86% of Spanish exporting SMEs generate income through e-commerce

The FedEx SME Export Report reveals:

More than two thirds of the total income obtained by these Spanish SMEs is driven by exports.

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FedEx Express, has announced the results of its second Report on SME exports*Directed by Harris Interactive between 4.500 small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) European. All figures refer to the SMEs that they currently export. He E-commerce is driving optimism among small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

 

European perception

 

Although the economic conditions in Europe have been unpredictable over the past twelve months, the US Export Report SMEs has discovered that small and medium-sized exporting enterprises (SMEs) throughout Europe are thriving and seeking opportunities abroad. 53% of them they export to other continents, compared to 2015 when almost a third (29%) of SMEs exported to other regions. Furthermore, exports generate 65% of the total income of the European exporting SMEs, highlighting the importance of exploring the international markets to grow and prosper.

 

"It's positive to see that the community of the SMEs "European countries remain optimistic about their export and growth prospects," he says. David Binks, President FedEx Europe and CEO of TNT"The Report on SME exports has highlighted that SMEs recognize the importance of exporting to increase their income, with the E-commerce playing a crucial role in this. The merging of physical and digital networks has made the world even more connected, presenting more opportunities for exports and contributing to the growth of SMEs, while also boosting global competitiveness."

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The growth of e-commerce is expected to continue in Spain

 

El E-commerce is clearly a growth area for SMEs: about 9 out of 10 (86%) small and medium-sized Spanish export companies They already generate income through electronic commerce, a figure that is surprisingly higher than the European average (80%). Compared to last year, 33% of Spanish SMEs exporters have reported higher income through e-commerce in the last 12 months, and confidence in it continues to increase. Thus, 39% of them predict continued growth over the next year. This growth in online commerce It is mainly attributed to being able to reach export markets more easily (41%) and having a more secure payment system (40%).

 

In line with the boom in e-commerce, transactions through mobile devices (m-commerce) and social media platforms (social media transactions) are also increasing. 69% of the Spanish exporting SMEs They already generate income through m-commerce, thanks to the improvements made to the web pages and mobile applications. What's more, 79% of exporting SMEs also use social media platforms for sales purposes, especially traditional networks such as Facebook (49%) and instant messaging applications (34%).

 

Exports are key to the growth of the Spanish economy

 

Ian Silverton, Senior manager of FedEx Operations in Spain, comments that "the acquisition of TNT Express by FedEx last year is adding an extraordinary European road network to FedEx Express' world-class air network already operating in Europe and around the world, creating even more possibilities for Spanish SMEs export both in Europe "However that may be."

 

 

Exporting generates 65% of the total income of European SME exporters, highlighting the importance of exploring international markets to grow and prosper.

 

 

The report shows that the income generated by the exports They represent 71% of the total income of the Spanish exporting SMEs, a figure significantly higher than the European and world averages. More specifically, 84% of Spanish exporting SMEs distribute their products or services within their own region (Europe), while they do so to countries in other regions to a lesser extent, 60%. However, although the figure is lower, it is proportionally higher than the European average, which represents 53%.

 

Spanish SMEs respondents consider that the exports, both inside and outside Europe, have remained stable or increased over the last twelve months. The main reasons for this momentum are new product launches and expansion into new markets. In the same sense, it is worth noting that more than 40% of these small and medium-sized companies are confident and expect that their export levels will increase next year.

 

The study also shows that the main markets to which Spanish small and medium-sized companies export within Europe are: France (61%), Germany, (46%), Italy (44%) and Portugal (43%). While, Germany, (40%) is considered the main competitor, followed by France (35%), Italy (30%) and United Kingdom (23%). Regarding the main markets to which our SMEs export outside Europe, these are: United States (22%) and Latin America, specifically Argentina (20%), Mexico (19%) and Brazil (16%).

 

This growing competitive landscape presents new challenges for Spanish SMEs

 

Despite this largely optimistic outlook, SMEs recognize several business challenges that they have to face. The most cited are the growing competition with companies from other markets (40%) and from the country itself (32%), along with the lack of government support (37%). To face this new competitive landscape, Spanish companies trust logistics providers; 40% assure that these are helping them respond to their new business challenges. What's more, close to 90% recognize the importance that logistics companies have had since they began exporting.

 

About the SME Export Report

 

Harris Interactive conducted 9.000 interviews (including 4,500 in Europe) with senior executives from SMEs via online and telephone in 17 markets1, from four global regions2, between August and September 2016. Interviews were divided equally by country with a representative sample of company sizes: micro (1-9 full-time employees), small ( 10-49 full-time employees) and medium (50-249 full-time employees). The sample size has been 500 respondents per market, including Spain, with the exception of the United Kingdom where the sample size has been 1.000 respondents.