The spirit of American small businesses is driven by ingenuity and resolve. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and the unprecedented uncertainty it has created in our communities and our economies, millions of small businesses are using digital tools and online marketplaces to adapt and keep their businesses open. Many small businesses empowered by digital tools prior to the COVID-19 outbreak have sidestepped the hardships faced by other companies. Some have even thrived in this new digital first world. This report highlights how small businesses deployed digital tools during COVID-19 and the effect those tools had on their approach to a “new normal.” This report was developed by the Connected Commerce Council in partnership with Google, based on data collected from a study conducted by LRWGreenberg.
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Nearly a third of small business owners say that without digital tools they would have had to close all or part of their business during the COVID crisis.
70% of small businesses say digital tools have been useful to them during the COVID crisis, with 30% of them saying digital tools have been essential.
American small business owners are resilient and 74% of them expect their business will be back to business as usual within 6 months.
Sunrise Coffee | Las Vegas, NV
“When COVID first hit, it seemed like Armageddon for my business. In a previous age, it likely would have been. While I never thought an oyster farm would need so much technology to stay afloat, digital tools are what allowed us to adapt and survive. Now, we have hope for the future again.”
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40% of small businesses say that they’ve relied on digital tools to find new customers during the COVID crisis, and 36% say they have used digital tools to pivot to online sales.
One-third of small businesses say that they will rely more on digital tools moving forward from the COVID crisis.
Over 80% of small business owners are interested in learning more about how to use digital tools to help their business move forward.
Peeko Oysters | New Suffolk, NY
“It is precisely because we had invested in Google Ads and Analytics ahead of time that we were able to do this. If we didn't have that data, we’d just be spending more money and getting less results.”
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American small businesses are relying more on digital tools during the COVID crisis, with 76% saying that they’re relying more on digital tools to run their business.
A majority of American small businesses are relying more on digital tools to communicate with their customers, find new customers and sell products and services online during the COVID crisis.
Business owners who feel empowered by digital tools project less loss of revenue as a result of the COVID crisis, than those who do not. They are also 4.5X more likely (9% vs. 2%) to project a revenue increase.
The Spice House | Evanston, IL
“The world can go on pause for months at a time and a cloud-connected business can just go right on.”
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The Connected Commerce Council is working to help small businesses, their employees, and their customers stay safe as we work toward recovery. To find the right tools to use and the resources you need - including the 3C Fund Finder tool - visit our site and our partner pages. We are in this together.
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