The opinions expressed by the entrepreneurs are their own.
Business owners around the world turned the page to 2023, facing complex challenges. A combination of macroeconomic forces work together to make life difficult for small businesses and large corporations. These economic trends will have varying effects on employers, employees, job seekers, and customers, causing some businesses to freeze in a state of paralysis.
The ongoing challenge of inflation in countries around the world makes it more expensive for businesses to purchase the goods and services they need to survive. Whether it’s a local restaurant buying ingredients and printing a menu or a global corporation paying for software subscriptions, rising costs have a domino effect that eventually trickles down to the end consumer. When inflation is not controlled, it becomes a perpetual pain machine. consumers with reduced purchasing power are left to choose between the products and services they need, allowing businesses to face increased competition for wallet shares.
In particular, e-commerce businesses are navigating the headaches of inflation while dealing with the long-term effects of global conflict and the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Inventory challenges caused by supply chain disruptions make it more difficult for businesses to ship orders and meet customer expectations. Some organizations lack the agility to keep up with demand growth, while others are left with warehouses full of unsold inventory.
The era of easy money is over, and business leaders know they will have less room for error in 2023 and beyond. However, the basic instincts of how to survive a recession – cut costs, lay off employees and wait for a recovery – can be fatal in the current downturn. Past recessions have shown that investing in innovation pays huge dividends in tough economic times. Although it may seem counterintuitive, now is the time to bet big on digital transformation and compete with more cautious competitors.
Related: How e-commerce companies can thrive during a recession
A pivotal moment for investment in the platform
When there’s little money to go around, there’s no point in being cautious; it pays to be nimble. Consumer-facing businesses must be able to respond quickly to changes in demand or customer sentiment. If a product suddenly goes out of stock, the retailer must be able to stock it. If a service provider starts to see a drop in subscriber numbers, it needs to adjust offers quickly to stop the bleeding. Those who take a “wait and see” approach to their problems will eventually find that the fast movers have overtaken them and it will be too late to save them.
How can businesses use digital transformation to achieve greater agility in 2023? The key is to use platform technologies. Platform approaches, such as enterprise marketplaces and dropship models, enable organizations large and small to minimize their risks and maximize the upside for a potential recovery. By investing in marketplace technology, B2B and B2C businesses can rely on a network of third-party vendors when they need to respond to sudden spikes in demand.
This network of sellers also provides a new layer of financial security. if demand suddenly drops, the burden of unsold inventory is spread across the network instead of being concentrated in a single warehouse. Marketplace and dropship models also allow businesses to diversify their supply chain and quickly overcome some of the short-term hiccups that have characterized the past couple of years.
Most importantly, platform investments ensure that the organization will be in pole position when the economy begins to recover. Overly cautious organizations will cut costs and reduce inventory during downturns, putting them behind the curve when they inevitably need to scale up. Agile businesses can rely on their platform technologies to scale without barriers, relying on partner inventories to ensure hot products never actually run out. While economic downturns often separate successful businesses from their doomed competitors, it is the recovery that truly reveals which organizations will become market leaders.
Related: Why should retailers switch to a marketplace model?
The only way is forward
In the wake of the Great Recession, retailers have struggled for years to weather economic setbacks and regain business momentum. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, led to only a brief period of uncertainty while businesses adjusted to the new playing field. No one can predict the extent of the current recession and how long it will take for inflation to return to Earth, nor can they predict what will happen next.
Businesses in every industry, but especially e-commerce businesses, cannot afford to wait indefinitely for the economic tide to turn. Over the past decade, we’ve seen ups and downs become more frequent and more volatile, and the only way to stay afloat during change is to move forward and focus on agility. By committing to digital transformation by investing in platform technologies while others stand still, e-commerce businesses can take advantage of the current slowdown and compete for a long-term recovery ahead of the competition.
Related: 9 Smart Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business (Fast)