Women-Owned Business in Cross-Border E-Commerce: A Diagnostic Toolkit

The success of women-owned micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) is critical to the growth of all APEC economies, and cross-border e-commerce represents one area for potential growth. Yet, women-owned MSMEs face both enabling environment and cross-border specific challenges that prevent new and continued engagement in cross-border e-commerce.

This Diagnostic Toolkit, informed by a literature review and accompanied by private sector best practices, offers policymakers a series of questions to identify gaps in addressing key barriers that women entrepreneurs face. The results of the Diagnostic then provide each APEC economy with the opportunity to implement customized measures to address the gaps identified, including the development of policies as well as outreach and capacity building measures. It is envisioned that the Diagnostic will enable economies to better support women-owned businesses expand their footprint in e-commerce, learn from each other’s experiences, and strengthen the ecosystem for women-owned MSMEs in the region.