WHILE e-commerce growth is expected to explode, it does not seem like many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are ready to capture this growth.

Consider the fact that even today, only 30% of SMEs in Malaysia have a website.

Even more amazing is this: About 72% say they are not considering having a website in the next six months. Among the reasons they cite are cost, lack of expertise in managing a website, and the company being too small to need a website.

This is where retail-focused startups come into the picture, aiming to help brick-and-mortar retailers to seize some of the opportunities that are becoming available today.

That change is upon us, but will entrepreneurs today be able to convince their SME customers? Big data, analytics, mobile and social technologies have changed the equation. Will this ‘nexus of forces’ make a difference?

This is the topic of discussion for this month’s Disrupt discussion, Bricks to Clicks, which would hopefully provide some answers.

Sharing their thoughts and experiences will be Rohit Maheswaran, founder of retail-focused startup Ebizu; and Hisham Isa, the chief marketing officer of mobile advertising network BuzzCity.

We hope to add one more executive in a few days’ time to ensure the panel has a retailer with relevant experience.

The monthly DNA-TeAM Disrupt panel discussion and networking session is jointly organised by Digital News Asia (DNA) and the Technopreneurs Association of Malaysia (TeAM), with the Malaysian Business Angels Network as the supporting presenter.