Harnessing Ecommerce Boosts Small Business Success

Small businesses in Europe that engage in ecommerce are much more successful than similar businesses that don't sell online, according to research by eBay. Around 130,000 small European businesses have joined eBay in the last 4 years, and together have sold almost 20 billion Euros' worth of goods. Just a quarter of offline small businesses sell their products internationally, but this rises to an astonishing 93% when looking at small businesses that sell their products on eBay. Over three-quarters sell to at least 5 countries, with 39% selling to at least 4 continents. The average number of countries that small European businesses export to on eBay is 18. Small businesses from the countries hardest hit by the economic crisis are doing especially well online. Small businesses from Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy typically saw levels of growth 20% higher than their countries' GDP. 
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