Small Business Pivoting
Small businesses have put up quite a fight over these past few months. While the pandemic acted as a major disruptor for every industry, small and local businesses took an especially hard hit. The pandemic has threatened all things ‘business as usual’, making it imperative for small businesses to rethink their operational strategies from top to bottom.
In the midst of this ‘new normal’ for small businesses, the industry has seen some truly ingenious survival tactics. I applaud some of unique strategies that businesses have used stay open during COVID.
From Dining Rooms to Pantry Sales
As indoor dining rooms and lounges closed, many local eateries and bars quickly transitioned their business approach by selling their specialty goods in bulk, such as The Sunrise Café and the Texas Roadhouse.
A couple great national examples are a wine bar and a coffee company. Wisconsin’s The Ruby Tap, a self-service wine bar, began selling their wine bottles in bulk online for local curbside pickup. Customers were able to fill their e-carts with bottles and stop by the shop to get all of their favorites. Perc Coffee Roasters, a Savannah-based coffee roasting company, also took a similar approach. After closing their on-site cafe, they switched up operations to provide their clients and customers with bags of their favorite fresh coffee. They post every update on Instagram and share their gourmet cafe recipes across social media so daily visitors can get their fix from home.
Farmer’s Markets Delivered to Your Door
Farmer’s markets are known for their bustling crowds - making them a prime concern during the pandemic. While some markets stayed open by adopting stringent social-distancing measures, others played it safe and went digital. Boise’s farmer’s Market had some hoops to jump through, but then went to a drive through option. It is also not surprising to see that farmers markets all over the country are offering at-home delivery services. By creating an interface that lists every vendor and all of their goods, shoppers are able to safely fill their carts online and have them dropped off to their doors.
Drive-Up Dining
As indoor dining spaces got shut down, restaurants all around the country made do with the new standards by adopting an omnichannel model to serve their customers. Whether it is small cafes, pastry shops, or five-star restaurants--ordering online and picking up curbside has shown to be a solution for staying strong during the pandemic.
The companies that have thrived has shown that social media plays a momentous role in keeping patrons updated on all of the latest operational protocols. Menu changes, specials, and deals are all being broadcasted on IG and FB. By combining online order systems and physical pick-ups, restaurants have shown that pivoting means taking a truly contemporary approach to doing business during the pandemic.
Video Chat Shopping
A local toy store in Connecticut has managed to offer a safe shopping experience even during these unpredictable times by using tech in a brilliant way. Necker’s Toyland shoppers can schedule a Facetime browsing session to check out the store via live video chat as they’re assisted by a sales associate. This strategy is personalized, exclusive, and modern. Real estate agents have done the same thing in Idaho. With our housing flying off the shelves, due to a limit of available abodes, facetime house tours are now becoming normalized.
Essentially, small businesses are doing what they can to stay open, and it’s pushing the boundaries in unexpected ways. What’s next to come out of COVID-inspired small business strategies? Will we see something that changes an industry? Only time will tell, but as I believe--all setbacks are an opportunity for growth with the right perspective.