Manitobah Mukluks, an Aboriginal-owned footwear company based in Winnipeg, has been manufacturing and selling traditional mukluks and moccasin in Canada for over 15 years.
Some three years ago, the company began experimenting with online marketing by using Google AdWords. Then it decided to grow its market base my using Shopify, the Canadian e-commerce platform.
Today, Manitobah Mukluks markets its products to 45 countries through its online store. People other countries make up more than one-third of its Web site visitors.
It is the kind of e-commerce success, Google Canada is highlighting in its launch of a Canadian export map – a project it is working with Export Development Canada (EDC) to provide the country’s roughly two million small and medium sized businesses data and graphic representations of key export opportunities around the world.
This information is stored in the Export Business Map, which is a compilation of data from the top 10 export countries for Canadian businesses.
The map is not a map in the traditional sense, but it can help businesses navigate foreign markets and help decision makers determine if a certain country is right for their product or service.
It is an online resource that entrepreneurs can access. It provides general information about various countries around the world such as population and demographic profiles.
In addition this though, the map also provides information that come from Google’s database. Users can find data that deal with factors such as internet population, online purchases, Internet usage, mobile sales, mobile penetration and YouTube reach.
Users will also find a breakdown of online products purchased by residents as well as online activities they engage in via smart phones.
The map also features “seasonability calendars” that provide information of the most important holidays and events in each market.
Consumers are increasingly turning to their smart phones to research purchases and watch online videos for product information, according to Sam Sebastian, country manager, Google Canada. Today more than one in three global shoppers made their last apparel purchase online.
Google’s Export Site also provides Canadian case studies and other resources for businesses.
“In Canada, one in 10 small business are exporters, but many more businesses could be using the Web to reach a wider pool of customers and marketers,” he said. “There’s a multitude of market opportunities and the Internet brings them to your doorstep.”
