Sell stuff online, with video… The e-catalogue is here… Super fund earnings keep climbing… Free SMS [with ads]… Franchise skills shortage

• Sell stuff online, with video
• The e-catalogue is here
• Super funds earnings climb
• Free SMS, with ads
• Franchise skills shortage
• Quote of the day

Sell your stuff with your own video ad

A new website called Realpeoplerealstuff.com is taking the eBay idea to a whole new level by adding video, according to online trendsters Springwise.

Like eBay, Realpeoplerealstuff.com is an online selling platform through which people can offload their surplus stuff. What’s new is its use of video – with a few clicks of a mouse, customers can upload their own video commercials, recorded on their video recorders, webcams, digital cameras or camera phones.

Not only is it cool to star in your own commercial, the videos allow you to add a useful extra layer of information to your sales pitch, especially when it comes to renting apartments or selling cars and other large items. The ads are organised by category and location, and users can enter text descriptions, prices, thumbnail photos and tags along with their video clips.

Thank you, Realpeoplerealstuff.com: if there is one thing this world needs, it’s more commercials.

Catalogue shopping online

Here’s a way to get catalogue discounts without having your letterbox clogged with junk mail. CatalogueShopper.com.au lets customers browse big retailers’ catalogues.

Founder Paul Reeves told trade magazine Inside Retail that the site attracted more than 3.5 million hits in its first two months, with over 100,000 catalogues being viewed. More than 35 retailers have their catalogues up, including Supa Cheap Auto, Best & Less, The Reject Shop and Clive Peeters.

Super funds bonanza

Super funds look likely to deliver their highest returns this decade thanks to a booming sharemarket. Research house SuperRatings told The Australian Financial Review that balanced super funds will return 15% net of fees and taxes in the year to 30 June. This beats last year’s 14.2% returns.

Jeff Rogers, chief investment officer of Axa-owned financial advisory group ipac, says super funds will continue to deliver in the next couple of years if companies kept up their strong earnings growth.

Ads will fund all mobile use

Mobile telephone service provider mobiK says its unlimited free SMS service, which is funded by advertising, is growing in popularity. The company told AdNews that it has 400,000 users in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Damian Thompson, CEO of mobiK, hopes the company will have 750,000 Australian members by the end of 2007. The target audience is the 16 to 24 year old demographic sector.

Franchise skills shortage

Local area marketing budgets and mentoring from support staff are the key issues for prospective franchisees in comparing chains, according to the results of a new study by market research company 10 THOUSAND FEET.

The study, which surveyed 570 prospective franchisees at the Sydney Franchising Exhibition in March, says potential recruits like to take their time in making the decision to jump from being an employee to owning a franchise: 78% said they need three to 12 months to research their decision.

This is good news for the ACCC, which is campaigning for potential recruits to do plenty of due diligence before jumping into franchising.

There are more than 960 franchise systems employing more than 700,000 Australians in more than 72,000 workplaces in Australia.

SmartCompany Quote of the Day

“Business opportunities are like buses; there’s always another one coming.”
Richard Branson