PayPal has announced an educational road show called Driving Business Online to provide rural and regional small businesses with tools to achieve success online.
An initiative of Paypal Australia, an online payment solutions provider, Driving Business Online hopes to demonstrate to Australian SMBs the benefits that can be achieved by expanding their businesses online, such as reducing overhead costs, 24/7 availability, and improved customer relationship management.
“Operating online is no longer an option for Australian retailers and service providers, but an absolute necessity to gain the momentum they need to stay competitive in today’s changing consumer landscape,” PayPal Australia managing director, Frerk-Malte Feller, said.
“Over eight million Australian consumers now use the Internet to make purchases and this, coupled with global consumers, makes the online market place a very exciting space to operate in.”
The campaign bus will act as a business meeting hub for SMBs to meet with eCommerce experts, build connections with other key industry players, and learn more about the digital economy as it tours around regional New South Wales.
Renowned companies such as Australia Post, Optus, Symantec, MYOB, Powerfront, eBay and the Australian Retailers Association are participating in Driving Business Online, ensuring that Australian SMBs will get an insight into the ways these businesses have experienced success online.
“For the first time Australian SMBs have the opportunity to sell globally – giving local brands an international presence and allowing their websites to work for them around the clock,” ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, said.
“Making the move online is no longer just the domain of forward-thinking businesses, it is a key element of business success.”
The Driving Business Online bus will initially visit 15 towns, starting with Armidale on June 15, followed by Bathurst, Mudgee, Dubbo, Muswellbrook, Kiama, Merimbula, Albury, Wagga Wagga, and Orange.
As Driving Business Online forms part of the Australian Government’s push to become a global digital leader by 2020, Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Senator Nick Sherry, Minister for Small Business personally launched the initiative.
For more information about Driving Business Online, go to www.drivingbusinessonline.com.au
