A firm specialising in helping businesses to expand into new markets has seen a dramatic rise in “traditional” retailers and wholesalers turning to online sales.

Sell Beyond said it had seen enquiries from companies looking to sell their wares via online sales platform Amazon triple compared to the same period last year.

The big shift reflected an “adapt or die” approach in response to the coronavirus lockdown, it said.

MORE – Shipping firm ‘excited’ at move to new home as employees embrace flexible workingEast Bergholt-based Sell Beyond – flagged as “one to watch” in EDP/EADT publisher Archant’s Future50 list of growing businesses across Suffolk and Norfolk – said many were playing catch-up.

Many companies who set up Amazon accounts half-heartedly are now realising that they need to dedicate time and resource to their own website and the likes of Amazon to compete with the dedicated ecommerce retailers who have always focused on their web presence and platforms such as Amazon, explained company founder Heloise Finch, whose company – The Finch Connection – trades as Sell Beyond.

“Amazon is now so large it would rank as the 50th largest economy in the world if it were its own country,” she said.

“The worldwide lockdowns have forced many companies to see they need to take advantage of this endless shelf space and for some it is a path to survive in the future.”

Amazon’s UK arm now has more than 280,000 active sellers, she pointed out, and her firm – which helps businesses to market their products on the online platform – is seeing businesses of all sizes looking for help.

Wholesale and retail companies in particular can benefit “hugely” by making the move to sell through Amazon, she said.

“Amazon and your website are two different ways of increasing your online offering and you need different tools for each,” she said.

“Your company website needs a great customer journey. You need to drive potential customers to the site by understanding how Google works and then great content and a good ‘sell’ to keep customers on your site and buying.

“Amazon is different in that it already gives you millions of customers and many opportunities to sell internationally but it doesn’t follow the same rules as Google. And, because all your competitors are there, you still have to work hard to make your products. stand out from the crowd.”