Local Businesses are Adapting to Latest Trends

Although in the past, local businesses have opted for traditional services and products, there has been a rise in recent years of local businesses attempting to keep up with current retail trends in an attempt to battle big, nationwide businesses. With the resurgence of independent retail outlets, this article looks at how local businesses are beginning to attract customers by following current retail, cultural and business trends. 

• Vegan Food 

With an increased awareness of the environment and humanity’s effect on other eco-systems, there has been a rapid rise in the number of people becoming vegan, with a third of UK citizens educing the amount of meat that they consume. This has led to a demand in companies offering a larger range of vegan and vegetarian meals and products, with harsh criticism served to nationwide businesses which have failed to do so. Now, many local cities have seen a surge in vegan-only cafes offering completely animal free products, or companies offering a wide range of vegan alternatives, such as nedsnoodlebar.com, which offers an extensive vegan and vegetarian menu for every dietary requirement, including options such as vegan ice cream.

• Organic and Eco-Friendly Products

Many local businesses are also starting to focus on creating more organic and eco-friendly products for their customers, as more people begin to focus on lessening their carbon imprint. These independent businesses often crop up in local areas, and provide completely biodegradable fashion and accessories such as tote bags, t-shirts and footwear, with fully organic dyes and designs. This has allowed small local businesses to cater towards a niche that big businesses cannot hope to compete with. 

• Online Stores

However, the biggest threat to small businesses in the UK is the prominence of online stores, with the cheaper prices and quick delivery times leaving smaller businesses unable to compete. Now, many local businesses in the Paisley area have decided to open online stores to reach their customers all around the UK and even abroad, using their own websites and social media accounts to promote their products against big businesses. Many local stores have also started to use online marketplaces like Etsy in an attempt to reach more customers and reduce the impact of large businesses becoming dominant over the market. 

• Handmade Products 

The one thing that it is difficult to buy online is handmade products, and crafts are now becoming incredibly popular with people looking for a unique and personalised spin on their items. This has led to a resurgence of local stores opening that produce wholly handmade products for the community around them, with many community-based pop-up stores opening in larger cities that sell handmade or craft products. This allows customers to find alternatives to the mass produced items of larger shops. 

• Experience-based and themed shops

Not only this, but many local businesses are now starting to focus on creating experienced-based and themed shops and cafes which can give each customer a unique experience that attracts their commerce away from chain stores. Whether they want to be a wizard for the day or surrounded by books and comics, there are many different themed shops and cafes which can provide a different experience for customers individual to the local area.