The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian businesses were yesterday urged to leverage digital platforms to boost their brand presence and increase sales opportunities, with website security described as “critical” to facilitating e-commerce.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), in conjunction with Google, yesterday hosted a private business event at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel, where presenters from the Internet company highlighted the online tools it offers.

Attendees were urged to use technology to their advantage to market their businesses, and make them more visible and accessible to consumers.

Kristie Powell, a Bahamian and senior technical account manager at Google in New York, said that leveraging tools provided on Google’s digital platform could provide firms with a greater online presence.

She added that tools, such as Google analytics, track real time marketing performance, allowing businesses to know if they are in fact reaching their target audience.

Highlighting the importance of leveraging digital platforms, Ms Powell told attendees: “There are tools that tourists, for instance, are accustomed to using at home, and when they travel they really want to be able to have a similar user experience.”

Karen Wharton, RBC’s senior manager for merchant services and point of sales, added that the bank has strict requirements for businesses looking to become e-commerce merchants.

Ms Powell said that getting users to become comfortable using a merchant’s website for online transactions can be challenging, although businesses can take steps to provide customers with a greater sense of security.

“The technology exists, and it’s not very difficult to implement and integrate,” she added.

“What’s usually difficult is changing the perception of people’s behaviour and mind sets. That’s what you are really changing. Ensuring that your site is secure is absolutely critical.”