As champions for small businesses, we at Volusion are committed to providing you with helpful information and resources for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. In this post, we offer a complete resource guide to help SMBs survive the outbreak.
A Message from Volusion’s CEO
Dear Employers & Business Owners,
As COVID-19 has impacted health and businesses around the world, companies have been making tough, yet necessary decisions to protect the health and safety of their employees. As a leading software cloud provider, we have been actively working on new processes, policies, and procedures to ensure the safety of our employees while also delivering the same level of support and service our customers expect.
With the growing health concerns, we have implemented some new guidelines for our employees, including virtual meetings, rescheduling non-essential travel and events, and working remotely. We are also closely coordinating with third-party vendors to ensure that there will be no disruptions to our services. We want to assure you that our platforms are at full functionality with the services and support you are used to receiving from us.
We understand that as business owners yourselves, you may be facing certain challenges during this outbreak. We wish for the health and success of your business and workforce during this trying time. We want you to know that we are committed to doing whatever we can for you and have put the following guidelines in place:
- Service & Communication. As a customer, you can expect the same level of service you have received. We have implemented systems that will allow for communication with our team members to remain fully operational.
- Availability. Customer, partner, and business meetings will be available and conducted virtually. For most of our customers, this is no different than what you’ve been used to in the past.
- Management. Our executive team will meet daily to evaluate any issues or concerns that may arise, opportunities for improvement, and will adjust plans accordingly. We will also continue to monitor guidance from local, national, and worldwide authorities daily and adjust our policies and procedures to ensure that our teams are safe, healthy, and effective at helping all of our customers.
As new updates regarding the COVID-19 virus emerge or if there are changes to our procedures, we will notify you promptly.
Sincerely,
Bardia Dejban, CEO
The State of Online Retail
Statistics
- 47% of retailers expect some downside in revenue
- 58% say the virus will impact consumer confidence
- 44% of retailers expect product delays
- 40% of retailers expect inventory shortages
- 32.7% of respondents said they were avoiding physical stores, and more than half said they’ll avoid them if COVID-19 spreads
- 34.9% Increase year-over-year in share of consumers reporting online retail purchases
Industry News
- How the coronavirus is affecting online retailers
- Ecommerce shipments increase 47%, order delays spike as coronavirus continues
- PayPal co-founder Max Levchin says brick-and-mortar will never be the same
- Can eCommerce Overcome The Strain Of COVID-19?
- US nonstore retail sales grow 12.1% in March and total sales rise 4.4%
Issues SMBs May Face
1) Financial Hardships
Statistics
- 27% of U.S. Small Business Owners Believe Coronavirus Will Impact Revenue
- 52% of U.S. Small Business Owners say they are taking measures to prepare for an economic slowdown
- 30% of U.S. Small Business Owners expect the virus to have a moderate to high impact on their supply chain
Industry News
2) Workers, Staff, and Personnel
Industry News
U.S. Chambers of Commerce
3) Supply Chain & Inventory Disruptions
Statistics
- 74% of small businesses say they are not yet impacted by the pandemic
- 23% say they are being negatively affected
- 3% report positive impacts
- 42% reported seeing slower sales
- 39% were experiencing supply-chain disruptions
Industry News
- Small businesses say coronavirus is starting to cause supply-chain squeezes and lost sales
- Truckers Facing Coronavirus Hurdles in Keeping Supply Chains Moving
- Coronavirus wreaks havoc on retail supply chains globally, even as China’s factories come back online
4) Brick-and-Mortar Store Closures
Industry News
- Retail store closures in the US could explode because of the coronavirus
- Amid brick-and-mortar closures, brands shift pop-ups to summer
- Which Clothing and Beauty Stores Have Closed?
- Retailers Shutter Brick-And-Mortar Stores As Foot Traffic Sinks
- CFOs Expect Coronavirus to Significantly Affect Operations and Revenue, Survey Says
5) Marketing & Demand Changes
Industry News
- Industries need to innovate to survive the coronavirus lockdown
- How COVID-19 Has—And Has Not—Affected Global Ad Spending
- How brands are taking extra precaution to avoid coronavirus insensitivities
Recommendations for Business Owners
1) Financial Aid
Industry News
- 78% of Companies Signing Up for a New Individual Coverage HRA are Small Businesses
- Facebook announces $100 million program for small businesses impacted by coronavirus
Small Business Administration
- SBA Small Business Loans - Disaster Assistance
- SBA to Provide Disaster Assistance Loans for Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans
- Disaster Loan Declarations
- Paycheck Protection Program
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Local/State Government Assistance to SMBs
Ad Credits & Grants
- COVID-19: $800+ million to support small businesses and crisis response
- Verizon and LISC Come Together to Support Small Businesses with COVID-19 Recovery Fund
- Amazon’s COVID-19 blog: daily updates on how we’re addressing the crisis
- Facebook Small Business Grants Program
- Yelp’s COVID-19 Response and Support for Local Businesses
- The Small Business Relief Initiative and Fund FAQs
- Small Business Relief Fund
- The Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund
2) Protocol for Workers, Staff, and Personnel
Industry News
- Restaurant owner information and resources
- Remote Work and Best Practices: The Coronavirus Workplace Series
- Coronavirus: Workplace Safety and Discrimination Concerns
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Workplace Tips for Employees
- Guidance For Employers To Plan and Respond To Coronavirus
Legal & Employment Issues
3) Workplace Cleaning & Sanitation
Industry News
- How to keep your workplace clean—and yourself healthy—during the novel coronavirus outbreak
- How to prepare for coronavirus in the workplace
United States Department of Labor
4) Mitigate Supply Chain Disruptions
Industry News
- How Do We Help Small Business During COVID-19 Crisis?
- Managing a retail supply chain through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
5) Maintain Your Online Business
Ecommerce Tips
- 8 Ways To Maintain Business As Usual During COVID-19
- 100 Ecommerce Tools To Level Up Your Online Store
6) Marketing & Demand/Strategies & Spend
Strategies
- Preparing your marketing plans for the Coronavirus downturn
- Resource: Coronavirus Safety Awareness Message
- 78% of Marketers Want to Work with Micro-Influencers
- Marketing Strategies That Won't Break The Bank During Tough Times
- Marketing to Gen Z during Covid-19
- An entrepreneur’s guide to long-term marketing strategies amid COVID-19
Tips
- 13 Ways Businesses Can Use SEO & Marketing to Combat Coronavirus Impact
- 13 Ways Businesses Can Use SEO & Marketing to Combat Coronavirus Impact
- Marketing in the Age of Coronavirus: The Dos and (Many) Don’ts
- 10 Tips For Digital Marketing During a Pandemic
- Avoid These Common Challenges When Marketing Your Business
- How and Why to Use Social Media for Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Mark Cuban's 4 Tips for Rebooting Your Business
- Brand Marketing Through the Coronavirus Crisis
- PR and marketing tips for companies in the COVID-19 era
7) Planning for the Future
Industry News
- Coronavirus Is Changing How Consumers Shop
- Business continuity planning
- How Do We Help Small Business During COVID-19 Crisis?
- 6 Strategies To Recession-Proof Your Small Business
- A 10-Point Small-Business Survival Plan for Dealing With the Coronavirus
- COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on FMCG, Retail, and Media
- 8 Ways the Retail Landscape May Change After Coronavirus
- McKinsey Issues Dismal Post-Pandemic Forecast For The $2.5 Trillion Fashion Industry
- Special Report: Why the coronavirus will bend but not break ecommerce
- Post-coronavirus guidelines to improve the relationship with your customers
- Startup founders crisis checklist navigating business post coronavirus 2020
- Post COVID-19 Playbook: 7 Contingency Planning Strategies & How To Beat The Black Swan Syndroms
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Coronavirus Response Toolkit
- National Small Business Town Hall: weekly on Fridays
Funding & Credit
8) Avoiding COVID-19 Scams
Industry News
- COVID-19 and Financial Scams, Fraud, and Misinformation: What You Need to Know
- Thousands of COVID-19 scam and malware sites are being created on a daily basis
- Scam robocalls are pitching fake coronavirus tests to vulnerable Americans
- Business owners say their personal data is being leaked on federal loan site
Organizational News
- U.S. Department of the Treasury—Coronavirus: Resources, Updates, and What You Should Know
- FTC—Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding the Coronavirus.
- Norton—Coronavirus phishing emails: How to protect against COVID-19 scams
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency—Defending Against COVID-19 Cyber Scams
9) How to Support Small Business Right Now
Industry News
- 10 ways to support struggling local businesses during the pandemic
- How a gift certificate is helping small businesses crushed by the coronavirus
- In this unprecedented time of coronavirus, we need to be there for local businesses
- How to help your favorite small businesses survive the coronavirus crisis
Charitable
- Verizon’s Pay It Forward Live
- Keep Your City Smiling—Currently focused on Seattle small businesses, but it's expected to expand to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland (Oregon) with more cities to come.
- Rally for Restaurants
- Kabbage
10) Free Work-Remote Tools
Business
Communication
- Zoom Basic Plan
- FaxZERO
- FreeConferenceCall.com
- Google Hangouts
- 01 Communique I’m InTouch
- IFTTT
- Mikogo
- Skype
- TextNow
- WebEx
- Hootsuite
- Dialpad Talk Pro
- Adobe Connect
- Cisco
- Jamm
- Zoho Remotely
- 8x8 Video Conferencing
Content & Project Management Systems
Online Productivity Tools
- Cozi: Simple family organizer
- ClickBook: Free online appointment scheduling
- Doodle: Scheduling application syncs all calendars together—free for 14 days
- Evernote: Virtual to-do list
- Google Calendar: Online calendar
- RescueTime: Time tracker
- Todoist: Task manager
- Box Business: Cloud-storage app
- 15Five: Performance management
- 16 LinkedIn Learning courses
- Atlassian