Modern Tools, Local Impact: How Digitalization Helps Small Businesses Thrive

Blog post by Chantel Tesolin

#E-CommerceIsGrowing. #BrickAndMortarSmallBusinessCanGrowToo.

As conveyed through the excessive hashtag usage, there’s been a serious surge in e-commerce – and the numbers back it up. Did you know that in 2019, e-commerce made up just 6.9% of all retail sales in Canada? By 2025, that number is expected to reach a whopping 13.4%. That’s not just growth – it’s nearly doubling. That’s not just growth – it’s a leap into The Cloud (pun very much intended).

Here in Streetsville, we’ve started to see the effects of this trend. Some businesses have decided to close their physical storefronts to focus entirely on online retail. And while that may sound like the end of the brick-and-mortar era, all hope is definitely not lost. In fact, with the right tools, brick-and-mortar businesses can not only keep up – they can grow. Digitalization might sound like a big, techy word, but it’s less rocket science and more… computer science. Manageable. Learnable. And best of all, supported.

The good news? You’re not navigating this digital transformation solo. That’s right, small businesses don’t have to go through their reboots alone! The Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) offers the Digital Main Street program – and it’s packed with value. Through it, small businesses can apply for a $2,500 grant to invest in digital essentials: website redesigns, digital marketing, cybersecurity, social media, e-commerce tools, training, and even hardware. That’s quite a BIT of opportunity – and yes, we’re keeping the puns coming. But if you’re still hungry for more, take a BYTE of this: the CanExport program offers up to $50,000 for small and medium-sized businesses that want to expand internationally. It can cover 50% of export-related costs, including things like e-commerce platform adaptation, search engine optimization (SEO), and international digital marketing. It doesn’t take Wi-Fi to make the connection between this program and the global potential of your business. With support like this, your small biz could be ready to level up to Small Business Version 2.0!

Speaking of upgrades, let’s talk about AI. No, robots aren’t replacing us just yet – but they can take over some of the tasks you’d rather not spend hours on. AI can be your business’s knight in shining hardware. From streamlining accounting to organizing your transactions based on past data, AI helps you cut down on repetitive tasks and make smarter decisions faster. It can also power a chatbot on your website that answers customers’ frequently asked questions or even pick up the phone through voice AI to direct calls. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more futuristic, AI tools can also monitor your systems for unusual activity and alert you to cybersecurity threats in real time. Almost sounds like clickbait, right? But here’s the best part: this technology comes with real support. The National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) offers funding to help businesses adopt AI – including newer technologies like Generative AI and Deep Learning. So, while your toaster may not be talking yet, your business could be running smarter, faster, and more securely thanks to AI.

Now, before we wrap, let’s not overlook one of the most accessible, and impactful, digital tools of all: social media. You might wonder how your business benefits from all that scrolling and tapping, but over 55% of e-merchants already sell through social platforms. Social media is small but mighty – something small businesses should relate to. Luckily, making the most of it doesn’t need to be complicated. One easy entry point is to get involved in the BIA’s community initiatives. Events are a perfect way to capture content for your own posts, while also giving the BIA a chance to redirect traffic to your storefront. If you want to take things a step further (almost into The Cloud again), you can integrate product-tagged posts, so people can shop your website directly through social. It’s one small action that can lead to more clicks, more visits, and more sales.

At the end of the workday, you don’t need to be a machine whisperer to take advantage of what technology has to offer. These tools – whether it’s e-commerce, AI, digital marketing, or funding programs – are here to help you grow, reach new customers, and stay competitive in an ever-evolving economy. It’s no longer about choosing between tech or tradition, it’s about using both to your advantage. So go ahead, tech a chance (See what I did there?) on digital. Your business might just thank you for it.

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