Groundbreaking eCommerce app celebrates 1-year anniversary

Nov 2 2021

The year is 2021 and following a gloomy period of business stagnation, Malta’s tech industry is back on its feet and is as active as ever thanks to the innovative minds in the country’s tech industry. Born smack bang in the middle of the global pandemic, Maltese e-Commerce platform Lifeboat is celebrating its 1-year anniversary and its founder, Dylan Grech, shared a few words on the past year’s experience and what the future holds for Lifeboat.

On November 1st Lifeboat turns 1! What a rollercoaster of a year has it been. But bigger challenges are sure to come in 2022.

In April of 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was wreaking havoc on the world, most businesses had to rush online. This exposed all sorts of issues with the existing services. The high-end options were too expensive for small businesses, whilst the entry-level ones felt sluggish and incomplete. Coupled with misinformation and a steep rise in advertising costs, merchants found themselves in the middle of the perfect storm.

We decided that we had to help. We had to create something complete, affordable, and we had to do it fast. The clock was ticking. It wasn’t the flashy scene you typically see in movies. It was 16-18 hour days locked up in a room endlessly coding away but in November of 2020, we did it. We had the first version of Lifeboat online.

From day one it was clear, we were shaking up the e-commerce industry. We didn’t have a flashy dashboard or any special feature, but merchants were going live in days. Most merchants were getting their first sales during their trial period. We had succeeded in our initial goals.

Fast forward one year. Lifeboat has successfully helped merchants get back and sometimes even beat pre-Covid numbers.

Merchants have seen an increase in sales of 25% – 35% on average after launching their Lifeboat site.

This didn’t come easy, in 2021 we invested heavily to make sure each merchant gets the best possible service, including;

Deploy a global serverless infrastructure, serving web pages in under half a second.
Introduction of a fully-fledged stock control solution.
Provide 15+ professional templates for free.
Introduction of review and loyalty programs, that are tightly coupled with customer relationship software.
Integration with 4 payment gateways, providing support for 135 currencies, in over 100 payment methods.
and much much more

As 2022 quickly approaches, our goals are simple, yet ambitious;

Be the most affordable e-commerce option.
Offer merchants better options to scale their business.
Automate. Automate. Automate.

2022 will be characterised by features that truly empower the small business to compete with its larger counterparts.

Pricing change

We are committed to being a partner to the merchants, not just a service provider. As of 1st November 2021, we are lifting all fixed fees for a sales-based approach. Merchants will be charged only 1% + €0.25 for every sale they make online.

Verified Partners

Digital marketers, content creators, and other service providers will be able to enrol in the “Verified Partner” program. Through this program, service providers will prove that they are well versed in using the Lifeboat platform.

100+ Integrations

The true potential of an online shop is that it can take a business beyond its geographical borders. In 2022 there will be a lot of importance in this regard with integrations to Google marketplace, Amazon, E-bay, Etsy, and more. However, that’s not all. In 2022 we’ll integrate with various ancillary software services such as bookkeeping, logistics, and warehousing. Providing merchants with a real-time picture of their stock, sales, ROI, and more.

Conclusion

2021 has been about laying foundations. We’ve worked with merchants of all sizes, and we’ve learnt a lot. Now we look forward to 2022, with more ambitious goals, and determined more than ever before, to help merchants succeed online.

We thank all of those that trusted us in a time when we were still learning to walk, and that will be joining us in this marathon to be better.

—-

Dylan
Founder
Lifeboat.app

Electoral reform has to be an open public debate says PL president

Government still indecisive on type of electoral reform

Nov 2 2021

The Labour Party remains non-committal on the type of electoral reform it wishes to implement. PL President Ramona Attard insisted during an interview on Xtra, that the public debate has to happen without imposition and without dictating the direction. This comes after Prime Minister Robert Abela spoke about the need for an electoral reform, but no details were issued as of yet. Responding to ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo, who welcomed the PM’s commitment but questioned the timing of the proposal, Attard remained non-committal, insisting on a public debate.

Cacopardo also noted how electoral reform was not a new idea but has never become realiy. Michael Piccinino, the Nationalist Party’s general secretary, said the party was in favor of a debate as well but stated that this has to be open to the rest of society. Attard said the PL will have a mixed candidature with experienced politicians and new faces, with Piccinino stating that he will continue chasing new candidates until the very last moment. Attard emphasized the LEAD program, which will see more women politicians trained, whereas Piccinino also said that the PN is prepared for a general election and will use the breathing space of a few months to bolster its financial war chest.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Ramona Attard FB, Charles Mercieca

Shaquille O’Neal’s kids can’t understand why he won’t share his $400M fortune

Nov 2 2021

49-year-old former professional basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has revealed that he does not want to share his $400 million fortune with his children, but they cannot seem to understand why. The star has expressed how he wishes to see his kids work hard to be successful, wanting to instead invest in his offspring rather than just handing them the money. O’Neal is a father of six, and is rumored to have a net worth of around $400 million and does not seem to be willing to giving his kids money long term.

Speaking on ‘Earn Your Leisure’ podcast, the former basketball player said ‘My kids are older now. They kinda upset with me – not really upset – but they don’t understand. Because i tell them all the time. ‘We ain’t rich. I’m rich.’ He went on to say how he wants his kids to have a bachelor’s or master’s degrees, starting their own businesses, becoming pharmacists, lawyers or doctors. Anything that gets them working and earning the money. He also strikingly denounced his ‘celebrity-ness’, saying that many celebrities are going crazy with status and money.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Stutteringhelp.org, New York Post

Sexist uniform regulations changed by International Handball Federation

Nov 2 2021

The International Handball Federation changed it’s much criticized uniform regulations for beach handball. This will see female players being able to wear shorts instead of bikini bottoms following years of pushback. This also comes after the Norwegian women’s beach handball team was fined for wearing shorts during a match against Spain in early 2021. The federation stated that the shorts were ‘improper clothing’, in a statement which announced the $1,735 fine ($173 per player). The team’s coach at the time, Eskil Berg Andreassen, spoke to CNN, saying that the uniform regulations could discourage potential players of the sport from going ahead with their wish.

Singer and songwriter Pink also slammed the regulations as sexist, and offered to pay the fine on behalf of the Norwegian team. The new uniform regulations (dated October 3rd) state that female athletes must wear short tight pants with a close fit, with tank tops for women rather than the crop tops stipulated in the old regulations. With male players also instructed to wear tank tops and shorts, a change.org petition also called for the fine to be dropped and for women to be allowed to compete in shorts. It gained more than 60,000 signatures, with the change finally coming into effect.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: CNN, The Economic Times