4 ms·

So how did small businesses survive before Facebook? I'm pretty sure small businesses existed back then. /s

• cm2012 6y ago
  Reread my comment, I said Shopify stores. Local small businesses have other acquisition methods (walk through traffic, local search, etc.) and don't rely on FB.
  • dillondoyle 6y ago
    HN loves to praise the digitization & automation of other industries. Why is this different? Retail is dying, malls are bankrupt. COVID amplified this change and small business struggles. Even big corps are losing retail to online sales, GME is a meme example lol.
  • reaperducer 6y ago
    Local small businesses have other acquisition methods (walk through traffic, local search, etc.) and don't rely on FB. Facebook disagrees. It's even taken out full-page newspaper ads to tell people that if small businesses don't advertise (and permit invasive tracking) on Facebook, they'll go out of business and take the economy with them.
    • cm2012 6y ago
      Small shopify stores are small businesses. Probably the fastest growing category of small businesses.
    • throwawayboise 6y ago
      > It's even taken out full-page newspaper ads LOL. This is quite a comment on their own opinion of their ad platform's influence.