Now, more than one year on since Covid-19, the forever impact of the pandemic continues to roll out across the global, local and digital landscapes.
This past year has not been easy. It's been difficult, challenging and gritty, and it's ongoing.
As New Zealand's largest, most-established website and digital transformation agency for SMEs for 20 years, when first faced with Covid, lockdowns, restricted trading and immense uncertainty, we at Zeald felt compelled - and equipped - to help small businesses survive.
In March 2020, we launched our Get Ecommerce Movement - the GEM initiative - to accelerate digital transformation within New Zealand's small business community and help bridge the country's growing digital divide. We first offered 500 full-functioned ecommerce websites for struggling SMEs to get online and trade through lockdown - and de-risked the process of going digital, by removing upfront cost barriers and making the websites free.
The GEM initiative has grown, becoming a permanent fixture at Zeald. We continue to offer free GEM websites to help Kiwi SME businesses go digital, every week.
We also offer digital training and experience through our free GEM Academy internship programme, and expert advice through our free webinar series Keep Calm and Get Digital.
Digital resilience is critical to survival post-Covid, helping small businesses to future-proof against ongoing disruption and uncertainty.
Having a digital foundation, means businesses can leverage and take advantage of all the benefits and opportunities that new digital technology developments offer.
As the need for strong digital capability in New Zealand (and around the world) grows, the GEM vision is that no Kiwi business, individual, or community is left behind.
The time to start the digital journey is now.
Take up the challenge - and the opportunity - and get digital!
David Kelly
Chairman @ Zeald
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