Login
ISCOVER
Staff Reporter
Westpac has committed itself to getting 100,000 small businesses online.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Looking for more benefits? Become a Premium Member.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Looking for more benefits? Become a Premium Member.
Yesterday, the major announced it had formed a joint partnership with MYOB in a bid to provide small businesses, including mortgage brokers, with advanced digital capabilities.
In a recent survey of 1,000 small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Westpac found 53 per cent do not have a website.
The report also surveyed 1,000 Australians regarding their preferences when shopping, and 50 per cent of consumers said they always use the internet to research prior to purchasing a product or service, while 53 per cent said they spend more than an hour shopping online a week.
“The results clearly demonstrate the difference between those SME customers that have not taken advantage of digital tools for their own business and those who have,” Westpac’s general manager mortgage broker distribution Tony MacRae said.
“Many businesses without digital tools such as a website and online invoicing are competitively disadvantaged, with this also true for mortgage brokers who are no different to SMEs.”
As such, Westpac has teamed up with MYOB to provide a digital toolkit called ‘Ready for Business’, which will offer both new entrant and longer established mortgage brokers as SMEs the tools they need to start and grow their business, all in one place.
Part of the toolkit will give brokers the ability to build an off-the-shelf website, which has been identified as a key revenue driver.
MYOB CEO Tim Reed said the company was thrilled to partner with Westpac on the initiative.
“We share a goal of making business life easier by helping small businesses engage in the digital economy,” he said.
“Businesses taking up ‘Ready for Business’ will be able to build an off-the-shelf website and raise invoices. What’s more, they will get help along the journey from MYOB and Westpac experts.”
