eCommerce Can Boost Serbian Business: Embrace It
Online retailing delivers the best prices, the widest choice and the most convenient way of shopping for millions around the world. That is a fact. It is fast, efficient and easy to use and can be safe and secure if used sensibly. Internet shopping might not be for everyone, but that is his or her choice. At least, it is in countries where that choice is available to them.
eCommerce can make so many things possible for so many people. It already does that in many countries. It brings products and services within reach by opening the doors to the world. With the advent of online payment systems, Serbians will finally be able to legally purchase any number of items from beyond their borders. This is not a deterioration of border controls, a loss of homeland trade or any infringement of Serbian territory by outside forces.
Unbelievably, all of these have been used as scaremongering by media and politicians and business leaders in Serbia. I say to all of them: you are wrong. You are restricting the natural rights of your people, if you prevent them from having the choice and maybe bettering their lives in this way. Personal business interests should not be used for political gain or commercial stonewalling. But this wouldn’t be the first time…
Media is Serbia have been quick to put down the idea of online shopping and have spread fear stories about credit card transactions, implying that is in unsafe, unstable and prone to exploitation. Such a Luddite attitude to growth and all the potential it can bring is sad and unwarranted. While I can applaud any sensible discussion that helps people to clarify the topic in their own minds, I would not be so charitable if it were to be shown that there is another agenda being served by their criticism.
If anything, this should be seen as another sign that Serbia is prepared to deliver the developments that many others in the modern world already see as the norm. Far from being another nasty trick from the West, online commerce is an opportunity, not a threat. e-commerce is a strength to Serbian business, not a weakness. It is not the role of those in charge to prevent Serbia’s consumers from benefiting from increased choice, more competitive prices and an increased ease of shopping.
A common complaint by many people I meet in Serbia and much of the region is how difficult it can be to legally buy goods online, when may retailers refuse to post items to Serbia or Bosnia and online payments are a minefield – if they are even possible. On numerous occasions I have been asked to shop things online from US and UK retailers, pay using my own PayPal account, and have the items delivered to my address for me to forward to Serbia or Bosnia. The time and effort involved is a deterrent to all but the keenest shopper but when the prices are so much lower, the range of products so much greater, some people are willing to jump through those hoops. With improved online retailing opportunities, no long will this be necessary.
I buy a great many things online. It is too convenient and cost effective not to do it. I can shop the world with just a few clicks. In the past month, I have shopped online for music, film, software and applications, clothes, books, home wares, groceries and pet food. I have also paid for travel insurance, bought flight tickets, booked hotels, rented cars abroad and paid for concert tickets. All safe and secure, and all with just a few clicks.
While ease is a definite advantage, being able to shop around for the most suitable products at the best prices is a major bonus for me. If I want to buy a new dictaphone, for example, I can check for the model that suits my needs and then find where it is on sale for the best price. Postage is often free or minimal and the items are usually delivered within a day or two. Then, if I decide it is not the item I wanted, more often than not I can return it without any quibble. Seriously, what could be more simple?
The ability to buy and sell online has shown a clear benefit to consumers worldwide. It has greatly increased choice, led to competitive pricing and improved trading standards for many businesses, because e-commerce is about more than just shopping. It makes it easier to pay for all sorts of goods and services, such as professional support, health care and financial products.
Remember, online trading is a two-way street, where businesses in Serbia should have as much opportunity to sell their products abroad as people in Serbia have to buy from the international marketplace. Independent traders, many of whom are suffering at the hands of the traumatised economic climate, clearly benefit from improved trading conditions. Small traders and artisans can literally go from a backstreet market stall to a worldwide customer base overnight.
In all major territories where internet retailing has taken off, it has been noted that local businesses have benefited significantly from the increased routes to market. An artisan will be able to set up a website or on ebay to sell their products to international customers. They will no longer need to navigate the minefield of online payment, when credit cards and PayPal transactions are not yet possible in much of the Balkan region. They will be able to accept payment easily, cutting their costs, reducing inconvenience to themselves and the customer and, ultimately, increase their business.
Shopping is as old as the hills. Technology has just provided us with another way of doing it. Online shopping is not to everyone’s taste but it has significant advantages to many, as users of the new Wannabe Sales service will notice at launch next month. It is good to be a little cautious over any new changes, it encourages improvements in a product or service and ensures good governance. What is not so good is rejecting something outright or being influenced by personal gain. Much of the world has seen significant trade benefits since the advent of e-commerce. Now is a time for Serbia to drop its suspicions and make the most of an opportunity that will benefit its people and businesses alike.
W!LD RooSTeRhas been commissioned by Wannabe Magazine to write a series of reports. Click for Serbian or for an interview in English or Serbian.
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