Face mask mandate debates are raging across the United States right now. While you can control what a federal, state, or local government requires, you do manage the realm of your business.
And despite your personal feelings on whether or not face masks work or if they should be required, a new consumer analysis released recently suggests requiring at your store likely will lead to more customers, not less.
GatherUp analyzed more than 40,000 online reviews regarding face masks being required in stores and determined that about 71% of consumers would prefer and are more likely to shop at a store requiring its customers to wear a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Again, the requirement in your store may not match your own personal feelings on the subject, but if you’re looking to draw in more customers now than keep them away, it may be the logical step to take. Requiring face masks, it seems, leads potential customers to at least feel safer while they’re in your store.
You can read more about the GatherUp analysis in our report from earlier this week: 71% of Consumers More Likely to Shop at Stores Requiring Face Masks
Check out all the other big news for small business owners over the last 7 days in our weekly news roundup below.
Small Business News Roundup – August 14, 2020
Lightspeed Capital Now Available for Small Retail Businesses
Lightspeed has made its Lightspeed Capital available for smaller retailers in the United States. The offering comes from a partnership with Stripe. The alliance is designed to support small to medium-sized businesses. Small retail businesses can now use Lightspeed Capital to acquire flexible financing of up to $50,000 per retail location.
How to Become a Media Source on Qwoted
Becoming a media source is important for small business owners. It’s a good way to market and increase sales and position yourself as an expert in your field. Being quoted in the right media channels can increase your exposure as you build your trustworthiness and that of your brand.
Reports of Mass Exodus from Major Cities Overblown, New Yahoo and Harris Poll Finds
We’ve seen reports of a mass exodus from the big city to less densely populated areas due to the coronavirus pandemic. And you may have considered doing the same with your business. But new data from Yahoo Finance and The Harris Poll suggests those initial beliefs may not be true.
New AppStack from Samsung Helps Small Business Transform and Modernize
If your business uses numerous apps to perform everyday functions, you’ve likely encountered some technical problems. But the new Samsung AppStack may be a solution. Those problems you’re having with all these apps may not be with the apps themselves. They’re probably a big help to your business. It’s the other side of using them.
eBay and LendingPoint Partner to Offer Capital for Sellers
A new partnership between eBay and LendingPoint is offering merchants on eBay access to loans. The pilot program will give eBay sellers in the U.S. access to funding to help grow and sustain their businesses. The program, eBay Seller Capital is powered by the fintech company LendingPoint. The program offers access to installment loans for select sellers.
Pipedrive Unveils New Leadership, Redesign and New Solutions to Coincide with 10th Anniversary
Pipedrive, the CRM platform provider, just celebrated a major milestone. It turned 10 years old this year and just unveiled a brand-new user experience along with a number of new features. Raj Sabhhlok also became the new CEO. Sabholk joins Pipedrive following a successful stint as president of SaaS business application provider at Zoho for 10 years.
Small Business Confidence Rebounding, New CNBC and SurveyMonkey Survey Shows
In the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey for Q2, only 18% of small business owners reported conditions as “Good.” Fast forward to Q3 and it has doubled to 36%. And when it comes to small business confidence, it is up from 49 to 53 for Q3. Even though 53 is the second-lowest score ever for the index, it is more optimistic than the previous quarter.
Small Businesses Add 63,000 Jobs in July
The ADP Report has released numbers that small businesses have hired 63,000 new staff in July 2020. In June small businesses alone had absorbed a combined 937,000 new hires showing a slowdown in new hires. The ADP Small Business Report for July, reports businesses employing between 1-19 employees hired 45,000 people in July.
Small Business Revenue Dropped 52% During Pandemic, Biz2Credit Data Reveals
New data by Biz2Credit reveals small business revenues have dropped by 52% during the pandemic. The reported revenue of small business plummeted by 52% compared to the same period last year. During the second quarter (April-June) of 2020 small businesses, average revenue was $193,865 down from the healthy $405,030 of last year.
This article, "In the News – Are You Requiring Customers to Wear Masks? Data Suggests You Should" was first published on Small Business Trends
August 14, 2020 at 08:30AM
via https//www.brucedayne.com/
Small Business Editor, Khareem Sudlow
