Small Business Services that Ought to Stick Around
The circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic — a stagnated economy, sheltered consumers, and general concern about the accessibility of daily necessities — have forced local businesses everywhere to innovate in order to survive. Many of these forced changes were unwelcome and awkward for business owners. Despite all of the challenges faced by small businesses in establishing new services and products, consumers seized upon these new opportunities and continue to demand several of them even now that the pandemic has passed.
Consumers Like Convenience
The latest State of Local Business survey from Podium reports that a vast majority of consumers would like social distancing services, such as contactless payment and curbside pickup, to continue. The survey, questioning one thousand Americans over the age of eighteen, provided several highlights that small businesses ought to take notice of. Women appreciated curbside pickup options at stores to a greater extent than men did with 55% of women appreciating and considering businesses based on their curbside options (43% of men said the same). Additionally, the 3% of seniors that said they would consider curbside pickup prior to the pandemic has increased to 41% that now consider services based on curbside options. Being forced to use contactless options when shopping has led many customers to find and now desire a service that they may not have previously used. Offering contactless services helped to draw new customers to businesses with 57% of respondents claiming that contactless payment or curbside pickup was the primary motivation for making a purchase from a local business for the first time. The survey revealed that women and seniors especially enjoyed these services. Despite being a reaction to the pandemic, many of these services ought to continue in order to meet the preferences of new consumer behaviors.
Although nearly half of all respondents said that they found these services to be unorganized or slow, customers still factored them into their choice in a positive way. An impressive 8 in 10 consumers want local businesses to continue offering contactless services after the COVID-19 crisis has passed. With improvement and marketing, offering these options can draw in a greater number of customers. Exposure to these services has led many consumers to expect them and desire to continue using them. Additionally, while the pandemic may be slowing, it shows no sign of stopping entirely in the near future, and customers will continue to factor in their safety as a top priority when shopping.
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