You might think bespoke tailoring is not the kind of business that scales easily. But the
digital evolution of the Crane Brothers shows just how the Internet has helped these
experts in made-to-measure from New Zealand unlock greater potential. Whether through cloud-based solutions that allow them to better manage their client information, payment and accounting systems, or by providing new ways of reaching customers, the Internet has helped transform this traditional retailer with three brick-and-mortar stores into a ‘micro-multinational’ that sells to markets around the world.
This is just one story that illustrates how the Internet can fundamentally transform how business is done in New Zealand.
Research released by the
Innovation Partnership* shows that everyday Kiwi businesses that extensively use Internet services are 6% more productive than average businesses in their industry. To put this in perspective, average productivity growth in New Zealand has been around 1.5% in recent years — meaning these Internet power users are four years ahead of their competitors.
The research — funded by Innovation Partnership members
Internet New Zealand and Google, and conducted by Sapere Research Group — also showed that if all Kiwi businesses made more use of the Internet, it could add NZ$34 billion to the economy.
Taking a closer look at how businesses across a wide range of industries are getting on might inspire and give small business owners a few ideas on how to get started -- from tourism operators
Martinborough Top 10 Holiday Park, to the
Livestock Improvement Corporation in the agricultural sector, to services business
Cloud Accountants.
It’s all very well to talk about making more use of the web, but it’s sometimes tough to know where to begin. Here's where the
Digital Journey tool can help. It enables a small business manager to do a ‘digital health check’ of their business, and provides a digital action plan with clear steps to take to harness the potential of the Internet.
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| Run a digital health-check for your business at Digital Journey |
We hope that the research, case studies, and tools will help more Kiwi businesses take their next steps in growing their own — and New Zealand’s — Internet-driven productivity.
Posted by Ross Young, Public Policy Manager, Google New Zealand
*The Innovation Partnership is a group of organisations dedicated to New Zealand becoming a world-leader in using the Internet to drive business growth, public sector excellence, and educational achievement. Google is a founding member.
