One of the most important areas of strategic development of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the expansion of Belarusian exports geography through international e-commerce platforms. The focus on digital trade issues is made due to the rapid annual growth of e-commerce worldwide, which increasingly influences the Belarusian economy as well.
The global online trading market (B2B and B2C) is estimated at more than 25 trillion US dollars. Large international electronic trading platforms are actively expanding the geography of their presence, mastering additional market segments, attracting new participants – both consumers and manufacturers. There is an active transformation of global supply chains towards a decrease in the number of intermediaries between end consumers and manufacturers. Access to online sales and communication channels is becoming a prerequisite for competitiveness in foreign markets.
At the same time, experts point out significant risks faced by companies that are not able to integrate into modern supply chains and market their products via e-commerce platforms. The pandemic has had a significant impact, too. By some estimates, more than 90 percent of companies have changed their business model, while most of them shifted from face-to-face meetings towards digital approaches such as online support and e-commerce.
All of these changes reflect the fact that today e-commerce is gradually replacing traditional trade. For instance, in 2021, the share of e-commerce in China's retail sales reached 52.1 percent for the first time ever. If the forecast is true, China will become the first country in the world where traditional trade is surpassed by e-commerce.
The expansion of e-commerce directly affects the behavior of consumers, who are increasingly "turning into" online buyers. For example, in 2020, about 3.47 billion people worldwide were purchasing consumer goods via Internet.
No doubt, e-commerce and particularly access to foreign and international trade platforms may carry risks and present a significant challenge for domestic exporters. The following issues of concern shall be mentioned in this regard:
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lack of knowledge and expertise in the sphere of e-commerce;
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weak export support mechanisms to reach global digital markets;
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concerns about the intellectual property rights protection, for example while reaching the Chinese market;
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low competence in marketing and products adoption to the needs and preferences of foreign consumers;
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unwillingness to bear high costs of entering e-commerce platforms.
In order to facilitate the access of Belarusian companies to the foreign e-commerce platforms playing the key role in export growth nowadays, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has launched its new "Export online" project.
Within the project framework, the major e-commerce platforms in the PRC, Russian Federation, United States and the EU will be highlighted, the opportunities to access foreign markets will be assessed together with platform operators and official service providers, barriers faced by domestic companies will be identified and proposals to introduce relevant export support tools in the field of e-commerce will be made.
The "Export online" project comprises a series of free webinars dedicated to export e-commerce issues, joint events featuring representatives of competent state bodies and foreign experts.
Participating in the "Export online" project will allow Belarusian companies to gain applied knowledge about the largest e-commerce platforms performance and available marketing tools, to explore their potential for distributing Belarusian products, consult their official representatives and experts in the field of e-commerce and benefit from the related services offered by the BelCCI (such as trademark registration, presentation materials translation and some other).
Within the project framework, the BelCCI together with e-commerce experts and leading trade platforms representatives arranges specialized workshops and consulting activities on export e-commerce, offers analytical and information support in order to develop an efficient and accessible export mechanism for Belarusian products through digital sales channels.
We kindly invite businesses to get involved in the "Export online" project.
For more detailed information containing conditions for participation and the project presentation, please visit the official website of the BelCCI: www.cci.by/ru/content/export-online.
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