Go digital

Small businesses need to gear up for e-commerce and embrace opportunities for innovation in the digital economy, according to Minister of State for Data Protection Dara Murphy.

Opening the Smart Business Show in the RDS, Murphy said: “Companies that have developed an e-commerce platform are generally more successful in boosting export sales, as well as generating more inbound customer queries.”

Fifty-five per cent of companies participating in the Trading Online Voucher Scheme – launched last July – have increased their sales and 60 per cent are expecting to hire more staff within the next 12 months.