DIGITAL ECONOMY

Two Projects to Qualify SMEs for the Digital Economy

The Portuguese Association of Electronic Commerce and Interactive Advertising (ACEPI) is an independent, non-profit organization that aims to study and implement the Digital Economy in Portugal. We helped ACEPI in the project management of two structuring projects that supported the qualification of SMEs for the Digital Economy. The first was for the Portugal North Region with the “Norte Digital” Project and later another project, but nationwide: the “Comércio Digital” Project.

In 2018, ACEPI launched a Program to improve the adoption of e-commerce by Small and Medium-sized Companies (SMEs) in the North of Portugal, called Norte Digital Project, and WellAdvisedCo was selected to manage the project. The Norte Digital comprised the carrying out of 3 international studies to provide specific content and information about the Digital Economy to SMEs in the Northern Region. We helped define the strategy, identify the qualification needs, and list the operational requirements SMEs needed for the digital economy.

The first phase of Norte Digital comprises a roadshow covering the entire North region of the country. The digital transformation took place in the regions of Douro, Tâmega and Sousa, Alto Tâmega, Porto Metropolitan Area, Alto Minho, Vale do Ave and Cávado and Trás-os-Montes. In total, the Norte Digital events brought together around 1,000 companies to debate the qualification needs of SMEs for the Digital Economy.

The second phase included the implementation of a pilot of 50 SMEs to prepare international marketplaces and e-commerce platforms. This pilot helped SMEs in the Northern Region achieve a more qualified digital presence in e-commerce operations or international marketplaces, thus increasing exports through digital economy tools. We support the creation, for each of those 50 SMEs, of a personalized roadmap for digital transformation and an action plan for participation in international aggregator markets, such as Amazon, AliExpress and others. 

Electronic commerce revealed great potential opportunities for Portuguese SMEs, as in addition to access to new markets, the electronic route allowed the reduction of costs and speed of response, simplifying and integrating more effective processes throughout the entire value chain of the business.

We set up all operations, built a specialized team and managed more than 40 partners and 1,000 participants in this project. The Northern Digital Project was co-financed by EU/FEDER funds from the Northern Region for 726 thousand Euros.

The second project was the nationwide “Comércio Digital” Project, specifically for the commerce and services sector. WellAdvisedCo was selected to manage the project. In partnership with CCP – Confederation of Commerce and Services of Portugal, this project aimed to motivate these companies to have a more qualified online presence. In 2020 in Portugal, data revealed that almost 60% of companies did not have one. The “Comércio Digital” Project intended to mobilize Portuguese micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to digitize their businesses through (a) the Activation of a Digital Presence, (b) the incorporation of technology into business models and (c) the dematerialization of processes with customers and suppliers through the use of ICT.

“Comércio Digital” Project initiatives aimed to help Portuguese companies that did not yet have an online presence or were taking their first steps into digital. These initiatives comprised:

Thematic Workshops: Rapid training actions (in-person and online) for traders and entrepreneurs in partnership with Commercial and Business Associations across the country.

#ECOMMERCEPORTUGAL: Movement to encourage Portuguese people to buy online on national websites. All you had to do was be a merchant and have a .pt online store to be able to join the #ECOMMERCEPORTUGAL movement

Digital Academy: Access training content for free through the online learning platform. Empower your company for the digital economy.

Webinars: More than 30 online sessions and seminars on internet business recorded and available on the website comerciodigital.pt

3in1 Voucher: The “.PT” partner offered 3in1 vouchers with access to free registration of a “.PT” domain for one year. Those vouchers include an email box and tools for website construction and hosting.

Confio Seal: If the merchant was already selling online and had an online store, they could sign up for the Confio Seal to increase the trust of their website.

Practical Guides and Tutorials: Learn how to use the right tools and make your business more digital.

We set up all operations, built a specialized team, and managed over 100 partners and more than 40 Associations. The “Comércio Digital” Project was co-financed by EU/FEDER funds from COMPETE 2020 at 1.771 million Euros.