Facebook Italy, 2 million euros in grants for SMEs
The recent Global State of Small Business Report survey, conducted by Facebook together with the OECD and the World Bank, revealed that cash flow is a concern for most SMEs. 66% of Italian SMEs have experienced a drop in sales compared to the same month last year and 27% have reduced the number of employees following the pandemic.
Facebook's SME grant program wants concretely help businesses by making subsidies available for essential expenses - like keeping the lights on and helping them pay employees - and providing advertising credits to help SMEs generate revenue through online marketing and sales. "Facebook has always been committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of the world economy and the beating heart of the platform. In fact, more than 180 million companies in the world - 25 million in Europe alone - use our apps every month to get in touch with their customers and to continue growing »explains the group.
In support of this commitment, Facebook Italy recently announced the second phase of #piccolegrandimprese, the program launched in July 2020 to support the recovery and digital transformation of small businesses in Italy. From September to December, the initiative is enriched with "Facebook Business Open Days", free monthly webinars, with live-chat with Facebook experts and partners Shopify, Talent Garden and Freeformers, in which interested SMEs can participate by registering directly from the online hub.
"The Covid-19 crisis is much more than a public health crisis, it is a profound economic crisis" said Luca Colombo, Country Director of Facebook Italy. "Small businesses have been hit hard and we are aware that they need liquidity, training and support for digitalization, as consumer purchasing habits are shifting to digital".
"In Italy, in fact, during in recent months, 48% of people have increased their online purchases, and 20% of SMEs active on Facebook have declared that in the last month over 50% of their business has been done exclusively through digital channels. Transforming your business from a digital point of view therefore becomes a priority that must not be ignored in order to overcome the crisis and embark on recovery ".
