The Importance of Digitization for International Trade

• Contents

International trade has been undergoing changes that aim at the de-bureaucratization of the area through the use of technology. For decades, we have been discussing the digitization of international trade processes.

With the pandemic, we were able to perceive the acceleration of digitization in international trade: more inspections being carried out remotely, digital Certificates of Origin for some countries, digitized documents being accepted by some players, reduction of people at workplaces, in addition to all other benefits that the new import process will bring to the procedures.

Digitization, besides solving bureaucratic processes, brings much more agility and time optimization for the professional, who can be more assertive in the elaboration of strategies and in partnership negotiations. This agility makes international trade access easier even for micro and small companies!

Industry 4.0

The term Industry 4.0 deals with a new industrial revolution, in which automation and artificial intelligence promote significant changes in different sectors. This revolution has been influencing international trade through the digitization of companies and seeking agility, organization in activities, and initiating what is known as "International Trade 4.0".

Industry 4.0 has a significant impact on productivity, as it increases the efficiency of resource use and the development of large-scale products, in addition to promoting the integration of countries into global value chains.

International Trade 4.0

International Trade 4.0 is the integration of technology into international trade processes.

With technology, it is possible to achieve better results in various areas. In International Trade, technological advancements have made areas such as Data Science, Business Intelligence, Digital Process Management, IT, Digital Marketing, and Customer Success more demanded due to new needs and solutions in the sector.

This model foresees the total digitization of all processes with integrated systems and easy access to all authorized. The advantages of the model are based on greater agility of processes, time optimization through more assertiveness and planning of activities, less bureaucracy, among other facilities.

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Global Advances

The implementation of the Single Window System was a good step in this direction, but we still have a long way to go to reach the ideal scenario. World Bank studies indicate that the time and costs for international trade operations globally are above average. Thus, digitization can bring cost reduction and greater security and productivity for countries.

The pandemic and social isolation made clear the importance of document digitization, electronic inspections, among other measures. The use of technology for document validation and alteration/correction in freight knowledge was authorized, thus, there is a dispensation from presenting paper documentation for some processes. In addition, rules are explicit for a digitized document to have the same effects as the original, aiming to expand the digitization of international trade.

Implementation and Adaptation

The main advantages of a company's digitization are error reduction, productivity increase, control over documents and files, sustainability, cost reduction, greater data security, among others.

For implementing a digital process, it is essential that the company invest in training and communication. The company needs to have flexibility and go through a period of adaptation, as abrupt changes may cause losses and wear out the relationship with customers. The company's system/tool adaptations need to be intuitive for users, so the IT and Customer Success departments are extremely important for the development of the customer experience and their feedback.

It is important for the company to adhere to a culture of innovation and constant improvement. For this, it is necessary to encourage the team to develop solutions for problems and requests from customers. The team needs to be informed (democratization of information) and encouraged to ask and bring ideas through a horizontal and participatory management.

Finally, it is necessary to collect data and analyze the results achieved by the company with the changes adopted to achieve digitization.

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