Digital export has long been a topic of discussion, but still many small and medium-sized enterprises have not taken it on board.

digital export

Why not?

There are many reasons, but we could summarize them as follows:

  • A lack of digital skills needed to position your company in foreign markets.
  • A lack of sufficient language skills to approach foreign interlocutors.
  • The limited time available to develop in-depth analyses of the best areas in which to invest.

All these reasons too often block the initiatives of SMEs wishing to establish their presence in international markets.

Yet, today as never before, the internationalisation of business through digital channels is an option not to be underestimated.

Michele Castagna, a Matchplat customer and export consultant who has been supporting Italian companies in their search for new partners around the world for over eleven years, told us this in a recent interview.

Moreover, in an article of ours, we highlighted how the current economic situation has accelerated a change that is already underway: the development of new business relationships is increasingly passing through new technologies, prompting us to look for alternatives to traditional solutions such as trade fairs.

Undoubtedly, direct contact with products and services remains important, but it is equally fundamental to look for new ways to face the difficulties of the moment: a concept that emerged in recent weeks during the 2020 edition of the Export Smart Summit, an online event sponsored by SACE SIMEST with a focus on digital exports as a strategic lever for the recovery of the country.

With over 500 billion euros in exports expected in the next two years, it is easy to see how the strengthening of Made in Italy abroad represents a crucial step for the restart of the country and a unique opportunity for our companies.

The latest available data seems to be encouraging: the third quarter of 2020 was marked by an increase of over 30% in exports compared to the previous period. Non-EU countries have played a key role, contributing more than others to the growth of national exports on an annual basis.

The recent signing of the RCEP, destined to be the world largest trade agreement, will certainly contribute to strengthening this process in the long term, making superpowers such as China increasingly protagonists of globalisation processes.

In the face of epoch-making changes, even daily operations of companies require unprecedented logics: to adopt them, a change of approach in which digital solutions play a leading role is necessary.

For this reason, at Matchplat we believe that the difficulties briefly listed at the beginning of this article should not stop SMEs wishing to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital export.

In order to exploit its potential, we have developed services that fully meet the needs of internationalisation: from mapping distribution and supply chains to the search for new customers, passing through B2B intermediation made possible by the language skills of our team.

All on the basis of an awareness: channels such as e-commerce and social media are essential to oversee foreign countries, but they are not enough.

Knowing the structure of the markets you are focusing on is just as important, and channels such as online shops or a social media profiles cannot do this; moreover, not all companies have quick access to expensive market analyses.

This is why we at Matchplat have decided to make this affordable for SMEs through accessible and tailor-made solutions that do not require a dedicated staff or investments in complex analyses.

This is a path open to all small and medium enterprises, which are called upon to take new ways to make their digital export a winning solution.

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