Aegean Exporters' Digital Marketplace "eib.li"

Aegean Exporters' Digital Marketplace "eib.li" In 2021, retail e-commerce sales worldwide reached approximately USD 4.9 trillion. This figure is estimated to grow by 50 percent over the next four years, reaching approximately USD 7.4 trillion by 2025. Aegean exporters view the implementation of the "Decision on E-Export Support" as having opened the way for them to adapt more quickly to the rules of a rapidly digitalizing new world. Aegean Exporter Associations plan to complete work on the digital marketplace portal "eib.li" for Aegean exporters, which they began work on last year, and transform it into a global new online trade channel. Aegean Exporter Associations Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi stated that with the implementation of the "Decision on E-Export Support," the aim is to prepare companies and cooperation organizations for e-exports, to showcase and promote Turkish products and brands online in foreign markets and marketplaces, and to provide support for costs related to ensuring rapid delivery on foreign orders. In addition to companies and Cooperation Organizations, E-Export Consortiums, retail e-commerce sites, marketplaces and B2B platforms will also be able to benefit from e-export support measures.

Will give great momentum to Turkey's e-export drive

Eskinazi said, "Through companies granted E-Export Consortium status by the Ministry, manufacturing companies' production can be directed to e-exports on a larger scale. Furthermore, the Turkey E-Export Platform to be established by cooperation organizations designated by the Ministry under the Ministry's coordination will enable exporters and buyers to meet, receive and fulfill orders, digitalize export procedures and use new generation technologies. Support to be provided at a rate of 75 percent for 5 years and up to TRY 150,000,000 annually will give great momentum to our country's e-export drive. With the e-export support measures, a common synergy has been created for companies and organizations, and our exporters have been given the opportunity to be competitive in the online market."

Explaining that the Exporter Associations can conduct work with the support of the Ministry in directing companies toward e-exports and establishing their presence in international marketplaces, Eskinazi continued: "We will even have an opportunity to complete work on our eib.li portal, which we aimed to be a digital marketplace for our Aegean exporters and began work on last year, and transform it into something that appeals to buyers from all over the world. We will have the chance to take a place on the world's largest e-commerce platforms from Europe to the Far East, such as Amazon, Jingdong, Alibaba, eBay, Rakuten, B2W Companhia Digital, Zalando, JD.com. The Turkish exporter, accustomed to selling goods container by container through traditional methods, must come to a position where he can sell individual products to buyers on the other side of the world. And these support measures are very important on this journey."

Digitalization started in Aegean

Eskinazi recalled that in recent years they organized Shoedex2020, Turkey's and the world's first virtual fair for the footwear, handbags, leather goods and leather apparel sectors, and The Fource, the world's first virtual food fair. "We conducted virtual sectoral trade missions to the United Arab Emirates in the food sector, to the Netherlands in the apparel sector, and to Vietnam, the Middle East and Australia in the natural stone sector. We plan to sign new partnerships in the near future to gain a place in the Chinese market through e-commerce. Our discussions are ongoing with agencies approved by platforms such as JD and T-Mall. Our e-export project in the furniture sector, supported by the İzmir Development Agency, has been completed. We identified the needs of our companies in the e-export area and prepared a corresponding roadmap. As a result, an implementation guide was created for the entire sector."

We will increase the capacity and brand value of all sectors in e-export

Jak Eskinazi stated, "Within the scope of our work on taking a place in digital platforms, with the AegeanHasApparel (AHA) project, we aim to promote our ready-to-wear and apparel exporters and the sector on international platforms. We designed the AHA platform as a platform that serves as the center of all communication activities to be conducted globally. In this direction, we created a website and collected our companies' contact information in a single environment. We currently have approximately 100 registered manufacturers on our website. We will adapt these types of projects to all our sectors, and by developing different projects, we are working to increase our companies' capacity and brand value in e-export."