Since opening its stores to smaller, independent sellers nearly 20 years ago, Amazon has been a growth engine for millions of small businesses around the world. In 2000, 3% of physical gross merchandise sales on Amazon came from third-party businesses. By 2018 this increased to 58%, following years of heavy investment in technology, infrastructure and selling tools to help them grow their business.
Tens of thousands UK-based small businesses now sell their products on Amazon’s global sites, helping to support more than 80,000 UK jobs and achieving £2.5bn in export sales in 2018 alone.
Today Amazon announced the launch of their Clicks and Mortor pop-up shops, a year long programme in partnership with Enterprise Nation, Direct Line for Business and Square, where more than 100 small online brands are being given the opportunity to reach customers on the high street for the first time. To support this effort Amazon have also announced a programme of Amazon Apprenticeships.
Amazon Apprenticeships
Amazon have today announced a new £1m Apprenticeship Fund to help small or medium-sized business (SME) selling on Amazon upskill their workforce through their own dedicated apprentices.
The new investment will help create over 150 digital marketing, business administration and customer service practitioner apprentices who will work full time for SMEs selling on Amazon, to help boost their productivity, sales and exports in the digital age.
Lasting between 15-18 months, apprentices working for small businesses will receive a mix of in-work, online and classroom training. Amazon will also provide specialist training on how to build a successful e-commerce business, how participating SMEs can market and advertise their products to customers and how to sell their products to a global customer base.
The fund is exclusively open to any brand-owning SME registered in England that currently sells on Amazon and has a turnover of less than £1 million.
One Response
This is great news and step in the right direction! For SME’s to be able to access this money a nd help grow their business with apprentices is fantastic and only wish more companies offered this.