Even though Britain appears to be recovering from the recession many companies are failing to take advantage of the weak pound and market their products abroad.
According to the Institute of Export, in 2009 only 75,000 businesses in Britain are currently exporting.
“Exporting can be the lifeline that pulls companies through the downturn. Yet many miss out because they don’t know what the opportunities are, how to grab hold of them or where to start,” the U.K. Minister of Trade and Investment (UKTI) Lord Davies of Abersoch said. “UKTI is proud to work with Google, the world’s number one brand, to provide real help for businesses looking to export. There is a world of business opportunities out there, and they’re just a click away.”
Businesses are reluctant to export due to a number of reasons including: language and cultural barriers, cross-border logistics and payments, administrative barriers and advertising challenges, thus highlighting the need for business support in this area.
Export Adviser
To help businesses get started, Google along with its partners Applied Language Solutions, HSBC, Royal Mail, IoE & UKTI created the “Export Adviser” Web site, located at http://google.co.uk/exportadviser/.
It aims to provide a pre-packaged toolkit for small and medium sized businesses to break down these barriers. The package will include expert advice for novice exporters, as well as new tools and incentives for existing exporters looking to reach new customers in new markets. The site will also include a brand new tool to help businesses find their market hotspots overseas, using data from the millions of Internet searches conducted on Google worldwide.
The partnership has also put together a new related service called the ‘Export Box’, which provides would-be exporters with discounts in website translation, advertising, email and call centre support and cross-border payments.
Dan Cobley, marketing director, Google, said: “Consumer behaviour is changing rapidly as people turn to the web to find products and services at the best value, especially when times are tough. The fantastic thing about the web is that anyone with a computer and an internet connection can tap into a global market from day one, opening up new revenue streams for their businesses. This site will hopefully give SMEs a big helping hand as they look to export for the first time.”
