How Digital Marketplaces Can Help Local Economies (TED Talk)

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The growth of digital marketplaces like Uber, Airbnb and Amazon can sometimes threaten local businesses such as taxis, hotels and retail shops by taking away jobs or reducing income to the community. 

But it doesn't have to be this way, says strategy consultant Amane Dannouni.

Listen to his Ted talk.

Online Marketplaces Adapt During the Global Pandemic

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E-commerce has never been more important than now.  As many brick and mortar stores close their doors, some permanently, e-commerce offers an opportunity to not just sustain a business but thrive in 2020.

The ecommerce opportunity is ripe, 45 per cent of online shoppers globally say they plan to spend more time shopping online after the pandemic is over. Online marketplace searches in particular, have increased by 46 percent year on year, with search data showing that 84 per cent more Australians are Googling marketplaces from January to July 2020.

Read more about how online marketplace have enjoyed success through their ability to adapt. 

Small Town Businesses Get a Global Presence

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According to the report (PDF) "Platform-Enabled Small Business Formation as a Counterweight Against Forces of Economic Concentration" from the eBay Policy Lab, online marketplaces give small businesses and entrepreneurs access to outside economies in these rural areas. This is driving growth in counties across the country which are not experiencing the same amount of expansion as in the coastal or more popular regions. -- Source:  Small Business Trends

We [eBay] have studied the patterns and growth of enterprises using the eBay Marketplace. Irrespective of where in the world we have looked, we have found micro and small businesses leveraging the online commerce platform model to engage in expansive commerce, often on a global scale. Across more than 50 countries we have studied so far, spanning the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe, technology is empowering small firms to build operations that serve consumers across an unprecedented number of countries.

Learn more about how eBay is giving small town businesses a global presence.