SMBs Are Trapped in a Pressure Gap

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Bookipi study finds that SMBs are feeling the squeeze from rising supplier costs, late payments, reduced demand, and fear of climbing prices.

Small businesses worldwide are facing a widening financial "pressure gap" due to global instability, according to a new global survey from Bookipi, a global platform offering a comprehensive suite of AI-powered business management tools tailored for small businesses (SMBs) and solopreneurs. 

Tariffs, inflation, geopolitical instability, and trade tensions are driving costs higher, making customers more cautious, delaying payments, and prompting small business owners to hesitate before raising prices to protect profits.

Will Raising Prices Become a Trend in 2022?

©iStock/emrVectors

Years of stagnant prices and wages have made Japan Inc nervous about charging more for fear of alienating shoppers and losing market share. But the weakening yen is further driving up costs adding to the inflationary pain following the pandemic.

Clothing retailer Uniqlo will have to raise prices of some products due to higher costs for raw materials and shipping, its owner recently said, becoming a high-profile example of Japanese firms throwing off a decades-old deflationary trend.

Learn more how Uniqlo owner is poised to hike prices in sign of shift for Japan.