New Survey Finds Nearly Half of Small-Business Owners Don’t See a Need for Physical Stores (Infographic)

October 8, 2020 2 min read

Despite the challenges of the past seven months, stories of resilience abound as business owners adapt to changing customer demands. Though surveys at the beginning of the pandemic indicated small-business owners thought things might be beyond hope, that’s slowly started to change. 

A survey by website and marketing solutions provider Bluehost released last week asked 500 business owners with fewer than 100 employees how they’ve transitioned online, adapted to ecommerce and adjusted their outlooks on future pain points, obstacles and potential opportunities. Not surprisingly, business owners cited their biggest concerns revolve around securing new customers, the continued economic impact of the pandemic and lower consumer demand. 

Related: Nearly Half of Business Owners Think the Changes They’ve Made During the Crisis Will Be Permanent (Infographic)

Despite those concerns, 72 percent of small-business owners say they’re optimistic, and a similar percentage acknowledge how important a digital presence and ecommerce will be as they adjust to life post-pandemic. Perhaps most surprisingly, those business owners surveyed don’t see a return to brick-and-mortar in their futures: Nearly half (48 percent) say they see no need for a future store, and only 20 percent plan to reopen a physical location in the next year. 

Related: How the Behavior of Job-Seekers Has Changed Since February (Infographic)

Read through the infographic below for more information from the survey. 

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