b'ONLINE RETAILallow for Indigenous entrepreneurs toto accessing funds for real estate. YouIn fact, one of the key drivers of the borrow against their own homes. Thiscan start your business from virtuallyexplosive growth of e-commerce in often results in Indigenous businessanywherea garage, a home-office or2022 was a 26 per cent increase in sales owners getting shorter-term loanseven your kitchen table. As well, theretaking place over mobile platformswith higher interest rates than thoseis no need to be physically constraineddouble the rate of desktop e-commerce. living off-reserve. Fortunately, organiza- to a bricks and mortar store, and there tions such as the First Nations Financecan be reduced need for additionalHistorically, businesses needed to Authority, Apeetogosan, and the Firstemployees early in a companys life- be physically present in markets they Nations Financial Management Boardcycle, further cutting down start-up costs all have methods for providing prospec- and lowering the barrier of entry.wished to sell to. With e-commerce, tive Indigenous e-commerce businessesglobal markets are just a click away. with the means for initial capital.Another plus is that online stores areIts time for Indigenous businesses to always open, can accept orders 24/7embrace the extraordinary opportunity The physical isolation and distance thatand can be accessed on mobile devices.this presents.many Indigenous business owners must contend with is another barrier when it comes to providing reliable ship-ping times, especially with the uncer-tainty that COVID-19 has brought to the global supply chain and shipping industry. (For more on shipping, turn to pg. 54). Dependable delivery timelines, both for raw supplies and shipments to customers, are essential for e-commerce business models to work. With home delivery cited as one of the top three reasons why people move towards e-commerce, it is vital for busi-nesses to have robust contingency plans in place to deal with unexpected ship-ping delays. In a 2022 study, 47 per cent of customers said they would not order again from a brand if they experienced a bad delivery, while a 2022 Gallup poll noted that 60 per cent of U.S. consumers reported being unable to get a product due to shortages or delays. These statis-tics paint a grim picture for companies looking for return customers. Limited supply chain capacity in the face of high demand can result in bottlenecks that leave goods on ships waiting for trains, trains waiting for ware-house space, and warehouses waiting for final delivery of goods. To combat this, delivery orchestration technology is becoming more prevalent. By using automationanddeliverysoftware, businesses can ensure that customers receive their goods through the most efficient and optimized routes avail-able. These tools cannot entirely solve every challenge that arises, but they do provide a degree of stability for busi-nesses that rely on dependable delivery to customers. The advantages of taking a business online are many. One is that it allows someone to overcome barriers tied Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT 19'