Amazon enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world by giving them access to our stores through sophisticated tools helping them to reach hundreds of millions of customers. SMEs are a key pillar of the Belgian economy, and businesses from all over Belgium have embraced the world of e-commerce, recognising an online presence as an opportunity for dynamic growth. The results are very visible in that last year, Belgian SMEs sold over 10 million products, more than 20 products per minute and twice as many as last year on Amazon’s stores. More than 200 SMEs exceeded a turnover of €100,000 in sales, whilst more than 45 small businesses reached €1 million.
“Amazon is our most significant source of sales. By creating a listing in one of its European marketplaces, you easily gain access to other European markets as well as the U.S. with just a few clicks. We are using Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) - a solution which simplifies logistics and also provides benefits such as product storage in Amazon’s fulfilment centres, access to Prime, customer service for the products and much more. This is a huge advantage for us and for consumers, who feel confident knowing their packages will be delivered reliably,” said Eric Delloye, Managing Director of Lucimed, a company which specialises in light therapy solutions.
Belgium’s SMEs are thriving around the world. The “Amazon 2024 SME Impact Report” reveals insightful data about how Belgian SMEs have been growing their e-commerce business since the launch of amazon.com.be in October 2022.
Belgian SMEs have found international success through Amazon. This is shown by the fact that more than 1,400 local SMEs were able to increase their international export sales on Amazon to over €350 million in 2023, 70% more than in 2022.
"Exporting through marketplaces unlocks new global opportunities for SMEs and companies, enabling growth and access to customers worldwide. Businesses should evaluate and consider this strategy to determine if it's the right fit for their growth and expansion goals,” said Greet Dekocker, Managing Director of Becom.
More than 90% of the SMEs exported their goods worldwide, proving their strong export focus. Belgian SMEs selling on Amazon are thriving particularly in France, Germany, the UK, Italy and the U.S. Their most successful categories are: Drugstore, Apparel, Home, Beauty and Grocery. Whilst Europe is a core market segment for Belgian SMEs, they also achieved more than €175 million in export sales outside the European Union, more than three times that of the previous year.
"On Amazon, small businesses have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with large industrial brands,” said Gauthier Dumont de Chassart, Co-founder at Terre d’Auguste, a family-owned company specialised in gardening products. “Success is not determined by sales force or financial resources, but by the quality of the product. If a product resonates with the consumers, it can gain increased visibility and prominence in the world's largest marketplace - a unique opportunity for smaller companies.”
“As a relatively small SME, it is very difficult to expand your reach abroad. Thanks to Amazon, we have sales in Germany, France and the rest of Europe,” said Gregor Zimmer, CEO of Botanica Spices, a company specialised in spices and dehydrated fruits.
Belgian SMEs have generated thousands of new jobs through selling on Amazon
The partnerships Amazon has with small businesses are underpinned by ongoing investments by Amazon to provide SMEs with the best tools and services that help to analyse and optimise a business. When a business grows, it invariably creates new roles and hires new people. The significant increase in reaching new customers globally by selling on Amazon’s stores also translates into an increase in jobs and employment opportunities. Every year, we ask SMEs for an update on how their business is progressing. That research provides insights into the number of employees that companies are hiring to deal with the growing demand from customers through Amazon. As of 2023, Belgium SMEs selling on Amazon have created over 3,000 jobs in Belgium to support their business online.
"SMEs are the backbone of the Belgian economy. At Amazon, empowering SMEs is a fundamental part of our business model and an extension of our customer-centric culture. Our success depends on their success. We invest heavily each year on infrastructure, tools, and services that enable SMEs to reach new customers and successfully sell their products online,” said Eva Faict, Country Manager of amazon.com.be. “On amazon.com.be, we now offer more than 400 million products, which help meet the diverse needs of our customers. We couldn’t do this without the help of SMEs. Also, new sellers who register on Seller Central can expand their sales reach, which in turn allows us to increase the product selection available to our customers.”
Presence throughout Belgium
The 1,400 Belgian SMEs that sell on Amazon are spread throughout the country. In fact, more than 80% of these companies have their headquarters in Belgian provinces outside of the Brussels region.
SMEs located in the provinces of Antwerp and Liège are the ones that have grown the most in 2023. Antwerp is one of the Belgian provinces with the highest number of SMEs selling on Amazon (more than 250), with 95% of them achieving over €120 million in export sales in 2023 – which represents a 70% increase of export sales compared to the previous year. While Liège is the province which registered the greatest growth in export sales, achieving more than €85 million in international sales, with more than 1,500% growth compared to 2022.
According to a study by Kantar from 2023, 55% of Belgian SMEs are still hesitant to operate online, the lack of skills and training being the main reasons and cited. This is why we have partnered with VOKA Chambers of Commerce in Flanders to offer free training to SMEs or entrepreneurs interested in growing their business through online channels.
