On 18 August this year, the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship, together with the Sirdaryo Regional Administration and the international e-commerce platform Wildberries, held a practical seminar in the city of Gulistan on "Opportunities to support small and medium-sized businesses through e-commerce in Uzbekistan".

The seminar aimed to train local entrepreneurs in the effective use of e-commerce tools, promote domestic products on the domestic and foreign markets, and strengthen the export potential of small and medium-sized businesses.

Uzbekistan is consistently working to support entrepreneurship, create a favourable business environment for the private sector, and expand the capacity of businesses to apply modern digital technologies.

Entrepreneurial activity is also growing in Sirdaryo Region. According to official statistics, more than 10,600 business entities operate in the region, of which around 2,700 are engaged in industry.

Promoting the region's industrial, agricultural, food, textile, leather and footwear, and handicraft products through e-commerce platforms is of considerable importance. It will allow local entrepreneurs to reach not only regional and national markets, but foreign ones as well.

During the event, participants received detailed information on the practical aspects of working on e-commerce platforms: opening an online store, listing goods, creating product cards, finding and communicating with buyers, receiving and delivering orders, and using logistics and payment systems.

The main economic effect of e-commerce lies in increased added value. An entrepreneur selling raw materials or semi-finished goods in bulk remains at the lower end of the value chain, whereas finished products that are properly packaged, branded and delivered directly to the consumer generate several times higher value.

All stages were explained through practical examples from setting up an online store and listing products to receiving orders, arranging logistics and establishing payment processes.

The event was a practical outcome of the reforms initiated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and aimed at supporting entrepreneurship, developing the digital economy, and expanding the capacity of the population and businesses to use modern technologies.

Another area linked to e-commerce is the development of logistics and delivery services. More than 600 business entities operate in transportation and storage in Sirdaryo Region, which indicates the potential for building e-commerce infrastructure.

For the region's nearly 500 artisans, e-commerce platforms open new opportunities: selling products on domestic and foreign markets, finding new buyers, increasing sales volumes, and promoting their goods more widely.

The seminar will therefore serve not only to train entrepreneurs in working on e-commerce platforms, but also to form a new regional business ecosystem uniting production, trade, logistics and digital services.