A view from the UK - April 2022

The high street is firmly back on the business agenda for UK entrepreneurs keen to boost visibility and engagement with customers, influencers and the media.

Customers are buying and UK businesses are using every channel at their disposal to service demand while being in the spaces and places of the target shopper. 

Because founders come looking for content and support on topics from raising money to hiring staff, Enterprise Nation is able to track sentiment and trends. Right now, the prevailing topic is how to service customer demand. 

Customers, both large and small, are actively shopping both online and off line. Consumers are heading out in search of new experiences and products, and big brands – including corporates and government – are buying from small firms offering the niche services they are after. 

Entrepreneurial founders are intent on servicing this demand regardless of the rising cost of doing business. There are three ways in which we are seeing this trend materialise: 

E-commerce

There are many platforms from which small businesses can sell both within the UK and overseas. Amazon has long had a position of strength in enabling spare room start-ups and growth companies to reach customers across the globe. The e-commerce giant is now being joined in a busy market by new platforms, such as Faire.com, which connect retailers to wholesalers, high street brands like John Lewis and Joules, who are starting their own marketplaces stocked with products from small businesses, and emerging sector-specific niche platforms, such as Glassette.com for homewares. All offer small businesses a rapid route to market, with payment solutions such as Klarna enabling a straightforward sales process for the customer. 

Pop-up retail

In order to meet customers, buyers, influencers and journalists on the High Street, small businesses are testing physical retail locations and bringing their brand into the real world. Property operators, including Sook, SituLive and Space and People, are making physical retail a viable option for the smallest of companies by allowing them to rent space by the hour, and on a budget.

In-person events

After a two-year hiatus, physical events are making a comeback, with the number of live business gatherings listed on our platform doubling in the past two months. As a result, we’re also seeing the return of the serendipitous meeting during the workday coffee break, or after-work drink, once again opening up new opportunities for the hustling entrepreneur. 

Small businesses are powering on all cylinders and are staying updated on the techniques that will help them reach more customers effectively and efficiently. Doing so will deliver revenue, economic growth, and a vibrant business community successfully servicing market demand in entrepreneurial style.  

Emma Jones is the Founder of Enterprise Nation, a business support platform and provider that operates in the UK and Ireland.