Amazon attracts SMEs: logistics and training to export
n showcase. In the made in Italy section, the excellences of the territory: 200 are from Veneto, about thirty from Friuli. From food to fashion they reach distant markets
by Barbara Ganz
4' min read
4' min read
More and more companies, including small and very small ones, are choosing Amazon to sell their products.
With more than 200 realities, Veneto is the fifth Italian region for presence within the Made in Italy showcase, which in total hosts more than 30 thousand typical local products. Of these, more than 35% belong to the Fashion category, and more than 20% to the Home category, and overall more than 50% export their products, reaching international customers. There are also many excellences from Friuli and Venezia Giulia: the regional route dedicated to Friuli-Venezia Giulia hosts more than 3,500 typical local products from 30 companies, of which about 80% belong to the Home category, about 5% to the Food category and about 5% to the Fashion category.
"The platform has been working with Italy for 15 years," explains Ilaria Zanelotti, Director of Sales Partner Services for Amazon.it. "We started out with an absolute minority of sellers, and today 60 per cent of the units sold are third parties, including SMEs, which we encourage to become increasingly digital. The first advantage is immediate: "Compared to traditional e-commerce, via your own site, the traffic volumes are much higher, and without having to incur significant expenses or investments. What we do is let brands emerge and let their products become visible'.
This is why Amazon also provides training tools to help people sell online: they learn how to put together a complete catalogue, how to accompany images with videos that better represent what is on offer: 'If necessary, we also offer to manage logistics, which clearly must meet criteria of reliability and also timeliness. By 2022, we have invested 8 billion in services, training for SMEs and logistics,' Zanelotti adds.
Thanks to the partnership with the Milan Polytechnic, the tools for small businesses are being refined and multiplied: 'If you want, you just have to download the content that we make available for free, selecting the topic of your choice. Each company can operate independently by creating its own account and simply start selling. In other cases, sellers can also ask for a direct, more targeted contact, in which case they are contacted in order to put together an effective strategy. When trading starts, the cost is proportional to sales, and therefore predictable'.
