SME business relationships become more digital
In the meantime, there's no getting around it: Corona is leaving a long-term mark on the day-to-day business of Swiss SMEs. As Carsten Brandt, Head of Corporate Communications at Visable, explained at an online media conference on July 21, 2021, the pandemic-driven digitalization push will not only enable employees of Swiss SMEs to work from home more often, but will also permanently change the way companies do business.
The wlw (formerly "Wer liefert was") and Europages platforms, both operated by Visable, saw a massive increase in hits from the outbreak of the pandemic. Particularly in view of the collapse of supply chains, buyers used the platforms more intensively to find new suppliers at short notice. On average, traffic grew by 20 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, as Visable announced at a media conference.
Video conferencing tools replace business travel
Carsten Brandt believes that trade between companies will become more digital in the future. During the pandemic, digital video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Skype experienced a real hype. Brandt expects that business trips and face-to-face on-site meetings will be increasingly eliminated in the future as these digital communication tools become established in everyday business life. The implications of this are far-reaching: location-independent working is increasingly moving business from the city to the countryside.
Digitization of business relationships of SMEs has experienced boost
Visable conducted several surveys among Swiss SMEs during the pandemic. It turned out that digital tools were basically an important help in coping with the pandemic. For example, cloud systems, webinars or digital platforms for finding suppliers. "Corona has helped to give digitalization a boost among Swiss SMEs," says Peter F. Schmid, CEO of Visable. This also affects sales and marketing: more and more companies are taking advantage of the opportunity to present their offerings on online platforms. A circumstance that brought Visable record sales of 61 million Swiss francs in 2020 with high profitability - growth in the double-digit percentage range will continue in 2021.
Stationary trade fairs a discontinued model
The increasing digitization of business relationships is also leading to a decline in the importance of stationary trade shows. In the period before the pandemic, visitor numbers were already stagnating or even declining in many cases. The crisis led to the cancellation of numerous leading international trade shows. It is questionable whether these will take place again on the same scale as before. Peter F. Schmid is convinced: "Every fourth trade show will not survive the next two years. The personnel and financial costs are not in any healthy proportion to the benefits. From an ecological point of view, too, it is no longer appropriate to transport heavy machinery around the world in order to exhibit it for a few days at a leading trade show. The Corona pandemic has shown: it can also be done digitally."
Conferences for exchange of expert knowledge
But how will the exchange of expert knowledge work in the future if personal contacts are lacking? In this regard, Schmid also admits that the need for interpersonal exchange and networking will continue to exist. Beyond the digital space, however, this would increasingly translate into professional conferences and summits. "In the medium term, traditional industries will also have to rely on digital options to remain fit for the future," says the CEO.
Source: Visible
