There are many, many websites designed to let consumers review businesses, while providing those businesses a free place to list their contact and services information online. Most of these sites will automatically create a business listing for a company, but far too often it contains inaccurate phone numbers, addresses, or other info. It’s necessary to claim these free profiles to ensure listing accuracy, but so you can also be a part of the conversation surrounding your business by responding to reviews. Of all the review sites out there, here’s seven the web presence experts at MORBiZ say you definitely need to be active onl


Google My Business Reviews
The single most important review site to ensure is accurate and active is your business’ Google My Business (GMB) page. As a Google service, it is crucial for SEO and company credibility, both online and off.

Yelp Reviews
Yelp is among the top review sites and business profiles often show up in Internet search results. Showing an active presence on your Yelp page will indicate a dedication to maintaining a quality reputation.

Facebook
Facebook is far more than a social media website, it’s a marketing giant for companies big and small. It’s also a place for consumers to leave reviews. Facebook reviews can be turned off on a page by page basis, but you should certainly have an active business profile to interact with fans whether you utilize the feature or not.

Bing Places for Business
Bing may not be the most popular search engine, but it's still widely used. Their version of GMB is called Bing Places for Business and it works in a similar manner. Verifying your business here is critical if you want to show up on Bing Local search and map results.

YellowPages
The days of print may be in the past, but YellowPages still holds a stake in the business listing marketplace. After creating your free business profile on YellowPages you will be able to manage reviews on this popular directory site.

Angie’s List
As one of the first major review sites, many consumers find Angie’s List to have some of the most credible customer evaluation, especially since they can’t be anonymous. Be sure to set up your free profile to boost SEO and customer interactions.

Better Business Bureau
The BBB is among the most trustworthy consumer sites, as it verifies all reviews. The Better Business Bureau also offers separate ratings of businesses, ranging from A to F, which are independent from the public assessments left by users.

In some cases, managing online reviews can be a full time job, especially considering these seven sites are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to review platforms. If you would like a hand claiming and engaging with review sites, reach out to MORBiZ and ask about WebStar Reputation Management. Our team of small business web marketing professionals would love to share more information about this exciting Internet reputation tool. Give us a call toll free at 855-266-7249 or use the contact form at www.morbiz.com/web-contact-formto get started today.

In response to the latest changes in the COVID-19 pandemic, the French Government has recently issued a decree that recommends only face covering masks with a filtration efficiency of at least 90% be used.

Issued on January 27, 2021, with the Cross Ministries Note updated on January 28, 2021, Decree No. 2021-76 takes on board the recommendations of the Public Health High Council (Haut conseil de la Santé publique). It states:

- Face masks are mandatory in all public areas
- Compliant and non-compliant masks must be separated at the point of sale
- Distributors must inform consumers when masks comply, or not, with the recommendations
- Face masks must comply with one of the following category requirements:

• Surgical masks are defined as medical devices and must conform to EN 14683+AC:2019 (or equivalent)
• Imported masks, with surgical shape, excluding textile fabric masks, which performs at a level that is at least equal to those mentioned in the fourth bullet point
• Mask FFP2 or FFP3 (EN 149 or equivalent) without respiratory valves
• Masks for Non-Sanitary Use (UNS) complying with:
  1. Particle filtration efficiency greater than 90% (3 microns)
  2. Breathability allowing wearing the mask for 4 hours
  3. Air permeability greater than 96L/m²/s (depression 100Pa)
  4. Good fit of the mask on the face, no sagittal seam
  5. If reusable, more than 5 washes

Stakeholders should be aware that these requirements must be checked by an approved third-party laboratory in accordance with the conditions in the Decree. It should also be noted that reusable textile masks can still be used if they comply with requirements in the decree.

The main purpose and requirements are similar with previous version of Cross Ministries Note:

• Care cycle – 40°C (instead of 60), can be machine washed or hand washed, drying can be air dry or tumble dry and ironing depends on manufacturer's instruction
• Filtration efficiency must be greater than 90% (strictly)
• Test method remains DGA method Annex 2
• Updated logo must be affixed to product, label or packaging
• Consumers must be given relevant information prior to purchasing, even for online and mail order sales
• Previous logo for Cat 1 can be used until the December 31, 2021 for goods that have been produced or imported before March 1, 2021
• Mask Cat 2 can no longer be sold as Masque Grand Public
• Data record requested by DGE (on their website) is applicable until March 31, 2021. The obligation ceases to be applicable after April 1, 2021, but may remain voluntary to allow market surveillance and customs to check compliance
• Masks with "Grand Public filtration supérieure à 90%" must clearly be marked stating they cannot be washed over 50 times.

The update follows various mutations of the coronavirus, which may be more contagious and/or more dangerous.

SGS Softlines Services

SGS has a worldwide network of over 40 state-of-the-art laboratories specializing in testing of apparel, footwear, and home textiles. Their committed team is drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, allowing them to carry out a comprehensive range of physical, chemical, and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. SGS helps companies ensure quality, performance, and compliance with international, industrial, and regulatory standards worldwide. Learn more about SGS’s Softlines Services. 

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full France requires higher filtration efficiency for Face covering masks SafeGuardS. 

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Valerie CIMETIERE

Textile Expert

Tel: +33 (0)6 82 90 18 99

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.sgs.com/softlines      

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

About SGS

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

Versatile Structures, a Brisbane-based shade structure and signage supplier in the industrial, commercial, retail, sport, leisure, and residential sectors, won five Specialised Textiles Association Awards for Excellence in 2020. This is the most awards won by one company in the history of the Awards program.

The Specialised Textiles Association Awards for Excellence is an annual event where members of the Association could show their technical skills, design excellence, and innovation within the specialized textiles industry in Australia. The purpose of the Specialised Textiles Association Awards for Excellence is to advertise and reward excellence in the Australian textiles fabrication industry. 

• 2020 Award for Excellence Winner - Shade Sails or Structures - Commercial

For the Noosa Botanic Gardens, a large project surrounded by a well-established tree canopy, with inconsistent footing, and containing precious light and moisture that is sensitive to the plant community brought under budget. In a similar project, Noosa Council has won the 2020 IPWEA Queensland Excellence Award for a project of less than $ 1 million.

• 2020 Award for Excellence Winner – Banners, Flags, Inflatables, Fabric Art – General

For Australia Zoo Tented Camp, a themed structure to represent a camping scenario in the Australian outback completed in 15 days from initial site inspection for quote, to completion of on-site project installation.

• 2020 Award for Excellence Winner - Blinds and Awnings - Domestic

For Peppers Kingscliff, an automotive awning that incorporates a vibration of the sun and wind, automatically backing in and out at the press of a button.

• 2020 Award for Excellence Winner – Tension Structure – Domestic

For Phil's Pool, a custom pool membrane solution that at the same time provides privacy for the property from the neighbouring apartments and keeping leaves from overhanging neighbouring trees entering the pool. 

• 2020 Award for Excellence Winner - Blinds and Awnings – Commercial

At San Kai Japanese Restaurant, designing and installing an all-weather solution to maximize the use of an outdoor restaurant. Smooth, white, waterproof and no posts were the main design methods we had to work with.

Versatile Structures, a Brisbane-based shade structure and signage supplier, offers high-quality and long-lasting shades and provides custom-designed shade solutions in Australia and New Zealand. No project is too big or complicated for our team of experts.

About the Company:

At Versatile Structure we always take care of your individual needs and design according to that with full dedication. Our clients are from both commercial and domestic sectors. Our range of shade solutions include Shade Sails, Shade Structures, umbrellas, Polycarbonate Roofing, Insulated Roofing, Awnings, and blinds. Visit the website for more information.

24SevenCommerce is glad to announce the strategic partnership with Retail Plus POS, a leading player in the POS market. Both the companies share the same goals - to enable retailers to grow and expand their market through POS integrated solutions. Through this partnership, both 24Seven Commerce and Retail Plus POS will have opportunities to reach out to more retailers. And, use technology to help them streamline their operations and manage their storefronts more efficiently.

The POS integrated eCommerce solution is targeted at retailers who want to start their business online. Or, connect their existing online store with their physical store. There are many reasons why retailers want to connect the storefronts. Firstly, it is time-consuming to manage your online and offline store as separate entities. In such cases, the inventory, sales, and customer data are maintained separately. They need to be entered and consolidated in one place. Secondly, there is a chance of errors while entering data manually. Thirdly, there are instances of stockouts and overselling.

With POS integration, Retail Plus POS can take advantage of the 24Seven Commerce cloud platform. They can offer their customers a powerful and easy solution to start selling online. It allows them to easily integrate their Retail Plus POS to all the leading shopping carts and marketplaces.

Retail, the way forward

Even though we are returning to normalcy post covid, the retail sector is still to resume business operations in full swing. The bulk of customers have moved to online shopping. Retailers with physical stores are forced to explore the online sales channel. And, those with an online presence are scouting for technology solutions to link all the stores and manage them efficiently.

With POS integration, retailers can easily set up stores on any of the leading platforms. If they are not keen to have their eCommerce website, they can start selling on the marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc. 

Advantages of POS Integration

With POS integration, you can have multiple stores and manage them all from one location. Once you connect your offline and online stores using 24Seven’s Octopus Bridge, you do not have to keep track of inventory and accounts separately. You can automatically transfer data and process orders across channels. This helps avoid double entry of data and you can save time and minimize human errors. This means that you have one integrated source of inventory, sales, and customer data for all the channels.

Retail Plus POS

Retail Plus POS is a point-of-sale and retail management system. It helps streamline critical business operations, particularly sales and inventory. Retail Plus POS has over 25 years of experience in the POS market. The software includes point of sale, customer tracking, inventory control, invoicing, etc.

Octopus Bridge from 24SevenCommerce

Octopus Bridge is a cloud-based integration platform. With Octopus, you can connect Retail Plus POS with all the leading shopping carts and marketplaces. The advantages of using Octopus Bridge are many. Firstly, you can manage all stores from a single location. Secondly, you do not have to enter inventory, sales, and customer data multiple times. There is a single inventory master file for all channels. It automatically updates inventory data between the systems 24/7/365. As a result, there is zero human intervention. Moreover, Octopus also syncs online and offline sales every few minutes. This helps prevent out-of-stock situations. By integrating Octopus Channel Manager, you can improve your store efficiency and customer satisfaction. It also reduces labor costs.

“With this partnership in place, we hope to work together as a team and unlock the full potential of POS eCommerce integration. Our main objective is to help our customers navigate the eCommerce space effectively.” - Anil Jindal, CEO, 24SevenCommerce

About 24SevenCommerce

24Seven Commerce is an eCommerce solutions provider. We have over 18 years of experience in POS eCommerce integrations. We enable retailers to effectively manage their retail business – both online and in-store. Octopus is our cloud-based integration platform. It integrates the world’s top Point-of-Sale systems with all the leading eCommerce platforms. With our solution, you can track inventory and sales data in nearly real-time. It also enables retailers to offer their customers an omnichannel experience. 24SevenCommerce is headquartered in the US. We also have a development and support office in India.  To find out more, visit: https://www.24sevencommerce.com