Business Insider rounded up the trends reports from LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social-driven sites. They didn’t dig out the best trends for rural businesses and small town entrepreneurs, so I did that for you.

Retail is recycling

Deb Brown browsing in a Galveston, Texas, vintage store. Photo by Becky McCray

Pinterest points to vintage and mixed decor trends. That’s a good trend for rural antiques hunters, thrift stores and auction houses. Especially those who sell online and handle shipping.

LinkedIn says sustainability remains a hot topic, with vintage, secondhand and resale stores seeing a boost for clothing, too.

Related, in-person retail is coming back. Looks like more new stores opened than closed in 2022. Big note for small towns chasing retail, this may not be new construction. There’s “a rise in developers renovating and reimagining existing, outdated properties.” Listen, if anyone has existing outdated retail properties, it’s probably small towns.

Customers have paused in their rush to online shopping. Online sales shot up in 2020 and 2021, but 2022’s online shopping totals declined a bit.

Rural businesses could make more use of social influence to drive sales. You don’t have to be in a big city to use TikTok and other channels with hashtags like #MustHaves and #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. If you didn’t notice it in your own feed, Instagram turned into a yard sale with friends during 2021, as people redecorated and vintage home decor sellers boomed.

Tourism: trains and fun dates

As interest in train travel grows, small towns that have rail service can vie for more tourist attention. Photo by Becky McCray.

Trains are making a comeback, Pinterest says. That’s pretty cool for small towns with active train service. Make sure you’re playing that up in your tourism.

Also this interesting dating trend: people are searching for experiences. Book store dates, date picnics and more. I’m saying that rural places could host the best date picnics ever, not to mention hiking dates, nature walk dates and stargazing dates.

Manufacturing mushrooms

Local manufacturers can find more business by easing supply chain issues for big customers. They’ll need a strong workforce to tap this trend. Manufacturers in Ponca City, Oklahoma, are reaching out to middle school students to show them possible careers. Photo via Kat Long.

LinkedIn’s report points to eco-friendly materials like those made from mushrooms and plants coming up. Lots of eco-friendly materials innovators are in small towns or rural places.

Shopify’s trends report shows big companies addressing ongoing logistics challenges in part by looking for more local supply sources. For small towns with idle manufacturing space or flexible makers, this is an opportunity.

Entrepreneurship on your side

Self care takes many forms, including physical activity and forming strong social ties. This team participated in the Beer Mile run in Colfax, Washington. Photo by Becky McCray.

Rural people have long had a higher rate of self-employment than urban people do. LinkedIn points to the rise in side-gigs or part-time businesses in addition to a main job. Maybe it’s not surprising that more of the youngest workers do this. Around 25% of Gen Z had a side-hustle, compared to 16% for all older folks.

A trend to tap is self-care, according to TikTok. With social channels as close as your phone, rural people can improve their offerings in “mental-health improvement, fitness, public health, and work-life balance.” Since we know that being in nature is good for you, rural communities are some of the best places to host self care experiences.

This article cited by:

• Ag Journal, Simple low-cost tips for small towns in year ahead, Jan 5, 2023
• Reprinted in the LaJunta Tribune Democrat and Bent County Democrat

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Bowden grocery by gmuske

It’s a growing trend. Online stores selling to your consumers. And the trend is growing.

Currently books, electronics, clothing, etc. are the more popular items being sold. But the available categories are expanding rapidly.

One of the growing categories is online grocery sales. This took the front page when Amazon purchased Whole Foods. But the trend was already on its way even before.

Today I read an article connecting online grocery sales heading in another direction – home delivery.  It is not only home delivery but same-day delivery. As the article notes, groceries are second in terms of the most quickly wanted products following restaurant orders.

So what might this mean for rural grocers? It can go three ways.

Perhaps it would have little or no impact. But probably not.

I suspect it will, or already does, impact your bottom line. Across the country, I have rural state friends who indicate they routinely buy grocery items as well as other items you find in those stores. What a dismal outlook.

Yet, there is a third thought. How many of you see it as an opportunity?

I do for several reasons.

First, in earlier ecommerce grocery efforts, deliver costs were high. Yet, your stores operate in small communities meaning you are close to the customer. You can do deliveries. And keep your deliver costs lower. What does it cost to ship a can of fruit from Minneapolis or California as opposed to going only 10 blocks or 10 miles.

Second, as noted, people want grocery items quickly. Again, you live in the community giving you a substantial head start. In all likelihood, you will start the business offering the items you normally carry. You could have the products in the customer’s home before that online competitor gets an order to its warehouse.

Third, you might build on another fast growing trend, the “meal in a box” idea with all the ingredients and the recipe to make it. This would be a little more trouble to put together but you may have an audience that would appreciate the time you save them. Some frozen steaks, a couple of potatoes and a bag of salad could be one and you might just offer a ballpark special – hot dogs, buns, beans, potato chips and lemonade. It’s corny but if it saves a run to the store, why not. (Just check with health department regulations first).

The fourth idea builds on #3 by connecting with local foods. Maybe your deliver point is from your own booth at the farmer’s market. Based on what the vendors will have any week, offer a recipe and the items need to complete it along with some fresh and local products. Or taking this idea in a slightly different direction, connect with your local CSA (community supported ag) producers. As they provide their box of produce, you offer that box of “fixins” in order to build the rest of the meal or meals.

Finally, use the delivery idea to respond to people work out of town or work during the hours you store is normally open. Let them place their order and then make deliveries during

Photo (CC) by Fabian Ortiz, on Flickr

the evening or other times they might be home. Volunteers or a high school student could make several deliveries in a couple of hours. And it can all happen when your store is technically closed. One thing to remember though, you don’t need to do this for nothing. Taking a line from Field of Dreams, “people will pay” for this kind of service.

Actually, none of these ideas have to be done for free. A small charge will not keep everyone away. It will stop some, but if you do it well, people will be your best ambassadors in getting other people to try it.

So face the challenge. Look at online sales and delivery as an opportunity. Make your rural grocery the electronic commerce center on the prairie.