SMEs, here's how to truly stand out

A record number of small businesses started during the pandemic.¹ Consumers were encouraged to 'shop local' during lockdown, and the trend has continued. Added to this, last year’s Black Friday witnessed the boycotting of some of the world's biggest brands, with many independent retailers donating to charity and planting trees as part of a renewed drive against consumerism.² All this has meant one thing for SMEs - growth. But with this growth, the competition is higher than ever.

Despite this, there are still ways small businesses can separate themselves from competitors. From capitalising on current consumer trends to leveraging new technologies, if you're a small business looking to really stand out from the crowd - here's what you need to know.

Shoppers' growing appetite for local and independent

Royal Mail has delivered gifting website This Is Nessie's items for many years. They've always taken advantage of shoppers' appetite for local and independent sellers, and are happy to see this growing. For example, the brand hosted online art classes on Instagram during the pandemic. "People got the opportunity to spend time with Nessie," says Managing Director Duncan Maclay. "Our daughter was in those classes - that was a nice thing. Our engagement increased around those types of events."

The perception of independent small businesses as community-focussed and responsible is one of their biggest strengths. Two thirds of consumers are more likely to shop locally compared to a year ago,³ which has led to an increase in support for SMEs.⁴

The affinity to mobile shopping

Spice Kitchen's mobile offering is central to their success as an SME. The brand - who use Royal Mail for a number of services, including international sending - recognise every shopper's impatience with a poor user experience.

"We have developers that consistently monitor and improve our platform," Lowe says. "We're in the last stages of upgrading and launching our new website, which will improve the customer experience when taking payments via mobile."

Mobile devices are now the preferred way for people to access the internet globally.⁵ This makes having a slick, highly mobile user-friendly website a great way to stand out from other SMEs.

Chat and messaging on social media

A small business' size can be a huge benefit when it comes to customer service. Spice Kitchen capitalise on this with personal messages, social media as well as many other sites and channels. Lowe tells us that Founder Sanjay Aggarwal's ethos is that "speaking directly to customers - even for an order of a single bag of spices - is the most important thing he'll do that day."

Duncan Maclay of This Is Nessie echoes this sentiment: "We have a very robust attitude to customer service. We always seek to put things right when they go wrong."

In 2022 most consumers will expect to communicate via chat and messaging on social media; in turn, expecting brands to be responsive and characterful on these channels. This can be a great way of standing out from both competitors and larger retailers who - by necessity - provide a less personal experience.

Personalised discovery aims to recreate the ‘thrill of the hunt’ of physical shopping; trying to capture the magic ingredient that, for many, can feel absent from the online buying experience.

SMEs have a lot going for them. Not only do shoppers love to buy from independents, but a strong online presence and mobile commerce offering is by no means limited to bigger businesses. Indeed, when it comes to flexibility and overall customer satisfaction - a smaller retailer's size is often an advantage.