Angling to catch more companies in the web
Oct 1 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
Despite the obvious advantages of e-commerce, uncertainty and fear has caused many North East firms to miss out on the infinite possibilities of the internet. Andrew Mernin meets an eclectic group of experts determined to challenge misconceptions and get more of the region's firms online.
THE doors are locked, the room is packed and the challenge is set – to find a solution to the North East’s online woes in two hours. Coffee cups are full as a sea of pensive faces huddle round the boardroom table like military tacticians plotting to bring down an empire.
In fact, holed up in the office near Gosforth are people from a range of disciplines who have all come together for one reason – to get more North East businesses online.
Sitting among lawyers, bankers and accountants are digital marketing experts and owners of fledgling online businesses.
The council has been called by accountancy and business advisory group RMT to cut through the mystery of online trading, dispel the myths and find out why the North East still lags behind in the online stakes.
To an outsider, taking your off-line business into the lucrative world of e-commerce is a cheap and hugely effective way of boosting income with ease.
However, speak to those on the frontline of the e-commerce revolution and scratch through the positive veneer of internet trading, and you uncover a world of fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Today’s event is aimed at finding out why many North East firms are reluctant to dip their toes into the unchartered waters of the web and hopefully come up with solutions on how to turn things around.
The first issue is to work out exactly who uses the internet – a topic that brings mixed, bordering on heated, opinions.
The broad conclusion seems to be that we must move away from the common misconception that the internet is largely for the young.
“I have a friend who’s in her eighties who uses YouTube to practise her knitting,” explains Zara Waterston (pictured) who is just about to launch her own online business Absolute Woman.
After much debate over a spectrum of issues related to trading on the web – including the rigours of setting up banking facilities – the discussion moves towards its climax.
But, with the clock rapidly approaching the two o’clock deadline it looks as though this initial session will merely serve as a foundation for a future solution to the region’s online shortcomings.
Although not everyone in the room agrees with him, Pascal Fintoni (pictured) cites some of the reasons why he thinks the North East lags behind the rest of the country in terms of e-trading.
The head of e-business, and acting CEO of the North East Regional Portal, says: “Going online drives you to review your original business processes and with the pain that you perceive you need to go through to adapt to the change, you put it off until next month or next year.
“People don’t like change and a major barrier is the pain and suffering that they perceive they need to go through.”
