Big And Small Businesses Can Work Together To Solve Retail Availability Challenges

The story of American retail is often framed in terms of David and Goliath. There is arguably no greater example of the “American dream” than a successful small business, a local mom-and-pop store, that serves its loyal customers a unique product line with friendly, personal service. Standing against these small retailers are the big-box chains; journalists have written headlines about Walmart for the past two decades, constantly targeting the retail behemoth’s role in trampling smaller competitors. As retail has shifted online — particularly given the dramatic growth of e-commerce over the last 18 months — Amazon has supplanted Walmart as the small business boogeyman. In 2015, Wired published an article that examined Amazon’s role in the demise of small bookstores, and the online giant has since expanded into every other retail sector under the sun. From groceries to fashion to gardening equipment, smaller sellers are reevaluating what it means to remain competitive in a retail ecosystem dominated by online shopping. Read more at Forbes.