FCC Will Only Consider Legal Arguments in Favor of Net Neutrality: Newsletter November 24, 2017

Net neutrality is a big discussion topic this week. At FE International, we feel strongly about keeping net neutrality in place in the US. If you do too, we would encourage you to write in and express legal considerations for not getting rid of net neutrality. The FCC announced this week that despite receiving a record-breaking number of letters from internet users they will only consider letters detailing legal reasoning in favor of keeping net neutrality, and will not take into account letters which merely include opinions on why net neutrality should remain in effect.

In e-commerce news, Deloitte has released their holiday shopping survey, which predicts that 91% of shoppers will shop online, as well as 85% in stores, this holiday season. Of 1,200 respondents, 75% plan to shop between Thanksgiving Thursday and Cyber Monday. Further, 55% plan to learn about holiday deals by looking on retailers’ websites, so be sure to have all promotions clearly visible on the homepage spread.

Online business news this week saw Skype release its Skype Professional account, which will help contractors manage appointments, receive payments and keep records all in one place. The management system will reportedly be most useful not for larger corporations, but for small-scale service providers who contract their work remotely.

Featured in content site listings this week is a $225K affiliate site in the sports and recreation niche, with a strong compound annual growth rate of c.35% from mid-2016 to mid-2017, website traffic of c.512,000 sessions in the last year, rankings for over 5,800 keywords, and low owner involvement. If you are interested in this listing don’t hesitate to reach out as we have received several offers to date.

If you have been thinking of starting an online business but are skeptical as to whether it’s a good long-term exit option, or even if you’re just wondering what buyers look for in an online investment, Founder Thomas Smale has your answer. He recently published a post addressing these questions in Website Magazine, where he covers the different types of online business models and how to build a valuable online business.

In event news, the FE team is looking forward to hosting our Monthly Boston E-Commerce Meetup at WeWork South Station–with a twist! On Wednesday December 20, FE is decking the halls for a Holiday Networking social. RSVP here to come enjoy the holiday season with cohorts in your industry and chat about what trends we’re all looking forward to in 2018. We will also be in SaaS North in Ottawa on November 30th, and are excited to see some familiar faces there. If you will be in the area and would like to meet up, reach out in a reply to this email so we can coordinate a time for some one-on-one meetings.

Continue reading below for more on net neutrality, Skype’s new Professional account, and Deloitte’s holiday shopping predictions.
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Deal Highlights

Featured:

Affiliate – Sports & Recreation – $6.3K gross/mo

  • Strong and consistent revenue growth with a CAGR of c.35% between September 2016 and August 2017
  • Strong and stable traffic with c.512,000 sessions over the trailing 12 months
  • Diversified revenues across three interconnected businesses
  • Keyword rankings for c.5,800 keywords
  • Low owner involvement

Yearly net profit: $72,000
Asking price: $225,000

Sold:

Software – Website Maintenance & Development – $1.2K gross/mo

Display Advertising – 10 Year Education/Scholarship Resource – $31K gross/mo

Affiliate – Gardening – $1.7K gross/mo

Affiliate – Lifestyle – $1K gross/mo​

Affiliate – Outdoor Games – $2.7K gross/mo

In the News…

FCC Not Interested in Opinions on Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is causing quite a stir after receiving 22 million outraged comments on the net neutrality debate.

According to a call with reporters, a senior official claims a majority of them are form letters, using the exact same wording and submitted using fake emails. The commission will not consider public comments unless there is a serious, unique legal argument. That is, in order to be taken into consideration, a letter to the FCC in favor of net neutrality must come from a real email address, have unique wording, and make a case for regulations on a legal basis rather than simply opinion. This makes arguing for net neutrality much more difficult, as most people are not familiar enough with internet regulations to offer a one-of-a-kind take on the legal reasons the FCC should maintain net neutrality.

Consumers are understandably upset as their opinions are not being taken seriously and that their consumer protection is being abandoned. However, if you are hoping to make a difference, spamming won’t be a good idea. In order for a comment on net neutrality to be fully considered, it should be thoughtful and come with a solid argument backed with research.

Skype Makes Organization Easier for Contracted Workers

To elevate the user experience and expand their target market, Skype just launched their Skype Professional Account, which is separate from the existing Skype for Business.

Instead of offering new features that target corporations, the new account provides brand new features for small service providers who make money remotely through the internet, such as tutors, online coaches and freelancers. Skype Professional eases their business management process, where they can manage everything from scheduling appointments to taking notes in one place. Instead of using different services for each management task, users are able to communicate with clients or instructors, make appointments, record notes and even make payments through Skype Professional. Hence, both service providers and clients can save time and resources with this service.

During the early stages of launching, Skype Professional will be free to use; users will likely be charged after that.

Deloitte’s Holiday Shopping Predictions 

In a new holiday shopping survey released by Deloitte, 91% of shoppers surveyed plan to shop online this holiday weekend. The survey included 1,200 respondents, 75% of whom plan to shop in store or online this weekend.

The results showing 91% of shoppers planning to browse holiday online deals come after several previous reports indicating a similar preference for online shopping this holiday season. Interestingly, this survey shows that while 91% of shoppers plan to shop online, 85% also plan to shop in-store. E-commerce business owners should also note that 65% of shoppers plan to take advantage of early Black Friday deals online. This tactic of releasing sales early-on is becoming more and more popular, and Deloitte’s new survey confirms the effectiveness of this tactic. Email marketing, eye-catching website promotions on home pages, and social media marketing should likely all be in full force as business owners work to grab consumers’ attention.

Whether you tried this tactic this year or simply aim to employ it next year, we want to know how it worked out!