COVID-19 has drastically affected businesses of all sizes across the globe as business owners were forced to close their doors, some of them for good. As the small businesses that survived struggle to reopen at minimal capacity and climb back up to pre-pandemic numbers, many are reevaluating their business models and wondering if e-commerce is the solution.
The inability for customers to visit brick and mortar stores has caused e-commerce to skyrocket in Canada since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, doubling in just the first two weeks and is expected to hit $4.5 trillion by 2021. This has accelerated the need for these businesses to provide online options for consumers.
However, as brick and mortar businesses have the need and desire to pivot online, many do not have the proper resources, knowledge or funds to do so.
A recent study by Canadian fintech lender, Merchant Growth, found that:
● 40% of small businesses would abandon their brick-and-mortar location to move online
● 55% of small businesses currently do not sell online
● 46% of small businesses shared that pre-COVID, 90% of their sales were from brick-and-mortar
● 45% said their biggest hurdle in pursuing e-commerce was knowing how to market online,
followed by 21% saying their biggest hurdle was accessing funds to pivot into e-commerce
● 50% of small businesses shared that they would use e-commerce funding for digital marketing,
followed by 23% who said they would use funding for technological development
As Merchant Growth is committed to helping small businesses navigate the world of digital, their team is hosting free webinars on how to get yourself set up at a high level, how to optimize your content for successful selling and how to start marketing your new online presence.
Designed specifically for small to medium sized retail businesses, this workshop aims to increase sales opportunities and help Canada’s SMEs adapt to the new consumer buying habits that have stemmed from COVID-19.
The webinar will cover how brick & mortar differs from e-commerce and key considerations when exploring e-commerce, as well as how to set yourself up online and how to market your site.
Merchant Growth is now accepting registrations from Canadian businesses for its first workshop. The Intro to E-Commerce for Small Business workshop is scheduled to take place on July 30th at 10am PT. Space is extremely limited for this event as it is free, and only open to small and medium size businesses.