The Malta Independent 10 May 2024, Friday
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Malta as a global ecommerce player

Wednesday, 2 March 2022, 08:00 Last update: about 3 years ago

Malta has long been working towards more digital solutions. Offering digital public service and making it easier to conduct different businesses through the internet. How has this worked so far? This article presents a look at the Maltese Government’s digital strategy and its placement globally.

The market for eCommerce is constantly evolving and growing. Most consumers and businesses turn to online options to acquire what they need. Therefore, there is a lot of competition, and it is important as a nation to invest some energy in this area as it can bring the economy upwards.

The Maltese Government’s Digital Strategy

To make it easier for the Maltese local businesses to compete on a global scale the Maltese government introduced a digital strategy to help them use digital solutions to spread across borders and countries. The government's e-commerce Digital Strategy was implemented in 2014 and ran until 2020. Back in 2014, the hope was to help local businesses use the internet to attract foreign companies.

A seven-year period where the strategy worked to ensure that businesses could generate profitable business through ecommerce. Generally, the Maltese government had intentions to move towards technological solutions in most aspects of society. Working towards making government services accessible via electronic channels was also a focus in their program. The general goal with this digital strategy was to make Malta a global ecommerce player.

Numbers from Malta Communication authority's study

Malta communication authorities are working with initiatives meant to increase general online activity. They also make surveys on trends in eCommerce and new developments within the field. In one of their studies, it was shown that 27 percent of digital users have reported an increase in their online shopping activity during the lockdown. 

Covid-19 has had an impact on most of our habits and our online habits are no exception. We have all been spending more time in front of the screen and this has resulted in an increase in the percentage of online shopping. However, this study also pointed to the fact that most consumers use the internet to research and see their options before they make a purchase. This fact underlines the importance of e-commerce.

Their placement amongst other countries

Maltas placement on the Index of Digital Economy and Society shows that the Maltese government's strategy has worked. In 2020 Malta came in as the fifth country on the Index. In 2021 Malta was the sixth country. This index is based on for example how well the countries have managed to integrate digital technology as well as digital public services. Even though there was a little decrease from 2020-to 2021, it was nothing extraordinary. And Malta is due to these initiatives one of the bigger global players of ecommerce.

Building e-commerce?

If you are looking into building an ecommerce business, Malta is a good place to be. With these initiatives, they have driven the digital economy forward and placed Malta as one of the top countries. Ecommerce can be difficult and to make a successful site, you will need some advice. You can grow your business with these ecommerce tips. Building an ecommerce takes effort and there is a great deal of competition on the market. Make sure that you do some research to figure out what is important to the consumers.


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