The results from Meta’s (formerly Facebook) latest Global State of Small Business Report reveal that Georgia businesses are finding new ways to adapt to economic uncertainty. In Georgia, the report shows most reporting increased digital sales, increased sales overall from last year, and optimism for the 2022 holiday season. It also shows strong performances from Georgia’s women-owned businesses.

More than half reported they generated at least a quarter of their sales through digital channels in the past 30 days. GA businesses are ahead of the curve (national average is 41%). As social media continues to evolve and more businesses transition online, this trend is expected to continue.
Georgia’s women owned businesses are performing particularly well with 82% reporting they are operational, surpassing both the US average (76%) and outperforming all other states in the southern region (79%).

With inflation hitting a record high this year, however, GA small businesses are still expecting challenges ahead.The survey reveals that 35% of GA small businesses expect challenges related to lack of customer demand over the next few months. For comparison, only 29% of businesses nationally reported they expect these types of challenges.
The survey also reveals that 43% of GA businesses reported that their sales in the past 30 days were higher compared to one year ago, while 31% reported their sales were lower. With the holiday season ahead, however, more than a quarter of businesses in GA are optimistic about generating at least 50% of their sales over the next few months.

On the bright side, only 19% of Georgia businesses reported they had reduced the size of their workforce over the past 6 months, compared to 26% in January. This downward trend is expected to continue as we move further away from the height of the pandemic.