Ανάπτυξη των εξαγωγών, με τη χρήση σύγχρονων διαδικτυακών εργαλείων. Εκδήλωση ΙCAP Group και ΣΕΒΕ

Με μεγάλη επιτυχία διεξήχθη η εκδήλωση της ICAP Group  σε συνεργασία με τον Σύνδεσμο  Εταιρειών Βορείου Ελλάδας (ΣΕΒΕ), με τίτλο «Ανάπτυξη Εξαγωγών: Η  χρήση της τεχνολογίας μπορεί να κάνει τη διαφορά» στο πλαίσιο της ευρύτερης δέσμευσης του Ομίλου της ICAP, να προσφέρει  ενημέρωση αιχμής και  υπηρεσίες  αξίας, στον επιχειρηματικό κόσμο.

Η εκδήλωση πραγματοποιήθηκε , στις εγκαταστάσεις της ICAP Group στη Θεσσαλονίκη (Αγ. Γεωργίου 5, COSMOS Offices, περιοχή Mediterranean Cosmos) με τη συμμετοχή  στελεχών από επιχειρήσεις της Βόρειας Ελλάδας.

Κατά την εκδήλωση, πραγματοποιήθηκε πρακτική παρουσίαση των σύγχρονων διαδικτυακών εργαλείων FindBiz, D&B GRS και Kompass, που υποστηρίζουν τη διερεύνηση νέων αγορών, ενώ με ζωντανά παραδείγματα και on-line πλοηγήσεις σε διεθνείς βάσεις δεδομένων, δόθηκε η δυνατότητα στους συμμετέχοντες να αξιολογήσουν τη χρηστικότητά και την επιχειρηματική τους αξία.

Σήμερα  που η απελευθέρωση των αγορών δημιουργεί νέες προοπτικές για διεθνείς συνεργασίες, η εξωστρέφεια γίνεται επιτακτική και η απόκτηση έγκυρης πληροφορίας έχει ιδιαίτερη αξία. Η ICAP Group πάνω από 50 χρόνια στηρίζει και ενημερώνει τις ελληνικές επιχειρήσεις και έχει δημιουργήσει υπηρεσίες και προϊόντα που υποστηρίζουν τόσο την αποτελεσματική  αντιμετώπιση κρίσιμων καταστάσεων και προβλημάτων τους όσο και την ανάπτυξή τους σε νέες αγορές.

Ο Βασίλης Παπαχρήστος, Διευθυντής καταστήματος Β. Ελλάδας της ICAP Group δήλωσε: «Οι συνέργειες, όπως η παραπάνω με τον ΣΕΒΕ, συμβάλλουν στην άμεση και αποδοτική πληροφόρηση των στελεχών των επιχειρήσεων. Στόχος μας είναι να καλύψουμε την επιτακτική ανάγκη εξωστρεφών εταιρειών, για την ενδυνάμωση του εξαγωγικού τους προφίλ, παρέχοντας αποτελεσματικές και ταυτόχρονα κοστολογικά ορθές λύσεις».

Πηγή:http://www.ictplus.gr/default.asp?pid=30&rID=38818&ct=11&la=1http://www.ictplus.gr/default.asp?pid=30&rID=38818&ct=11&la=1

Invoiceware International : e-Invoicing in Brazil and Latin America

According Scott Lewin, President and CEO of Invoiceware International, every transaction between a buyer and a seller has to pass through the government twice, and this is currently the state of business-to-business transactions in Latin America.

In Latin America, Lewin said, many companies had two or three sets of books. It was very difficult to track revenue and income.

As a result, and in an effort to capture this tax leakage, Brazil led the way with a complex, but more effective way of monitoring transactions.

How It Works

Lewin described the process, using Invoiceware International customer Kellogg Company as his example.

“A grocery store sends a purchase order to Kellogg,” he said. “Kellogg sends the information to the government, which validates the order and sends the validation back to Kellogg.”

Kellogg then ships the product, which the grocery store receives along with an invoice from Kellogg.

Finally, the grocery store sends the invoice to the government for validation, at which point the grocery store can pay Kellogg.

It’s Complicated

Even though these transactions happen over the Internet in real time, multinational companies such as Kellogg, The Coca-Cola Co, Siemens AG (ADR) and others who are among Invoiceware International’s 200+ customers, struggle to adhere. Different types of information go to different areas of government and, according to Lewin, the rules change constantly. “If you screw it up,” he said, “your business literally stops.”

Mexico Has Upped The Ante

Mexico, which is asking businesses to report on all of these transactions on a monthly basis beginning March 2015, has added another layer.The payoff for companies is a tax refund based on value added taxes (VAT) they have paid.

According to Lewin, “For large companies this represents tens of millions of dollars a month.”

The Invoiceware Solution

Invoiceware connects with its customers’ internal systems, where it converts information into a format the government wants and delivers it to the proper department, according to Lewin. Acting as intermediary, Invoiceware handles all transactions between the company and the foreign government.

Hybrid Cloud

One reason for Invoiceware’s success, according to Lewin, is its use of a hybrid cloud. “We put stuff onto our customer’s site as well -- as we have the cloud connected to all the governments,” he said. “If the Internet is down, we can create a contingent invoice,” he said. Then, when the Internet is back, the invoice is validated and paid. The system, Lewin said, is unique to Invoiceware.

Supply Chain Financing

“We are now rolling out supply chain financing based on these LATAM (Latin American) processes,” Lewin said. Thanks to government validation, suppliers to large companies can obtain financing based on the buyer’s credit rating, resulting in more savings for both the supplier and the buyer.

Lewin summed it all up by saying, “There really are benefits when you digitize an entire economy.”

Fastest-Growing Business Network

Invoiceware International has grown from zero dollars to $84 billion of invoice value since 2011.

This makes the company the largest network across Latin America and the fastest-growing business network in the world.

Related Link: Invoiceware International to ManageE-Invoicing for Brazil Nota Fiscal and Mexico CFDI for Kellogg

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/news/15/01/5143839/an-interview-with-the-ceo-of-the-worlds-fastest-growing-business-network#ixzz3e9v3J1Po

Ecommerce in Brazil: Ways to overcome the obstacles

According to Franco Calderon of the Latin America Retail Connection, Latin America has 600 million potential customers and a spending power of $3.24 trillion. This, together with a burgeoning middle class, makes it an appealing market for U.S.-based ecommerce businesses.

Big players, such as Amazon and Walmart, have already taken notice — the former reported $475 million in Latin American Web sales in 2013. But when it comes to tapping into this market, how can smaller ecommerce businesses keep up?

One strategy is to approach Latin America country by country. After all, the market requirements for selling to Argentina differ greatly from Colombia or Chile. With this in mind, here are a few things that businesses should consider before entering Latin America’s largest ecommerce market — Brazil.

The opportunity and challenge of Brazil

Brazil boasts 202 million people of whom 33.5 million shop online. More importantly, its consumers make 1 in 4 online purchases from U.S.-based retailers, making it an attractive first step into Latin America.

Despite these prospects, many ecommerce businesses struggle with expanding to Brazil. In fact, an Endicia customer survey found Brazil to be the most challenging international country to ship to.

What makes shipping to Brazil so difficult? In a nutshell: lack of visibility and slow shipping speeds.

Only 28% of the packages sent to Brazil via the postal network are actually tracked, meaning merchants can’t provide updates to customers regarding the status of their shipments.

As for shipping speeds — Brazil recently made a change to the way items clear customs, which translates into slower service overall.

Following a 40% growth in ecommerce imports in 2013, Brazil’s tax service (Receita Federal) and postal service (Correios) have started inspecting postal parcels entering the country to ensure that duties and taxes are collected on foreign merchandise.

As a result, postal shipments are seeing delays of up to 10 days before they can clear customs. To add to this, if duties and taxes are owed on a shipment, the Brazilian recipient has to physically visit the local post office to pay the duties and taxes before they are allowed to take the shipment home, adding to the delay.

Both these hurdles have made selling to Brazil an arduous experience for online merchants, and many have stopped shipping there altogether. But there are ways for businesses to realize Brazil’s potential without the headaches.

Ways around the challenges

Businesses should start by re-examining their shipping mix to determine whether it makes sense to shift some package volume to a private carrier. Private carriers do receive faster clearance through customs and can provide end-to-end tracking on shipments.

However, it’s worth noting that private carriers can be expensive — especially if a business is shipping lightweight packages to residential addresses. They also include international service fees and surcharges that are not charged until after a shipment is delivered.

Alternatively, if the postal network offers the most affordable option for your shipments, look for software and service providers that allow packages to be delivered duty paid (DDP), meaning all taxes are collected before the item is shipped.

While shipping items DDP means a bigger cost to customers at checkout, it also ensures that packages will clear customs quickly and without any nasty surprises at delivery.

Postal consolidators, such as DHL Global Mail, offer pre-paid duty services, as Endicia company does through its Endicia Global Service™ program. These options use the low-costs of the postal network while providing tracking options and speedy delivery that’s on par with private carriers. This is ideal for lighter-weight packages, up to 10 lbs., heading to residential addresses.

While there are challenges associated with shipping to Brazil, there are now more options than ever to help small ecommerce businesses overcome them. Pre-paying duties and taxes can provide a more transparent shopping experience for customers and ensures speedy package clearance through customs. By making even small changes, businesses can have an easier time tapping into the promise of Brazil’s booming ecommerce market.

Source: 

http://www.idgconnect.com/blog-abstract/10091/ecommerce-brazil-ways-overcome-obstacles

This is a contributed piece by Amine Khechfé, Co-founder and General Manager, Endicia

Ecommerce Europe - Cross-border webshop register

Free EU registration in cross border webshop register

Ecommerce Europe is the association representing companies selling products and/or services online to consumers in Europe. If you are a cross-border webshop selling products and/or services in two or more European countries you eligible to register at no cost. The objective of the cross-border webshop register is tot show European consumers, stakeholders and politics which merchants are registered cross-border retailers. Do you wish to have your company registered in this list?
you can  Sign up here.

Benefits for cross-border registered webshops include:

• 1 Free registration in Europe’s Cross-border Webshop Register
• 1 Free Ecommerce Europe Regional Report of your choice
• Free Ecommerce Europe Newsletter

If you are a cross-border webshop selling products and/or services in two or more European countries you eligible to register at no cost. The objective of the cross-border webshop register is to show European consumers, stakeholders and politics which merchants are registered cross-border retailers.

Read more at:
http://www.ecommerce-europe.eu/cross-border-webshopregister