The small manufacturing business sector, which forms a large part of Israel's economic backbone, is struggling to survive nowadays in face of global change and covid-19 pandemic. These changes push the shift to e-commerce as the main distribution channel. Design management paradigms have developed tools that are not necessarily tailored to small manufacturers but rather to their larger counterparts. The goal of this study is to understand how design management methods can increase growth for small manufacturers' digital stores.
The study found many advantages for small businesses in production and product quality areas. The physical store is a competitive source, partly due to a sensory and authentic experience that reflects upon the owner's personal core values. That said, research shows strategic myopia and digital short sight in the sphere of e-commerce, which undermines the advantages of the physical store. Creating digital resilience can increase growth and prosperity, and support crisis recovery.
The study began in New York and ended in Israel. The process concluded with two complementing solutions. 1) A general management method called "existing online store optimization" with a flexible mechanism, fitted to all small manufacturers, creating opportunities and enforcing differentiation by improving the online store. 2) Design – a universal product called "Fragrantone", a graphical language for fragrances, designed for the cosmetics industry. The product uses visual sensory compensation and is based on a case study of a small firm called "Faran Cosmetics". Combining the two solutions creates a focused differentiation strategy in e-commerce for the business and thorough informative experience for the end customer.