SMEs asked to leverage eCommerce platforms to reach wider markets
Businesses, particularly those within the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) space, must fully embrace eCommerce to be able to reach out to a wider market both locally and internationally, the Brand and Content Manager at Campus Connections Limited, Ms Suzzy Asare, has said.
“Although unfortunate, the outbreak of COVID-19 exposed the real relevance of eCommerce; it is time for businesses to fully leverage the benefits to remain competitive in the market,” she said in an interaction with the Graphic Business in Accra as she explained the value of eCommerce in turning around the economy and reaching a wider market locally and internationally.
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According to her, to win and sustain the customer confidence, it was important for those using that space to ensure that what they sold to their customers were of quality to enable them to repose confidence in their business.
Ms Asare, whose company provides unique software and eCommerce platforms for vendors to sell a wide range of products online, mentioned some of the platforms Campus Connections provided as TopazFabrics - an online fabric shop, TopazMed – an online shop for the wholesale of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment, TopazPharma – an online shop for the retail of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment, and TopazShop, among others.
According to her, within a short period since it started operations, the company was beginning to make inroads because of the quality of products on its platform.
Delivering value
“For most people, it is about buying and selling of goods and services using the internet from the comfort of their home, work, school, among others. But from our perspective it is about delivering value and comfort to the consumer and also helping sellers reach a wider range of customers than just normal walk-in sales,” she said.
Ms Asare said for a developing country, Ghana was fast becoming an online trading destination because eCommerce was growing at a fast pace; hence, the need for people to embrace trusted platforms such as the Topaz range to leverage the benefits thereof.
About what people normally patronise online, she said: “I think fashion, electronics, phones and accessories, cosmetics, health and beauty, furniture, among others, dominate the demand.”
She said, as a result, the company had well positioned itself to offer the unique space where quality could be sold, adding that “We ensure that customers get value from the right kind of businesses in the country.”
With scammers taking undue advantage of various online platforms to dupe unsuspecting clients, Ms Asare said security of platforms used must be taken seriously to avoid abuse.
“Our eCommerce platforms and software’s are 99.9 per cent secure and have failover and load balancing technology in place to maintain optimal performance for both the customer and vendor. All data, records and reports are stored forever and are backed up several times daily.
“This is what all others must do in this space because this is very important and must not be taken for granted,” she said.
As to what makes their platform stands out, she said: “We have product group-specific online shops to make for better customer experience.
We can also assure our customers an up-to-date technology, 24/7 availability, reliability and convenience.”
With regards to what regulations or the government could introduce to make the space more secure, she said “I am sure folks with regulatory minds can figure that out. We are service providers, and we stand ready to comply with any regulations coming from the government.”
