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Facebook’s pop-up store has everything from clothes to burger sauce
The last thing you might expect to find inside a Macy's store is a space decorated by Facebook. But that's exactly what people in Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Pittsburgh and New York City will see when they visit The Market, a curated collection of established and up-and-coming brands that Macy's features as a shop-within-a-shop at select locations. Through a partnership with the retailer, Facebook this week launched its first-ever pop-up store, which is going to put a spin on The Market and feature 100 "digital-native" brands inside Macy's. Digital native, essentially, means they've either advertised on Facebook or Instagram.
Facebook opens small business pop-ups in nine Macy's stores
Facebook is bringing around 100 digital-native brands and small businesses that have found success on the social network and Instagram to physical retail locations. It's opening pop-ups at nine Macy's stores as the holiday shopping season gets underway.
Facebook's revamped Pages help you find local businesses
Facebook's effort to promote all things local is now shifting more toward nearby shops. The social site has launched a slew of updates that should help you both find local businesses and actually do business. It's revamping mobile Pages to help you interact with locations, such as making a restaurant reservation. You'll also see Stories on Pages to get a feel for the company culture, not to mention more prominent access to events, photos and offers. You'll also see related Pages to help you discover other local establishments, although it might not please businesses if Facebook points you to one of their rivals.
Congress passes data security bill for small businesses
The US government doesn't have the strongest cybersecurity policy right now, but there's at least some progress on that front beyond what's happening at security agencies. The US Senate has passed its version of the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, clearing the way for the bill to become law if and when the President signs it. The bipartisan measure promises smaller companies a consistent, relevant and universal set of NIST-based guidance and resources for protecting their data against online threats.
Facebook's latest community push is on-site small business training
Facebook has been quietly supporting small businesses around the globe to the tune of $1 billion. The company says that it has trained more than 60,000 small businesses with Boost Your Business, and that over one million small businesses have used its free online learning hub Blueprint. 70 million small businesses use Facebook Pages, too, according to the company. Now Facebook is launching Community Boost, a new program to help small businesses in the US become more digitally savvy.
Twitter ditches its small business tool
Well, that didn't last long. Twitter started publicly testing its Dashboard tool in June to help small businesses connect with you online, but the social network has revealed that it's closing down the feature mere months later, on February 3rd. It's not explaining exactly what prompted the shutdown, but the company vows to bring Dashboard's "best features" to the community. Also, you won't see all your work undone if you're a user, as scheduled tweets will remain intact.
Square merchants can now make their own gift cards
It's simple: Square arms small-business owners with an arsenal of weapons they need to do battle with larger (chain) competitors. In turn, you, the consumer, reap a variety of benefits. Now, the company's furthering that entrepreneurial spirit with its own Square Register-integrated gift cards program. Starting today, any Square merchant can order custom-designed cards at $1.50 apiece, without having to worry about future subscription, redemption or transaction fees. What's more, when a customer buys a gift card, the funds are immediately transferred into the seller's back account, rather than sitting in limbo until they're redeemed. For shopkeepers, it's a simple, inexpensive way to entice customers.
UPS now lets you use 3D printers in nearly 100 US stores
UPS' experiment with in-store 3D printers apparently went off without a hitch -- the shipping service has expanded the availability of 3D printing services from six test markets to nearly 100 locations across the US. While the hardware is still concentrated in a relatively small batch of cities, such as New York and Chicago, there's now a much better chance that a shop near you has the gear for printing everything from prototypes to one-of-a-kind phone cases. There's no word of any additional rollouts at this stage. However, it's reasonable to presume that more stores will get on-the-spot object making if it proves popular with crafters nationwide.
Square dips into banking with quick cash for small businesses
Square has so far focused on helping businesses take payments; now, it's ready to make payments to get those businesses off the ground. The company has launched Square Capital, a quick financing service that uses card transactions for repayment. Every time someone makes a purchase, a small cut of that sale (on top of the usual card fee) goes toward covering the advance. Square is purposefully keeping things as simple as that. There's no application process, and there's no due date -- if business gets slow, it just takes a bit longer to pay things off.
Foursquare check-ins could have small NYC merchants checking you out with promoted listings
As it searches for ways to further monetize, Foursquare is setting its sights on small NYC businesses -- according to an AdAge report. The social networking service, which turns the process of gathering user location data into a game of check-in, is allowing just a "handful" of merchants to promote from within the app itself. Previously, only big name chains like RadioShack were capable of paying for sponsored Foursquare listings, but the company's clearly branching out in search of new revenue streams. Foursquare only stands to gain around $0.50 to $3 "per action," however, which means users will have to first find one of these promos (e.g., a rave review, image of a store item / meal or plain promoted listing) from the Explore Nearby section or in recommendations and then actually tap on it. Don't worry, though, these promos won't come at random. Rather, they'll be hyper-targeted based on prior check-in history, user proximity and personal preferences -- all information you've gladly given over to Foursquare to give over to its clients. So you see, it's the circle of our modern day socially networked life. Your habits made into dollar signs, all so you can be Mayor of (insert place here).
CES 2013: Kanex introduces meDrive, a simple file server for iDevices and Macs
Kanex just announced its new meDrive, a bring-your-own storage network drive, accessible from your computer or iOS mobile device. Supporting WebDAV and Bonjour, it offers easy setup and discovery. Retailing for US$99, the device is particularly helpful for anyone who wants to bring along videos and other large storage items without taking up a device's limited storage. Meant for use on trips and for serving data on local networks, you can swap out drives as needed. WebDAV allows an easy way for small business to share iWork files as well. The related myDrive management app is free at the iOS App Store. We'll review the hardware in the coming weeks.
Ooma Office brings VoIP to small business, launching this month
Ooma's expanding its VoIP offerings to the world of business, introducing "Ooma Office" today at CES 2013. Ooma Office takes the already existing VoIP functionality built into Ooma's Telo device (made for residential use) and adapts it for small business purposes -- conference bridges, an automated, programmable receptionist, and line extensions are all part of Ooma Office. You can even set your own on-hold music, should that be your kinda thing. The biggest difference from Ooma's home offering is the price; at $19.99 a line, Ooma Office is much more expensive than the residential version (which only charges for the initial base, and not for service), but much cheaper than competitive services (see: Vonage, Access Line, etc.). Rather than pretend this is a solution for large business, however, Ooma's targeting businesses of 1 - 10 employees. "Sound like a big business at a small business price," is the device's slogan, which is highly appropriate considering the device's functionality. The Ooma Office launches this month for $249.99 at US and Canadian retailers, and it works with standard land line phones, cell phones, and "most" fax machines and credit card readers. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Skype announces new 'In the Workspace' platform for small businesses
Skype has made itself present in many different areas around the globe, but the Microsoft-owned service is now looking to enter (and hopefully be a part of) a more business-oriented field. With the launch of its newfangled, adequately-named In the Workspace platform, Skype says it's hoping to keep small businesses connected and help them grow by giving them a free platform where they can easily communicate with potential customers, partners and even suppliers. According to Skype, this novel service has been tested in beta form for nearly six months now, and today it's officially opening its virtual doors to all business owners that are interested in giving it a go -- the link to sign up can be found down below.
Editorial: Square gets the attention, but credit cards rule
Lower Manhattan, Pearl Street, the Financial District. A Starbucks with broad windows, great for people watching. Sipping my $5 flavored coffee, I watched a homeless man sit on the sidewalk. I liked him immediately: his sharp gaze and thoughtful expression. When I left, I squatted down next to him and put five bucks in his jar, contributing the cost of my first-world coffee to the man's case for survival. We talked. He knew his tech, this man of no possessions, describing his favorite productivity gadgets of the past decade, scorning Apple for form over function. He had been living on the street day and night for two years. My five dollars was "huge," he said. I knew that was true only microcosmically. He liked cigars. That's where the cash would go. Meanwhile, Starbucks had recently cut a deal with Square, one of the hottest startup stories of the season, so that people with five dollars to spend on coffee needn't pull out a wallet and ponder their privilege.
FreshBooks small business accounting service launches an iPhone app
Popular online accounting service FreshBooks released a new iPhone app that'll let users keep track of their small business expenses while on the go. The new app syncs to your online FreshBooks account and lets you manage many aspects of your small business right on your phone. Just like the online service, the FreshBooks app allows you to create professional invoices and get paid right from your iPhone. It's extremely useful to be able to log your hours and keep track of your expenses on your iPhone when you are working offsite. If you've completed your work and are ready to close out a project, you can submit an invoice before you leave the client's office. Besides invoicing, the app also lets you manage your clients and keep track of your employees. If you are talking with a new client, you can use the iPhone app to enter client contact information and generate a project estimate during the meeting. The app has a reporting feature that launches mobile safari and takes you to your online account so you can view expense reports, track revenue by client or staff, review team time sheets and more. The FreshBooks app is available for free from the iOS App Store and requires a FreshBooks account. FreshBooks is a paid service with plans that start at $20 per month. There is a free plan, but it only allows you to manage three clients and does not let you add staff to your account.
Daily Update for August 20, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
How apps are helping small business save money
During its keynote presentations, Apple often showcases how educational institutions and Fortune 500 companies are using the iPad and iPhone. Many people don't realize that small businesses are also benefiting from Apple's iOS devices. A report in USA Today sheds some light on how small business owners are using the iPad to increase productivity and save some cash. It's the iPad's portability and its robust App Store that make the tablet so attractive to businesses. With only a few thousand dollars, a small business can arm several employees with iPads so they can conduct business on the go. For example, the iPad lets a real estate agent take pictures, jot down notes, draw floor plans, and manage open house showings. When someone is ready to buy, the agent can have the buyer sign all necessary documents in the field. Though some companies have embraced the iPad whole-heartedly, many small companies are proceeding cautiously. According to a Forrester survey, only 24 percent of workers in small businesses use a touch-screen tablet for work. Apple has an enormous opportunity, if it can reach out to these reticent companies and show them how the iPad or iPhone can save them time and money.
Square intros flat-rate payment option at $275 per month, hits small business sweet spot
Square is most often pitched as heaven for small businesses, but that 2.75 percent cut per transaction is sometimes a problem for stores that are too successful. Enter a new flat rate option. Shops that don't take more than $250,000 a year in Square payments, or charge more than $400 in a given sale, can instead pay a flat $275 per month regardless of how many swipes they take. The deal makes the most sense for businesses handling more than $120,000 a year through the reader, establishing a definite limit to its usefulness; this isn't exactly for a budding jeweler (or Starbucks). Even so, the simplicity of the rate might be very alluring for companies that aren't keen on surprise costs or working out the math, and it's a contrast to the half-steps towards flat rates taken by VeriFone and other, more traditional outlets going mobile.
Ask Engadget: best online storefront for a small business?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Cesar, who wants to become the next eBoy. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I design and make customized t-shirts in my town, and over the last two years they've become pretty popular. I've had to expand to keep up with all the demand, so now I'm looking at taking my business online, but I don't know anything about building my own e-store. What's the best way for a newbie to start their own e-store? I've been looking at services like Wix, but can you think of anything better? Thanks in advance!"We're always looking to ask questions that are a little bit different than "help me pick an Android tablet" and this one's a real doozy. In a former life we once had to help build a site that used POWA, which we were quite taken with, but that's as far as our knowledge goes. Perhaps one of you knows of a truly excellent e-commerce platform for small businesses and can point Cesar in the right direction. Go on, let's be good to one another.
Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office
While a roster of competitors are trying to get their foot in the mobile payments door, Square's busy getting a foothold in retail stores. With Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office locations now carrying the credit card reader, it's available at more than 20,000 physical shops throughout the US -- joining Apple, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, UPS and Wal-Mart. Bringing it home from a brick and mortar establishment will set you back $9.95, but Square's sweetening the pot with a $10 rebate for new users. However, if your entrepreneurial snail mail-loving heart desires, you can still have one mailed to you by signing up online. Eager to start swiping plastic? Lookout below for the full press release.
