eBay GR 2015 Emmy Awards Contest
Welcome to the eBay Government Relations Team's 2015 Emmy Awards contest. This contest is open to members of the eBay Legal/GR team. To participate, please provide your name and email address, click one choice per award category and then answer the two tie-breaker questions. As is often the case with our contests, the winner will be awarded a fabulous Emmy Award-related prize picked out by Tod. The contest is open until 3PM PDT on September 20th, 2015. Good Luck!
The large majority of small firms using eBay trade across borders. These entrepreneurs operate in a different environment, empowering them to think and act globally. This paper shares key learnings from a wide variety of EU entrepreneurs who have embarked on the global trade path.
Trade policy has traditionally been viewed as only being beneficial to large firms seeking access to new markets. This paper explores a new development in the trade world - that the Internet enables small businesses to engage in trade in a way never imagined.
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprise diverse economies with significant variance in the adoption of eCommerce. eBay sellers from ASEAN export using eBay’s global platforms. Through the power of the Internet and technology, small businesses are able to reach beyond a local consumer base and access global markets like never before.
Commerce 3.0 is the term we use to describe this coming together of online and offline worlds and the merging of local and global markets. The idea that technology-enabled small businesses can maintain a local presence while providing goods and services on a global scale points to a novel and exciting story, particularly for those engaging in trade policy. International trade has traditionally been the privilege of the largest players. This is changing. The Internet creates a truly global network. Combining it with technology solutions and services enables merchants and consumers to connect and establish trust across national and cultural borders.
The analysis in this report is based on research by Sidley Austin LLP on datasets from eBay, and follows research conducted in the Asia Pacific, United States and Europe. eBay data covers all eBay sales by ASEAN sellers from 2014 (unless specified otherwise). ‘eBay Commercial sellers’ are defined as those with annual sales of USD10,000 or more, and eBay commercial exporters are those with annual exports of USD10,000 or more.
Most eBay internal data focuses on six ASEAN members: Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; and Vietnam. For the purposes of this report, traditional trade and exports is predominately offline trade. Internet-empowered small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to overcome some of the traditional barriers associated with international trade. However some barriers remain while new ones arise as large corporations are joined by small firms and entrepreneurs on the global stage. This report will provide several recommendations for consideration to overcome these challenges.
In recent years, technology has ensured more equal economic opportunities for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Since 2011, the eBay Public Policy Lab and a team of economists at Sidley Austin LLP have been working together to examine how globalisation and technology is liberating the ambitions of SMBs.
This report presents new findings coming out of this collaboration, exploring what is nothing short of a trade revolution and the impact this is having across the EU. It will also show how the economic activity of small online companies is emerging across the continent’s regions – Sidley economists have measured the “Digital Density” of the EU’s regions by assessing the number of small businesses on eBay alongside their location and volume of sales.
The research results show that small online businesses on eBay across Europe are exporting to more countries than ever before, both in Europe and beyond, gaining market share more quickly, and showing better resilience in the face of tough trading conditions, than small businesses that are offline. They are effectively Small Global Traders.
Technology is reducing barriers to global markets by allowing these eBay SMBs access to services that were once the preserve of large firms, such as smart shipping, international payments and translation. This is allowing small businesses to compete with larger firms, and reducing the dominance of bigger firms on the marketplace.
The analysis carried out by Sidley Austin for this report is based on data covering transactions on the eBay Marketplace in Europe from 2010 to 2014. Sidley economists conducted econometric and statistical research based on a number of datasets covering eBay marketplace transactions and small online businesses on eBay in the EU and globally. To ensure that the community of small commercial enterprises on eBay was properly captured, the team limited the data to transactions by sellers with sales of more than $10,000 (approximately €9000) annually on the eBay marketplace. These are called “Commercial Sellers”, or small online businesses. Sometimes, for short they are referred to as eBay SMBs. To allow for comparisons with “traditional” SMBs, i.e., regular brick-and-mortar companies, Sidley has used data from publicly available sources, including from the World Bank, UN Comtrade, Eurostat, and various statistical agencies within Member States.
Technology is ensuring Europe’s SMBs are truly European, and even global, from birth. These new businesses are trading within the EU and with the rest of the world, accelerating the integration of the EU’s internal market and its more than 270 regions. In 40% of EU regions, every small business on eBay is leveraging the eBay Marketplace to export internationally. Thanks to technology, businesses do not need to be located in Europe’s most wealthy countries, in its major capitals or most prosperous regions – entrepreneurs are no longer tied to any particular geography. For instance, since 2011, more than 130,000 new digital small businesses have emerged, with sales of nearly €18.5bn.
As in eBay’s previous reports, the eBay Marketplace provides the illustration of a new model for trade that is emerging, one that increases the prospects for more broadbased growth. These findings allow for wider conclusions about trade and growth that go far beyond eBay itself.
In recent years, technology has ensured more equal economic opportunities for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Since 2011, the eBay Public Policy Lab and a team of economists at Sidley Austin LLP have been working together to examine how globalisation and technology
This report presents new findings coming out of this collaboration, exploring what is nothing short of a trade revolution and the impact this is having in Italy. It will also show how economic activity of small online businesses is emerging across the country. Sidley economists have measured the “Digital Density” of Italy’s regions by assessing the number of small businesses on eBay alongside their location and volume of sales.
The analysis carried out by Sidley Austin for this report is based on a study of data covering transactions on the eBay Marketplace from 2010 to 2014. Sidley economists then looked at which sellers are registered in Italy. To ensure that the community of small commercial enterprises on eBay was fully captured, the data was limited to transactions by sellers with sales of more than $10,000 (approximately €9,000) annually on the eBay Marketplace. These are called “Commercial Sellers”, or small online businesses. Sometimes, for short they are referred to as eBay SMBs.
The research results show that technology is opening up tremendous opportunities for SMBs across Italy. Technology is reducing barriers to global markets by allowing SMBs access to products and services that were once the preserve of large firms, such as smart shipping, international payments and translation. Based on an analysis of this data, Sidley economists estimate trade costs to be four to five times lower on the online marketplace compared to the traditional marketplace, and this is something Italian small businesses are taking advantage of.
A massive 92% of SMBs on eBay in Italy export – far higher than businesses that have not embraced online – and they reach on average 15 different countries annually. They are effectively global small businesses, and they operate from almost anywhere. Thanks to technology, businesses do not need to be located in Italy’s more central or prosperous regions, and entrepreneurs are not tied to any particular geography. The research results presented in this report paint a picture of a much more inclusive marketplace: not dominated by a few “superstars”, but rather welcoming to startups, and encompassing the whole of Italy.
The report does not just rely on eBay data but contrasts research findings from the eBay Marketplace with “traditional” trade data publicly available elsewhere – in particular World Bank data and surveys.
As in previous reports, the eBay Marketplace provides the illustration of a new model for trade that is emerging, one that increases the prospects for more broad-based growth. These findings allow for wider conclusions about trade and growth that go far beyond eBay itself.