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Sendlane releases findings on the health of SME e-commerce community
S endlane , the SMB e-commercefocused marketing automation company , has announced the results of its 2021 eCommerce Health survey . A key takeaway is that 2021 was a record year for many SMB e-commerce companies , but some were concerned about the economy and the ability of consumers hard-hit by the pandemic to spend money .
Sendlane launched its survey to gauge the ‘ health ’ of the SMB e-commerce community . More than 150 sales , marketing , finance and operations professionals in SMB e-commerce companies participated in the study . For the purposes of the survey , Sendlane defined ‘ SMB e-commerce companies ’ as retailers with less than US $ 50 million in sales .
SMB e-commerce in 2021 : Success and a few concerns
Despite the concerns of some SMB e-commerce companies , 92 % of survey respondents said their sales grew in 2021 , with 21 % saying they were up by at least 40 %. A total of 91 % said their profits grew too , with 24 % saying profits increased by 40 % or more . Site traffic also spiked for many SMB e-commerce companies in 2021 , with 90 % reporting an increase of 10 % or more .
An increase in e-commerce staff sizes and tech investments are other examples of the success of the e-commerce category in 2021 . A total of 80 % of retailers added new e-commerce employees , led by sales , site development and marketing staff . Meanwhile , 85 % of retailers spent more money on e-commerce tech in 2021 , with 46 % spending at least 40 % more than in 2020 . Email marketing and marketing automation systems received the most investment . Nevertheless , SMB e-commerce companies experienced several , somewhat predictable challenges in 2021 . For example , 35 % said cyber fraud has been their biggest e-commerce-related concern , followed by whether financial conditions have made it harder for consumers to spend money ( 18 %). Shipping delays ( 13 %) and e-commerce site stability ( 8 %) have also been top concerns .
SMB e-commerce companies also indicated some concern about how consumers are coping with the volume of online marketing messages they are receiving . A total of 67 % of survey respondents said they think that consumers are suffering from marketing message ‘ fatigue ’ and retailers would be wise to revise their approach next year .
For example , 39 % of respondents said marketers should send more personalised messages , 23 % said they should vary the channels they use and 21 % said they should find new ways to engage customers . �
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SMB
E-COMMERCE COMPANIES ALSO INDICATED SOME CONCERN ABOUT HOW CONSUMERS ARE COPING WITH THE VOLUME OF ONLINE MARKETING MESSAGES THEY ARE RECEIVING .
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