Tech Bytes – Tid Bits in Tech News: Main Street Retailers Embrace the Internet

According to a recent study by the National Trust for Historic Preservation , 84 percent of their Main Street communities consider Internet usage a key factor in small-business growth.

Mom-and-Pop, bricks-and-mortar businesses are looking for innovative new ways to incorporate it into their business models.

Change has come fast and furious to the retail marketplace. Main Street merchants were forced to innovate in order to survive the entry of big, high-volume retailers that can offer a larger selection and lower prices. So, it should come as no surprise that these smaller competitors welcome the opportunities presented by the Internet and electronic commerce.

Unfortunately, a group of tax-hungry state and local politicians to lobby Congress for a new tax system that would discriminate against electronic commerce.

The Internet is not a threat to Main Street bricks-and-mortar businesses. It is a tremendous opportunity. The Internet allows businesses to offer more choices to a larger number of consumers than ever before. It also offers rural customers convenience and a broader selection.

One can be sure that as the Internet becomes a more valuable tool for consumers that retailers will follow them online – just like the small businesses highlighted in the recent National Trust study. Discriminatory tax policies do harm to businesses and consumers alike.