Digital Sales Drive Faster Revenue Growth for Small Businesses

PYMNTS Intelligence’s SMB Growth Monitor draws on 23 surveys of U.S. small and mid-sized businesses conducted from July 2022 through February 2026, covering companies with annual revenue of up to $10 million. The findings show that sales channels, payment acceptance and financing strategy increasingly separate faster-growing firms from laggards. Owned websites and digital payment options now serve as core commercial infrastructure, while access to capital and how it is deployed shape businesses’ ability to invest, compete and survive.

In its May 2026 report, PYMNTS Intelligence said 57% of SMBs sold through their own websites as of February, just four percentage points behind physical stores at 61%. Two-year survival confidence rose to 82%, from 78% in July 2022. As of January 2025, firms with more than $1 million in annual revenue reported average revenue growth of 13.7% from 2020 levels, compared with 0.6% for those earning less than $150,000.

U.S. small and medium-sized businesses are shifting from store-led operations toward multichannel commerce, with social media, owned websites, mobile apps and delivery aggregators supplying more incremental sales. PYMNTS Intelligence’s SMB Growth Monitor covers companies with annual revenue of up to $10 million. Its findings underscore how digital sales and payment tools are becoming central to competitiveness, while smaller firms continue to trail better-resourced peers in channel breadth and revenue growth.

A May 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence review of 23 surveys conducted from July 2022 through February 2026 found that 46% of SMBs selling through social media reported growth in that channel, up 13 percentage points from the comparable baseline. Owned websites were used by 57% of SMBs, nearing physical stores at 61%. Businesses with more than $1 million in annual revenue posted average growth of 13.7% in January 2025, compared with just 0.6% for those below $150,000.