Small Sellers’ Big Choices: How Competition Helps Sellers Thrive

In many ways, rural sellers are the same as all sellers. Both use several different methods to reach customers – online and offline, wholesale and marketplaces, and direct-to-consumer apps. Every sales method has competitors vying for sellers’ allegiance, and there is no one-size-fits-all or dominant solution. For example, Amazon’s marketplace may be the most popular,…

Small Business Owners and Leaders Overwhelmingly Oppose Legislation That Limits Their Use of Digital Tools and Platforms and Their Integrated Capabilities

80% of SMB Leaders Oppose More Federal Regulations, Including Burdensome New Digital Economy Laws

New Research Shows Small Businesses Benefit From Third-Party Seller Tools and Marketplaces That Increase Sales, Save Money, and Help Grow Businesses

New Research Shows Small Business Leaders Believe Congress is Focusing on the Wrong Issues – 93% Don’t Consider Restricting Large Tech Companies a High Priority

In our survey of 2,000 U.S. small business owners and senior decision makers (“SMB leaders”), we learned that they use digital tools to increase their agility, resiliency, and ability to adapt to challenges. 

An evolutionary leap from one-size-fits-all ancestors, small and medium-sized businesses that sell physical goods (henceforth, “SMB Sellers”), now have many sales methods (distinct ways of selling, both online and offline) and digital tools, platforms, stores, and marketplaces (that facilitate the selling) available to them.

In a survey of 1,380 European small business owners and senior decision makers (“SME leaders”), an overwhelming 93% of Digital Ads respondents said that targeted digital advertising is useful for their business right now.

These findings suggest that a fact-based, case-specific approach to the analysis of platform integration is better than a broad-based policy that may not fit all circumstances. Hence, legislation or regulation imposing a general ban on platform integration could end up doing more harm than good.

A ‘Digital Safety Net’ has helped American small businesses during COVID-19. This research report and accompanying materials describe how and to what extent affordable and accessible digital tools...