News - Page 12 of 16

Chasing the Sun #Santa Monica

ENKI Team September 5, 2019

Nektar Baziotis has come a long way in his journey to being at the helm of one of the leading IT companies, specialized in web and mobile app for local businesses on the Westside. Photo: Courtesy.

A 17-country journey to create one of the Westside’s leading tech companies

By Sam Catanzaro, Santa Monica Mirror

Nektar Baziotis has come a long way in his journey to being at the helm of one of the leading IT companies, specialized in web and mobile app for local businesses on the Westside: over the course of two decades Nektar has managed over 300 projects in 17 countries, but from the moment he stepped into Santa Monica, Nektar knew the city had something special.

“When I first came in Santa Monica, I fell in love with the city. In Santa Monica people are smiling and happy, even when you just meet them randomly on the streets,” Nektar said.

Nektar is the founder of a tech, web and mobile app development company called ENKI Technologies based in the iconic 100 Wilshire building in Santa Monica. Since founding ENKI in 2015, Nektar says the company has seen economic growth, thanks in part to the people who make up Santa Monica, which Nektar says make it an ideal environment for a burgeoning startup.

“In the last few years we have seen an economic growth and a focus on green initiatives. The mentality of the city, the people, the opportunities to collaborate for the good of all are what most attracts us. Santa Monica is the new tech innovation hub. From large companies to startups, we all focus on expansion, hiring more and being innovative,” Nektar said. “For ENKI, we are in the center of a revolution in IT and we want to contribute to and be part of the success of the people, the businesses and the City of Santa Monica.”

Some examples of local businesses ENKI has helped thrive in the digital environment include Pacific Park, City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra and ExpertDojo on of the largest accelerators in Santa Monica and LA. For Pacific Park, ENKI built their system for online tickets and their new website. For the City of Santa Monica and the Chamber, ENKI has and successfully organized three career fairs (in 2017 and 2018) that attracted 5,000 job seekers and 100 companies.

On top of delivering results to many Westside businesses, Nektar has an extensive history of results delivering to international organizations abroad, including the European Commission, the European Parliament and the United Nations (UN).

“Working with the European Commission and the UN definitely made us focus more on user experience and security. We had to identify all possibilities during the specification phase to make it possible. Above all, we learned that no matter the size of the project, we should approach them all strategically, as the dynamics and demands for delivery are always similar,” Nektar said.

Whether working with an international organization or with a local small business in the Westside, Nektar’s and ENKI’s approach remains the same.

“We care about our reputation, which means we care about earning the trust of our clients and maintaining the relationships we build. Our target is to create strong relationships, contribute to the success of the business and deliver a unique design, great tech and customized strategy for each of our clients or partners,” Nektar said.

In the midst of a career that has taken Baziotis to nearly every corner of the world, the well-traveled tech-maestro sees Santa Monica and the Westside as the place he wants to continue working to help thrive.

“I am a traveller, and I followed the sun to the west! When I was a kid, my grandfather was always saying that America is the land of the free. The US Government and military have helped Greece significantly in the modern era to reach independence. California for me is the epitome of freedom, respect for each other and evolution. In my mind and heart, there is no other place I would rather be and contribute too,” Nektar said.

Nektar Baziotis is an entrepreneur and IT project manager based in Santa Monica, President of ENKI Technologies. He has managed and successfully delivered to various institutes and organizations, including the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and public and private sector partners and clients in the United States. For more information, visit https://dev.enki.tech/ or call (213) 814-2332 or follow at twitter.com/enkitechi/ and linkedin.com/in/nektariosbaziotis.

Interview with Nathan Smithson of Pacific Park

ENKI Team August 30, 2019

ENKI Tech Express Chats

Bringing you quick, business+tech soundbites in Silicon Beach

Today’s Guest: Nathan Smithson, Director of Marketing and Business Development

Nathan reveals to us his secret sauce to @pacpark marketing success and how tech has impacted his business. #smpacpack #pacpark #webdesign #mobiledesign #funinthesun #marketingtech #enkitech #siliconbeach

Want to join in on the fun? Visit https://tickets.pacpark.com to purchase wristbands, you can ride all 12 rides as many times as you want! Watch the video below to see other fun activities you can do!

[norebro_text css_class=”sm-contact”]

customersupport@pacpark.com

Pacific Park

Mindy of Enki Technologies joins Founder / CEO Brian Mac Mahon of Expert Dojo for a quick Q&A on tech start-up advice and his start-up accelerator business #ExpertDojo in the heart of Santa Monica—the new Silicon Beach. #techstartup #startup #enkitech #newbusinessadvice

info@expertdojo.com

Expert Dojo

In the 21st century, existing brands and hopeful entrepreneurs are beginning to rethink how they market their customers. In an increasingly interconnected world, standard customer service will not cut it anymore. For customers, it is essential to feel prioritized by the brands that they consume. Human beings are not robots. Our emotions drive us. And what we buy is influenced by how we feel. Therefore, any business that hopes to survive must create a customer experience that is in tune with their customers’ feelings.

Let’s take retail stores, for example. Shopping in retail stores can be hectic and exhausting, and most of us, even those who love to shop, would not want to waste time in a chaotic and anxiety-inducing environment. With tech companies like Amazon and eBay paving the way for online shopping everywhere, many of us have chosen to skip the hassle of shopping in person altogether. If retail stores want to keep up, they must become emotionally and digitally intelligent. How your customers feel when they enter your store will significantly impact whether they purchase from your store. Though online shopping is quite popular, most of us still want to feel and see the product in person before buying. Stores with an online shopping option provide a relaxing in-store atmosphere and make it their mission to ensure that customers are well tended to throughout their shopping journey are more likely to see higher sales.

Creating an emotionally intelligent brand makes customers feel part of an experience, not just part of a transaction. Brands must be accessible to their customers on the internet and through smart devices in the digital age. Brands like Nordstrom have decided to revamp their company to suit the digital generation by introducing their new retail store, “Nordstrom Neighborhood.” Unlike a traditional retail store, Nordstrom Neighborhood does not house its products in-house. Instead, Nordstrom Neighborhood accompanies Nordstrom’s e-store, allowing customers to purchase their items online. Within a couple of hours, those products are made available for pick-up in the Nordstrom Neighborhood. For those of us with busy schedules and not enough time to go to the mall, an innovation like this allows them to purchase and pick up their products online seamlessly and in-person on their own time.

Having a human element to business is necessary for any brand that hopes to be lucrative. Technological innovation has made companies aware of just who their customers are, what they feel, and how to best interact with them.

As the digital economy grows, businesses must increase their online revenues if they hope to survive. Ecommerce sales made up about 10% of all retail sales in the US in 2018. Consumers spent more than $157 billion online, up 15% from the previous year, making online retail a very lucrative market for businesses to invest in. Online retail is expected to grow at a steady pace of 15.6 percent every year for the foreseeable future. Many companies have noticed this trend and have begun creating apps specifically to sell products online. E-commerce giants such as Amazon have greatly benefited from their app, making purchasing easy and fast for their customers. That said, for many businesses, online retail is more accessible said than done. Companies fail to generate online revenue because they do not have a proper business plan in place. It is easy to photograph a product or write a description of a service, upload it online, and set a price for said product or service. However, it is much harder to get people interested in buying it. If one does not analyze the needs and demands of the markets they wish to enter, they may waste their time selling products no one wants.

Honesty is the Best Policy

It might be our instinct to try and embellish the truth about the products and services we hope to sell, but this sort of strategy can quickly backfire on us. Online consumers want to know that what they are purchasing is real and worth the price they are paying for it. Online thrifting is becoming an increasingly popular way for consumers to get high-quality fashion for affordable prices. The resale retail market has grown 21 times faster than the traditional retail market, with reselling apps like Thredup leading the charge in the online retail market. Consumers know that they are purchasing previously owned clothing. That said, sellers who are hoping to turn a profit on their clothes should be honest about the condition of the material and fair with the price they sell it at. A designer handbag (i.e., Gucci) is not worth 100 dollars if there is a hole in the bottom of it. People want to know that they are buying a quality product for a fair price. Even used products can generate revenue if the seller is honest about the condition the item is in. If you are selling a previously own product, make sure that it is in workable condition, do not sell people products that are broken. When describing the said product, phrases like ‘gently used’ and ‘slightly worn’ will give potential customers an idea of the product’s state before purchase.

Invest in Advertising

Every day, hundreds of millions of people worldwide utilize the Google search engine. Whether it is for online shopping or for looking up random facts on extinct organisms, the vast majority of people at some point in the day have their attention online, creating an opportunity for companies to find potential customers. Businesses hoping to make a sale need to be where their customers are. They must have a presence online. That said, a website alone is not enough. Luckily for these companies, many search engines come with built-in features that allow them to reach their potential customers more efficiently and increase their chances of making a potential sale. Google AdWords is a built-in online advertisement feature in the Google search engine that helps businesses to feature their products and services more prominently online. A company can pay for a Google Ad. The algorithms within the search engine will generate a search page featuring that business, product, or service at or near the top of the search page when a potential customer enters a specific keyword or phrase into the search bar. Companies should be precise with the keywords they choose to attach to their product or service. Too many general keywords can mean that even though your product or services may be featured a lot, the consumers receiving the advertisement will be less likely to purchase the product or service. For example, if you are a razor company that hopes to sell its razors online, you might want to buy an ad on Google AdWords and choose keywords such as razor, beauty, health, hair, hairstyle, groom, grooming, etc. The more targeted the ad and keywords are, the more likely your ads will reach a consumer who will purchase your product or service.

Testimonials Build Trust

One way to get customers interested in what you are selling online is through customers. Word of mouth is one of the oldest and most effective ways that businesses have made a sale. Think about it; we are more likely to purchase if our friend or neighbor swears by the product. The words of the people we trust have much more impact on our purchasing habits than just an ad. Unlike an ad, a testimonial can feature a person’s honest experience with a product or service. People are much more likely to connect with your business if they believe that what they are getting is the real deal and verified by others. Companies can use the social media networks of their customers to their advantage, building up an audience that trusts their friends’ opinions on and experiences with different products and services. In addition, professional accreditation’s from government organizations or citizens bureaus will help build up the reputation of your business as one that can and should be trusted.

Buy It! And Buy It Now!

Statistics show that at least 75% of e-commerce website visits do not end up in a purchase. Most people tend to browse the Internet with no intention of buying anything. But a business can change that by creating a sense of urgency within their customers. Offering potential customers coupons and limited-time deals can help to increase this urgency. Many retail apps offer their customers free items or items at a reduced price for simply downloading their app. These special deals will look more enticing to potential customers, as they will allow them to save money on a product or service and get acquainted with the brand. Having a select range of items and a limited time to purchase said items will also increase that urgency. When given too many choices, people tend to forgo a purchase, but if they have a narrower field to choose from and the potential of a great deal at their fingertips, they are much more likely to spend their money on it.

Make it Easy and Accessible.

The worst parts of shopping in person are the long lines and slow customer service. An increasing majority of people are choosing to forgo the in-person process and shop from the comfort of their homes. Purchasing an item from a website or app should be easy and seamless for all potential customers. An overly complex checkout process is a turn-off. Simplifying the process keeps the customers’ needs in mind and increases the likelihood of revisiting your e-store. Amazon allows its customers to track their order until it arrives at their door and enables them to return their items in the mail for free. When a customer shops online, they should not have to go through the hassle of slow service. Have a simple form with which they can fill out essential purchasing information and have a number they can call or text, an email, and a social media handle they can message if they have any problems or inquiries. Make purchasing easy and customer service plentiful.

Chasing the Sun #Santa Monica

Interview with Nathan Smithson of Pacific Park

Interview with Brian of Expert Dojo

Brands are Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Their Business Strategy

How to Increase Online Sales on Your App

BE THE LIGHT!

ENKI Inc.