Small-goods traders get a boost via Internet
The Commerce Ministry has initiated a project to encourage small-goods traders to trade products online, in line with the government’s plan to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and serve its digital economy policy.
The initiative is being done in partnership with global logistics firm DHL Express. Malee Choklumlerd, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said the “Small Order OK” (SOOK) project aimed to encourage more SME goods traders to trade online and boost their competitiveness so they could sell goods to other countries. Under the project, SMEs can advertise their products via the department’s website www.thaitrade.com, with buyers able to purchase goods through an e-payment system. DHL Express will support the logistics and the delivery products to customers both domestically and worldwide. Previously, www.thaitrade.com only facilitated business-to-business transaction and buyers had to order a lot of goods.
SOOK will help SMEs generate sales by them getting small orders directly from customers, Malee explained.
She said that her department also had a project to educate small business operators about online trading.
Recently, the department was awarded the World Summit on the Information Society prize 2016 of the United Nations for helping SMEs trade online.
Since 2013, the department has supported 1,684 SMEs in trading online. This could generate a combined income of Bt2 billion, it said.
In the next three years, the department has targeted promoting another 15,000 SMEs to trade online and has set a combine trading value of no less than Bt5 billion.
