Despite the slew of challenges facing Australian SMEs, a new report affirms that the sector is showing great resilience and enjoying positive revenue thanks to online and exporting activities.
Amazon’s Small and Medium Business Empowerment Report, which included research by YouGov of SMEs across various sectors, reveals that 57 per cent SME owners and key decision-makers believe in the benefits of international export for their businesses. It also finds that SMEs who sell internationally are more likely to have reported increased revenue over the past 12 months, with 53 per cent of exporting SMEs having increased their revenues versus 35 per cent for who do not export their goods or services.
Australian SMEs using online stores to export are significantly more likely to report revenue growth overall (64 per cent) compared with those who weren’t (43 per cent) and more likely to report revenue growth from exports (51 per cent compared to 40 per cent).
Country Manager, Amazon Marketplace Australia and Singapore, Amit Mahto, said that online stores are offering Australian businesses a sense of resilience in an uncertain global economy.
“Despite an ongoing pandemic, natural disasters and economic uncertainty, Australia’s SME sector continued to thrive in the twelve months to July 2022 with the help of online sales and exports,” Mahto said. “Supporting our home-grown SME sellers is important for Amazon Australia and we are committed to empowering our local SMEs through unique business tools, training and marketing opportunities. We are proud to support the future success of Australian SMEs in an increasingly challenging economic environment.”
Amazon say that more than 14,000 Australian businesses, many of which are SMEs, are selling in their stores and sold almost 27 million units in a 12-month period, an increase of 17 per cent on the previous year. It is estimated that Australian businesses selling on Amazon globally have created more than 20,000 jobs in Australia.
Amazon Australia said it is looking to develop stronger SME seller support programs to help local sellers build and grow their business, improving resilience across the retail sector.
