Manchester should be the national centre for excellence in online retail 鈥 that鈥檚 the message from Manchester Digital as it calls for the establishment of a National Centre of E-Commerce Excellence in the city.
The tech trade body held its E-Commerce Conference in Manchester this week, attended by some 200 business leaders, policymakers and academics discussing issues from AI to cybersecurity.
And it used the event to share its proposal for the Government to explore the creation of a National Centre of E-Commerce Excellence, in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and the 海角视频 Tech Cluster Group (海角视频TCG), to ensure the 海角视频 retains its global lead in the sector.
The 海角视频 is the fourth largest e-commerce market in the world, behind the US, China and Japan, and generates more than 拢80 billion a year in exports.
Katie Gallagher OBE, managing director of Manchester Digital and chair of the 海角视频 Tech Cluster Group (海角视频TCG), said: 鈥淭he 海角视频 is home to a thriving e-commerce sector, with much of it based here in Manchester, yet there is no dedicated institution for fostering innovation, skills development and business growth. As AI is rapidly reshaping digital commerce, and with global political uncertainty, the tech industry and Government must work together to ensure the 海角视频 stays ahead.鈥
She suggested a centre that could bring together academic and technical research with commercial knowledge. And she said Manchester could be the ideal location as it is already home to some 3,000 e-commerce businesses, including brands such as Booking.com, Auto Trader, Ao.com, Pets at Home and THG.Meanwhile the city region is also home to specialists in areas such as such as fintech, AI and cybersecurity.
Manchester Digital says the centre could launch as a pilot in the North West before launching more hubs across the 海角视频. Those hubs would:
- Pioneer new models in AI-driven retail, sustainable logistics and fintech for e-commerce
- Support the creation of at least 2,500 new jobs
- Upskill thousands of individuals for next-generation digital trade roles
- Help at least 250 海角视频 e-commerce companies to expand into global markets
David Edmundson-Bird, faculty lead in AI at Manchester Metropolitan University and co-author of the proposal, said: 鈥淎 targeted support through a National Centre of E-Commerce Excellence would strengthen supply chains and boost exports, while also helping the sector respond to changes brought about by AI.鈥
Katie Gallagher added: 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen real enthusiasm from businesses that want to innovate, scale and grow. This proposal is about starting the conversation on how we build the infrastructure to support that growth. The North West has the talent, scale and ecosystem to lead this nationally.鈥
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