Rural businesses that export double revenue growth and triple job creation

Research by Amazon has revealed that rural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who export forecast twice as much revenue growth and triple the jobs growth in the coming year compared to those who don’t export.

The new YouGov survey of over 1,000 SMEs from across the country found that over the next 12 months, rural SMEs who export forecast +2.1% revenue growth and +0.9% jobs growth, compared to +1.2% revenue growth and +0.3% jobs growth for rural SMEs than do not export.

Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager at Amazon said: “We’re seeing thousands of rural SMEs use Amazon to export and successfully grow their business, so it’s great to see the projected export revenue and jobs growth reflected more broadly in today’s findings.

“With our Amazon Academy at the Rural Entrepreneurs Show we hope to help unlock the digital potential for rural businesses, and additionally hear the challenges they face and the opportunities they see to feed into Rural England’s upcoming report.”

One successful rural small business-owner using Amazon Marketplace is Karen Riddick, the owner of Second Nature, based in Dumfries, Scotland.

Riddick left her day job after 16 years of employment, when her FairTrade home furnishings company started to take off. Second Nature now exports homeware products around Europe and generates roughly £350,000 annual turnover.

Half of this annual turnover comes through the Amazon Marketplace, which gives Second Nature access to millions of customers through its digital services and logistics operations.

Riddick said: “As someone who runs a successful rural based business, my message to other small businesses is that there are no geographical limits to e-commerce. For those who prefer rural living, I would say that it’s the perfect solution.

“Thanks to the internet and technology, you can have a high growth business without giving up your scenery, your community or your quality of life. There’s huge opportunity for our rural economy, and I look forward to encouraging other small business owners in taking their first step into the digital world.”