This year, a majority of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with e-commerce sites are seeing a positive outcome to their sales, even though there are possible threats lurking around the World Wide Web — the threats willing break cybersecurity and the complexities of spreading the business to international waters.
According to the survey conducted by global logistics company DHL Express US in April 2018, only 33 per cent of respondents are expecting for sales to decline to stay the same, while 67 per cent are optimistic about seeing an increase in sales. Among the 14,000 respondents, around 2,400 have e-commerce operations, with 25 per cent said they see the increase in sales to reach 76 per cent to 100 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 — this is in comparison to the results of the same period in 2017.
When asked about the number one advantage having international trade, compared to only having local customers, 36 per cent answered is the ability to increase pay for their workers, while 29 per cent answered an increase in sales.
Respondents were also asked two questions: where to put their e-commerce investment dollars; and what should they prioritise in their e-commerce strategy in order to be successful in penetrating the global market. On the first question, 48 per cent of respondents said their top priority is cybersecurity, while 20 per cent answered customer service. Regarding the e-commerce strategy, 35 per cent answered their top priority is to understand international trade policies and customs requirements, while 29 per cent said researching potential markets and understanding customers in these markets are a priority.
The results of the survey provide concrete proof that having an e-commerce site is essential to small businesses. Moreover, the priorities are also priorities of the known businesses of today. For business buyers who are looking for businesses for sale Melbourne, you should be able to come up with a strategy on how to market your business and leverage it in order to penetrate the international market and gain more customers in the process.
