The second wave requires a second rapid transition. In Montreal, restaurant dining rooms have been closed since October 1, as in the other red zones, and this week Quebec extended those measures to November 23. Many owners already made the move online in the spring. They now have to do it again, and this time no one expects the situation to be resolved in a few weeks.
It is often said that the pandemic compressed ten years of digital change into a few months. The claim is an exaggeration, but not by much. The neighbourhood restaurant with only a paper menu and a phone number was taking online orders by May. Outfitters are selling trips by email. Bookstores that had never sold anything online had a working shop before the summer.
Some of these solutions are imperfect, but most work well enough. What is working this year is a good indicator of what a small business actually needs online, pandemic or not.
Are a Google listing and a one-page site enough to start?
In most cases, yes. With so many businesses closed, the Google listing does most of the work. People search for the business name, check the hours, the phone number and the "takeout" or "delivery" label, then decide immediately. Many never visit the website.
If you have no online presence, start with this step. Claim your Google My Business listing, complete every field you can, add real photos and write a description that explains what you do in plain terms. It is free, and it is the first thing your customers see.
Next, create one page. Not a ten-page site with an "Our philosophy" section, but one page that states who you are, what you offer, where you are, when you are open and how to buy or book. On a phone, it should load quickly and present the essential information at the top.
A good one-page site, or a clear landing page, is often sufficient for a small business's first year online. It can be expanded later. A small site that is kept up to date is far preferable to a large one built in a hurry this spring and never updated since.
Should you prioritize online ordering or design?
Online ordering or booking should come first. This is the main lesson of the year.
The businesses performing best online are those where customers can take a concrete action: order, book a time slot, buy a gift card or reserve a pickup. An attractive site that ends with "call us during business hours" consistently underperforms a simple site with a working "Order now" button.
There are now many ways to do this without development work: online ordering tools, booking tools, simple online shops and delivery apps. Each involves trade-offs. Delivery apps bring in customers but take a significant share, and many restaurant owners report being busier and less profitable at the same time. Direct ordering from your own site preserves more margin but attracts fewer new customers. Many establishments combine both approaches, which we consider a reasonable solution for now.
What should you check before choosing a tool?
- The cost per order, not only the monthly cost.
- Whether the customer's email and phone number belong to you or to the platform.
- Whether it works in French and English, if your customers need both languages.
- How easily you can change prices, hours and items yourself, even at eleven at night.
The second point is more important than it appears. A platform that holds your customer list can raise its fees at will, and leaving it becomes difficult.
How can you keep your hours updated everywhere?
Hours are changing constantly at the moment. Rules evolve, staff fall ill, supplies run short. A business might be open for takeout on Monday, closed on Wednesday and offering curbside pickup on Friday.
Every change must be made in five places: Google, Facebook, the website, the ordering app and the sign on the door. Most businesses miss at least one, and customers notice. Nothing erodes goodwill faster than a trip to a business listed as open on Google, only to find the door locked.
The solution is simple. Choose one place as the source of truth, usually your Google listing, and keep a short checklist of every other place that needs updating. Post it next to the till. This method is effective.
Where should government help be directed?
So far, federal help has mainly focused on business survival: the wage subsidy, the CEBA loans and now the new rent subsidy. This priority is logical, since a closed business cannot make a digital transition.
The next step should be genuine support for the digital side. Not a grant for a website no one maintains, but advice, a plan, funding for tools and guidance that explains what a small business actually needs. This year showed how many Canadian businesses had almost no online presence when they suddenly needed one. If Ottawa establishes a program for this purpose, it will likely come through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, so that is the page to watch. Quebec also offers its own programs, which change often enough that it is worth asking before committing any spending. Some require a structured plan with the funding application; we recommend having one ready.
Which changes are likely to last?
Based on observed trends, online ordering and online booking will remain. Customers will expect to check your hours on their phone and get the right answer, rather than calling to ask. What will not last are the solutions improvised under pressure: the second website, the app no one downloaded, the Facebook shop set up in a weekend and forgotten by August.
Many small businesses in Quebec still have no website. They are getting through the crisis on word of mouth and a Facebook page, and that approach has real value. However, the next person looking for them will search on a phone. A listing, one good page and a way to buy represent a few days of work, and that investment will keep paying back long after the red zones are gone.