hibu, the new name for the company that includes Yellowbook in the U.S., has announced a new online store to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) fight back against large enterprises in the battle for mobile and online customers.
The move recognizes that SMBs need help to take advantage of online growth in retail and services and aims to help them compete.
84% of SMBs with a website say their site is not optimized for viewing on mobile, despite the fact that nearly half of the U.S. population owns a smartphone. And nearly all smartphone users (94%,) look for local information on their phone, with 90% taking action as a result. For SMBs, hibu says, especially retailers targeting online commerce, it’s critical to get online and optimized for mobile, to have a chance at competing with the likes of Amazon Local and eBay.
At the new hibu business store, a business can create a website or storefront that is fully optimized for mobile, and start selling and advertising to customers in under 10 minutes.
“Mobile adoption in the U.S. is increasing at such a fast pace that businesses, especially small and medium businesses targeting local customers, need to optimize in order to compete,” says Matt Anderson, hibu Chief Digital Officer. “Until now, SMBs have faced challenges building and managing websites themselves much less mobile sites, stores, and mobile marketing. With the launch of hibu business, small and medium businesses can quickly find and buy what they need to succeed with an optimized online and mobile presence.”
To learn more about the effort, click here.
