On April 5, the educational initiative Swedish E-Commerce Academy kicked off. In connection with the virtual launch event, a new report was also presented on Swedish small and medium-sized companies' experiences of e-commerce, which shows that the need for knowledge is great. Today, one third refrain from selling online despite both growth and export potential.
In recent years, e-commerce has enjoyed strong growth in Sweden: from 2016 to 2021 alone, sales increased by 150% according to E-barometern, which is published by PostNord. E-commerce thus plays an increasing role for Swedish companies' opportunities to grow and reach more potential customers - both in Sweden and abroad. But despite the potential of e-commerce, around a third of SMEs refrain from selling online, according to a new report on SMEs and e-commerce. Of those who already sell online, only half sell outside Sweden.
In the report, which was produced by IHM Business School and carried out by Origo Group on behalf of Amazon and the Swedish E-Commerce Academy, half of the respondents state that they lack sufficient competence to be successful in e-commerce. The need for expertise is greatest in digital marketing and infrastructure, but also includes logistics, law and customer support.
Swedish E-Commerce Academy aims to increase knowledge among small and medium-sized companies about how they can succeed in e-commerce. Together, Business Sweden, Almi Företagspartner Skåne, Amazon, and PostNord is creating Sweden's leading training platform for e-commerce, with contributions from Regional Exportsamverkan Skåne and Ehandel.
“With the global rise in e-commerce, many online retailers are fighting for customers internationally. Companies have become more skilled at adapting their offer to each country in order to position themselves and grow. To continue to succeed, Swedish e-retailers need to make sure they understand each country they are entering and make themselves relevant to the local target group.”, says Jan Larsson, CEO of Business Sweden.
“As a smaller company, it is difficult to be an expert at everything. By taking advantage of the specialist knowledge that logistics partners and other suppliers possess, business owners can not only avoid unnecessary mistakes, but also learn a lot in return. In the end, it will lead to both more successful small and medium-sized companies and more satisfied customers, which is the goal of the Swedish E-Commerce Academy.”, says Mathias Krümmel , CEO PostNord Sverige.
“Sweden is a well-developed e-commerce country, which means great potential for Swedish companies to reach even more customers, both nationally and internationally. At the same time, consumers' expectations of a good shopping experience today are sky high. We are happy and proud to collaborate with strong local players to support Swedish e-commerce companies and offer them new training opportunities on Amazon and other online sales channels.", says Gulfem Toygar, Country Manager for Amazon in Sweden.
The initiative kicked off on April 5 with a morning filled with discussions and e-commerce insights. Speakers at the virtual event include Jan Larsson, CEO of Business Sweden, Partik Müller, E-commerce expert på Nets and Henrik Klintenberg, IHM Business School. There will also be a panel discussion with Amazon’s Country Manager for Sweden, Gulfem Toygar. The event marks the start of a new free webinar series in six parts that touches on different topics in e-commerce from each of the actors behind the Swedish E-Commerce Academy.
For more information about the Swedish E-Commerce Academy and to register for the virtual event, click here.
