If the COVID-19 outbreak means that you can’t continue with your business as usual this may be a good time to move some or all of it online.

If you’ve experienced a slowdown in business then the chances are your competitors probably will have too. Now of course uncertainty makes us all wary to invest but the businesses that will hit the ground running as we come out of the current crisis will be the ones that have learned to adapt, turning the challenge into an opportunity. This is a way to gain an edge over the competition while staff are in furlough.

Now about options – of course this will depend on what you do. If what you do is strictly offline having a website can still definitely give your image a boost for potential customers and clients. Having a fresh and up to date website is a big plus when it comes to looking for reputable tradespeople.

If you sell products you may want to consider working with an existing delivery provider, or if you’re a creative retailer you could consider working with an online marketplace like Etsy. On the plus side these online marketplaces can be great for helping a small business scale quickly and cheaply, however over time they take a larger cut of costs than a bespoke website would, and customer loyalty is usually much poorer with customers engaging more with the brand of the marketplace than the marketplace’s contributors.

Alternatively, it may be a good time to think about building your own e-commerce site or your own website and setting up your own delivery service.

Fortunately many banks are offering tailored coronavirus business support loans that can help smooth out any cash-flow difficulties during the transition.

If you’d like help thinking through options we’d be very happy to jump into a video or phone call with you. No obligations, we’ll just help you think things through and suggest options that could prove to be valuable and timely. Just drop us a message.