Nearly 9 in 10 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) plan to be selling online by the end of the year, according to a report commissioned by Amazon UK.
This would be a huge increase from the 64% of SMEs who say they sell online currently.
The information comes from Q4 2017 SME Growth Tracker, a report by Capital Economics. Commissioned by Enterprise Nation as well as Amazon UK, this report is now in its second year and is informed by a comprehensive YouGov survey of over 1000 SMEs.
The expected surge is surely good news for packaging retailers, as more online business requires more goods to be securely packed and protected before delivery. Boxes, adhesive tape, and void fill materials often prove to be popular with online sellers. With traditional bubble wrap and paper systems available, on-demand void fill options like air cushions and converted recycled materials like shredded cardboard also tend to do well with eCommerce retailers.Tamper-proof heat sealed bags are another popular choice for online sellers looking to cut down on their packaging without compromising on security.
Many packaging suppliers are taking notice of this growing sector and expanding their offerings to appeal to smaller start-ups as well as more established businesses.
The substantial increase in the amount of SMEs planning to take advantage of the online market during the year ahead is driven by business owners planning to sell on their own company websites and mobile apps, in addition to an increase in businesses expecting to sell via third party online retailers.
SMEs using eCommerce anticipate significantly faster growth next year. When compared to those businesses that don’t, they are expecting more than triple the growth in revenue, and double the growth in jobs.
