Australian small and medium-sized businesses are harnessing the power of online stores and export opportunities to drive revenue and increase resilience.

The report, Small and Medium Business Empowerment Report, revealed that in the past 12 months, 14,000 Australian businesses, many of them SMEs, have started selling in Amazon stores with 27 million units sold that equates to 50 units a minute.

The report uses specially commissioned research by YouGov of SMEs across various sectors alongside data reflecting the experience of businesses across Australia selling locally and globally through Amazon.

It showed that six in 10 (57 per cent) small-business owners and key decision-makers believe that there are benefits of international export for their businesses. Similarly, SMEs that sell internationally were more likely to have reported increased revenue over the past 12 months with 53 per cent of exporting SMEs increasing their revenues v 35 per cent for those who did not export.

Amazon reported that 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 exporting specifically (51 per cent compared to 40 per cent).

The report estimated that Australian businesses selling online globally have created more than 20,000 jobs in Australia to support their online business activities.

Amazon Australia will use the findings of the report to develop stronger SME seller support programs to help local sellers build and grow their businesses, improving resilience across the retail sector.

Do you sell online or are you thinking of adding this channel to your business?  If so, it is important that you have robust financial management systems in place.  If you need help with your accounting systems get in touch with Sumz Plus Business Services.