09.03.2017 Balıkesir
Speaking at the Turkey Technology Meetings, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the rules of trade have changed. Emphasizing that the method for trade is internet in the new world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Use technology to do business, not for empty talk. People are using technology to make money; we are using it in social media to talk to each other.” When the room was asked the question “Who has internet and a smartphone?” everyone raised their hands. When asked “Do you trade through the internet?” only a few hands were seen.
TOBB President M.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the rules of trade in the world have changed,
calling on SMEs to trade on the internet and use technology to its fullest. The
TOBB President urged: “Let's use technology to do business, not empty talk.”
The third Turkey
Technology Meetings was held yesterday in Balıkesir. TOBB President M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu spoke at the opening in regards to SMEs on the necessity of
technology and new rules of trade in the world. Criticizing the use of
technology for frivolities, Hisarcıklıoğlu asked, “By a show of hands, how many
people are using the internet and smartphones?” To which everyone raised their
hands. Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “By a show of hands, how many people are using
the internet to sell or export goods?” To which only a few hands were raised. “Here
it is. In internet and smartphone penetration, we are better than most advanced
countries. 90% of the population has mobile connectivity. What are we doing
with the internet? We are 6th highest country in Facebook usage. 4th
in Instagram user count. But when it comes to doing business, we much farther
behind. In developed countries, 10% of trade is conducted online. In our case,
only 2% of the total retail trade is conducted online. Export is much lower. So
people are using technology to make money; we are using it in social media to insult
each other.”
- It used to be the Silk Road and Spice Road; now it is Internet
Route
“There is a new
revolution in trade. This is called the e-commerce revolution,” said Hisarcıklıoğlu,
emphasizing that 200 years would be lost in if we miss the trade revolution.
TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the countries on the trade route used
to be rich, “It used to be the Silk Road and Spice Road; now it is Internet
Route. So now the way of trade is through every house, every workplace. You can
sell the product you produce in a province of Balıkesir to the most remote
corner of Australia. The time to complain is over. We need to be at the
forefront of the world in this revolution.”
- Fastest growing companies using technology
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated
that Turkey announced its fastest growing 100 companies about 2 months ago. He
said that the common feature of all of them is the use of technology for business.
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Look, it’s not just for selling goods. These companies
use technology everywhere. Supply, production, sale, product follow-up. If you
want to grow, you should use technology.”
- The most striking examples in the world
Explaining that the
way of doing business in the world has changed now, Hisarcıklıoğlu said. It was
a rule that you used to do business in the past: Do what your neighbor is
doing. In Kayseri, they said do whatever the person driving Mercedes is doing.
Now the rule is exactly the opposite: You need to do what nobody else is doing.
This is the age of invention. Inventing is a different way of looking at the
world. 80% of successful entrepreneurs in the world do not find anything new
but do an existing thing better. The best way to differentiate is to use
technology. The most familiar example for all of us is Alibaba. What is its job?
Retail. It's the oldest profession in the world. But they did it in a
completely different way. Now it's the world's largest retail store. They’ve
passed Wallmart. Wallmart has 11,700 stores. How many stores does Alibaba have?
Zero. There is not a single store. Single-capital technology.”
Also in attendance in
addition to Hisarcıklıoğlu were Balıkesir Chamber of Industry Chair İsmail Uğur,
Balıkesir Chamber of Commerce Chair Fahri Ermişler, Balıkesir Governor Ersin
Yazıcı and Balıkesir Mayor A. Edip Uğur.