The Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) organized the Youth in e-Commerce program which took place from 14 to 15 August 2019. The program was attended by more than 50 participants comprising youth registered under the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports' programs, students from higher learning institutions as well as the general public. The program which was also supported by Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) was aimed to encourage the youth to adopt e-commerce, both as a consumer and as a potential online vendor.
According to the e-Commerce survey for Consumers conducted by AITI in 2018, 24% of the respondents are not using e-Commerce. The survey further showed that 40% of the non-e-Commerce users were within the age group of 18 to 34 years old whom are the youth. Hence, AITI organised this Youth in e-Commerce program to reach out and target the local youths who were eager to understand more about e-Commerce and learn the tips to become online entrepreneurs.
The two-day Youth in e-Commerce program covered various topics which amongst others include social commerce, e-Wallet, local tracking applications, cashless payment solutions, online safety, consumer protection, merchant suites and digital marketing. Some of the invited speakers include academician and industry professionals from University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Postal Service Department, IT Protective Security Services Sdn Bhd (ITPSS), Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd, BruPay, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD), Beep Digital Solutions Sdn Bhd, Department of Economic Planning and Development, Bruvera, Weelago.com, Mayang Couture.com, Naindah.com & KadaiRuncit.com, Rotuku.com, Baiduri Bank and Geek Turf.
The participants were given the opportunity to interact with the speakers to gain a ground-level knowledge and experience of the local online vendors who earlier on had shared their online entrepreneurship journeys and offered partnership opportunities through their online platforms.
Since the recent years, AITI has been pro-actively promoting the adoption of e-Commerce in collaboration with relevant agencies for consumers. As e-Commerce is becoming a popular online platform that offers abundance of business opportunities, AITI is also encouraging the youth to leverage on such online businesses as an avenue to generate new income. One of the participants, Halidi bin Mohamad, found the program interesting and it was what he needed for his media business. Another participant, Dk Dor Puteri Aminah bte Pg Hj Kaharuddin, stated that "This program is something new and interesting particularly on online platforms' security as well as e-payment".
It is hoped that the program will provide an insight for the youth on the important benefits of e-Commerce which can help them to earn a living by becoming an online business owner. From the business point of view, e-Commerce provides better connectivity to reach potential consumers as their online presence can be accessed virtually from anywhere through the Internet. E-Commerce will inevitably continue to grow in the global market and eventually, it will become an essential business platform for a company to sustain in an ever changing market.
