Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 30

mystore digital Retail

small and medium businesses (SMB) are the backbone of the
Canadian economy. But as consumer shopping expectations
and habits change, SMB retailers, the largest SMB segment,
are required to innovate to adapt and compete. The web has
become the global driver of a new, digital economy and small
businesses that invest in online tools are succeeding in an increasingly connected world. Yet, a surprising number of SMB
retailers have yet to enter the digital world.
"The holiday season is the most important business period of
the year for most retailers, and yet most independent retailers
are missing out because of a lack of digital presence. Four in ten
small retailers we polled weren't advertising online this holiday season, even though one in three people polled said they
were looking forward to shopping at SMBs, and three quarters
of Canadians said they would be doing online research before
buying holiday gifts. There's a disconnect between what shoppers want and what SMBs provide, and it extends well beyond
the holiday season," explains Rafe Petkivic, Google Canada's
Head of Retail. "The web is a crucial aspect of our shopping behaviour today. It's a source of inspiration, reviews, comparison
shopping. It's absolutely crucial to the research process."

cent) opine that it's more difficult to be a small
retailer today than ten years ago, pointing at
the way in which customers shop-conducting
research, or even making purchases outright
online-as a cause for much of their difficulty.
"SMBs are resource challenged. It's tough for
this group because most (64 per cent) are entrepreneurs who started the business themselves,
so they are doing the work to go digital on their
own time with limited resources," explains Petkivic. "More than 40 per cent said they need
more guidance and support to connect with local customers and drive them into stores."
Independent retailers face challenges with
respect to adapting and keeping up with the
pace of consumer change, which now sees
consumers spend hours online in product
research before either buying online or even
stepping foot in store. That represents a huge
challenge for SMBs, given that most-as we've
seen-have no online presence whatsoever.

REtail council of canada and
GooGlE hElP to sPaRK REtail
Three-city, cross-country roadshow helps
small businesses understand the importance
of a digital online presence to better connect
with today's consumer.
BY ANDReW HIND
taking the message on the road

To assist SMBs in leveraging the holiday season for increased
profitability, Google Canada and Retail Council of Canada
(RCC) embarked on a three-city roadshow called Retail Spark
in November, 2014, visiting Toronto (November 3), Montreal
(November 5), and Vancouver (November 13). The intent was
to discuss how technology is shaping the consumer experience
in-store and online, and to help close the digital gap in retail by
educating SMBs on how they can use digital to drive traffic instore and to their online site, and build stronger relationships
with potential customers that will promote brand loyalty. The
message was clear: digital marketing is easy, efficient and delivers tangible results.
Small and medium-sized retailers need help navigating the online shelf, according to a new survey conducted by Google Canada. Incredibly, 75 per cent of SMBs do not have an online presence in any form. This in spite of the fact that the majority (56 per
30 |

canadian retailer | holiday 2014

making online easy

Satish Kanwar has witnessed first-hand the
challenges faced by many SMBs to adapt in his
role as Director of Product at Shopify, a Canadian company which provides e-commerce
platforms that allow any business to easily sell
online, at their retail location, and everywhere
in between. Currently powering over 100,000
retailers in 150 countries, Shopify is a partner
of both RCC and Google Canada.
"Consumer behaviour has shifted dramatically in the last few years. People now want to
interact with brands in many different ways,
not just by going into a physical store. They
want flexibility and freedom of choice. even
while standing in the checkout line they will
still be browsing on their mobile. more than
half (50.3 per cent) of all traffic to Shopify is
coming from mobile devices. When the figure moved beyond 50 per cent it was evident
things would never be the same again, and retailers have to adapt," explains Kanwar.
"Thankfully for small businesses, tools and
technologies have come a long way in the last
few years to democratise the Internet, levelling



Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014

Member Insights
Retail Currents
Retail: At Issue
Delighting the Empowered and Enabled Consumer
Technology Tips for Small Business
Retail Council of Canada and Google Help to Spark Retail
Social Workers
Chasing the “E-tail” to Keep Pace With the 24/7 Shopper
Know Your Clients and Drive Your Sales
Advertiser's Index
Retail Quick Tips
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - cover1
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - cover2
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 3
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Member Insights
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 5
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Retail Currents
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 7
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 8
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 9
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Retail: At Issue
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 11
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 12
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Delighting the Empowered and Enabled Consumer
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 14
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 15
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 16
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 17
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 18
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 19
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 20
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 21
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 22
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 23
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 24
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Technology Tips for Small Business
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 26
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 27
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 28
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 29
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Retail Council of Canada and Google Help to Spark Retail
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 31
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 32
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 33
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Social Workers
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 35
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 36
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 37
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 38
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 39
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Chasing the “E-tail” to Keep Pace With the 24/7 Shopper
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 41
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 42
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 43
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 44
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 45
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 46
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 47
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Know Your Clients and Drive Your Sales
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Advertiser's Index
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - Retail Quick Tips
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - cover3
Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - cover4
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