The inaugural E-Commerce Week, which runs from 18 to 22 March 2024 under the banner of “Put the ease into e-commerce”, has been created by the UK’s E-Commerce Trade Commission.

A series of events will take place across the week, with the Institute for Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) hosting webinars on ‘How businesses can use e-commerce to grow internationally’ (19 March) and ‘What is the social value of e-commerce trade?’ (20 March).

Elsewhere, eBay is hosting a roadshow on 21 March which will highlight the support and guidance provided by the Commission through E-Commerce Week.

Badenoch welcomed the launch of E-Commerce Week, saying:

“E-commerce is vital for our economy. That’s why we fought hard to ensure digital trade remains tariff-free at the WTO, giving businesses of all sizes the certainty they need to grow and keep costs down for their customers.

“I’m pleased that the E-Commerce Trade Commission is inspiring more small businesses to export. The launch of E-Commerce Week will give them the tools they need to thrive as we chase our ambition to reach £1trn of exports by 2030.”

Marco Forgione, director general of IOE&IT and chair of the E-Commerce Trade Commission, added:

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and getting more of them trading internationally is essential to sparking growth in the UK economy.

“In the UK it is estimated that 99% of UK businesses are small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but that only 9% export. Showcasing e-commerce as another entry point to exporting will help this broader ambition of getting more small firms trading internationally.”

“The E-Commerce Trade Commission is united in its ambition to help UK businesses benefit from international trade. The rapidly changing face of e-commerce, with new social media  platforms offering new challenges and opportunities, means business owners need guidance to understand the rules and decide which platforms are best for them.  

“Cross-border trade is a force for good, helping transform lives, communities and nations. Research shows that businesses which trade internationally are more sustainable, more resilient, employ more people, are more innovative, and are more profitable.”

The Commission, convened and chaired by IOE&IT, was launched in June last year and will run until June 2025. It aims to reach 70,000 small British businesses in that time, encouraging and supporting them to explore opportunities to export online.

The Commission’s members include some of the world’s largest ecommerce platforms – including Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Google and Shopify – as well as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Association of International Courier & Express Services (AICES). The Department for Business and Trade also sits on the Commission to aid a smooth flow of feedback and ideas directly to policymakers.

According to the E-Commerce Trade Commission, if more SMEs businesses began exporting online it could generate up to £9.3bn gross value added (GVA) for the economy. With latest data from the ONS revealing that export growth and wider economic growth at the beginning of 2024 has been slow, there is an ever-greater need to inspire more business owners to explore international e-commerce, and to give those already trading the tools and confidence to expand.

Current and potential new business owners can learn all they need to start selling globally via e-commerce on the E-Commerce Week website, which includes practical information on how to get started alongside inspiration from business owners who have successfully grown their businesses through international e-commerce.

Making it e-asier to trade

E-Commerce Week is looking to tackle these barriers and show current business owners and up-and-coming entrepreneurs the easy path to exporting via e-commerce. E-Commerce Week will do this with three key pillars to ‘put the ease into e-commerce’:

1.      Entrepreneur: It all starts with an idea. The UK is brimming with entrepreneurs with ideas for goods and services that can be sold all around the world.

2.      Education: But the practical elements of bringing that business to life and selling online around the world can be tough. E-Commerce Week will provide current business owners and the next generation of entrepreneurs the tools they need to learn about selling globally via e-commerce.

3.      Export: The final goal is that SMEs in the UK can scale their business for success and sell to a global marketplace.