18(b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

Prototypical answer:

1. Identifying Needs and Providing Solutions
In order to identify potential problems and provide solutions in optimizing business accessibility and increased traffic through the proposed TLD (Top Level Domain), APAN (Aesthetics Practitioners Advisory Network Pty Ltd) is constantly conducting needs analysis of the potential registrants. Through this analysis we have currently identified five primary categories that would benefit from the proposed TLD DOT SALON. These are:
- Beauty Salons
- Beauty Spa Salons
- Hairdressing Salons
- Nail Salons
- Fashion Salon (also is included in but used to a lesser degree)

All these groups have experienced a decrease in consumer spending due to the global economic crisis, as well as a growing competition from the retail sector and particularly the group buying websites that are promoting numerous home-based solutions to consumers. These activities are often blurring the necessity and need for consumers to engage and access salon products and services.

To counteract these challenges, maintain their current clients, grow their customer base and increase profits, peak industry bodies for this sector have identified the need and urgency for these businesses to invest in:
a. Advanced skills development
b. Improving standards of practice and reputation
c. Adopting a more professional approach to their services
d. Offering specialized services
e. Improve product development
f. Growing the retail segment of their business

However, while adopting these measures is critical, to achieve growth businesses will now require a cost-effective, fast, efficient and more industry-focused communication tool to educate consumers on their advancements and new offers on a regular and consistent basis. The best way to achieve this is through an optimized domain name and a Web presence, which currently many do not have.

2. OVERALL GOALS
2.1 How the proposed TLD will benefit registrants (Business Owner)
The proposed TLD will provide the ideal tool to substantially improve communication between registrants and consumers through a more focused pathway that will allow businesses to quickly reach their target audience, with new updated information, while consumers will now be able to access their products and services with greater ease and speed, while readily recognizing them as a salon.

Traditionally, salon businesses have had a slow uptake of computer technology and are therefore latecomers to the Internet. As such, many are finding it very difficult to match their business name to a domain name. This often is because other businesses in other industries have already secured the domain name they were after. This has necessitated for many salons to take up unusually large names or domain names that are not easily linked to the business name, or names in other domain name spaces that aren’t related to their industry or location.

With the current situation many customers and potential customers often have difficulty in finding their salon of choice in their region on the Internet. With the new proposed option of DOT SALON, registrants will have access to a new batch of names in their own industry and the search engines will be able to optimize them as salons in the searcher’s region and therefore clients will more easily be able to locate them.

In summary, the goals that the proposed TLD will aim in benefiting registrants (salon businesses) will be as follows:
a. Offer access to a completely new batch of names that in other domain name spaces have long since been registered.
b. The option to more closely match their business name to their Web name, rather than having to rely on abstract connections between their names.
c. Their Web name will now clearly identify them as a salon.
d. Provide them with a new innovative way to quickly and effectively update consumers on new advances and offers.
e. Help businesses grow their market share.
f. It will create a greater incentive for users to be actively involved with the Internet and for businesses to have a stronger and more focused Internet presence.
g. Achieve enhanced visibility to boost brand awareness and reputation through this targeted tool.
h. Help to free up a number of sub-domains in other domain name spaces that they have previously occupied.
i. Help to remove the tendency for other unrelated businesses to take names in inappropriate name spaces e.g. .org. name, etc.
j. Rather than having to register multiple names in different domain spaces to optimize their exposure, registrants will save money by now having the option for a more focused and specific domain name registration that will more efficiently enhance their exposure.

2.2 How the proposed TLD will benefit Internet users and others
More specifically in terms of Internet users and others we have identified three specific categories that could benefit from the proposed TLD:
- Consumers – Potential clients who are seeking to access specialized services and products in their specific region.
- Suppliers – Manufacturers and suppliers who wish to promote and market their products and equipment to salon businesses so that they are current and
up-to-date with new products. They will also now be able to more easily identify potential new accounts.
- The Press – Journalists and editors who seek the latest information for their articles, stories and product features for their constantly demanding readers who wish to learn more about the latest developments in products and services available both in their region and industry in general.

2.2.1 Consumers will welcome the proposed TLD:
The ability to locate the right salon that can best meet their specific needs will also be welcomed by consumers as the whole process of both identifying and accessing the salon that will best suit their specific needs will become easier and faster. Additionally, this will also enhance the end user experience to more readily access required information on the specific products or services that is of interest to them. By improving the client experience with targeted information to meet their needs, this will substantially enhance and optimize salon⁄customer interaction, leading to more robust business activities and ultimately foster consumer uptake and business growth.

With end users becoming more familiar and proficient in utilizing Internet tools such as Smart phones, iPads etc, they have come to demand information that is easily accessible. The introduction of the DOT SALON TLD will substantially optimize their ability to access the salon that will best meet their needs and requirements and will enhance their ability to connect with their services and products in a quicker and more cost-effective manner.

2.2.2 Suppliers will welcome the proposed TLD:
Suppliers and manufacturers will also benefit from the proposed TLD as it will allow them to identify more quickly and efficiently the businesses that will best suit their products through the availability of the optimization of names. New product development is progressively becoming specialized. Likewise, there is now a growing trend for salons to also become specialized in specific areas of services e.g. anti-ageing, wellness and relaxation, skin management and dermal therapies etc. These services are delivered though the use of specific technologies and this differentiation is allowing salons to offer a competitive point of difference from other businesses. As salons will now be able to be identified more easily for their niche, this will also allow suppliers to market and locate the targeted businesses in a more cost-effective manner.

2.2.3 The Press will welcome the proposed TLD:
Editors and journalists are on the constant look-out for the latest trends and services that will interest their readers and give their publication the leading edge. Trying to locate the right salon to interview for a particular story pitch can be sometimes time consuming. The proposed TLD will also be welcomed by the press as it will simplify their search to access the right salon for the information they need.

APAN as an aesthetics and beauty industry organization has a strong relationship with the PRESS and with MEDIA organizations and is accessed regularly for comment and contribution to news and articles with regards to new developments within the beauty, spa and aesthetics industry. As part of its Mission and commitment to its members, www.apanetwork.com⁄APANʹS_MISSION_AND_PURPOSE.pdf APAN is actively involved with the media, bringing to their attention new advances in the beauty and aesthetics industry. Information on the proposed TLD will therefore be included as part of its press releases and marketing campaigns to inform end users of its benefits once our application is approved.

3. Enhanced productivity and improved services for all
In relevance to registrars the proposed TLD will now enable them to provide better options and choices to their markets through greater diversification of the namespace for domain registrations. These new options will assist end users to optimize accessibility of locating the information they are looking for, while for the registrant (business owner) it will greatly assist in increasing traffic to their site with the improved potential for business growth through more cost-effective means.

Registrars will now also be able to improve their products and services in the following way:
a. Be able to provide a new innovative product line that clearly defines an industry and the type of business.
b. They will be able to build their industry-focused product lines based on information given to them by APAN that will identify key elements required by this industry for their on-line use.
c. It will allow registrars to optimize and focus their services to the specific group and industry needs and improve their relevance and competitive edge.
d. Be able to more effectively put together industry-focused packages, which include domain names and web designs with components specific to the salon industry, e.g. appointment books, shopping trolley, library of information that is behind the products and services being offered.
e. Be able to help free up a number of domains in other domain name spaces that they have previously occupied, but are not relevant to the business.
f. Be able to help remove the tendency for other unrelated businesses to take names in inappropriate name spaces e.g., dot.org, dot.name, etc.

4. Marketing and Promotional Activities to support our Goals
APAN recognizes that a two-pronged marketing and promotional strategy will be necessary to create awareness and optimize the uptake of the proposed TLD into the domain name space.

Through Registrars: First, APAN through its supplier Aus Registry International (ARI) (See: “ARI - Master Supply Agreement – APAN” at www.apanetwork.com⁄ARI_MSA_APAN.pdf), will promote the proposed TLD through registrars world-wide. During the first year of the launch a simple and conservative discounting and marketing approach will be implemented, as set out within the Policy Rules of this document. After the first year APAN will reassess its options with a view of introducing a range of incentive pricing and discounting policies to optimize uptake of the new domain name, subject to the activities and feedback that its first year of operations has demonstrated. APAN believes that in the initial year, this conservative approach is essential to ensure that its financial obligations have been responsibly met.

Targeting Registrants and End Users: Second, APAN will also be implementing a comprehensive and strategic promotional and marketing campaign to create awareness of the benefits of the proposed TLD to both potential registrants (business owner) and to the end users. These activities are outlined in the Graph “APAN marketing Strategies Chart” for APAN Marketing Strategies to Potential Registrants and End Users. This Chart is found on line at www.apanetwork.com⁄APAN_marketing_Strategies_Chart.pdf and is very important as it shows the different elements of the marketing strategy.

5. Privacy and Confidentiality
The APAN believes that privacy is an important individual and company right and it is committed to complying with the National Privacy Principles (‘NPPs’), contained within the Privacy Act 1988 (‘Privacy Act Aust.’). The proposed TLD will offer all registrants and users protection with regards to privacy of their information in accordance to Australian legislative guidelines. As the proposed TLD will be administered through the services of ARI as APANʹs wholesale provider to registrars, registrants will be protected in accordance with the terms and conditions of ARI’s Privacy Policy www.apanetwork.com⁄AUSREGISTRY_PRIVACY_POLICY.pdf


6. Registration POLICY RULES for the domain name registration
The TLD domain name registration DOT SALON is intended for end users in the hair, beauty, spa, nail, and fashion industry world-wide. It will be available to businesses and individuals who are defined as salons, or individual professionals working in businesses that are defined as a salon. The policy rules are as follows:
6.1. There are no proprietary rights in the domain name registration for DOT SALON. Licenses will be allocated on a “first-come-first-served” basis. Provided the relevant eligibility criteria are satisfied, the first registrant to apply for a particular domain name will be permitted to license it.
6.2. A registrant does not “own” a domain name. They do however, holds a license to use a domain name, for a specified period of time and under certain terms and conditions as will be set out in the Registrar Agreement, which will be subsequently legally drafted and established between APAN and Aus Registry International.
6.3. The registration application and subsequent agreement between a registrant and a registrar will be subject to any Published Policies that are applicable.
6.4. There will be no hierarchy of rights in the event of a registered trademark as they will not be given first entitlements to a domain name over a registered business name.
6.5. For trademark owners there will be an appeals process available to them to challenge a registered domain name if they believe it violates their trademarked domain name. This will be addressed in detail in our answer to question 28 and 29.
6.6. APAN will be offering registrants a Sunrise period of 30 days to cater for trademark owners. Following the 30-day period of Sunrise there will be a 10-day Sunrise allocation before launching the Landrush. This will be the first opportunity for registration in the new domain space. The Sunrise policy is addressed in detail in our answer to question 29
6.7. Following the resolution of Sunrise allocations a Landrush (including trademark services) will begin for all registrants to apply for a domain name prior to launch. This will run for 60 days, followed by a 10-day Landrush allocation before general launch. The Landrush policy is addressed in detail in our answer to question 29
6.8 To safeguard consumers from unexpected rises in costs APAN will be establishing a 30 days notification policy for any potential price rises, in line with our ARI agreement, which registrars will be required to communicate to all registrants.

7. Eligibility criteria
7.1 To be eligible for a domain name DOT SALON, registrants must be a salon business in any of the following categories:
a. Beauty therapy salon
b. Hairdressing salon
c. Spa salon
d. Nail salon
e. Fashion salon
f. A professional in any of the above
g. Owner of a trademark of any of the above services

7.2 Eligibility restrictions will be implemented contractually through the RRA (Registry Registrar Agreement), which will require Registrars to include the following in their Registration Agreements:
7.2.1 Registrant warrants that it satisfies eligibility requirements.
7.2.2 Where applicable, eligibility restrictions will be enforced through the adoption of the Charter Eligibility Dispute Resolution Policy or a similar policy, and Registrars will be obliged to require in their registration agreements that registrants agree to be bound by such policy and acknowledge that a registration may be cancelled in the event that a challenge against it under such policy is successful. Again the Dispute Resolution Policy is detailed in our answers to questions 28 and 29.
7.2.3 Providing an administrative process for enforcing eligibility criteria and taking action when notified of eligibility violations mitigates the potential for abuse. This is achieved through the risk of cancellation in the event that it is determined in a challenge procedure that eligibility criteria are not satisfied.

8. Number of domain names
For the proposed TDL domain name registration to become successful APAN believes they need to attract a reasonable number of registrants to support diversification and healthy competition in the domain name space. This will also assist in modifying search engine optimization. While there will be no restriction on the number of domain names that may be licensed by a registrant, for the purpose of enhancing diversification and competition, APAN will not be offering discounts for registrants who register multiple domain names.

9. Discounts
a. Mindful of meeting their financial obligations with the launch of DOT SALON into the domain space APAN will not be offering discounts in the first year of domain name registration.
b. Registering a domain name for multiple domain name years however, will be offered at a discounted rate and these will be for two years, five years or 10 years in line with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) recommendations.

10. Composition of domain names
a. Be at least two characters long.
b. Contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-), or a combination of these.
c. Start and end with a number or a letter, not a hyphen.
d. Not contain hyphens in the third and fourth position (eg. ab--cd.com.au).

11. Domain name license renewals
Depending on whether the registrant continues to meet the eligibility criteria they will be given the options to renew. The domain name license period for renewals will be 1, 2, 5 or 10 years.

12. Prohibition on registering domain names for sole purpose of resale
A registrant may not register a domain name for the sole purpose of resale or transfer to another entity.

13. Applying the Policy Rules
13.1. It will be the responsibility of the registrars to preserve the integrity of the DOT SALON domain name space by ensuring that the Policy Rules are applied correctly and enforced as necessary. Registrars will reserves the right to revoke any domain name license that has been granted, or subsequently held, in breach of the relevant Policy Rules.
13.2. It will be the responsibility of all accredited registrars, in accordance with the Registrar Agreement, (which will be subsequently legally drafted and established by APAN and Aus Registry International), to apply the Policy Rules. Each domain name application must be checked for compliance with the relevant Policy Rules by the registrar before it is submitted to the registry for inclusion in the registry database. Published guidelines will be made available to assist registrars in interpreting the policy rules.
13.3. Registrants will be required to satisfy registrars that they will meet with the Policy Rules as set out in this document.

14. Breaching of policy - Registrant Disqualification
As specified in the Anti-Abuse Policy as set out in our answer to Q28, we reserve the right to deny registration of a domain name to a registrant who has repeatedly engaged in abusive behaviour in the gTLD or any other TLD

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