to determine whether you can import the items that you wish to bring to and sell in your country.
Once you have a list of those items, check whether the products require licenses from the Department of Trade and Industry Import Licensing Branch before being legally imported so that you can make the necessary arrangements.

Step #3. Apply for a registration number and other requirements.

Starting an import business brings forth many legal requirements. There are federal, state, or local permits and licenses that you need before your operations can commence. Since the regulations differ depending on the industry, location of your business, and various other factors, accomplishing the mandatory licenses and permits should be your priority.
You can arrange all of these legal prerequisites on your own or you can make life simpler by hiring a full service, certified customs broker. A qualified customs broker can prepare all the documents needed for importing goods. Make sure that you will be hiring a customs broker licensed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service.

Step #4. Establish good business relationships with buyers.

Because you will be engaged in the importing business, many of your buyers or customers will be intermediaries or distributors. It is important to establish good trading relations with these people to ensure that they will continue to do business with you in the future. Do not take shortcuts when setting up relationships with potential dealers. There are a lot of importers out there, and a dealer wants to deal with an importer who gives them personal attention and service. Dealers are the lifeblood of most import operations; when you run into a product defect or delayed shipping, a dealer will be far more likely to stick with you if they have been treated as a top priority from day 1.

Step #5. Find a financial institution that provides a good international banking support. 

It was mentioned earlier that starting an import company can be expensive. Its ongoing management can be more so. For this reason, finding a banking institution that can provide you with your financial needs both for your local and international operations is essential. A bank that will offer you a line of credit is useful. You will also need a bank that can create a letter of credit. A letter of credit is a way to secure a factories performance before they receive the funds from the bank. This works in essentially the same way an escrow account works in real estate. The bank holds the money until the factory performs, and which point the factory will receive payment from the bank.

Step #6. Find a customs broker that will handle all of the paperwork and logistics of the import.

You want to be in the business of developing, marketing, and selling a great product. What you want to avoid is spending days figuring out customs paperwork, coordinating the logistics of ocean freight, local drayage, and other import related headaches. Choose a customs brokerage service that agrees to handle all of the above.
These are basic steps to help you start your importing business. The stakes are high and although there are serious risks involved, it is no longer possible for any product based business to ignore international trade. If you do, a competitor will do it it, and your business will likely suffer.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Groupon clones offer glimpse of the future

In this four-part series, we'll look at the group-buying landscape, and the opportunities and risks for small businesses considering offering daily deals There are so many similar entrants in the group-buying market today that some have taken to referring to the competition as "the clone wars." Groupon clone's success has spawned a legion of imitators large and small. Hundreds share the same business model: Partner with local merchants, offer a steep discount every day on a wide array of items, sell as many as possible, and keep a cut of each coupon purchase. So far, the idea has proven lucrative. However, as markets become saturated with Groupon clones, new approaches are emerging. Not every group-buy company will survive the consolidation that usually follows the proliferation we've seen, but these new variations on the theme could point the way to the future: limited quantity. When Bill Heilmann was working as a consumer researcher in Chicago - Groupon's hometown - he found himself asking merchants what they thought of the Groupon experience. One answer he kept hearing, he says, popped out. "They were selling so many certificates, that businesses didn't have the capacity," he says. A former global planning director with advertising giant BBDO, Mr. Heilmann is now the CEO of FabFind, a new Toronto group-buying startup that's taking a different angle on the group-buying craze. Instead of trying to encourage as many people as possible to sign up for a deal by setting a minimum number of purchases and then throwing the gates wide, Mr. Heilmann's firm sets out a finite number of deals on each offer, which ticks down to zero as consumers snap them up. This approach makes sense for merchants that have a limited number of items to sell in the first place: The Canadian Opera Company, for instance, used the service to sell seats to a recent production. And while other group-buy services allow merchants to put caps on how many deals they sell, larger players might be reluctant to offer hundreds of thousands of local subscribers a deal that only a few hundred can buy. "They talk about capacity planning, but what they're really interested in is maximum volume," says Mr. Heilmann. Upscale and members-only: What better way to control one's subscriber list than to make the whole website a members-only proposition? iGet.it, a Montreal-based group-buying that's readying itself for North American launch within the next two months, is aiming to take luxury group buying sharply up-market. "We looked at the market, and it became clear that the up-and-comer affluent spender is not being targeted," says Jason Reid, iGet.it's VP of Corporate Development. Aimed at 28-44 year olds who are making more than $125,000 a year, the firm is planning to offer deals on everything from BMW merchandise to valet service to behind-the-scenes access to live events. Its watchword is exclusivity: Instead of taking a cut of the deals it offers, it plans to make money by charging members a $100 annual fee - and members will only be admitted by invitation. iGet.it will be running up against some established players in the luxury space. The New York Times has launched its own up-market discount site, called TimesLimited. Meanwhile, the name to beat is Gilt Groupe, a luxury-item flash-sale site that actually predates Groupon. Gilt has only seen its profile grow with the rise of group-discount sites; its latest round of funding could value it at $1-billion. It says it only admits select clients, though after we provided the site with an e-mail address, a membership invite rolled in within a day. Niche sites: The explosion of group buying has fragmented the marketplace in more ways than one. Not only are general-purpose sites like Groupon and WagJag competing with hundreds of clones for consumer dollars, the model is being adopted by a growing variety of niche sites offering deals on specific ma. Meanwhile, the indistinctly-named GroupPrice.com targets small businesses as purchasers, offering deals on office-related supplies and services such as marketing plans, web design services, software, hand sanitizer. The list goes on: GroupGolfer.com sells group-discount golfing equipment; BookPerk.com group-sells books; ChronoShark.com bills itself as the "Deal a Day Watch Site," though one might reasonably ask how many days' worth of watches the average consumer needs. Are niche sites worth it? On one hand, they promise better results by reaching a targeted audience that knows what it's looking for, holding out the ideal of more conversions from a smaller e-mail list. On the other, a proliferation of software services has made it easy for most anyone to set up a professional-looking group-buying site. Merchants are best advised to do some homework before signing up. Successful group-discount sites benefit from marketing expertise and hands-on work with merchant partners. If a small group-buying site is understaffed, or worse, out there to make a quick buck while the market is hot, merchants could find themselves selling the wrong deal to the wrong crowd - and that's a bargain nobody wants. The Globe and Mail