One of the changes that the pandemic brought to Brazilian small businesses was the acceleration of the companies' digitalization process. According to a survey carried out by Sebrae, in partnership with FGV, seven out of every ten micro and small companies have been digitalized since the beginning of the crisis and this need ended up creating or increasing opportunities in technology-oriented segments.

Sebrae's Competitiveness manager, Cesar Rissete (photo), reveals that information technology-related businesses such as technical support, maintenance and marketing are among the segments that have shown the greatest increase since the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. “These are activities focused on for digitization of companies and advising the user on the use of systems and, therefore, the trend is that, in 2022, these activities will continue to grow", he points out. He explains that one of the reasons for this movement is the fact that consumers are more digital, which makes companies also have to follow this consumer movement.

“The digital transformation, which many companies are being forced to undertake, creates opportunities such as application and website development, social media management and digital marketing management. We have seen an increase in digitization, but there is still room to make better use of this movement of small businesses”, says Rissete. According to him, there are still many opportunities related to the greater use of communication equipment in general, biometrics, home and business automation and virtual reality for testing products and services.

Also according to surveys carried out by Sebrae, even with more than 85% of small businesses having returned to operation, digitalization should continue to be one of the points of attention of small businesses. “Even with the return of face-to-face, digital continues to be important. Be it as a channel for promotion, dissemination, exposure and marketing. This trend leads small businesses to differentiate themselves through internet reputation and exposure. The combination of a physical and digital environment is essential for small businesses to stand out and always stay ahead of the rest”, points out the Sebrae manager.

Other segments 

But in addition to technology-related businesses, other activities should also show signs of recovery and become good business opportunities. With people returning to the streets without circulation restrictions, some segments that had been heavily affected by the pandemic - such as the small food businesses outside the home - may have a new lease of life in the next year. "The perspective of tourism recovery should also be highlighted, with emphasis on national destinations, which are benefiting from the repressed demand for travel, as well as less favorable conditions for international tourism (foreign exchange, variant of the omicron virus)", he observes Cesar Rissete. Data from the IATA (International Air Transport Association) show that the domestic market presented, in October, a demand recovery close to pre-pandemic levels (84%), with a forecast of a total recovery of domestic demand in 2022, which corroborates for that expectation.

Logistics is another segment that may have a good market in 2022. “It is an activity that provides services to everyone else and in which we still see many deficiencies. Almost every company depends on some logistical process and the entrepreneur may be able to identify opportunities here”, comments Rissete, who adds that there has been a great demand for information, on the Sebrae portal, on how to open companies in this sector.

More activities that may grow in 2020, as they are linked to changes in the profile of the Brazilian consumer, are those aimed at the older population. With the growing proportion of elderly people in the population, niches are being created with specific opportunities in areas such as health and well-being, physical activities, tourism and services in general. Another trend is the increase in domestic animals. The pet market already has large retail players, but it also offers many possibilities for small companies in hygiene and beautification, accommodation and training for pets. This is another segment that has been much sought after on the Sebrae portal.