Logistics News

Aussie exporters see e-business growth

A growing majority of exporters use social media as an online marketing device

 

Online commerce is continuing along its growth trajectory with an increasing number of business to business (B2B) companies using e-commerce and digital marketing techniques to improve business, DHL’s 2016 Export Barometer indicates.

The ‘barometer’ shows that two in five B2B businesses have experienced an increase in international online orders in the past 12 months.

It also indicates that over two-thirds of Australian exporters now use social media as a marketing tool to generate online orders.

Aimed at identifying export trends and analysing export confidence in Australia, the independent study examines the business outlook of Australian exporters, highlighting changes in overseas market demand and providing insights into the factors affecting the Australian export trade.

“Online commerce has been extremely positive for Australian exporters and it appears to be continuing on a growth trajectory,” DHL Express Oceania senior vice president Gary Edstein says.

“While some exporters were slow to get started in the online world, in recent years there has been a steady increase in the portion of Aussie businesses using online commerce and digital marketing methods including social media.”

The study also reveals that the number of exporters using social media increased from 38 per cent last year to 68 per cent this year.

Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of exporters now generate at least 20 per cent of their orders online, which is up from 58 per cent just two years ago, it reports.

The number of exporters who generate orders solely online also increased from 10 per cent in 2014 to 16 per cent this year.

Online commerce is important to mid-sized businesses, with up to three-quarters (74 per cent) reporting a positive impact, while the number of exporters who see online commerce as positive increased from 52 per cent to 66 per cent.

With online commerce in the midst of a boom, close to 50 per cent businesses are focussed on improving their online presence in 2016 – an increase from 35 per cent last year.

“Service excellence is now a key differentiator for exporters,” Edstein says.

“Consumers expect to receive a high quality service when shopping online and the speed of fulfillment can make all the difference when exporting. 

“We’re also seeing a growth in the number of businesses interacting with buyers on social media, with more than two-thirds of exporters using social media to attract orders and correspondingly saying they are more confident in using these channels.”

The study also reveals that close to 40 per cent businesses use social media marketing techniques to increase export orders.

“We are seeing a broadening of businesses getting involved in online commerce,” he says.

“Where it was once the domain of consumer-focused companies, we’re now seeing more enterprises looking for orders among business customers, most likely as online knowledge and expertise starts to mature.

“We have seen a particular spike in exporters using social media to attract export orders or enquiries, now sitting at more than two-thirds.”

The study indicates that up to 68 per cent of Australian exporters use social media channels including, Facebook 51 per cent, LinkedIn 28 per cent, Twitter 26 per cent and Instagram 19 per cent, as an online marketing device.

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