Why you (and your SMB clients) need e-commerce more than ever

It’s no surprise that 2020 has changed the way that people are shopping. We know it’s important for small businesses to be selling their products online right now -- but do you know exactly how important it really is?

Even before COVID-19, e-commerce was growing around the world. E-commerce sales grew 18% from 2018 to 2019, and made up 14.1% of all global retail. And that was only expected to keep growing: global e-commerce sales were predicted to top $5 trillion in 2021.

And now?

It’s estimated that the pandemic has accelerated the shift from in-person to online shopping by roughly 5 years. Faced with shutdowns and strict guidelines, shoppers turned to websites and social networks to make purchases. They have shown some caution with their spending, causing overall retail sales to decline… but e-commerce sales are still expected to grow 20% this year.

More importantly, this shift to online shopping isn’t going away. Even with stores starting to open their doors, shoppers are sticking to the web: 24% of shoppers said they wouldn’t feel comfortable going to a mall for at least 6 months. With fast and convenient delivery and pickup options becoming more common, there’s no need for shoppers to head back into stores anytime soon.

What’s even crazier than all of this? Despite the growth in e-commerce over the last few years, only 26% of small businesses were selling online pre-COVID. While this year has forced more businesses to make the shift, there are still a lot that need to catch up -- quickly.

That’s where you come in.

There’s a huge opportunity right now to help small businesses launch and expand their online stores. E-commerce is a great way to attract new clients and boost sales for your existing base.

Plus, thanks to Mono’s new integration with Ecwid, you can now offer even more features that make selling online easy. By giving small businesses an omnichannel solution that expands their presence to sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Google, you can grow their business while increasing their stickiness with you.

Next week, we’ll take a look at the top Ecwid features that will help your clients launch their store and start selling online. Plus, we’ll give you a guide to make sure your new e-commerce platform is ready to go. Stay tuned!

This guest blog post was contributed by the Ecwid team. For more on Mono’s integration with Ecwid E-commerce, see our dedicated blog post and find out how to request a demo!