The digital economy is reshaping international trade, as new modalities take hold and new trade intermediaries emerge. Commerce continues as before, but with new methods, and also new possibilities: this is precisely where electronic commerce is interesting.
An evolving market
E-commerce development opens up new possibilities for companies that are dedicated to exporting, especially smaller ones. They can access inputs more quickly, streamline export supply and distribution chains and thus reduce transaction costs.
E-commerce capability doesn't mean that an exporter has to handle every step of the transaction online. For the moment, the market requirement is not there. The development of exports in the digital economy is more nuanced.
However, the challenge remains to acquire a capacity in this area. This requires a concerted response from both the entrepreneur and public sector strategists and officials of trade support institutions One by One Approach.
Businesses should plan to get into electronics in stages. To do this, they could start by building the capacities of a few people in their team, establishing a presence on the web, creating a communication infrastructure so that the company is ready in all circumstances, extending the electronic network and its use to partners. , customers and suppliers, finally redefine competitive strategies by including
s. In the short term, SMEs in developing countries and economies in transition do not need to aim for an ideal level of e-competence. Neither should public sector E-commerce development programs and knowledge be conducted at this level of sophistication.
Rather, programs offered by the public sector should ensure that companies engaged in exporting achieve a level of electronic competence that allows them to ensure their electronic presence in the international market and that they begin to introduce e-commerce systems for internal operations
In the long run, companies should strive for full response capacity. There are signs in the international market that confirm what the minimum level of electronic competence is necessary for a company to be competitive in exporting.
Three major categories of niche markets have emerged: export of services, and computer hardware and software. The opportunities for exporting services derived from information and communications technologies are growing as business uses change and new intermediaries emerge. The development of computer hardware and software represents niches in this branch, mainly by forming partnerships with multinational firms.
Services Provider E-Commerence
The internet allows service providers to “internationalize”, thus expanding their reach in the market. They can add value by offering a wider range of benefits and tailor-made services. New business opportunities for mainstream service providers (such as industrial research and design) work best in companies with strong bottom lines. Among these new niches there are also services specific to the Internet: management of portal sites, website design and promotion, electronic training, online project management, remote medical consultations.
Software development
For the majority of software designers in developing countries and economies in transition, the best way to secure exports is to partner with software and IT solutions companies established in large markets, as most developers software outside industrialized countries does not enjoy the brand recognition or market acceptance necessary to market their own products internationally.
