An opportunity to be seized and to be able to seize. let's talk aboutE-commerce, which today more than ever represents the best way to expand the business of small and medium-sized Italian companies at low costs. A hot topic, discussed in the press conference to present an agreement between eBay and Confcommercio today in Rome.
Food numbers
A meeting that highlighted how, despite the possibilities offered, e-commerce remains a tool still unknown to many, due to cultural heritage, distrust and fear. This is a reality common to many sectors, including this one too feed, highlighted by the spotlight of the Expo, which experienced extraordinary growth in the first six months of 2015, with a 50% growth in products sold on an annual basis.
A growth that can be explained by theexpo effect, of course, but also with the offers put in place by eBay which, for the occasion, has reduced the costs of advertising, shops and commissions for SMEs. Despite this, however, the weight of the food sector in e-commerce is still not comparable to that covered in the country's economy (about 17% of GDP).
The research Tns
A difference in weight that can be explained by a certain reluctance of some businesses to online commerce. A search for TNS for eBay shows how, despite a strong growth in demand (the online purchase of products in Italy grew by 24% in terms of volumes and 15% in terms of values for 2015), 88% of SMEs that do not sell online believe that e-commerce would be of little or no use and 92% of these have never thought of selling on the internet.
For 69% it would not lead to an increase in turnover. A conviction denied by the evidence: only on eBay.it in the last year has a 20% increase in Italian sellers with revenues of $1 million or more.
To frighten the Italian SMEs is also the fear of not being suitable for online salese: 72% of the companies interviewed think that eCommerce is a complex channel, 56% believe that it requires considerable investment and 43% are convinced that eCommerce is only suitable for large companies. Furthermore, 21% of these companies believe that their products are not suitable for online sale. A perception that, paradoxically, reaches its peak right between food businesses, at 44%.
The agreement between eBay and Confcommercio
But in addition to the numbers of the TNS research, which highlight a growth trend slowed down mainly by cultural factors, today's meeting, held at Confcommercio, served to announce the partnership agreement between the largest company representation in the tertiary sector in Italy, ed eBay, to give support to SMEs that want to land on the e-commerce market.
An agreement divided into two large areas: the first is the al training of companies, which must be prepared for landing on online markets, through targeted training meetings and the use of ad hoc information manuals.
The second part of the agreement, on the other hand, is the one that offers member companies a series of promotions for the opening of a Premium Shop on the eBay site, with free insertion rates in our country and much reduced rates abroad and conventions aimed at reducing shop opening costs.
According to the general manager of eBay in Italy Claudio Raimondi, “E-commerce is a risk only for those who decide not to be there. Combining an online store with a traditional store is the future of commerce and for this reason our role as a leading online marketplace is to help sellers exploit the potential of eCommerce, also leveraging the growing mobile trend".
Therefore, joining forces with Confcommercio to meet Italian SMEs seems like a natural step, "to open the doors to a national and global market that is complementary and not harmful to traditional commerce".
For the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Alessandro Micheli, the objective of "Spreading the culture of innovation" is essential to "help companies to be increasingly competitive and to achieve success in their business activity".
In the next months eBay and Confcommercio will organize a roadshow to meet companies, explain the advantages of eCommerce and help them embark on a new growth path. The first stage is scheduled for the next 13 October in Trieste, followed on 14 November by Ferrara.
