Cross border e-commerce empowering SMEs globally: Wang

Caption 1: Diane Wang in Port Moresby.
 

Caption 2: SME participants in attendance.




By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, May 1, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THAT was the global update conveyed by e-commerce expert and Chinese APEC Business Advisory Council representative Diane Wang, when speaking to over 600 local Small to Medium Enterprise owner on Monday at the ABAC E-commerce in SME Summit in Port Moresby.

Wang, imparted the experience of her company DHgate, one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms, to encourage the local SMEs in the country to promote internet based marketing.

She said the past few years APEC had achieved consensus that cross border e-commerce as one of the best ways to empower SMEs to access global markets, access innovative ways of financing.

“At the end of 2015 the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business produced a reports of the benefits of cross-border e-commerce for SMEs."

"The report states that 60 to 80 percent of e-commerce exporters survive year one of business- exporting to 30 to 40 different economies on average compared to the traditional trading companies with only 30 to 50 percent survive year one."

"Exporting on average of only 3 to 4 economies, however, the biggerst challenge of empowering SMEs to access global markets through e-commerce is the lack of awareness among SMEs," Wang said.

She expressed her gratitude to the National Government of recognising the trend by having her team from DHgate and ABAC China initiative to bring industry experts to benefit local SMEs.

"Cross Border E-commerce Training (CBET) was initiated by ABAC China 3 years ago to improve the awareness of the opportunities of cross border e-commerce with thousands of SMEs beinnnng introduced to concept from over 10 APEC economies."

"CBET workshops introduced the whole picture of the cross border e-commerce ecosystem bringing industry experts to bring in-depth explanations of the many sectors of cross border e-commerce."

Experts from Ms Wang's delegation took local participants on explanations of international logistics, cross border payment, online marketing, and internet financing, customer service, along with security and safety.

“In 2013 China surpassed the United states to become the largest e-commerce market in the world- Its overall online transactions reached US$1.5 trillion, around K5 trillion PNG kina.”

“By 2025, 22 percent of China GDP will be contributed by e-commerce, and there are already 10,000,000 SMEs using e-commerce to run their businesses in China.”

“Even in the most rural parts of my country, villager elders can now sell handmade baskets to tourists in Las Vegas and housewives from suburban China can ship their homemade dresses to women in Paris.”