Do you know who your competitors are?
It’s not the small business across town. Even less so, the big-box retailers 60 miles away.
The biggest threat is the digital sellers.
Even before 2020, digital commerce companies have been taking market share across almost every retail category. Home goods, furniture, pet supplies, clothing … you name it. They make it so easy to purchase an item with a single click.
What can you do as a local retailer to survive and thrive? Know your customers and think local. Your customers have a regional taste. If you’re a furniture retailer, you know your local season and your local trends.
The hard part is getting by the Google wall. Try searching for “New Recliner” or “Furniture Store:”
Try this for dog food, home accessories, health care, and more. Multi-nationals will appear in many of the prominent places. Sometimes, this happens exclusively.
They are not playing by the same rules as Main Street.
Did you know that Amazon has never turned a profit on eCommerce? This is the case with many of the other leading ecommerce providers. Amazon subsidizes its e-commerce revenue with a highly profitable technology business that made $38 billion dollars in 2022.
Wall Street loves this because they love growth. For Main Street, you need to look at a different strategy – and this is where local media comes in.
Short circuit the multi-nationals by building your own brand. Let customers know you are there, and what you do differently.
When they look for furniture, they will look for you by name online – or better yet – they will come to your store.
Who are your competitors? The businesses that people think of first.
Learn more about short circuiting Google – and receive a FREE Digital Marketing Report Card