New Survey Finds Nearly Half of Small-Business Owners Don't See a Need for Physical Stores (Infographic)An August survey of 500 small-business owners found they're instead focusing on digital sales.

ByJessica Thomas

Petri Oeschger | Getty Images

Despite the challenges of the past seven months, stories of resilience abound as business owners adapt to changing customer demands. Though surveys at the beginning of the pandemic indicated small-business owners thought things might be beyond hope, that's slowly started to change.

A survey by website and marketing solutions providerBluehostreleased last week asked 500 business owners with fewer than 100 employees how they've transitioned online, adapted to ecommerce and adjusted their outlooks on future pain points, obstacles and potential opportunities. Not surprisingly, business owners cited their biggest concerns revolve around securing new customers, the continued economic impact of the pandemic and lower consumer demand.

Related:Nearly Half of Business Owners Think the Changes They've Made During the Crisis Will Be Permanent (Infographic)

Despite those concerns, 72 percent of small-business owners say they're optimistic, and a similar percentage acknowledge how important a digital presence and ecommerce will be as they adjust to life post-pandemic. Perhaps most surprisingly, those business owners surveyed don't see a return to brick-and-mortar in their futures: Nearly half (48 percent) say they see no need for a future store, and only 20 percent plan to reopen a physical location in the next year.

Related:How the Behavior of Job-Seekers Has Changed Since February (Infographic)

Read through the infographic below for more information from the survey.

Related:According to His Tweets, Bill Gates Is Way More Stressed Out Than Elon Musk (Infographic)

Wavy Line
Jessica Thomas

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Digital Content Director

Jessica Thomas is the senior digital content director at Entrepreneur. Prior to this role, she spent nearly five years on staff at Worth magazine and was a staff writer for Bustle.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

An 81-Year-Old Florida CEO Just Indicted for a $250 Million Ponzi Scheme Ran a Sprawling Senior Citizen Crime Ring

Carl Ruderman is the fifth senior citizen in the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale-Palm Beach metropolitan area to face charges in connection with the scam.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

Taco Bell Slammed With Lawsuit Over 'Especially Concerning' Advertisements, Allegedly Deceiving Customers

The class action lawsuit claims the chain is advertising more than they deliver.

Business Culture

The Newest Workplace Trend Has HR Sounding The Alarm

人力资源部门如何handle "quiet quitting," but a new trend is taking over.

Business News

Body of Missing 27-Year-Old Goldman Sachs Banker Found in Nearby Body of Water

John Castic, a 27-year-old Goldman Sachs employee, went missing around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday after attending a concert at the Brooklyn Mirage in East Williamsburg.