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There is no bigger topic today than the tariffs that are set to be imposed both to and from Canada, the US, and Mexico.

I’ll leave the breakdown of the international trade implications to the experts, and instead focus on what we can all do to take care of our own businesses.

Wherever you operate, it’s about to become a lot more difficult to sell products across the border, and we’re already starting to see signs that people are cancelling trips to affected countries.

In a way, this reminds me of the chaotic period during the pandemic when we were all forced to make major shifts in the ways we operate, and when we look back, there were even some silver linings that came out of that disaster.

Specifically, the ways that so many people found creative ways to offer their products and services directly to local customers, thereby cutting out wholesalers, retailers, and distributors. Looking back, many of those businesses emerged stronger than ever.

We have a similar opportunity today.

Local Business Opportunities

Constraint breeds creativity, so our opportunity is to look at what’s going on in the market and assess where there might be opportunities, and what we can do about them.

The biggest and most obvious opportunity is the rise in demand for local products.

Both the tariffs and the bad vibes that come along with them are causing consumers to reconsider just about everything they purchase, which means they’re going to change what they search on Google, which companies they seek out on social media, and even where they buy products. A lot of people are going to forego the same-day convenience of Amazon and Temu to opt for a slower, but more local, option.

Taking Control

All of this converges to a single solution for all of us: We need to take control of the ways that we connect with our customers.

Primarily, that means making it easy for people to buy directly from us online. It doesn’t mean that we have to spend big budgets on advertising campaigns. Instead, we can reach local shoppers by making ourselves easy to find and creating a high quality experience for them every step along the way.

Changes to Buying Behaviours

As an example, wine seems to be one of the hot topics right now. People may find that their favourite brand is no longer available at their local retailer. What’s the first thing they’re going to do in response?

They will probably use a search engine to find the closest local alternatives, or they may open up Instagram or YouTube to find people they trust talking about great local options, and once they find a few that catch their eyes, they will likely go to those brands’ own social media and websites.

Here are a few things we can all do to make that type of process as easy as possible for the buyer:

  1. Ensure your website has pages that are optimized for the types of keywords that people will be searching
  2. Clearly communicate across all of your channels that you’re are a proud local business so everyone knows and can tell their friends
  3. Make improvements to the ecommerce experience to reduce any friction that might cause a buyer to go elsewhere
  4. Use your existing channels, such as email, to actively communicate with your best customers and encourage them to pass along the message to their networks
  5. Reach out to local media and content creators who are undoubtedly working on stories right now about supporting local businesses
  6. Find ways to go above and beyond for the local community, showing appreciation for the support and recognizing that this is going to be a tough time for everyone. Note: If there are lower costs to selling locally or direct, then passing along those savings in the form of local discounts is likely to earn some goodwill.

So What?

There’s no getting around it: Trade wars are terrible for everyone involved, especially people who are already feeling squeezed by high prices.

But, in the same way that businesses who saw the crisis of the pandemic as a call to strengthen their digital experience and build their connection to the local communities, we are not helpless in this moment.

We are in the very first days of what is about to be an extremely challenging business environment. The brands that take action now will give themselves the best possible chance to adapt and, in some cases, thrive.

Local economies provide great jobs, keep money in the community, and typically have much lower environmental impacts than international retailers. If this mess ends up creating stronger local economies, then I think that’s a pretty attractive silver lining.

We’re currently building accepting applications for digital coaching where our team will work directly with local businesses to review their digital presence, conduct 1 on 1 coaching sessions and provide step by step implementation plan. If you’d like to be the first to know when these sessions are made available, send us an email: hello@wearejunction.com