This year, the Export Support Center helped transform the export business online.

In 2020, 14 Omsk companies were exported through e-commerce channels. The total volume of supported exports on marketplaces amounted to USD 28,407.96.

Recall that the Omsk Region Export Support Center is a structural unit of the My Business service Center and is based at the Omsk IT Park site. The Center's activities are carried out within the framework of the implementation in the Omsk region of the national projects "Small and medium-sized entrepreneurship and support for individual entrepreneurial initiative" and "International cooperation and export".

"E-commerce in Russia is growing by 30% per year, reaching 7.2 trillion rubles by 2024. Such a sharp breakthrough in the development of online commerce is also associated with restrictive measures that were accompanied by the epidemiological situation. This year, the Export Support Center actively promoted the transformation of the export business online and the launch of export sales through online channels. Currently, the profiles of 22 Omsk companies are posted on international marketplaces, of which 14 enterprises started e–commerce in 2020. Businessmen are engaged in various fields: food and light industry, metalworking, production of plastic products, souvenirs and entertainment products," the Omsk Region Export Support Center shared.

Customers all over the world can purchase Omsk potato chips, natural fruit snacks, peanut paste, eco bags and ergorukzaks, sports nutrition, metal beds and flower beds, board games, car repair kits and even exclusive clothing for animals.

It is extremely difficult to enter domestic platforms independently, especially for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. The Export Support Center organized registration on electronic platforms free of charge, paid for the services of service companies-operators for managing the point of presence and marketing support for the electronic store to every willing exporter who is registered in the Omsk region and has its own production. Omsk businessmen showed the greatest interest in entering international trading platforms to Ebay, Amazon, Alibaba, Europages and Epindo.

Outbound events such as business missions and international exhibitions, which allow companies to find partners in foreign markets, remain an effective tool for promoting exporters. The Center also provides these services free of charge.

Prior to the start of restrictive measures, the Export Support Center organized participation in an international exhibition in the Republic of Uzbekistan and three exhibitions in Moscow, as well as a business mission to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Participation in these events resulted in the conclusion of 18 foreign trade contracts totaling over 420 thousand US dollars.

The Center has reoriented its main areas, focusing on remote partner search abroad.

"During 2020, 257 Omsk entrepreneurs used our services. 65 enterprises have signed export contracts, 18 companies have received translations of presentation materials into foreign languages, and the Center has found foreign partners for 33 entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Germany, South Korea, Belarus, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. We also conducted training seminars at the REC Export School," they shared the results of their work at the Export Support Center.

This year, the Center launched the "Share a Success Story" campaign, which could be attended by any entrepreneur who is a participant in foreign economic activity. Thanks to an interesting presentation in the interview format and distribution in regional and federal media, they learned about ten success stories not only in Omsk, but also throughout the country. Representatives of the Russian Export Center noted this practice and called it the best at a meeting on summarizing the preliminary results of the export support centers, which was held as part of the online forum "Made in Russia".

The Omsk Region Export Support Center invites small and medium-sized businesses to cooperate. The Center's services will be useful for those who are engaged in export activities or plan to bring their company to international markets next year.

The Export Support Center is located at 21/1 Komarova St., Omsk, tel.: +7 (3812)95-77-75, e-mail: export@ved55.ru .