How the Pandemic Changed the Way Small Businesses Use Technology
Although some 3.6 billion people across the world remain on the offline side of the digital divide, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed more people to explore the possibilities of the digital world. In the United States, less than 10% of the population is offline and that number continues to shrink. With an accelerated desire for technological advancement and most consumers buying products or entertaining themselves online, it has become essential for technology to be a priority for small businesses rather than a complementary feature. This blog takes a look at several tech trends that have been popularized by demand during the pandemic.
Online Sales and Third-Party Delivery
With many stores closed and consumers wary of shopping in public, many small businesses recognize the necessity to sell their products online and deliver them to consumers’ doorsteps. Online shopping has long been popular, but it has become nearly essential in the last several months. Developing a website with the capability to set up an online store is easy with Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, and many more website developers. If businesses want to avoid managing transactions on their own, Amazon allows businesses to sell their products with variable selling plans. Fast and widely available food delivery through Postmates, Grubhub, UberEats, DoorDash, Instacart, goPuff, and more make getting groceries or food easier for consumers and help local restaurants stay in business without hiring their own fleet of delivery drivers. Further serving consumers, some contactless delivery services have even begun to use robots in some cities.
Digital Entertainment/Resources
As nearly everyone was restricted to their homes, instant, digital entertainment or information has been essential and further normalized for many people. As public spaces open up, many have become comfortable consuming media and passing time at home and continue to do so. Bars hosted happy hours, restaurants created instructional cooking videos, and some in the entertainment industry took galleries, shows, and concerts online to a virtual audience. Increasing your small business’s capacity to offer as much of your product or service online is becoming increasingly critical for retaining customers. Even if your full service or product cannot go online, you still can and ought to connect with consumers as you near reopening.
Contactless Payment
While the World Health Organization announced that they do not believe cash is transferring COVID-19, the pandemic led to a widespread move to offer contactless payment methods. The organization recommended that contactless should be used whenever possible in order to avoid person-to-person contact, especially when purchasing food that will be consumed directly after payment. Offering a range of payment methods facilitates buyers from a wider range of consumers and ensures that they can pay in a way that makes them feel most financially secure and safe during a pandemic. Investing in contactless payment to accept credit, debit, Apple Pay, and more not only helps reduce the risk of viral transmission but also better equips small businesses to cater to their customers as these forms of payments gain popularity.
Remote Work
Remote work has also become mainstream due to the pandemic and is facilitated by video conferencing, cloud technology, and private networks. Learn more about the future of working from home in our previous blog, Will We Work at Home Forever? Not only have virtual offices become the norm, but there is demand for improved means of doing business virtually. Most services used by businesses to work virtually are several years old, and while they work, many workers believe that there is considerable room for improvement. This opens up a path for technology developers, including small businesses, to create a highly marketable product in a changing world.
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