Last week, PayPal Turkey, along with the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) announced research into the economic opportunities of cross border trade for Turkish small merchants and the Turkish economy. The study, entitled 'E-exportation in Turkey: Opportunities and Challenges' was released at a press conference by Rupert Keeley, PayPal’s Senior Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and TEPAV’s Director of the Board Durmus Yilmaz.

The study found that the increase in Internet usage combined with the Turkish entrepreneurial spirit has increased the opportunities for small merchants to participate in the global marketplace. In fact, eBay Inc.’s Commerce 3.0 research in Turkey found that 84 percent of the Turkish firms using PayPal sell to customers in foreign markets and access an average of 34 countries. With cross-border E-commerce, PayPal Turkish entrepreneurs go from local to global and create huge potential for increasing Turkish Exports, which is a win for both Turkish entrepreneurs and the Turkish economy. However, the study found that certain public policies could make it difficult for Internet enabled trade to take off in Turkey. During the press conference, Durmus Yılmaz explained that in the last 10 years Turkey’s exports have been all about big and old companies exporting the same old goods to same countries. He argued that E-exports create a huge potential to change this cycle and urged policymakers to help companies like PayPal by adopting policies that will increase and broaden their exports to a variety of countries.

During the press conference, PayPal also introduced a number of Turkish small business champions using eBay and PayPal to sell cross border. In addition, PayPal announced the ‘I Win, Turkey Wins’ online social media campaign to encourage more Turkish small businesses to sell cross border.

Find more information on the report and the ‘I Win, Turkey Wins’ campaign, or learn more about eBay Inc.’s Commerce 3.0 research in Turkey.