‘Word of mouth not enough, get online’ businesses urged

Local entrepreneurs are being urged to move into the digital space and not rely solely on “word of mouth” to attract customers.

This was the advice shared by website consultant and owner of Efficient, Omar Wyllie, who recently developed websites for three local organizations under a Center for Enterprise Development (CED) project done in collaboration with the Organization for American States.

The project, Resilience Through Innovation & Technology – MSME Recovery Programme, offered training and assistance with the development of websites with e-commerce capabilities to three CED clients from the blue economy, culture and the arts, and agribusiness processing.

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, the CED held an official handing over ceremony at its Kingstown Park office and also provided the media with a demonstration of the websites’ functions.

During the demonstration, Wyllie said there has been interest shown by local (Micro and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises) MSMEs about developing online platforms for their business.

He said he believed this is the direction in which small businesses need to move.

“It is not enough to just have a business and spread it by word of mouth and be making phone calls. We have evolved in this digital, age so we are now at the stage where we can be more efficient with things.”

The recipients, We Are Mayreau Inc, the National Cultural Foundation, and Vincyklus Inc all worked one-on-one with the consultant to have personalized websites developed.

Training and Education Coordinator with the Center for Enterprise Development, Keisha Phillips, in her remarks at the ceremony said St Vincent and the Grenadines needs to also get on board with the digital push and focus on expanding their businesses to attract customers from the region and further afield.

“The world as we know it now is going digital so we have to position ourselves to do so. Whether it is from implementing more technology in your business or getting to access more customers and revenue… it is not something you achieve overnight,” she said.

“A lot of us are depending on direct sales when it comes to business. Some of us rely on the few people who travel from overseas, especially in the Diaspora, to take our products to North America or the UK. With these platforms, even regionally, other people can now have access to see what is being offered and allow business transactions to take place.”

Just over US$20,000 was spent on this component of the project for the development of the website and the purchasing of the equipment.