[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#Article","articleBody":"Small businesses, from mom-and-pop retail shops to local services, struggled mightily to stay afloat during the pandemic. Many didn\u2019t make it, or will have to close in 2021. About one in five small-business owners, in fact, said they\u2019ll have to shut their doors if economic conditions don\u2019t improve over the next six months, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses.\n\u201cThe economic recovery continues to be uneven for small businesses, especially those still managing state and local regulations and restrictions,\u201d Kevin Kuhlman, NFIB vice president for federal government relations wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.\nBut when looking at small business trends, it\u2019s not all gloom and doom. E-commerce emerged as a bright spot for small businesses over the past year.\n \nWhat is e-commerce? Definition, benefits, examples\n   E-commerce is the online buying and seLearn all about the benefits of e-commerce and examples of the best e-commerce sites out there.  \nOnline shopping helped hundreds of thousands of small businesses not just survive, but stand out and thrive. In 2020, online shopping pushed overall retail sales up nearly 3.5 percent, to $5.6 trillion, compared with the previous year, according to the research firm eMarketer. E-commerce alone grew by 33.6 percent in 2020.\nSmall retailers, in particular, saw a big bump in online sales during this past holiday season \u2013 an average 104% increase over last year. And from all indications, e-commerce will remain a top trend for small businesses moving forward.\nSmall business trends: The big pivot to e-commerce\nBut prior to March 2020, many brick-and-mortar small businesses had little to no online presence, because they didn\u2019t need it: They depended on pedestrian traffic and walk-ins to stay competitive. That changed dramatically during the pandemic\u2019s early days, as shutdowns and quarantines forced stores to close and social distancing guidelines led consumers to abandon popular shopping areas.\nHowever, even as many areas opened up, it became clear that consumer behavior had changed, perhaps for good \u2014meaning e-commerce is here to stay as an essential channel for small business success.\n \n2021 Retail trends: From Boomers to Gen Z, the strategies that dominate\n   What key trends should retailers watch this year? Will consumers stick with online shopping or flock back to stores? We've got the answers.  \nE-commerce makes it possible for SMBs to remain close to customers who have become accustomed to the convenience of online shopping or who remain cautious of public spaces.\nIt also allows them to expand their market reach beyond a physical location.\nIt\u2019s not easy for small retailers who previously had little digital experience to pivot to selling online, and large retailers were the ones who reaped most of the profit from e-commerce last year. Ten large retailers accounted for 68% of all U.S. e-commerce sales last year \u2014 and Amazon alone represented more than half of all online sales.\nOmnichannel and social media marketing emerge as small business trends\nStill, thousands of small businesses figured out how to get started selling their products and services online. Luckily, it\u2019s become much easier for small businesses to launch or upgrade their websites. Cloud-based e-commerce platforms as well as e-commerce marketplaces such as Etsy make it simple and speedy to set up an online shop.\nE-commerce success requires more than just setting up a website, however.\n \nHow to master omnichannel in retail: 5 steps for CX success\n   Having an omnichannel strategy is essential for retailers today. What are some key steps for success? One UK retailer offers some lessons to live by.  \nSavvy businesses also took advantage of new technology integrations to help set up:\nRemote orders\nCurbside pickup\nBuy online, pickup in store (BOPIS)\nVirtual personal shoppers\nDoor-to-door delivery\n \nThis shift to omnichannel sales is essential as consumers today expect options and a seamless experience between online and offline channels.\nIn addition, small retailers expanded their marketing efforts. They moved from communicating only by email to using online order forms, contactless payment, direct messaging, smartphone apps, and taking advantage of social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok.\nNavigating new e-commerce channels: Challenges and rewards\nBut for retailers who may not have paid much attention to digital, navigating the ins and outs of e-commerce, including hosting providers, social media strategies, SEO, digital advertising and email marketing, can be daunting as well as an expensive proposition.\nStill for those that dive into the promise of e-commerce, the opportunities are significant enough for many to push themselves outside of their comfort zones.\nA poll by Main Street America showed that e-commerce usage continues to grow among small businesses with 18% reporting that at least a quarter of their revenue came from online sales in January, up from just 7% in April 2020.\nE-commerce and understanding exactly what consumers want will only become more essential for small businesses in order to stand out in a crowded local retail landscape, which, even after the pandemic recedes and pedestrians return to Main Street, will be more competitive than ever.\nShifting retail landscapes. Varying buying behavior. What makes people click \u201cbuy\u201d? We\u2019ve got the answers HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Sharon-Goldman-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Sharon Goldman","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/sharongoldman","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sharongoldman\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/sharon-goldman\/"},"dateModified":"2021-07-27T23:22:05+00:00","datePublished":"2021-04-19T10:55:44+00:00","description":"E-commerce is a top small business trend as online sales help small retailers survive and thrive during the COVID era and beyond.","headline":"Small business trends: The big pivot to e-commerce","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sm.BizEcomX_1200x375-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/","name":"Small business trends: The big pivot to e-commerce","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#Article"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"19","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/04\/\/19\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Small business trends: The big pivot to e-commerce","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/04\/19\/small-business-trends\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]