Last week, Brian Bieron with the eBay Inc. Public Policy Lab discussed the importance of technology-enabled trade at the State International Development Organization(SIDO) Annual Conference in Washington, DC.  SIDO is an organization focused exclusively on state international trade development. SIDO’s mission is to help state international trade agencies support American exporters by sharing innovative ideas and resources, developing the skills of state trade professionals, advocating the interests of states in trade promotion, and facilitating multi-state collaboration.

Bieron participated on the panel entitled “Identifying & Preparing for Future Trends”.  Other panelists included Sree Ramaswamy with McKinsey Global Institute and Peter Allgeier, with the  Coalition of Service Industries.  During his presentation, Bieron discussed what eBay Inc. calls the Commerce 3.0 Global Phenomena. Bieron explained that through the power of the Internet and technology, small businesses like never before are able to reach beyond a local consumer base and access global markets.  In fact, according to eBay Inc.’s research, 97 percent of “commercial sellers” on eBay engage in exporting. That is a staggering number when compared with offline small business exporting, which comes in under 5 percent.  In addition, on average, eBay-enabled “commercial sellers” selling abroad reach 19 different countries.

eBay Inc.’s research highlighting the importance of technology on opening up the global market to U.S. small businesses was well received.  “The chance for states' international office representative to hear from eBay's Brian Bieron on the rapid growth of e-commerce as a trade platform, particularly outside the U.S., was enlightening, “ said Peter O'Neill, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.   “As state trade officials, it prompts us to ensure we remain mindful of the secondary and tertiary effects of a digitizing global commerce landscape as we lay out strategies to both minimize the threats and maximize the opportunities for our state economies.”

For more information on eBay Inc.’s cross-border trade research, please be sure to visit our Commerce 3.0 page.