Around the globe, countless small businesses struggled through 2020 and 2021 with the singular drive to remain open amidst the Covid19 pandemic. They endured extraordinary hardships within the turmoil of national social justice protests & issues, divisive elections, and numerous natural disasters to top off the already difficult period of the pandemic. Yet miraculously, business owners were able to adapt and make it past one of the toughest periods in history by employing impressive levels of flexibility.
Now, as 2022 moves forward & hopefully further away from the pandemic from hereon, so have business trends changed for better or worse because of the past 2 years. Here then, are the top trends that will move businesses forward in 2022 and beyond:
Sustainability:
The growing occurrence of catastrophic weather events, oceanic garbage, species extinction and global climate change has sounded the alarm for people across the globe to become more concerned about the environment. Consumers are now looking for brands who take responsibility for the environment by using recyclable bags, selling chemical-free products & implementing other such toxicity & waste-minimizing practices. Environmental concern is such a priority for people these days that in one study, nearly 68% of employees even reported that they are more likely to apply for jobs with environmentally responsible organisations, with 48% of them willing to accept a lower salary for it!
As a small business, look for opportunities & ways to practice waste reduction, and reduce energy consumption & greenhouse gas output to help your business gain both hiring & customer advantage.
Ecommerce:
The pandemic caused a shift from brick-and-mortar stores to digital shopping. Online shopping is now at an all-time high and is here to stay in the years to come, and it’s not hard to see why. Shopping online for goods, from groceries to clothing & other consumer goods, with the option of home delivery or pickup gives customers ultimate convenience & efficiency. In recent months, consumers have also taken a hybrid approach to shopping (shifting between brick-and-mortar store visits, using mobile apps & shopping online) reduce their carbon footprint.
Thus, small businesses should make sure they have a mobile-friendly & easy-to-navigate website with ecommerce options.
Virtual & Digital Services:
As an result of the pandemic’s stay-at-home protocols, demand for technology and virtual offers reached new heights. Businesses that rapidly increased in demand included at-home fitness, food delivery, gaming, remote work software, virtual events and cyber security. Slowly moving out of the pandemic now, customers continue to look for these digital services for the convenience they have afforded.
Business owners can take advantage of this trend by pivoting or expanding their current business practices into one of these in-demand areas.
Personalised & Empathetic Customer Service:
2020 and 2021 brought about a shared experience all around the world, which led to the need for more compassion & understanding as people tried to cope with the anxiety of the last 2 years. Consumers have now become more thoughtful about where to spend their money. Priority is being placed on businesses who give empathetic & personalised experiences for their customers, in addition to quality products & services.
The bottomline of this trend? Customers want empathy that comes from understanding them & speaking directly to their concerns & needs. Therefore, businesses must prioritise taking care of customers.
Remote Work:
Because of the crucial role it played in keeping businesses alive during the pandemic, remote work is here to stay. Employees have always expressed interest in working remotely, and given this chance during the pandemic, proved themselves to be happier & more productive with the setup. Businesses have embraced remote work as well for its surprising effectivity. At this point, the hybrid work model is the new business model, merging the best of two worlds in remote work and office setup.
Business owners who give remote work options will have the greater options for talent acquisition & high employee retention.
Consumer Support for Small Businesses:
Witnessing the struggle of local businesses to stay afloat during the pandemic, customers began to make concerted efforts to channel their spending power into supporting small & local businesses.
To take advantage of this strong customer support for local businesses, business owners should adopt a local marketing strategy & boost their social media presence to let consumers know of the company’s purpose & values.
Here then are the top small business trends this year. Adapting your business to any or all of these trends will get you well on your way to business success in 2022 and beyond. After all, business is only as good as its ability to give consumers what they presently need.
Are you a budding entrepreneur looking for an ideal business to start this year? Or perhaps you’re a businessperson seeking a new venture? Or maybe you have an existing business you’d like to sell. Whether you’re looking for a business to buy or sell, National Brokers Network can assist you in getting fast and satisfying results. Browse through our Free Online Business Property Listing in Australia or Business Franchise for Sale Online Listing in our website for a wide choice of businesses & ideas that will get you excited. And if you’re selling your business, come and list with us today for fast selling of your business at the best price.
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