More local businesses might go online | Trade offers training
More Micro, Small and Medium-sized businesses in the British Virgin Islands might soon begin offering their services on the online market.
That is the aim of a two-day entrepreneurial e-commerce workshop to be held on May 28 and 29 at The Moorings Marina Inn on Tortola.
The workshop will cover topics ranging from establishing businesses online, setting-up and managing an online web-shop, uploading products for online retail, understanding international e-payment systems, addressing cross-border delivery, learning how to drop-ship products and provisioning of after-sales services.
The workshop is a collaboration among the BVI’s Department of Trade, the Caribbean Overseas Small Medium Enterprises (COSME) programme, DHL Express, and the Curacao Association of Small Entrepreneurs, also known as ADECK.
According to Trade Director Karia Christopher, the workshop is in response to the negative impacts of the September 2017 hurricanes on the business community.
“We have recognized that a number of businesses have suffered the loss of a storefront. As such, we are pleased to work alongside COSME and DHL Express to assist product-based businesses to assist them in being able to sell their products online,” Christopher explained.
Meanwhile, the two-day workshop will begin from 1pm and end at 5pm daily.
To register, interested persons are advised to contact the Trade Department via telephone or email.
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While welcoming any initiative in technology , people should not be fooled into thinking that on line selling is a cure all for retail or wholesale business. It is expensive to build and administer web sites ( I do know about this stuff) Results are often disappointing because the public do not generally speaking go to unknown websites. They go to Amazon, Wayfair, Home Depot etc.
One possible idea is to have an online “Buy BVI “ website that could provide a “ shops inside an electronic mall” concept. These electronic malls ( Amazon is one in some part) provide a much easier way for SMEs to get their products on line. Advertising and promotion costs can be shared and technical problems overcome more easily.
Btw. The BVI would make a great location for internet software development companies if the internet was better and the government changed the Labour laws.
You don’t know what you are talking about…it’s not that expensive, and marketing is there to make the website known…marketing on Facebook and google searches etc by paid ads etc
Local business!
It is a good and bad move why, you won’t have to pay rent for a spot but sometimes just like online you order stuff and they might come to big or small, but for persons not on the island it can be a good move to order from anywhere.
Good points listed above.
Going online with a store or business makes so much sense. In this day and age when internet technology and connectivity is so far reaching, why would anyone confine their business to just the local markt?
Amazon and Ebay does business with and sells all over the world.
A great idea if we did not have such bad internet connections
my point exactly.
The problems I see with this is our postal services is extremely poor and have been even before the storm. To shop on line locally and have goods mail will be a problem. You could have a pick-up center, but again their is no consumer protection laws here and people are unlikely to purchase stuff online they can not return for a refund. They would want to handle the product before purchase.