Small Businesses, Citing Bad Economy, Crave More Stability During Pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC — A majority of small businesses in Colorado, Iowa, and North Carolina believe the economy is still struggling, that COVID-19 has hurt their business, and that digital tools are helping their businesses survive according to a new survey released today by the Connected Commerce Council (3C). Most importantly, the majority of small businesses think that state governments should be helping the economy by providing economic stability instead of attacking homegrown American companies — Google, Amazon and Facebook — that provide critical and affordable small business Digital Safety Net tools.

Prior 3C research of small businesses nationwide documented that during the pandemic, small businesses have relied more heavily on tech companies’ innovative, cost-effective Digital Safety Net products for digital advertising, online sales, social media, and financial management. As part of a rolling series of state surveys from 3C, the poll released today shows more than 80 percent of small businesses agree that state governments should be stabilizing the economy and business environment and helping small businesses grow, and 74 percent say the government should not be attacking or trying to break apart the digital platform companies whose products are helping small businesses survive. 

“More than 80 percent of small businesses want elected leaders to make running a business easier, not harder, especially during a pandemic,” said 3C President Jake Ward. “These small businesses benefit greatly from free and low-cost Digital Safety Net tools that help them market, engage with customers, transact business and operate more efficiently and profitably — especially during the COVID-19 economic slowdown. The government should be using this time to promote digital adoption and education, which will help more small businesses survive this never-ending series of shutdowns and quarantines.”

Digitally Driven, a study recently published by 3C, showed that the small businesses committed to using e-commerce tools the earliest had the best chance of staying in business during the pandemic. The new poll, of 500 small businesses based in Colorado, Iowa, and North Carolina, was conducted by 3W Insights, a national opinion research firm.