Don’t look for reasons not to do something, but look for the one reason to do it!

- An interview with Marc Périn, Managing Director BeCommerce -

BeCommerce is the Belgian Federation for companies involved in distance selling, both online and offline. Can you tell us something about the activities of BeCommerce?
BeCommerce's core task is to improve and maintain the confidence of consumers and businesses in distance selling. The core activities consist of the following:

• Promote quality and confidence through certification
  Trust and quality go hand in hand. Quality in sales can not simply be assumed. BeCommerce vertrouwde nu reeds zeven jaar het onafhankelijke Bureau Veritas de belangrijke taak toe om websites te certificeren, waarna het BeCommerce kwaliteitslabel kan worden toegekend. BeCommerce has now worked for seven years with the independent agency Veritas for the certification of sites, after which the BeCommerce quality label may be granted.
  
  
• Promotion of distance selling
  BeCommerce promotes distance selling. For example through the structural partnership with the e-fair of the year, the E-shop Expo. Then there are the prestigious BeCommerce Awards which this year will take place on May 10 in Brasschaat Castle. On this evening the awards will be handed out, including the award for best webshop in Belgium.
  
  
• Increase knowledge level in the industry
  In May we launch the BeCommerce Academy in collaboration with Boston University. It is envisaged that this training will give a general introduction to all aspects of e-commerce, ranging from the legal aspect, to marketing, logistics, security and technology. With this training, we focus not only on starters, but on all owners of companies that need relevant information about e-commerce. The course thus aims also at large businesses, where many people are involved in segmented pieces of e-commerce: the logistics manager, the legal representative or the IT manager. The intention is to inform all those people on the complete chain so that they can work in teams better.
  Furthermore BeCommerce also regularly organizes Task Forces, seminars and colloquia.
  
  
• Research
  BeCommerce conducts regular research among its members and partners about their e-business activities. The results are communicated via BeCommerce Facts and Figures.
  
  
• Contribute to the laws and regulations on e-commerce
  BeCommerce wants to contribute to proper legislation considering e-commerce. al form. There's a lot of movement in the legal field, both in Belgium and at European level. As a union we don’t want and we can not stand on the sidelines. We want to actively contribute to the development of law so that the appropriate legislation will apply to us.

Although the e-commerce sector in Belgium is growing rapidly, it is still lagging behind on other European countries. What is the cause of this? Are there any issues that restrict growth?
Currently the e-commerce industry grows faster in Belgium than in neighbouring countries. This is not surprising. Our market is - in contrast with those of our neighbours - not yet saturated. And so it is normal that our growth rates are greater. Thus we take great strides in our backlog. And besides the growth in itself we can be more than satisfied with the way we grow today. You notice on many things that e-commerce is being integrated into our daily lives. This is a trend that only became clearly visible last year. Increasingly, e-commerce is taken for granted. When we stop questioning whether or not we consciously sell on a distance, we as BeCommerce have reached our goal.




BeCommerce is of course also present at the E-shop Expo as a partner. What will you present there?
BeCommerce launches its communication program and the BeCommerce Academy. BeCommerce will become an information & training centre for people working with e-commerce or want to start. The visitor of the E-shop Expo will get information on the activities of BeCommerce, the BeCommerce quality label and its ad hoc services, including free legal assistance to members.
We think that the E-shop Expo needs to become the venue for everything and everyone e-commerce related. The event is the platform around which a lot of information around distance selling can be put in the market in a positive way. The positive message that e-commerce is, we want to bring in a positive and clear way.

BeCommerce has been active in the ecommerce industry for many years. Thus you have seen many developments in the industry. What are the main developments you have seen in recent years and what are the expectations for the sector for the coming year?
The main development is that for the first time in history, the consumer is in the driver's seat. We must no longer take that into question, that is the way it is and we have to take the necessary lessons from it. We are all consumers and that means: extremely demanding. That you can see translated among others in the way e-commerce deals with social media. We need to give people a forum to respond and engage in a dialogue. Customers look for a forum to order things, to be informed about things or to give their opinion. That is a big challenge. We call it social media, but it is what we in our new Award will describe as conversation: how to make a conversation with your customer? That is paramount. This will also translate into many new buying experiences.

From the desire of the customer, you have to reinvent yourself every day. It is not just about technology, but also the earnings model, the ranges and – concerning consumers - their buying behaviour. A good example are the aggregated buying initiatives. How consumers deal with social media, is new. And as we speak somewhere in the world dozens of new features are launched. De uitdaging is om mee te gaan in die nieuwe stroom van communicatie en hier iets mee te doen. The challenge is to join this new stream of communication.
In Belgium we notice that the traditional retail is also massive betting on e-commerce. The classic retail has an incredible asset, their offline shop. What matters is trade, by whatever means. That is the challenge for an e-commerce professional: it’s about the total blend.

What are developments that webshops should take into account this year?
We in Belgium have to remember one message very well: don’t find dozens of excuses for not doing something, but find that one reason to do so. For example, we should not look for excuses to not have to deliver within twenty-four hours. No, we need to be imaginative and elaborate a concept to deliver on short and at specific times. Our neighbouring countries are already working at this: they focus on quicker, cheaper and even more efficient. We must have the ambition in Belgium to be the first and not to be overwhelmed by everything that happens around us. Be the fastest, the most beautiful, the broadest, the cheapest, be the best in something.

BeCommerce also has a quality label for merchants. Can you tell us more about that?
The quality label, which is awarded by agency Veritas, will now be awarded annually and the results will be communicated.
The requirements to obtain a label will also become stricter every year. This is good for two things: first, it creates great clarity for anyone involved in e-commerce. Secondly, the consumer benefits from stricter rules of the BeCommerce label. A site that holds the label of BeCommerce radiates a greater confidence to the customer. He knows that the site meets all requirements for safe and confident purchases.
At present, there are almost 100 hundred shops that have the quality label, but our goal is to double this number by the end of the year.