Malta: Launch Of The Fasttrak Initiative And The Revised Ecommerce Strategy

Silvio Schembri explained that the aim of both initiatives is to raise awareness on the use of social media by businesses - not only to facilitate administrative practices but also to ensure an efficient channel of communication with the consumer, keeping in mind that 70% of the population use the internet to seek information before purchasing a product.

"Social media facilitates closer proximity between buyer and seller", explained Parliamentary Secretary Schembri, while pointing out that a number of micro-business owners are now interacting with their clients via Facebook. Yet, there still remains room for improvement in order to enhance competitiveness between and for the businesses - the greater contributors to Malta's economic growth.

"In this context, we are launching these free training sessions to help businesses, particularly the self-employed, to boost their economic activity", added Silvio Schembri.

The Malta Communications Authority, with the support of the Malta Employers' Association (MEA), and the Malta Chamber of SMEs (GRTU), will offer free training sessions on Digital Marketing with a special focus on online presence and social media. FastTrak will offer retailers the opportunity to learn how to enhance communication with customers and how to adopt an appropriate strategy for their business while knocking down the barriers that stop retailers from using social media in their business activity.

This complements other initiatives that MCA took since the launch of the National eCommerce Strategy in 2014 which was updated after a public consultation. The revised eCommerce Strategy emphasizes the need that businesses should now embrace the digital shift that is transforming the retail industry.

Businesses interested in attending these training sessions are invited to visit MCA's website and complete the FastTrak application form

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.