Belgian ecommerce associations BeCommerce and SafeShops.be have announced a merger today. The new organization focuses on boosting Belgian ecommerce. Greet Dekocker, who assumes day-to-day management of the new association, informed Ecommerce News by phone that the new name and branding are still being developed.
Both BeCommerce and SafeShops.be are organizations that aim to increase consumer and customer confidence in online stores. The associations have their own trustmarks and often publish figures on ecommerce in Belgium.
‘Next step for the industry’
Now, the organizations are joining forces. This will allow them to better respond to the needs of online sellers. The associations’ membership will not change this year. “With the new association, we want to take the next step for the Belgian ecommerce sector”, said Jan Vereecke, chairman of BeCommerce.
Membership of both associations will not change this year.
“We want to build together on a broader vision in which the digital economy is given every opportunity. Moreover, by bringing together the expertise of both BeCommerce and SafeShops.be, we are a strong partner to push – together with the government – for sustainable ecommerce.”
Stimulating Belgian ecommerce
The new association will focus on boosting Belgium’s digital economy. It wants to inform customers about the security, reliability and sustainability of digital sales. At the same time, it is going to provide frameworks for online stores.
‘Together with members, we will work on the design of the new association.’
“Together with the members of both SafeShops.be and BeCommerce, we will be working on the design of the new association in the coming weeks. This will take into account the needs and requirements of the various member profiles”, said Greet Dekocker, managing partner at SafeShops.be.
‘Differentiated service packages’
“For example, start-up online shops will benefit more from some basic training, while larger players or B2B online traders will want more advice regarding sustainability or international trade. Differentiated service packages will be developed that respond to these needs and will allow both large and small online players to feel ‘at home’ in this new project.”
Belgian ecommerce generates a turnover of €11.7 billion.
The Belgian ecommerce sector currently consists of some 50,000 online stores, generating sales of 11.7 billion euros. “These figures combined with the enormous resilience and creativity that online merchants show every day indicate that the sector has a bright future ahead of it. With the newly merged association, we are going to support and guide them 100 percent in this”, Jan Vereecke concludes.