LETZ RETAIL ONLINE

"<< Background >>The EU economy, hit hard by COVID-19, especially in retail, hospitality, and culture, is unlikely to recover before 2024. This crisis, deepened by the rise of online shopping and out-of-town malls, is countered by a shift in consumer behavior favoring local businesses. Studies, including from www.dbk.es and LETZ RETAIL, show increased online shopping, with 61% of consumers preferring to support local businesses online. The University of Gallen predicts online commerce will make up 30% of Europe's retail sales by 2030.LETZ RETAIL ONLINE focuses on helping small businesses in retail, hospitality, and culture go digital. It offers innovative solutions beyond standard large IT provider offerings, emphasizing fast, tailored responses from small digital enterprises and startups.The project bridges small commerce and digital sectors, creating learning programs to equip owners, managers, and staff with digital transformation skills. This initiative aims for cost-effective, efficient, and secure online integration, aligning with consumer trends and economic forecasts.<< Objectives >>Owners and staff in ""small commerce"" often lack digital skills, creating resistance to online transitioning, seen more as a cost than an investment. Despite public and private initiatives, this mindset hinders sector-wide digital transformation. Success stories and positive experiences, coupled with supportive digital partnerships, are essential to change this perspective.Small businesses and startups in the ""small digital"" sector offer the needed personalized support. Co-creating and co-designing solutions are crucial for practical, viable outcomes. This approach positions the small digital sector to benefit from the surge in online commerce and evolving consumer habits post-COVID, especially in customer service, cybersecurity, and personalized shopping experiences.Collaborating with small commerce provides insights into diverse needs, fostering innovation across sectors. In a fast-evolving tech landscape, continuous innovation and adaptation are key for growth and competitiveness. This cooperation can unlock new business opportunities, transforming value chains and sectors in response to societal changes.<< Implementation >>Three projects’ results have been developed: PR1 - LETZ RETAIL ONLINE Curriculum, which defines the skills and competence framework, learning objectives and curriculum for the LETZ RETAIL ONLINE programme PR2 - LETZ RETAIL ONLINE programme, develops a validated learning content & assessment method, and adapt the existing e-learning space for the LETZ RETAIL ONLINE programme for cocreation, co-design and collaboration between the “small digital” sector and the “small commerce” sector, so the latter can go online in an efficient and secure way, digitalising the related processes.PR3- LETZ RETAIL ONLINE action plans, elaborated an action plan approach and templates for the small businesses of the two targeted sectors (“small commerce” and “small digital”) to design, implement and monitor the in the co-creating and co-designing of the solution, and the specific activities and effort needed to implement it in a collaborative way (Small Business Action Plan) or to initiate a co-creation, co-design and collaborative process between the LETZ RETAIL ONLINE sectors, and bringing the “small commerce” sector online (Business Hub Action Plan). << Results >>LETZ RETAIL ONLINE (LRO) capitalised upon the results from LETZ RETAIL, adding on specific materials and content related to doing business on-line. The combination of both into one single space provides a learning programme in the field of non-formal continuing education for small retail, commerce, hospitality and creative/cultural businesses to help them upfront the challenges and difficulties they face related to the challenges mentioned before. The materials and content developed in LETZ RETAIL ONLINE give them the knowledge, skills and competences to apply the co-creation, co-design and co-working skills acquired in LETZ RETAIL to design, implement and monitor a solid and sustainable strategy for taking maximum advantage of the digitalisation of their businesses. One of the outcomes has been the development of concrete actions plans to do so, customised and adapted to each particular situation and context."