The Export Observatory of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano presented, on the occasion of the conference “Digital export: to each its own channel!”, Some very interesting data relating to the Italian digital export.
The statistics speak of a digital Export with a total value of 9.2 billion euros for 2017, a trend in clear growth compared to the previous year, equal to + 23%.
The indicated figure must be distinguished between direct and indirect online export, so let’s try to understand what it is.
Direct online export: what is it?
Direct online export corresponds to the trade that Italian companies make through proprietary e-commerce, therefore managed independently by the manufacturer, through e-commerce of Italian retailers or through the large e-commerce marketplaces that also have an Italian headquarters, such as Amazon and eBay, or even multi-channel retailers such as LuisaViaRoma or Yoox Net-A-Porter Group.
Direct online export registered a value of 2.3 billion euros in 2017, a figure that corresponds to 25% of the total.
The indirect online export, that is the most widespread
75%, therefore the biggest “slice” of Italian digital exports, concerns indirect online exports, whose value is equal to 6.9 billion euros.
This type of Export concerns the sales of Italian products that take the form of foreign retailers, for example in the marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay in their foreign domains, on Zalando, JD.com, Suning, Tmall, Venteprivee and other sites still .
Immense growth margins for Italian exports
Although, as seen, the indirect online export predominates, it is not certain that the direct export cannot grow, indeed it is precisely this that is hoped for the prosperity of the national economy.
Currently, Italian companies that export via e-commerce are just over a third, but only 2% entrust their sales exclusively to the Internet; the percentage is relevant, therefore, but there are undoubtedly immense growth margins.
Some interesting data on Italian exporting companies
It is very interesting to know what are the areas in which Italian digital exports are the most competitive: the Fashion sector ranks first, with a really significant percentage of 66%, followed by Food with 15% and furniture with 7%.
An analysis of a sample of 160 Italian exporting companies, both producers and retailers, showed that they export at least 10% of their turnover within a year.
The percentage of companies that trade with foreign countries through traditional channels remains high, at exactly 43%, 35% operate both through online channels and through offline channels, while as previously mentioned, only 2% of companies export exclusively relying exclusively on ‘e-commerce.
What prevents companies from trading online abroad?
Selling through e-commerce abroad can be really important for the business of a company and can open up really important horizons, but why do some companies not seize this opportunity?
The reasons are different: in 44% of cases the “brake” is represented by aspects of a legal nature, for 39% the problem is instead identifiable in the need to manage Marketing strategies, for 34% in the management of online channels, the same percentage identifies logistical aspects as an obstacle, and finally 27% of companies do not yet trade with foreign countries because they find it difficult to identify the necessary funding to expand the business in this way.
An absolutely huge potential business
Giving up this opportunity, however, is really a pity: there are many Italian companies that, expanding their vision and turning their products abroad, have managed to achieve truly flattering results, decisive for the growth of the company or, in some cases, also for its survival.
If you are aware of the fact that e-commerce has immense business potential, especially where you want to turn your products abroad, do not hesitate to contact us: we have a profound experience in this sector and we can supply you with much more than a simple help!
Source: Osservatori.net
