New York SBDC Research Network

From MarketingProfs : The Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sale Rule (TSR) includes regulations to support both law enforcement and consumers. It provides the FTC and state attorneys general law-enforcement tools to combat telemarketing fraud; it gives consumers added privacy protections and defenses against unscrupulous telemarketers; and it helps consumers differentiate between fraudulent and legitimate telemarketing. Key provisions of the TSR include, without limitation, the following: required disclosures, prohibited misrepresentations, limited call-time windows, required information on caller ID transmissions, abandoned outbound call prohibitions, billing and payment restrictions, upsell requirements, pre-recorded message restrictions, and recordkeeping obligations. However, with some exceptions, most telephone calls between a telemarketer and a business are exempt from the TSR, and telemarketers often rely on the B2B exemption from applicable Do Not Call (DNC) regi

From eMarketer : A new survey finds that many consumers worry about how much personal information they've shared online. Indeed, a January 2018 survey of internet users in Western Europe and the US by digital identity management service provider ForgeRock found that more than half of respondents are concerned. What's more, they regret sharing different types of personal information online, particularly the sensitive kind.

From News From Me I have a New Concept for the Target Stores: Having salespeople who can actually sell you stuff…and this goes for Home Depot, as well. In the last month, I've had two instances, one at each chain, where I wanted to buy something, the store's computer system seemed to be doing everything possible to prevent that transaction from transacting and human beings were of little use to override it. I'll start with the Home Depot story…

From Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s Office have charged two New York-based operations and their principals with running a scheme to collect money from consumers on fake and unauthorized debts. This action is part of the FTC’s continuing crackdown on all players in the phantom debt chain, including those who sell fake debt portfolios and those who harass consumers to collect the phony debt. According to the FTC, debt broker Hylan Asset Management LLC and its owner, Andrew Shaevel, bought, placed for collection, and sold lists of phantom debts, including debts that were fabricated by the defendants or disputed by consumers. Hylan placed these phony debts for collection with several collection agencies, including Worldwide Processing Group LLC and its owner, Frank A. Ungaro, Jr., who collected on the fake debts and used illegal tactics to do so. The complaint alleges that Hylan was aware the debt was fabricated. Much of it w

By Catherine Metcalf When you run a business, it’s important to control expenses so that you can remain profitable. However, unexpected costs can arise that throw off the balance. Employee injuries can be one of the most disruptive things that happen to a company. According to one work injury lawyer in Philadelphia, “When an employee suffers an injury at work, the employer’s workers compensation coverage will pay benefits to the injured employee.” However, the initial payout is only the beginning of financial effects that can be felt from this type of injury. Having an effective safety management system in place can help you to maintain your bottom line and keep you in business. Increased Premiums In many states, workers compensation insurance is mandatory for businesses with more than one employee. This insurance covers employees for rehabilitation, costly medical expenses, and wages lost as a result of a work-related incident. However, companies pay premiums based on th

From eMarketer The 26-year-old law that exempted online retailers from collecting sales tax in states where they have no physical presence has been overturned, per a US Supreme Court ruling Thursday. This practice was a holdover from a 1992 case, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, when ecommerce looked very different from today. States looking to make up lost revenues have been pushing for reform for years. This case was brought by the state of South Dakota, but it has greater implications for the 45 states that rely on sales tax, as well as online retailers like Wayfair, Overstock.com and Newegg.com (all were involved in this case) that have argued that tax collection would be a logistical challenge and an unfair burden, particularly on smaller merchants.

From MarketingProfs Email subject lines that express gratitude tend to outperform email subject lines that do not, according to recent research from Cheetah Digital. The report was based on 2017 data from email campaigns sent by Cheetah Digital clients in a wide range of verticals. The researchers found email subject lines that included terms such as "with heartfelt thanks" and "thank you!" had average unique open and unique click rates that were 69% and 38% higher, respectively, than subject lines which did not express gratitude.