"The 'Amazon effect': 75% of its small and medium-sized businesses export, compared to the average of 9%, according to Ruth Díaz"

 

Amazon's Vice President of Fashion Europe and Country Manager of Spain, Ruth Diaz, he detailed significant role of small and medium-sized enterprises within the company's operations in Spain. "More than 60% of the units that we sell are from third-party sellers, who are mostly SMEs. We work with 17.000 Spanish SMEs, 2.900 of which are Valencian", Díaz stated during his participation in the 40th AECOC Congress of Mass Consumption.

 

The directive emphasized the the ease with which Amazon allows these companies to make the international leapHe compared the export data: «According to ICEX, only 9% of SMEs that sell online export. On Amazon, that figure is 75%."Díaz explained this success in the removal of barriers for SMEs: “And that's because we make it very easy for them. Any SME with Two clicks and in three days you're selling all over Europe. and without the need for translation, customer service, or their own logistics." As a result of this ease, SMEs selling on the platform in Spain They exported 1.200 billion euros last year.

 

Furthermore, Ruth Diaz He highlighted the strategic importance of Spain for the company, highlighting the presence of great talent (with 100 nationalities on Amazon Spain) and the innovation driven from the country. He mentioned the more than 1.000 developers and innovation centers that are creating solutions for everyone, from technology for the Kindle Scribe up to applications Alexa developed in Madrid.

 

In the field of Development, stressed that "Training in digital skills is training for the future"expressing his confidence in the future of the country:"We believe that Spain's future is bright and we want to contribute to it.".

 

With regards to logistics and customer service, the speed remains a key pillar for Amazon, having delivered 160 million units same day or next day last year and reaching 100% of Spanish postal codes.

 

Finally, Diaz He highlighted the democratization that technology, and especially the Artificial Intelligence (AI), has brought to the business world: "What was previously possible only for a very few large companies that needed highly qualified personnel and large investments, It is now available to everyone, to any entrepreneur... Today, a Valencian SME has the same access to the same technology, to the same AI, that Amazon has.«.

 

AECOC Calls for Collaboration and High Aims

 

The president of AECOC, Ignacio González, put the finishing touch to the edition most crowded in the history of the congress, with around 1.500 attendees. González reaffirmed the spirit of collaboration who has guided Congress for four decades to build a sector stronger, more innovative and sustainable.

 

In his speech, he pointed out that the context of geopolitical instability and breaking the rules of the commercial game are greatly conditioning the future of business. He called on the political class to prove high-mindedness, focus on solving citizens' problems and understand companies as allies.

 

The president of the Association also identified several crucial challenges that concern the sector, such as loss of purchasing power of the consumer, the intergenerational inequality and the challenges posed by the future of workHe insisted on the need for a serious country plan all with improve productivity, tackle absenteeism and move towards an employment model based on dialogue that guarantees the sustainability of the system.

 

González defended an employment model inclusive: "Need well-qualified workers, regardless of where they come from, what language they speak, or whether they are men or women. Inclusion and diversity are not only a matter of social justice, but also of competitiveness and future."He also recalled the request from the executives of the consumer goods sector..." make female talent visible.

 

With a message of confidence, the president concluded: “We have shown that, when we work together, we are able to drive transformations that benefit companies, workers and society as a whole.. "

 

Finally, Ignacio González announced that the next edition of the AECOC Congress on Mass Consumption will take place in Seville on October 21 and 22, 2026.