Small businesses a great fit for the new nimble marketplace

CONSUMER behaviour and the way people shop are changing. Over the last several years, e-commerce has risen and there's no longer a clear-cut distinction between bricks (store) and clicks (online shopping). It's all just shopping. There's increasingly an omni-channel approach to purchasing.

More and more, consumers are opting for "click and get", especially around the holidays. There's even movement within the online category of shopping. According to Google, 85 per cent of online shoppers start their purchase process on one device and finish it on another. Consumers are looking for a seamless shopping experience whether it's online or in-store, as well as reliable and speedy delivery to locations around the world.

In fact, social media platforms such as Facebook have become useful sources of product endorsements. A survey by Deloitte discovered that we are now almost as likely to buy a product because of an online review or recommendation from someone within our social media circles as we are after seeing a TV ad.