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World Bank partners with ShopFactory
The International Finance Corporation branch of the World Bank has partnered with software developer 3D3.COM, the makers of ShopFactory, to promote the use of e-commerce among small and medium sized businesses in developing countries.
Washington, (US) / Melbourne (AUS). The International Finance Corporation branch of the World Bank has partnered with software developer 3D3.COM to promote the use of e-commerce among small and medium sized businesses in developing countries.
3D3.COM's flagship product ShopFactory forms a key element of the IFC's SME Toolkit: an online information resource designed to help small and medium sized businesses in developing countries grow their businesses and to gain access to new markets.
"The SME Toolkit marks a significant milestone in IFC's efforts to bring substantive computer-based training and distance learning opportunities to SMEs in the developing world," said Harold Rosen, director of the IFC's SME Department.
The inclusion of e-commerce in the project was extremely well received by focus groups in the different target markets, with users of the Toolkit seeing this as an opportunity to market directly to customers in the developed world. A market, which is currently difficult to reach for most of these businesses.
"We are extremely proud that the IFC selected ShopFactory for this project. This selection validates our company philosophy - to make e-commerce as easy to use, as affordable and as accessible as possible to anyone," said Steffan Klein, CEO of 3D3.COM.
Over the next year the IFC plans to launch local language versions of the Toolkit and ShopFactory in many emerging markets in Asia, Africa and South America.
An e-commerce guide developed by 3D3.COM will introduce owners and employees of businesses in developing countries to the basics of e-commerce and help demystify it.
A special version of the multi-award winning ShopFactory, sponsored by 3D3.COM and the IFC, will then allow businesses to set up their own shops on the Internet - selling their products to a world wide audience.
About 3D3.COM
3D3.com has been offering multi-award-winning e-commerce solutions to shop owners and Web site developers worldwide since 1996. For the SME Toolkit, 3D3.COM is providing a version of its ShopFactory shop-building software (www.shopfactory.com), which makes creating online shops in any language point and click easy. Combined with the integrated payment processing solutions from GlobeCharge (www.globecharge.com), ShopFactory makes the entry into e-commerce easy and affordable for small and medium sized businesses. To date more than 100,000 shops have been created with ShopFactory in over 100 countries. More than 30,000 merchants rely on GlobeCharge to process their orders around the world.
About the International Finance Corporation
The SME Toolkit (www.smetoolkit.org) is a project of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The mission of IFC is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries, helping to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC finances private sector investments in the developing world, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses.
The Small and Medium Enterprise Department (www.ifc.org/sme) combines the market perspective of the International Finance Corporation with the policy expertise of the World Bank to promote local small business growth in developing nations. These merged capabilities create a powerful synergy and underscore a strategic commitment to improving lives by creating opportunities in small business.
3D3.COM's flagship product ShopFactory forms a key element of the IFC's SME Toolkit: an online information resource designed to help small and medium sized businesses in developing countries grow their businesses and to gain access to new markets.
"The SME Toolkit marks a significant milestone in IFC's efforts to bring substantive computer-based training and distance learning opportunities to SMEs in the developing world," said Harold Rosen, director of the IFC's SME Department.
The inclusion of e-commerce in the project was extremely well received by focus groups in the different target markets, with users of the Toolkit seeing this as an opportunity to market directly to customers in the developed world. A market, which is currently difficult to reach for most of these businesses.
"We are extremely proud that the IFC selected ShopFactory for this project. This selection validates our company philosophy - to make e-commerce as easy to use, as affordable and as accessible as possible to anyone," said Steffan Klein, CEO of 3D3.COM.
Over the next year the IFC plans to launch local language versions of the Toolkit and ShopFactory in many emerging markets in Asia, Africa and South America.
An e-commerce guide developed by 3D3.COM will introduce owners and employees of businesses in developing countries to the basics of e-commerce and help demystify it.
A special version of the multi-award winning ShopFactory, sponsored by 3D3.COM and the IFC, will then allow businesses to set up their own shops on the Internet - selling their products to a world wide audience.
About 3D3.COM
3D3.com has been offering multi-award-winning e-commerce solutions to shop owners and Web site developers worldwide since 1996. For the SME Toolkit, 3D3.COM is providing a version of its ShopFactory shop-building software (www.shopfactory.com), which makes creating online shops in any language point and click easy. Combined with the integrated payment processing solutions from GlobeCharge (www.globecharge.com), ShopFactory makes the entry into e-commerce easy and affordable for small and medium sized businesses. To date more than 100,000 shops have been created with ShopFactory in over 100 countries. More than 30,000 merchants rely on GlobeCharge to process their orders around the world.
About the International Finance Corporation
The SME Toolkit (www.smetoolkit.org) is a project of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The mission of IFC is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries, helping to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC finances private sector investments in the developing world, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses.
The Small and Medium Enterprise Department (www.ifc.org/sme) combines the market perspective of the International Finance Corporation with the policy expertise of the World Bank to promote local small business growth in developing nations. These merged capabilities create a powerful synergy and underscore a strategic commitment to improving lives by creating opportunities in small business.
