Analysis: Small Businesses Struggle To Go Digital In Brazil
Even though there is a presence of small businesses on social means in Brazil, it is a very small number of entrepreneurs that able to do so. Whether it is challenged access to infrastructure (no Wi-Fi, no Wi-Fi spots, or direct internet access) “17 percent of surveyed small business owners” or the lack of knowledge and education on how to use and take advantage of social media for the growth of their businesses “82 percent,” most small business owners are not currently using social media to conduct and promote their businesses.
These entrepreneurs mostly use WhatsApp to communicate with their costumers and market their services. Now, if you are wondering why they are not making calls, texting, using Instagram, Facebook or any other major social media platform, that is because both the small business owners and their costumers lack access to reliable internet connection and cannot afford phone tariffs that would otherwise be imposed with calling and texting.
Many people in Brazil suggest that the best way the government can support the growth and development of small businesses is by first democratizing the internet. Allowing everyone to have equal access to, it will even the playing field and remove a big bump on the road for those to whom access is limited or not available making them “digitally empowered” as referred to in the article.
Coming from a second world country with no access to internet, I understand how this can be so challenging to small business owners in a society that so heavily relies on social media interactions. Further development of internet connection infrastructure would significantly help small business owners in Brazil to connect with their costumers, meaning that they’ll be able to partake on better customer service and increase revenue through digital sales (seeing that there is already a 20% income increase to those who use social media) and general services offers.
Hopefully more Brazilian small business owners can digitalize their business practices with support from the government and other business owners, as the benefits out-weight the challenges when it comes to technological development, especially with business in mind.
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