Helping French business go online with Google for Pros

The Internet generated more than 700,000 jobs in France between 1995 and 2010, according to a 2011 McKinsey study. Through 2015, McKinsey estimates that the web’s digital contribution will grow to 5.5 percent of GDP, and that 450,000 additional jobs will be created.

In order to help reach - or better yet, surpass these goals - we recently launched a new program called Google pour les Pros. It aims to help 100,000 small French businesses get online by the end of this year.

Google coaches at the Unami Tea House in Lille

Many traditional French businesses continue to hesitate going online, fearing that it will require large investments, lots of time, and fancy skills they lack. Google pour les Pros aims to overcome these hurdles by providing an "on the ground" coach who provides personalised training.

We first tested the Google pour les Pros concept in the south of France. Results were encouraging enough to launch a full-fledged program in the north of France, around the region’s major metropolis Lille. This region has faced a dramatic economic transition, from fading heavy industry to new, modern services.

The 16 Google coaches we are deploying there are young university graduates. In the coming months, they will go from shop to shop, office to office, to propose their services, free of charge. Our partner in this ambitious operation is the Greater Lille’s Chamber of Commerce, which brings together 52,000 businesses. We will deploy coaches in other French regions throughout the year.

As we urge Lille’s bakeries, butchers, and other small businesses to get online, we already can point to success stories such as the Unami tea house. Owner Jean-Benoit Bourel opened an e-commerce site that enables him to export its products to the international market. "Now we sell in Marseille, Italy, Belgium, and in Russia," he says.

In a time of economic challenges, the Internet can help France regain its economic competitiveness - and its traditional strong small businesses win many new markets.

Posted by Clement Wolf, Communications, France