We recently celebrated National Small Business Week in the U.S.  Your clients have plenty to cheer about because the economy's booming. But, they may be looking over their shoulders at the tech giants. These companies are encroaching on the local marketplace with promises of same-​day delivery, free shipping and limitless inventory. Your clients might be feeling like it’s time to give up. Don’t let that happen. Give them the tools to compete.

Netsertive’s 2018 Local Consumer Survey shows how your clients can compete in the local market. It may seem like everyone is buying everything online. Don’t believe the hype. Out of the 500 consumers Netsertive surveyed, at least 60% have shopped local in the past six months. These findings are supported by new AudienceSCAN data recently released by AdMall from SalesFuel. In that survey of over 14,000 consumers, 56% say they prefer to shop at locally-​owned businesses when price and product are the same as that offered online or by national competitors.

So, how can you get more traffic for your clients’ brick-​and-​mortar establishments? It all comes down to digital marketing. Consumers may not always buy online, but their search for products and local providers often starts on the internet. In fact, 79.2% of surveyed consumers research a purchase online before they buy in a store.

Until recently, marketers tended to direct their online marketing to younger consumers. That tactic is proving to be short-​sighted. At least 34.1% of economically active consumers are in the baby boomer generation. Another 29.6% label themselves Gen Xers. Consumers of all ages are looking to buy local products from local vendors.

Your clients may have an additional edge with these shoppers. Nearly half, 43%, say they always visit a local store when they need an item within 2–3 days. Make sure your client touts the instant availability of products in their marketing messages.

Local shoppers are using the following search tools:

• Google 68%
• Store website 47.6%
• Facebook 13.8%
• YouTube 5.7%

Your clients can also make an impact on the local marketplace by running promotions. At least 57% of shoppers say local promotions somewhat influence their purchase, while 20.7% admit that deals and coupons are very influential.

Share these findings with your clients and start working on new digital initiatives to boost their presence in the local market.