Social media now SMEs' storefront

The Express Tribune reported that small businesses in Pakistan are increasingly using Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and WhatsApp to show products and reach buyers. Sellers of clothing, carpets, electronics and home-cooked food are posting short videos and photographs instead of building separate digital operations. Established fashion labels, many of them the retail units of textile manufacturers, have strong Instagram followings that direct shoppers to their websites.

In many firms, a current staff member who understands social media runs the work instead of a dedicated online sales unit. Two sellers, one offering unstitched lawn suits and the other wholesaling CCTV cameras, described handling orders on social platforms and producing their own ads from photographs and clips. Graphic designer Mannat Jahan said a grasp of layout, product photography and straightforward promotional design is frequently sufficient to keep goods on display.

Mannat Jahan also pointed to search engine optimisation, using keywords that customers type so products are easier to find. Si Global CEO Dr Noman Ahmed Said described SEO as a business development tool, arguing that a website should act as an active salesperson. Government initiatives are also reinforcing the shift, including an August programme with Meta, the Small Business Growth Academy, which aims to equip more than 1,000 small firms with skills in online platforms and AI tools.