Black Friday and Cyber Monday Canada

The long-awaited and long-anticipated Black Friday deals are just around the corner. We know that you are starting to gather some holiday gift ideas or maybe you are planning on treating yourself to some new electronics this year.

You are one of the many consumers who plan on participating in holiday shopping this year. According to CNBC, the average consumer is looking to spend at least $1300 this holiday shopping season!

In the past, Black Friday has definitely got out of control. We have all seen the YouTube clips of shoppers fighting over the last TV or bursting through the doors as stores open as early as 7:000 a.m. However, things are changing in the digital age, and this may be for the better.

Black Friday is beginning to face some new competition from its younger sibling, Cyber Monday, which is predicted to generate approximately 10 billion dollars in 2019. A healthy amount of competition may drive prices even lower.

We also see deals starting earlier and running later as the competitive climate begins to boil for Canadian retailers. Between Boxing day, Cyber Monday, and Black Friday your head might start to spin.

When is Black Friday and Cyber Monday in Canada? 

Black Friday deals may have already been activated depending on the retailer and the type of product that you are searching for. The traditional date that is associated with this shopping holiday is November 29th. Usually, there are additional, exclusive promotions that are announced on this day.

Retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Chapters, Costco and Ikea, are already promoting their Black Friday deals. According to Business Insider, in-store Black Friday discounts often outweigh the online offerings. It is also recommended that you purchase “big-ticket items” on Black Friday as opposed to Cyber Monday. 

If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. If a product sells out, or you couldn’t make it to the store because of work, or you simply can’t justify the existing price, you have a second opportunity to get those items on your wish list.

Cyber Monday lasts 24 hours starting December 2nd and has been deemed as the best time to purchase tech products, especially niche gadgets. Some of the early discounts that have already been released are listed below.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Caddle Members

In order for us to give you the best advice and deals at Caddle we wanted to know how you plan on purchasing your products this holiday shopping season.

We conducted two surveys 1) Black Friday and 2) Cyber Monday, to see if our members are going to take advantage of the huge savings. The average number of respondents was 8,350 and the majority of the members ranged between the ages of 27 and 36. 

Consider these two tips: 

1. If you are paying with a credit card make sure you are receiving cash back or travel rewards points. Make money while spending money.
2. If you are making online purchases ensure that your payment method is secured, keep a record of your transaction number, and see what fraud policy your bank offers.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday: Price Matching

Trust me, I’m not talking about that person at the grocery store who says “I know I have a coupon for that somewhere”. Price matching has become easier than ever with the help of our smartphones!

Most stores are beginning to offer a low price match guarantee in order to keep your business and decrease the number of product returns. Not to mention the accessibility of receipt uploading, browsing digital store flyers, creating a digital wish list or shopping cart, viewing promotions, registering for email lists, and coupon apps (yours truly, Caddle) that are all available at the touch of a button.

Institutions such as Meridian Credit Union have also implemented a new system called price drop. You upload your receipt and the app will notify you about any price adjustments and deposit the difference right into your bank account.  

Black Friday & Cyber Monday: Online Versus In-Store 

So you might be wondering, what platform is going to offer the best deals. The fact of the matter is that it’s actually quite subjective and product-specific. An article by Time Trade indicates that:

“The bottom line is customers value the personal experience of the physical store,” said Gary Ambrosino, CEO of TimeTrade. “We found that shoppers have done their shopping or discovery online, then go into the store to get help with their final purchase decision.”

 

Some products are just better to purchase in-store, especially when it comes to customizable products. Let’s be honest, when you purchase a tech gadget online you know what you’re going to get, the equipment is relatively standardized.

On the other hand, if you are purchasing a mattress you probably want to test out the comfort level, look at the size, and ask some specific questions.

If you do purchase online just make sure that you are able to return the product if it doesn’t satisfy your needs. Some retailers will charge you an additional shipping expense when you return the product, so it’s important to keep that in mind. 

Lastly, there is no exact formula that determines which method leads to more cost savings but shopping online does have its perks. It will certainly provide you with more product selection, increased availability, and convenient shipping.

About Caddle

Thanks for reading our blog post! If this is your first time on our webpage you may be wondering who we are and what we do?

Caddle is a data insights company that has a passion for understanding market trends which can be translated to the market industry leaders for the benefit of understanding the buying behaviours of their consumers. 

Click this link to find out more and earn some cash back from our surveys!

[simple-author-box]

Canada’s Food Guide

We are constantly changing the way that we are eating. It could be because of something you read in a weight loss magazine, heard through the grapevine, or maybe even a new trending diet on Instagram. In today’s technological era it’s tough to determine what’s authentic and what’s just straight-up fake. One resource that you can trust has just presented us with a new guide to healthy living. Enter – the new and improved Canadian food guide!

It’s getting three cheers from some and eye rolls from others.

Canada’s Food Guide: So what has changed?

It is no surprise that the Canadian food guide has seen its fair share of changes since its publication in 1942. That being said, the guide has been in a 12-year hiatus and Canadians are eager to see what changes are being made.

The process has so far taken three years, with Health Canada hiring various market research companies to consult with more than 26,000 Canadians. Health Canada has also held briefing sessions with various health associations and industry groups. – CBC News

As Canadians, we rely on the national food guide to decrease the number of nutritional deficiencies and increase overall health. In the past, it has provided us with portions sizes, food groups, cooking tips, and scientific research. It helps us ensure that our loved ones live long and healthy lives. We can see that the updated guide is exploring a new direction that reinforces a vegetarian style diet (plant based) and kicks the food groups to the curb.

That being said, the food guide is a one size fits all approach. It may not be considering your personal deficiencies, body type, lifestyle choice(s), and you should use it as a reference when planning meals. The best course of action is to consult a nutritionist or specialist before making significant changes to your own diet.

Canada’s Food Guide: Time to take action

The new food guide image conveys a simple message according to Health Canada: Eat a diet made up of roughly half fruits and vegetables, and half of the remaining two categories — easy as that.

“It doesn’t need to be complicated folks,” Petitpas Taylor said. “It just needs to be nutritious, and, might I dare say, fun.”

However, the overall simplicity of the new guide is still receiving mixed reviews and skepticism.

If we look back at the previous prescription approach it was unachievable and quite frankly, directed towards children (you remember the four food groups rainbow in elementary school). The new food guide has simplistic yet powerful imagery that encourages people to make realistic changes to live their best life.

We can now say goodbye to the recommendations to eat a specific number of serving sizes across each of the food groups. Gone is information about what makes up a serving size for different types of food. Let’s be honest, did you ever weigh, scale, and categorize your foods so that you ate the prescribed amount of food for each food group? Of course not, nobody has the time for that!

Dairy Products: So long milk, it was good while it lasted

Milk, for as long as we can remember, has always been a staple of the Canadian diet. Its nutritional benefits were linked to bone and dental health, diabetes prevention, and heart health. 

As the times are changing we are entering a new era of healthy eating and health professionals are putting dairy under the microscope. Not just milk is under scrutiny, its the entire dairy category! That includes items such as cheese, cream, butter, yogurt, and ice cream, just to name a few. 

Many people are disgruntled with the removal of dairy as an independent category. It has been placed into another category that we can agree may be less visual, but it’s still a part of the food guide. It has become a misconception that dairy is deemed “unhealthy”. Dairy products still offer a variety of different benefits but the traditional dosage or “3 pints per day” is just unnecessary. To follow suite, dairy consumption/sales have also been decreasing for the last 10 years according to the government of Canada.

Dairy Products: The alternatives are getting more attention

For those of you that love dairy you are in luck. A variety of alternatives are at your disposal that are extremely competitive with cows milk when it comes to nutrients, fats, and calcium. If you are intolerant and allergic to cows milk you can still consume some of the alternatives (almond milk). You may have already identified the significant changes happening in the United Kingdom. Non-dairy sales were three times bigger than dairy sales at Whole Foods Market in the UK this year (2019). This means that dairy is not completely disappearing but consumers are focusing their attention on many other alternative forms.

• Almond milk
  
• Soy milk
  
• Coconut milk
  
• Rice milk
  
• Oat milk
  

Depending on which alternative fits your lifestyle, you may be able to decrease costs by making it at home and, therefore, decrease damaging environmental impacts while maintaining sufficient nutrient intake.

Milk Nutrition: What are Caddle members saying about milk?

You spoke up about milk consumption and the changes to the Canadian food guide. The majority of our respondents were millennials (in their 30’s) and from Ontario. Here is what we gathered:

• Out of the 92% that consume dairy, 62% disagree with the new food guide
• Large percentage of the respondents had small children at home (increased milk consumption)
• 50% consume milk for the taste and 43% said that they consume milk for its nutritional value
• 73% of members said they didn’t consult anyone about their dairy consumption

 

Dairy Products: Decreased consumption comes at a price

Changes that have been made to the Canadian food guide have outraged dairy farmers and rightfully so. Milk has been removed as an independent category and grouped into proteins. With milk consumption decreasing in general, it’s worrisome for stakeholders in the dairy industry. 

The Canadian government places significantly high tariffs on importing milk into Canada. This is preventative measure attempts to decrease the market saturation of American products and protect local dairy farmers.

“The Canadian dairy industry is a key driver of our national economy and represents one of the largest agri-food industries in the country,” said Wally Smith, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Canada’s dairy industry brings in about 20 billion in GDP, 3 billion in tax contributions and over 200,000 full-time jobs. The question that we have to ask ourselves as consumers is, are we willing to ignore new research findings in order to support the dairy industry? 

Did you say a Plant Based Diet?

Some of you are wondering, what is a plant based diet? Others might be thinking how can this diet be sustainable long term?

No, a plant based diet doesn’t mean that you have to go into your fridge or freezer right now and get rid of that steak or chicken.

It means that you should consciously prioritize fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes, beans, seeds, and oils. Aside from the array of health benefits that are associated with this diet it also comes with environmental sustainability.

When switching to a plant based diet it comes with a bit of homework. You need to understand what nutrients you receive from the foods you plan on giving up and ensure that you are receiving the equivalent in the foods you plan on consuming.

The best way to get started is just allocating one day of the week to strictly eat plant based foods. Following food guides or industry professionals online to get the best recipes and up to date information doesn’t hurt either. Check out the example!

Plant Based Diet Example:

Breakfast: Breakfast wrap with whole grain tortilla, scrambled egg(s), black beans, peppers, onions, and your choice of sauce.

Lunch: Mediterranean salad with fresh lettuce, cucumbers, chick peas, lentils, goat cheese, avocado, and dressing.

Dinner: Grilled veggie kabobs with green and red peppers, grilled tofu, spinach salad, and zucchini.

Canada’s Food Guide: What you should takeaway from the changes

Canada’s updated food guide has retired the traditional rainbow and four food groups in order to appeal to a wider audience. It has demoted meat and dairy by placing them into categories with a wider range of proteins.

The new food guide accurately reflects the existing research about human anatomy and healthy living, while limiting the biased input from special interest parities.

Some of the main reasons people are cutting milk are connected to the environment, health, and ethics (religious beliefs). If you want to keep milk as apart of your daily routine consider the array of different alternatives that offer great taste, nutritional benefits, and no environmental impact.

This food guide does not spoon feed you like it has in the past. It requires you to take action by showing you what your plate should look like when you sit down to have a meal. It is apart of Canadian culture to cook, talk, laugh, and eat together.

It’s time to put down the processed food that have become so accessible and convenient. We should give the new food guide a chance and see if it can have a positive impact on society and our wellbeing.

About Caddle

Thanks for reading our blog post! If this is your first time on our webpage you may be wondering who we are and what we do?

Caddle is a data insights company that has a passion for understanding market trends which can be translated to the market industry leaders for the benefit of understanding the buying behaviors of their consumers. 

Click this link to find out more and earn some cash back from our surveys!

[simple-author-box]

 

Fintech: Online Banking Adoption Rate

Online banking has seen tremendous growth and success in the Canadian market with an approximate 50% penetration rate. These numbers are constantly climbing and we could expect higher rates every year as the services become more user-friendly.

Online banking awareness is at an all-time high with 96% of people stating that they have at least heard about the services that are provided such as e-transfer, paying bills, depositing cheques and more.

Fintech can act as an extension for the existing physical spaces. For example, you could complete simple, mundane tasks online while using the available in-branch services to make more complex decisions

That being said, with the banking industry still shifting its focus from brick and mortar operations to digital servicing, it’s important to us at Caddle to determine what suggestions you would make to optimize this technology. 

We got to hear from you!

Some of you still may be wondering, what is Fintech? It’s a combination of “Finance & Technology”. Fintech includes a variety of different services including:

• Insurance
• Transaction delivery
• Peer to peer lending
• Loans
• Digital wallets
• Online banking

So how does Caddle fit in? Caddle is a data insights company that has a passion for understanding market trends which can be translated to the market industry leaders for the benefit of understanding the buying behaviors of their consumers.

We took a look at what our members had to say about Fintech. With an average of about 8000 survey respondents approximately 80% of respondents were female, 50% were Millennials, and 40% were from Ontario. We hope that using this sample size we can garner a better understanding of Fintech and help provide the best insights.

Financial technology (Fintech) is used to describe new tech that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services.

Based on the results we determined that our members are not supporters of this new technology for three major reasons. 

1. Digital banking awareness
2. The banking app experience
3. The New Digital Wallet

1) Fintech: Digital Banking Awareness

We conducted a digital bank survey that was focused on determining our member’s awareness and preferences when it comes to conducting their finances online. For this particular survey, we are talking about banks that are solely online with no available storefronts.

We found that more than half of our members were familiar with digital banking. That being said, 54% did not use digital banks and the next best option was Tangerine. All those Toronto Raptors commercials are paying off!

What is interesting is that digital banks have a multitude of advantages that traditional banks don’t. For example, they can offer you higher interest rates and lower banking fees because they have cheaper operating costs than brick and mortar locations.

Fintech: Why not make the switch?

If people are willing to sacrifice earning more money there must be some underlying issues. Banks have invested plenty of money into targeting Millennials and onboarding them to digital platforms.

What is causing people to be so skeptical?

This could be a result of respondents feeling neutral when it comes to their personal info and data being safe with digital banks. Does that mean you heard about the Capital One security breach?

Members simply had no interest when it comes to switching to a digital bank. This could be a result of banks failing to address your concerns:

• Where do I deposit my cash?
• How do I talk to a real person?
• What type of insurance coverage do I get? 

2) Fintech: The Banking App Experience

The findings from the banking app experience survey helped us identified that only 34% of members had a “good” experience when conducting transactions online. This includes them logging on a few times a week to check the status of their accounts.

Members were comfortable completing simple transactions such as:

• Transferring money (e-transfer)
• Paying bills
• Checking account balances

 

Fintech: Online Banking Stops Here

The previous results were anticipated but when asked if members conducted any other activities like communicating with advisors, applying for loans or mortgages, or opening accounts, the majority said they don’t complete any activities.

This is important because it is evident that members are not comfortable making certain decisions using online platforms whether or not it is an issue of privacy, lack of financial guidance, or inaccessibility.

3) Fintech: The New Digital Wallet

How many of you carry cash? Probably not often right? What if I told you now you don’t have to carry your wallet. The future is here, all you have to do is tap your phone to make a purchase! (ie: apple pay)

To be honest, it’s an interesting experience and there are valid points made from each side of the spectrum.

67% of you said that you don’t currently use a digital wallet.

Here are the following reasons why our members are skeptical about making the leap to digital wallets:

• Safety and security. Members disagreed with the following statement, ‘my personal information and money is safe with digital wallets’.
• Over half of the respondents were Millennial’s (1978-1996). A large portion of these members are not digital natives.
• There is a lack of awareness and perceived functionality.
• Digital wallets are a relatively new concept (less than 10 years). This technology is still in the early adoption stage.
• Out of the respondents that did use digital wallets they preferred Apple Pay.

 

Fintech: Digital Transactions Experience Steady Increase

According to a study completed by Payments Canada, they found that “in 2016, the number of contactless transactions increased significantly, to almost 2.1 billion transactions worth $67.1 billion.

This represents an 81% and a 78% increase over 2015, in both volume and value terms (respectively).”

At Caddle, we feel that the lack of presence and usage of digital wallets lies in the hands of the organizations. There is just simply a lack of education and promotion surrounding the benefits associated with this technology.

Hotspot shield also conducted a survey and found similar results.

“A strikingly small 12 percent had ever used any of the applications at all. Of those who had used the technology, PayPal was the runaway favorite, while second-place Google Wallet had been used by only 8 percent of the survey subjects”.

Consequently, our respondents displayed minimal interest in converting their handheld wallets to be linked to their mobile devices.

 

What’s that old saying? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?

The Saftey Guide

For those of you that are going to be cashing in those Caddle earnings and saving more money by shopping online, we have a safety guide just for you. Get your pen and paper ready. Whether or not you will be browsing Amazon or taking advantage of Cyber Monday/Black Friday, this guide will protect your money!

• Review your bank statements (every month) 
• Don’t make purchases on PUBLIC wifi 
• Secure your home wifi 
• Use two-factor authentication (2 passwords for your banking)
• Change the password for your email/bank after the holidays
• Don’t share your PIN(s) with anyone
• Look for spelling errors or inconsistencies on websites 
• Use 3rd party sources (PayPal) to secure your funds

In Canada alone, there were over 1.2 million in compromised funds last holiday shopping season with a total of 1179 victims. 

Now that you have got some good tips and tricks we want to hear from you! Check out our daily surveys on the Caddle app and share some of your insights using this link. Whats are some of the holiday gifts that you will be purchasing? Are you going to be shopping online or in-store? We want to hear it first!

Thanks for reading! Follow us on social media and register online to have access to more blogs and surveys.

[simple-author-box]

Plastic water bottles

After the rise of plastic water bottles, companies recognized its potential as an indestructible material that you could drop, kick, smash, or leave on the shelf for weeks.

What they forgot to consider is how the heck is this material going to break down or decompose, and at what cost?

We are now only considering this a problem after we have spent over 11.7 billion dollars on 8.8 billion gallons of water. To put that in perspective, we use 2 million water bottles every 5 minutes.

The average adult’s body is composed of at least 55-65% water. So I’m not advocating for you to stop drinking water, but I challenge you to rethink the way you drink it. (Let us know how you use plastic by clicking here.)

 

We are going to cover 5 key areas:  

1. Plastic water bottle pollution
2. Plastic bottle decomposition
3. Tap water vs bottled water
4. Reusing and recycling plastic water bottles
5. Plastic alternatives

 

 

Plastic water bottle pollution 

If you want to talk about multitasking, plastic water bottles are the all-time champions! Not only do they pollute during the process of extracting and processing fossil fuels, they even get you at the back end. Approximately only 10% of water bottles are effectively recycled. Pollution not only impacts our climate, but it can also lead to severe health risks for humans and animals. 

“Studies estimate there are now 15–51 trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans — from the equator to the poles, from Arctic ice sheets to the seafloor”.

It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove all the plastic once it has made its way into the ocean. Our solution to this problem needs to begin on land. Fish, sea birds, and other marine mammals are ingesting thousands of plastic microfibers each year.

 

Government Intervention: We have gone too far

Campaigns and petitions are pushing for plastic(s), especially water bottles, to be considered pollutants. Governments and activists are beginning to ban together in their fight to eliminate single-use plastics. We have already seen policy changes in San Francisco, Washington, Kenya, India, France, Bangladesh and even in our own backyard. 

 

“The Justin Trudeau-led government also decided to take necessary measures to reduce plastic pollution in Canada. Canadians are trying to ban plastic bottles, bags, and straws in as early as 2021. However, in Montreal, there is already a ban on plastic items”.

 

 

How long does it take for a plastic bottle to decompose? 

So do plastic bottles even break down since they are so resilient? In fact, they do… after about 1000 years. Once they break down, you guessed it, they leak harmful chemicals into the ocean or soil. Sunlight or UV rays are often the most effective in breaking down plastics that didn’t make it to recycling facilities.

You might have read about the uninhabited island where over 4000 pieces of plastic were found, ranging from water bottles to plastic straws. Maybe you have seen your favorite restaurants and coffee places decrease prices when you bring your own mug. An issue that has been overlooked for years is coming back to bite us.

Decades after our existence people will still be cleaning up the water bottles that we are using today. Even Aquaman’s Jason Momoa has taken the initiative to help eliminate single-use plastic on a global scale. 

 

 

Tap water or bottled water? 

There has been an on-going debate surrounding tap water versus bottled water. A study was completed testing over 1000 water bottles from 103 different companies. The test was conducted to determine if there was a significant increase in water quality and purity in relation to tap water. The national resource of the defense council said that only one-third of the companies actually exceeded industry standards. In other words, bottled water is no different than tap water. 

Environmental research provides evidence that bottled water is falsely advertised as pure and filtered. Despite this information, the plastic water bottle industry is still generating approximately 2.5 billion in revenues.

How is this even possible with what we know about plastics?

Bottled water companies attempt to capitalize on consumer’s fears of tap water suppliers. Brands such as Fiji, Smart Water, and Perrier have built their success by selling a desirable brand image.

Consequently, these products are feeling the pressures of increased sustainability as we try to minimize our environmental impact.

Still skeptical about tap water? Go to DrinkSoma and get a sleek-looking water filter!

 

 

Reusing Plastic Water Bottles 

Now that we are on a roll, let’s look at another myth. People often think that reusing plastic bottles has severe side effects. Some people even say its considered cancer-causing.

This was deemed a rumor that was traveling around the web and you can visit the cancer society website to receive the full story. Keeping this in mind, do you ever hear people throwing around the term BPA?

If you’re like me, you nod your head but have no idea what they are talking about. BPA is found in many hard plastics. Its exposure to heat and extreme cold over long periods of time can cause the plastic to break apart into your beverage.

Now, this won’t cause any drastic, life-altering symptoms, but why take the risk? Many organizations offer BPA free bottle solutions. Make sure you identify this feature when buying your reusable bottle. 

 

Recycling Plastic Water Bottles

Recycling water bottles is often a difficult procedure with strict rules and guidelines that need to be followed. We are all guilty of using plastics and maybe you are drinking out of a plastic bottle right now. However, I don’t think we should take all the blame.

We lack education and awareness surrounding topics such as plastics and pollution. Take the CBC article for starters. Canadians are paying millions of dollars in sorting costs because we are throwing items in the blue bin that aren’t even recyclable!

You mean I can’t put my old T-shirt in the blue bin? Seriously, they find this stuff every day! When you do use plastic products make sure you stay informed regarding what items are considered recyclable.

 

 

Plastic Alternatives

If you skipped here at the beginning you missed some important information, but here is the fun part. (Also, by this time over 1 million plastic bottles have been used… let that sink in)

Let’s talk about alternatives!

Make more money with your Airbnb listing by following these 5 easy steps. Learn how to take the perfect picture, set a price, and find more guests!

If you have a spare room or space, listing it on Airbnb is a fantastic way to earn some extra cash as a side hustle to your full-time gig. Creative entrepreneurs and resourceful 9-to-5ers alike are catching onto the trend, no hospitality management or industry experience required! The best part: minimal upfront investment.

In 2018, Airbnb has more than 5 million listings worldwide in 190-plus countries. With the low barrier to entry, lots of supporting documentation from the company, and countless blog posts and YouTube videos on the subject from experienced hosts, it’s easy to see why many are using this to augment their income and plan for retirement. Why not join them?

Follow these 5 easy steps to transform your empty room into a money-maker:

1) Inspect and design your space

Before you start snapping pictures, inspect your space with an eye to fixing any deficiencies. Repair that leaky tap on the bathroom sink, clear out the closet and take note of anything your room needs – a fresh coat of paint? New mattress? Maybe some fun prints to hang on the walls? Above all else, ensure your place is spic and span clean.

You’ll want to design a space with “a unique and catchy style, something that can distinguish your listing from all the others in your area,” one savvy host advises in this how-to video on YouTube. He says to also consider function – how easy is it to maintain? Can your equipment handle wear and tear? How long will your space take to set up? Doing this bit of work up front will save you time between guests later, and increase your profitability.

Tip: Think about what amenities you want to offer to make your listing more appealing. For example, a young family will appreciate a changing table, crib, video game console and even recommendations for babysitters. Try to give your guests a private bathroom they’ll have exclusive access to.

An exclusive bathroom for guests makes your listing more appealing. Photo: Pixabay

Photos

To attract the most eyeballs and increase your chances of booking, it’s essential to use high-quality photos that accurately represent your property – their importance can’t be overstated, as potential guests will be scrolling through dozens of listings. Take photos of all the spaces guests can use Syncbnb, an online tool that helps hosts sync their booking calendars across multiple channels, recommends using about 20 photos at 1024 x 683 px).

Instagram screenshot, searching using the #airbnbhost hashtag.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here! Search #airbnb or #airbnbhost hashtags on Instagram for an idea of what excellent photos of spaces should look like – bright, cheery, inviting and sometimes quirky.

2) Sign up for an account

Next, you’ll need to sign up for an Airbnb account. Visit  airbnb.ca/host/homes and click on ‘Get Started’. A box will pop up with options to sign up with your Facebook profile, Google, or email address (if you choose to sign up with email and already have a Google account, you’ll be prompted to log in with Google).

If you already have an account, click ‘Log in’ and sign in with any of the three options above.

3) Create your listing

You can rent almost any space on Airbnb – a house, bedroom, spare room, apartment, etc. Airbnb manages the nitty gritty details of the booking and payment processes, reducing your need to worry, so you can focus on making your guest’s experience a great one.

Description

You’ll be asked to answer a series of questions to describe the space you’re listing. Read Airbnb’s advice  and descriptions of other successful listings in your area for hints, or search Google for tips.

Craft a short 500-word description and click-worthy title to accompany your photos. Don’t forget to write a good host profile and host picture to introduce yourself to your guests. Don’t leave out anything guests should know. Do you have pets? Are there any rooms guests don’t have access to? Specify your house rules.

Tip: Airbnb uses Instant Book, a feature designed to help you welcome more guests and earn more money by allowing guests to choose their travel dates, book without your approval, and get in touch with you regarding check-in plans. You can book guests without having to respond to each request. You’ll notice using Instant Book will positively affect your search rating and can help you reach Superhost Status, but naturally, you’ll have some questions. Learn more here. 

Interaction with Guests

In this section, let them know how you’ll converse – should they contact you if something happens, or do you do daily calls?

To avoid any awkwardness, mention whether you’ll be present during their stay…if they’re taking a romantic getaway, you don’t want to be a third wheel!

Pricing

A note about pricing: Take time to consider your pricing strategy. Do you offer cleaning during each stay, for a fee? Keep in mind that Airbnb adds a few dollars extra to your price.

Review other rentals in your area and price yours competitively – maybe even slightly less than the others to start, since you can always raise your price. You can set your price to adjust based on demand (within a range), or set a fixed price. Airbnb will suggest tips you can accept or ignore.

Finish creating your listing, and you’ll receive a confirmation that it’s been published.

4) Prepare for guests to arrive

Your major prep work is done and the big day is here! It’s time to do a few last-minute things and get ready to welcome your guests. Here are some to-dos to remember:

• Reply to all messages as soon as possible after guests book (Airbnb tracks response times), and confirm you received your guest’s message.
• Text guests a photo of the property and a map on their arrival day so they know what they’re looking for.
• Write a small welcome note, with a summary of important points about your place, questions past guests have asked, your name and phone number, house rules that all-important WiFi password, and even suggestions for entertainment in your city.

Tip: Safety first! Check guest ratings before they arrive to learn what other hosts have said about them. If they don’t have any reviews, be weary.

5) Consider taxes and local laws regarding short-term renting

Just as with traditional business ventures, you’ll want to check into local laws and tax regulations regarding this type of renting for your location and neighbourhood. Be warned that the laws may be unclear, or state you must be commercially zoned and licensed to rent your space even for a short period. As you might guess, the hospitality industry is already lobbying governments to restrict Airbnb to preserve their profit, but this gives you an opening to approach your representatives in government and make your case.

That said, now that you’ve created your listing, you’re ready to welcome guests and start a lucrative side hustle listing your place on Airbnb.

Do you plan to list? Have you ever stayed at an Airbnb? Have any questions we missed answering here?

Tell us in the comments!

The Side Hustle

8 websites to make money online

Set up as an Amateur Photographer

Earn Money driving your Car

In today’s digital world, there’s a huge demand for high-quality photos of (almost) any subject. Bloggers need photos for their posts, businesses are looking for images for their websites and homeowners are on the hunt for that next statement piece for their living room wall. All those images need to come from somewhere. If you have some languishing on your hard drive, why not set them free online for others to purchase and enjoy?

First, a word of caution from Popular Science: while selling your photos online can help you bring in some cash from a hobby you love, don’t quit your 9-to-5 just yet – you likely won’t make big dough starting out. For now, think of this as a way to hone your photography skills, and maybe make some pocket change on the side as you do so.

Now that we’ve got that caveat out of the way, here are some tips to get you started.

How selling stock photography works

There’s an entire array of stock photography sites out there that will happily handle sales and commissions, as well as license your photos to anyone who needs them – for a cut of the sale, of course. Visit any stock photo site and you’ll find a huge library of photos of different subjects taken by amateur, hobbyist and professional photographers who want to get their photos to market.

Keep in mind that each of these sites has their own terms and conditions. Make sure you confirm who retains the copyright to your work. In most cases, you’ll still own your photo. Buyers will purchase a license and use your image under specific conditions.

Some sites will offer royalties and other perks. If you agree to exclusivity, this means you’ll be paid more if you commit to not selling your photos anywhere else. Avoid those contracts and you’ll earn less money, but you can also submit your images to other sites.

Do your homework

Find your niche

What do you most like to take photos of? Maybe your niche is urban or rural landscapes, nature, travel, specific industries such as manufacturing, food or wine, etc. As Shopify has found, it takes a bit of studying what styles and photos are already selling to find a niche that will work for you:

“Finding your niche if you want to sell pictures online is typically something you feel your way into as you see which styles and photos resonate with your audience. But you can also evaluate the demand for certain topics using keyword research to analyze the search volume for terms related to your photographs.”

Shopify also suggests using the browser extension Keywords Everywhere to find the search volume, which will appear right in your Google search. Watch for the keywords that attract more than 1,000 average monthly searches. This gives you a starting point to hunt down in-demand subjects and angles that can spur ideas on what (or who) you may want to focus on.

Other keyword research tools include Soovle, Moz Keyword Explorer, KeywordTool.io, Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, and many more.

Scope out stock photo sites

Stock photo sites handle the transactions and payment collections so you can focus on creating amazing images. These are just a few of the many stock photo sites you’ll have to choose from:

500px

500px is a stock photo site and community-based platform for photographers. Join and you’ll be able to submit your creative, commercial and editorial photos to their Marketplace, list yourself in a directory and follow other photographers. Log on to this site and you’ll see eye poppingly beautiful shots from around the world. See 500px.com/licensing  for more information on submission requirements, becoming a contributor, licensing and more.

Adobe Stock

The Adobe suite of software is used by creatives worldwide to craft premium products, and the company has branched into offering high-quality stock photography, touting best-in-class royalties. Every time someone purchases your content, you’ll get a 33% commission for photos and vector art, and a 35% commission for videos based on the price of the image. You can also track sales in real time using the dashboard and save hours of time using their auto-tagging feature to add keywords.Visit contributor.stock.adobe.com for more information.

Alamy

Alamy is a resource for big brand names with big media budgets that need a range of stock image choices. You’ll get a 50% commission and can sell stock images, vectors and live news photos. Learn more about being a contributor.

Dreamstime

Dreamstime is one of the largest stock photo sites with more than 90 million images, and offers contributors a 25 to 50% revenue share based on the net sales amount for each transaction. Exclusive files receive an additional 10% bonus, and exclusive contributors enjoy a 60% revenue share for alls ales, plus a bonus of 20 cents for each approved submission. You can even become an affiliate and earn cash for buyers and contributors you send to the site. For more information, see their FAQ page.

Shutterstock

With more than 243 million royalty-free stock images, Shutterstock is another behemoth among the stock photo sites. Here, photos are non-exclusive and cheaper to purchase – a good place to start out. You can also create a personalized photo page, easily track earnings with smart tools and grow your skills by joining the international community. See submit.shutterstock.com for more details and visit The Shot List to see the most requested content Shutterstock customers will be looking for.

For more stock photography sites, see Make Use Of’s 12 most profitable places to sell your photos online.

Submit your photos

Choose one or many of the sites from the list above and submit your images according to the process specified on each site. Not just any snapshot will do – your images will have to meet a certain quality threshold. Also look for details about how you’ll be paid, as methods vary from site to site.

Don’t forget…

Your own website

That you can also sell your photos on your own website and keep 100% of the profits from your images! WordPress is a platform used by creative entrepreneurs all around the world and you can easily build an e-commerce portfolio site, install plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, and have a gorgeous looking site built quickly.

Shopify

You might also consider building your site on Shopify’s platform, which has different themes you can use to change the look of your site and apps to add functionality.

Check into legal issues and ethical considerations

The old cliche that “with great power comes great responsibility” is very much true when you’re looking through your camera’s viewfinder. Don’t forget to look into privacy and other laws in your country before you shoot. When it comes to legalities, I first must state that I’m not a legal professional, and this advice was found via simple online research.

Digital Photography School reminds us that in the U.S., you cannot legally photograph people in private spaces without their expressed permission, since every citizen is guaranteed a reasonable expectation of privacy. On the other hand, when someone steps into public domains such as public parks, they forfeit their right to privacy and can legally be photographed without their consent.

There are also laws when it comes to using someone’s likeness for promotional purposes. While editorial use (selling your photo of someone in a public space to a publication or newspaper) is protected, you could not legally sell it or use it to promote your product, service or cause, because the subject didn’t consent to this use.

Therefore, Digital Photography School explains that you’ll want to have a model or photo release for people (and even privately owned buildings) if you’re going to sell your images as stock photography or submit them to photo contests where they could end up being used as promotional material for the person or company running the contest.

Check the laws in your country or location, and consult a legal professional, before you spend time and money attending an event or setting up a shoot.

Also consider your own ethics as a photographer. Depending on the circumstances, would you really feel good about selling a photo in which the subject didn’t want their photo taken, or published? What types of clients are you looking for, and who would you not be willing to work with?

Pay taxes

Now that you’re making income selling your photos, welcome to the world of taxes! You’ll need to declare the income you make from your side hustle, so do yourself a favour and track it closely throughout the year to make tax time as painless as possible.

Wrapping up

If you’ve got a decent DSLR camera, some time on your hands, and a talent for photography, you could be earning some cash back on your investment while improving your skills and meeting passionate photographers from all over the world. As with any side hustle, there are factors to consider before making the leap, from which platforms to join and how to choose your niche to marketing, and legal and tax implications. Once you navigate these, grab your camera, launch your website and above all, have fun!

Learn more about how to earn money as an amateur photographer

How to make money selling your photos online – Save the Student

Sell your photos online: 5 websites that pay $100 per image or more – The Penny Hoarder

Top 12 places to sell photos online and make money – Envira Gallery Blog

37 ways to make money selling photos online – The Work at Home Woman

The Side Hustle

8 websites to make money online

Make more Money with your AirBnb Listing

Set up as an Amateur Photographer

Earn Money driving your Car

In late August 2018, Caddle surveyed 10,000 Canadians on their careers, job seeking, the importance and impact of workplace culture, and more.

Full-time employment still most popular

When it came to employment status, full-time (54%) still outstripped part-time by far (13%) and self-employed (6%), although 10% were homemakers and 5% were retired. Among the unemployed, 4% were looking for work. People not employed and not looking for work and students tied at 3%.

In a traditional workplace setting, your title might factor into both the type of work you do and your experience overall. 31% of respondents reported they were Intermediate level, followed closely by those who didn’t categorize their title (29%). Entry level and Middle Management each came in at 15%, while Executive and Upper Management employees rounded out the bunch, each coming in at 5%.

Curiously, 23% of people didn’t name their industry, while 14% were in health care and social assistance. Educational services came in a distant third, while educational services and other (except public administration) followed at 9% and 8%, respectively.

What keeps employees happy?

Because we spend so much of our lives at work, it’s important to be happy with our jobs, and for these respondents it takes more than a pay cheque to make that happen. In fact, “I just want a pay cheque” did not even crack the top five, but “work-life balance” took first place by far at 30%, followed by “being treated with respect” at 22%. “The opportunity to help others”, “having variety and change at work” and “having my work recognized” took up the last three spots in the top five at 22%, 14% and 8% respectively.

How important is workplace culture?

We often hear about how important workplace culture is – it can affect everything from your interactions with leadership and coworkers to ever-critical work-life balance and the company’s ability to recruit new employees. 91% of respondents said workplace culture was “moderately important”, “somewhat important” or “extremely important” both to their professional success and personal happiness.

Not unsurprisingly, salary still attracted these employees to their current positions, with 22% saying the main reason they accepted their current job was because it offered a “better salary than (a) previous role.” For 16%, it was a “unique work opportunity”, while 13% “simply needed a job.”

What perks and policies do employees value?

If you plan on staying in your position for the long-term, perks and policies become more important as your lifestyle and needs change throughout your time with a company. When it comes to which are most important to respondents, “Flexible hours” was the clear favorite at 29%, while “happy/friendly coworkers” came in at a distant second with 13%. “Work from home policy” netted 12%, while 11% picked “personalized benefits” and 10% were easily pleased – they just wanted a job they didn’t hate.

Are employees applying elsewhere?

If curiosity has ever gotten the best of you, you’re not alone. In fact, 52% of respondents believe it’s “completely acceptable” or “somewhat” acceptable” to apply to other jobs even if you have no intention of leaving your current job. They were split about whether it was okay to attend a job interview if you don’t have any intention of leaving your current job; 30% believed it was “not at all acceptable”, while 28% believed it was “somewhat acceptable.”

In his classic Kitchen Confidential, the late, great Anthony Bourdain famously revealed that the best day to eat out is Tuesday – for three key reasons:

• The best chefs are off duty on Monday, return rested and ready to go on Tuesday.
• Fresh ingredients are typically delivered to restaurants on Tuesday (also Thursday and Saturday).
• Chefs prefer to cook for weekday guests than weekenders, because weekday guests are the true regulars – weekends typically track in tourists.

Restaurant Logic reinforces the importance of prioritizing regulars: they provide stable income, will champion you and recommend your restaurant to others, and are more willing to provide honest, helpful feedback to you, because they know you.

In a recent Caddle survey, 60% of respondents see loyalty and rewards programs as an important factor in their dining decision. Quality food and quality service are always important factors when it comes to food, but a loyalty program can seal the deal and help build your relationships with regulars.

Clutch reports that loyalty members have a 26% higher annual spend, 10% increase in purchase frequency, 15% higher average order value, and 25% higher engagement versus non-members. Upserve states that 82% of loyalty members refer at least one person and spend an average of $2.14 more than non-members, which is vital in the quick service restaurant industry.

Upserve recommends offering a VIP experience to loyalty members, while Webstaurant Store suggests offering incentives such as a chance to win a free meal or gift certificate, to consider loyalty programs that integrate with your Point of Sale system, and to utilize the program to improve traffic during quieter periods throughout the week. Finally, Webstaurant recommends to make sure your rewards program is attainable, favourable, and above all else – simple.

The products and services we use every day are made increasingly better by the data we provide marketers, brands, and researchers. But do we deserve more?

In today’s world, everything from your puppy portraits to the route your ride share driver takes are being tracked. Sporting a step counter, pre-ordering your pumpkin spice latte on-the-go, even the sultry sounds you select on Spotify – in almost every aspect of our daily lives, meaningful data is being collected and influencing the future products and services sold back to us.

The data we provide [ideally] result in more accurate, tailored solutions provided back, but should we be rewarded further for the data we’re providing? When Caddle users were asked this, 89% said “of course!” The research and reward model is one that Caddle has helped pioneer and polish in Canada, and thanks to peers following a similar model, the world is becoming fairer for users sharing tidbits of their preferences online.

Here at Caddle, we employ a simple and effective cashback model: businesses pay to feature ads and ask questions to our users, our users collect cash for watching ads and answering questions, and we earn a small amount in handling the overall transaction and providing an easy-to-use platform. The benefits of our solution are immediate: businesses pay for ads that actually get attention, and users are rewarded for their valuable time and data.

Other Canadian companies have embraced this collegial approach to data, too. Carrot Rewards focuses on wellness, integrating with fitness apps like Fitbit and then rewarding users for steps via existing loyalty programs such as Aeroplan, Petro Canada Petro Points and Cineplex Scene. Along the way, users have the opportunity to earn more rewards via surveys (commissioned by external partners), not dissimilar to Caddle.

Peer-to-peer goods trading network Bunz recently embraced both cryptocurrency and the research/reward model with the release of BTZ (pronounced like “bits”), a currency that Bunz users can use in trades or at local businesses who accept it for payment. Users can further earn BTZ by answering single-question surveys from Bunz each day.

Whether or not global social media giants like Facebook and Instagram will adopt similar reward-focused research models remains to be seen, but as publications like The New York Times and The Economist are poised to help challenge the digital world, we’ll keep doing our part.