Responding to a dramatic shift in consumer demand for online shopping channels from their local businesses, ShopCity.com has released PowerShop, its powerful new complete e-commerce solution for small business.

While online transactions have accounted for between 10% and 11% of all retail from 2017 to first quarter 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic shutdown that ensued has driven an abrupt boost to online shopping – 14.5% of all retail – often leaving local independent behind as chain and big-box retailers and pure online retail captured most of the increase.

PowerShop affordably, and easily makes e-commerce more accessible to small business than ever before, providing a robust complement to the Shop Local platform already used by thousands of local businesses in the ShopCity.com network.

To asses whether your small business needs to upgrade to PowerShop, consider these self-identifiers:

1. You want the flexibility and cash-flow advantage of choosing from multiple payment gateways including PayPal, Square or Stripe, and/or you want payments by Email Transfer to be indicated on your purchase order.

2. You sell (or you want to sell) enough online that managing and controlling inventory in your shopping cart is important.

3. You want to sell online beyond locally, and need automatic taxation and shipping calculations in the checkout process.

4. You want to easily integrate your online store to a Facebook or Instagram store, Google Shopping, Amazon or eBay (separate fees from those media may apply).

5. You want slick, flexible new design and layout tools for your catalog.

6. You need to use online-scheduled curbside pickup times.

7. You’re ready to use and self-manage advanced marketing tools like abandoned cart management, preferred customer groups, and/or Google, Facebook and other Social Media retargeting.

8. You need to adapt to a shopping clientele who have become suddenly more comfortable with online shopping, and who otherwise would spend their money on big-box stores, chains and online retailer giants who have better resources than you.

9. Your restaurant has to adapt to a post-COVID-19 world where more customers order for takeout, and online ordering will help smooth your operations – and the delivery services simply charge too much!

10. You’re in the services industry and have to adapt to a post-COVID-19 clientele who will book and hold consultations, classes or seminars online, buy more digital product, and need to be able to pay online.

To learn more about PowerShop visit www.PowerShopNow.ca in Canada or www.PowerShopNow.com in the United States.