Although Minnesota had a greater proportion of Maintainers (34%) than any other state, its SMBs projected only slightly less revenue loss than the national average. Its SMB owners entered the crisis with nearly an average level of comfort with digital tools. Minnesota SMBs used digital far less than average (62% vs. 72%) during COVID-19. Less than half (47%) of Minnesota SMBs plan on using digital tools more in a post-COVID-19 world. However, these SMBs showed a higher than average interest in adopting online training platforms and customer relationship management tools as their focus shifts to recovery (42%) and retaining their customer base (41%).
1) Business websites (66% vs. 69%)
2) Social media/video platforms (64% vs. 69%)
3) Digital payments (62% vs. 67%)
How will I...
Retain my customer base? (41% vs. 42%)
Recover from the damages done by COVID-19? (42% vs. 44%)
I cover my expenses(36% vs. 32%)
1) Search engine optimization / SEO (10% vs. 8%)
2) Local listings (8% vs. 9%)
3) SEO (8% vs. 11%)
4) Online training platforms (11% vs. 10%)
1) Webinars or livestreams (45% vs. 47%)
2) Step-by-step video tutorials (53% vs. 56%)
3) Step-by-step written guides (49% vs. 42%)