SPRING 2020 FAKE REVIEWS PLAT FORM BL UES Small businesses that rely on websites for cross-border trade can find themselves battling fake reviews, delisting of their products and sudden changes to terms and conditions, as the FSB discovered Around 20 per cent of UK small business exporters and importers use online platforms to trade internationally, with websites such as eBay, Amazon and Facebook central to their advertising, sales and exporting aims. Use of these online platforms is not without its problems, however, as a new report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found. Destination Digital reveals that many businesses have had issues with fake or malicious reviews, breaches of intellectual property (IP) rights, or sudden delisting of their products, and the FSB is urging the government to monitor these problems as the e-commerce market continues to expand. Small firms are reliant on these online platforms, and use them for cross-border trade because they help promote their products in untapped markets at a reduced risk, raise brand awareness, foster consumer trust, and cut the costs of internationalisation. The FSBs research revealed that: When small firms trade digitally across the world, they are highly exposed to global market forces and disruptions to trade flows nOne in five small firms (20%) that trades digitally does so using online marketplaces such as Amazon and Facebook nThe most commonly reported problems are fake reviews (21%) and sudden changes to terms and conditions (19%) nMore than a third (38%) of small firms say local delivery problems for tangible goods is the main issue affecting their exports nWhen it comes to intangible goods and services, on-tariff barriers such as local taxes and regulations are the main problem nGermany, France, Ireland and the US are the priority markets for small firms that export When small firms trade digitally across the world, they are highly exposed to global market forces and disruptions to trade flows. The FSB believes it is vital that government listens to their exporting needs and considers them as part of any response to the ongoing digital trade revolution. Domestically, this means providing access to fast, reliable broadband and mobile coverage across the country, and improving employees and business owners digital skills. Internationally, at the World Trade Organization and in future bilateral trade negotiations, the government must push to get barriers to digital trade in overseas markets removed, including data-localisation measures and weak IP protections. Small and micro-business owners want to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the global digital economy, but can only do so if the markets and tools available to them are welcoming. Credit: Karen Woolley, FSB Development Manager Image: iStock / Aerial3 / filo For more on this topic, read the full Destination Digital report. For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service