Many e-commerce tools readily available for SMEs to boost profits

KUALA LUMPUR: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can create an online presence and boost profits – without spending a sen.

Industry professionals said the expansion of businesses into e-commerce could be achieved by using available free products such as those from Google and eBay.

Chiica Consultations education specialist Chris Chan said SMEs need to change their perception and realise it is now the time to take their business online.

“We need to convince people to take the first step. There are too many people who say 'I can’t do it',” she said.

Xtrain CEO Bikesh Lakhmichand said some were afraid of information and communication technologies (ICT), either because they did not understand it or because they thought it was too expensive.

Industry professionals: (From left) Chan, Oh, Neowave Internet marketing specialist Ethan Chong and Bikesh will be among the speakers for the MIRC e-SMEs Week event.

“There is readily available freeware which you can use. The big boys (companies) are already doing this (going online). We are trying to get the small boys to do it too. Work with Google and eBay product lines. They don’t cost much, or in some cases, anything at all,” he said.

Bikesh said the only thing that SMEs needed to invest in was time – to learn about e-business and maintain their online system after they had set it up.

“You either hire someone who knows (e-business) or train existing staff,” he said.

Neowave business development director Adrian Oh concurred, saying the challenge faced by SMEs was to get someone to run the e-business aspect.

“If they want to see results, they will need to learn or hire. They will need to be consistent, otherwise it will just die off,” he said.

To learn more, the MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC) is organising an e-SMEs Week at Wisma MCA, Jalan Ampang, here, from Tuesday to Thursday.

Among the highlights are MIRC e-enablement workshops, IT training programmes, showcases and e-business talks.

Chan, Bikesh and Oh will be among the speakers at the event, which is free to the public.