Commenting on the release of today’s (20/12/16) CSO Information Society Statistics on Enterprise, Allan Shine, Chief Executive North Kildare Chamber said, “Ireland continues to perform strongly in online sales and remains the highest in the EU with 30% of sales via e-Commerce. However, it is concerning that this figure is lower amongst small and medium sized enterprises with online sales activity closer to 23% for businesses of less than 50 employees. Indigenous Irish SMEs must look to reap the benefits of the European Digital Single Market, particularly given the need to identify new markets post Brexit and in the event of UK withdrawal from the Single Market. When planning for 2017, small businesses should look to the opportunities to develop their online capacity through the Trading Online Voucher Scheme and the Innovation Voucher initiative. Kildare Local Enterprise Office is continually encouraging businesses to avail of the Trading Online Voucher and the Chamber continues to actively promote this initiative.
The growth in social media use by Kildare enterprise signals an increasing effort to engage with potential and existing customers online and shows that Irish business is adapting to the needs of the modern consumer.”