March 2003

Our latest meeting on 18th March featured Robert Heap-Hammond as guest speaker. He works for Business Link specialising in e-commerce and is also part of UK Online For Business which is a DTI/industry partnership.

UK Online for Business provides support and help for small businesses, aiming to make the UK a leader in e-commerce and to ensure that small businesses are up there with the best.

Its targets for March 2003: 1.5m SMEs (Small, medium enterprises) to be online 1m SMEs to be trading online

It achieved by Dec 2002: 1.7m online and 0.5m trading.

From Somerset’s base line there are 12% of all SMEs trading on line and only 7% in W Somerset.

The main reason seems to be educational and seminars and workshops have been set up to remedy this:

• There are 4 –day subsidised seminars available in the market towns in our area and surgeries in the more rural villages.
• A new programme starting this April is available.
• There is definitely a surgery booked at The Bell in Bishops Lydeard on 23 May.
• Also, Williton holds a surgery once a month on the last Friday of the month via Adult Learning & Leisure in Bridge Street.( head for the Bakelite Museum) Ring 0845 7211 112 (Business Link) and book via Robert.

These provide impartial advice about e-commerce and they can also put you in touch with local companies who can assist in design. (Don’t forget this is what John Thomson within our group specialises in too!)

We watched a video case study on HippyChick which is based in Spaxton showing the benefits of e-commerce for them.

We also discussed in forum the benefits for service providers and considered the use of email marketing, using a website as an alternative to a brochure and including testimonials, pictures before and after, newsletters etc

Contact www.ukonlineforbusiness.gov.uk or 0845715 2000 For brochures and cdroms for help in e-business.