New Institute of Ecommerce to tap into Scotland’s £55bn opportunity
The Institute of Ecommerce has partnered with the University of Strathclyde Business School to deliver the first Ecommerce course of its kind in the UK, targeted at senior ecommerce managers.
Designed to close the skills gap which is the primary handbrake on the growth of ecommerce in Scotland, the first session of the pilot course – which was heavily oversubscribed - took place in January 2020. It is supported by Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland and runs until the end of June, with keynote speakers to include senior figures from Google and Amazon.
Further specialist and beginners courses are in development as well as a programme of ecommerce grassroots clubs already running in Glasgow and Stirling and due to be extended to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The newly formed Institute of Ecommerce unveiled its plans for fuelling the Scottish economy at an event for the business community hosted by Dean Lockhart MSP at Holyrood on Tuesday, February 4.
Established by practitioners for practitioners, the Institute aims to capitalise on the £55bn opportunity which ecommerce represents to Scotland, delivering support and training to thousands of Scottish businesses over the next five years.
The UK has the 3rd largest ecommerce turnover in the world, sitting only behind China and the USA. Worth £688 billion, this is the equivalent of German and French ecommerce combined and with 8% of the UK population, Scotland has the potential to generate around £55 billion in online sales. It is estimated that worldwide retail ecommerce will be worth over US$6 trillion by 2021.
Dr Peter Mowforth, co-founder of the Institute of Ecommerce said, "Ecommerce now accounts for £688 billion of the UK’s trade, with Government statistics recording it growing at a staggering 18%. Like never before, we need to equip businesses here in Scotland with the skills, techniques and tools to ensure that we don't get left behind in what is fast becoming the primary mechanism for driving productivity, wealth and exports. Scotland's Institute of Ecommerce represents a public-private partnership straddling the public sector, business and the education sector in a bold move to get Scotland firmly aboard the ecommerce train.”
Digital Economy, Minister Kate Forbes MSP, said, “The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring Scotland has a vibrant digital economy, with digital trade and ecommerce key to achieving this goal. As outlined in ‘A trading nation - an export plan for Scotland’, we support ecommerce programmes which improve productivity, increase competitiveness and allow businesses to reach their full potential in a digital world.
“The Institute of Ecommerce, and its work on analysing data, providing digital skills and building capacity amongst businesses, is helping Scotland achieve our ambition of becoming a leading digital nation.”
John Anderson, Head of SME Engagement at Strathclyde Business School, is a well-known specialist in entrepreneurship and growth, and is one of the practitioners behind the Institute. He acts as Programme Director on the Scale-Up Institute endorsed Growth Advantage Programme.
He said, "Strathclyde Business School is delighted to have joined forces with the Institute of Ecommerce and our partners Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland to add to our portfolio of practical, relevant and accessible programmes for growth companies. Twenty of Scotland’s most exciting ecommerce companies have chosen to come on Ecommerce ScaleUp and trust us with their growth plans and after only two sessions we are already seeing the impact of the combination of peer learning and world class executive education that we pioneered on the Growth Advantage Programme. It is particularly exciting to be working closely once again with Growth Advantage Programme participants Gillian Crawford of Lily Blanche and Graeme Harrowell of Dimensions who are founding directors of the Institute of Ecommerce.
You can find out more about the Institute of Ecommerce here.
Published: 20 February 2020
