The purpose is to generate a close and collaborative community between the actors of the eCommerce ecosystem and SMEs to get more entrepreneurs and companies to sell online and thus enhance the national ecosystem. For that, in MDA Chile, they are calling to register for free at mdachile.cl
MDA accompanies entrepreneurs and SMEs in the process of joining the online world. “Here the key is collaborative work: we accompany them in the process, we advise them and we connect with companies and people who can help them”He says Francisco Escobarfounder of MDA Chile.
This project is built on the basis that there are companies that provide services to SMEs, but do not know how to talk to them. “For us, this process of connecting and collaborating is natural, we have been doing it for a long time in the ecosystem, the difference is that now we have formalized it, we have opened a new site and we are waiting for you at mdachile.cl”.
And adds: “We detected that people who want to undertake and participate in this world need to be told simply, especially because there is a lot of stress and ignorance in the world of sales. The tools can get complex. There are too many technicalities that are not always easy to understand and apply. On the other hand, there is little knowledge of the entities that may be key in the process: accelerators, incubators, agencies, foundations, state organizations, associations, banks, among others. We believe that knowledge exists to share it and that is one of the fundamental roles of MDA”.
Francisca explains in detail what they do: “We bring the parties together so that they can sit down and talk: those who need the services (such as SMEs and entrepreneurs) and those who provide services (ecommerce creation, services such as couriers, means of payment, marketing tools, among others) , agglutinating SMEs (banks and associations) and sit at the table to work collaboratively”.
Escobar explains: “Although there are several actors within the e-commerce ecosystem, there is no independent entity that is developing the ecosystem itself. Yes, there are actors such as the CCS (Chamber of Electronic Commerce) which, through its e-commerce committee, develops Cyber events (in which its partners participate), eCommerce Day and the eCommerce Innovation Summit, but always with a focus on its associated companies”.
They have been developing all this work for some time, and as of 2022, they have been working in partnership with Shopify to promote, develop, and enhance the eCommerce ecosystem in Chile.
“And since our main objective is to connect, teach and give visibility to the different actors in the eCommerce ecosystem, to empower this world so that more companies can participate, so that they can sell more and because we believe in the importance of growing the cake, today we are doing it hand in hand with Shopify”sentence Francisca Escobar.
In this task of guiding entrepreneurs and SMEs on the path of digitization, the union with Shopify as the first tool for entrepreneurs has been key. “MDA was born with the idea of developing the Shopify ecosystem in Chile, but along the way we realized the power of collaborating and how extraordinary things genuinely happen. From the beginning we knew the potential that this could generate and today we are seeing it”.
For that, in the medium term, the first thing is to sit the actors at the table and talk. Understand the different points of view and common edges. Create a community of Shopify partners and work collaboratively to grow the industry.
The e-commerce boom:
eCommerce is here to stay, there is no doubt about that. “Clearly the intensity that we saw during the pandemic is going to change, it is changing, but it is not going to die. Today what we are seeing is how the worlds converge, the physical with the virtual. We cannot forget that eCommerce allows us to break barriers and reach the world, sell at any time and have an infinite aisle of products (not just what we have in the store’s warehouse)”.
Today the biggest challenge that businesses face depends on their size and reality, because if they do not have eCommerce they must think and evaluate how to get on this world and if they already have it, the challenge is to make it grow and generate a good shopping experience.
The important thing is that SMEs are clear that it is not about arriving and building a web page, there is a promise that we make that must be fulfilled and that selling online, “it is not just having a Shopify, I have to: store products, manage inventory, publish it , promote it, sell it, prepare and pick it, deliver it with my transport, manage the after-sales service and repeat. All this is much easier and scalable if Shopify is the platform where they build and manage their online store, there is no doubt about that and the most impressive thing is that we do not say it, this is commented on by those who already use it, you can ask the thousands of stores that today work with Shopify in Chile.
It is known that Chile exploded in eCommerce well above the region, and that caught the attention of Shopify. based on “Making commerce better” (make the trade better), “which is very much in line with our purpose of generating a virtuous circle, in which everyone wins. When companies sell more and grow, the people who work in the company are empowered, they do better, they are happier. As companies do better, they generate more opportunities and therefore more work. Therefore, this is by far a tool that allows us to help companies sell more”sentence Francisca Escobar.
Registration is open at mdachile.cl
