About This Column
This monthly column on Online Business Canada is intended to inspire action. You know digital transformation is critical to growing your business, but there are so many moving parts and so much to learn! It’s easier to navigate if someone points you in the right direction so you can take the first steps. You don’t have to master anything right now, you only need to move forward and learn as you go.
If one growth tip doesn’t work for your business, pick another one and try that. If you do that over the course of a year, you may be surprised at how much your business has grown and how clear your path is to further growth. A custom strategy will naturally emerge from your efforts, all from trying something new every month.
Content for this column will vary from month to month. We’ll cover what’s trending, motivation, tools, diversification, funding, actionable Canadian data, expert quotes, and how & where to grow your business online over the following month. New posts will be announced in our newsletter, so sign up to ensure you don’t miss a single month of growth.
Grow Your Canadian Small Business Online in November
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TIP 1: Black Friday / Cyber Monday Growth
Rising costs of living (70%) and groceries (57%) are top reasons Black Friday shoppers plan to cut back on holiday spending in 2025, according to Driver Research. However, with small businesses also struggling this year, seriously reducing prices just isn’t feasible for most.
Instead of trying to beat competitor prices, find creative ways to convey value and use strategic discounting to make it worthwhile.
Strategic discounting is the key to getting back more than you lose from reduced prices (and slashed profit margins). Not only can these digital discounts make the sale, but they can also turn buyers into repeat customers (the holy grail of retail) or otherwise increase the return on ‘investment’ (discount). Additionally, you can increase the number and quality of leads for more sales in the future. For example, These Digital Discounts Do Double Duty to Maximize Online Sales.
TIP 2: Predictable Holiday Growth
Predictions for the holiday season are plentiful this time of year, with a firm focus on retail sales. Reading these reports can provide a better understanding of the current consumer climate and reveal niche preferences, both of which can contribute to ongoing growth.
Following are just a few recent reports predicting consumer behaviour and expected sales for the 2025 holiday season:
Ecommerce Trends: 5 Things Holiday Shopping Forecasts Show so Far
Salesforce 2025 Holiday Sales Predictions Center Around AI & Pricing
Canadian Holiday Spending Expected to Rebound this Year
Canadians Keep Holiday Budgets Steady at $975 in 2025
I have noticed that virtually every year there are doom predictions forecasting lower holiday sales, and almost every time they’re proven wrong when the actual data comes in. I don’t think this is due to faulty research. I believe when consumers are surveyed they have every intention of cutting back, but as the holidays approach they lose their resolve and keep spending.
Now that you’re armed with predictions, what do you do with it? Check out this Holiday 2025 Playbook for Canadian Marketers.
TIP 3: Grow Your Product Line With Trends
Product Trends are identified by analyzing the latest consumer behaviour, and anticipating future demand with data & instinct. While it’s a perpetual activity, monitoring product trends during the holiday season becomes especially important. Everyone wants to have the hot products of the season to bring in holiday shoppers desperately searching for it.
It isn’t feasible for most online retailers to manage a fully dynamic product line, due to the micro-management required with trends (with the possible exception of dropshipping ecommerce stores). You’re not going to be right all the time either, resulting in unpredictable sales volume. In my experience, up to 25% brings a manageable balance to your digital product line while remaining profitable.
Besides keeping an eye on industry & consumer news, following are a few ways we stay on top of what’s trending:
• Monitor Amazon, or other sites with ‘top product’ rankings, such as Indigo and Walmart. Read 7 Online Marketplaces for Profitable Product Ideas for more tips.
• Social media networks, such as Pinterest, can provide data that indicates trends and shifts.
• Google Trends Canada provides information on search trends in this country.
• The Junglescout Opportunity Finder is designed specifically to find hot niches by leveraging search data.
• Ecomhunt and similar tools are designed to help you discover new products. They can save an enormous amount of time!
• Businesses that offer retail services or related information can be a source of valuable info. For example, Cloudways publishes an annual list of 50 Top Trending Products to Sell Online At Your Ecommerce & Dropshipping Store.
• Many types of retail and instructive websites have their own lists of trending products. These sites are also a fantastic resource for identifying profitable products in general, like AliDropship’s free database of best-selling ecommerce products. Here at Online Business Canada, we publish an annual list of our own hottest niches.
Keeping up with the latest trends is only half the battle. The money is in staying one step ahead of them. Research must be done diligently and as quickly as possible. As you begin to view the retail world from the potential product perspective, you’ll find the ideas will flow quickly and easily. You’ll get much better at choosing winners too! How to Choose the Best Products to Sell Online in Canada will help guide you further.
TIP 4: Holiday Season Growth
No matter where you are in your digital transformation, there are ways to use the internet to increase your sales. If you’re not familiar with any of these strategic moves, there’s still time to do more research and implement whatever you can before (or during) the holiday season. Once in place, you’ll enjoy more sales all year long.
Some of the most effective ways to increase holiday sales online are:
Your Website – More than six in ten Canadians agree they are more likely to do business with a company that has a good website.
Content – Answer their questions, address their concerns, resolve their problems.
Social Media – Add your social media links to your web page in a place where visitors will see them immediately.
Email – Email marketing is alive & well and your email list should be grown at every opportunity.
Discounts – Be it on your website, social media, or in newsletters, you can soothe inflation pain points with a reward program, discount sales or coupons.
Go Global – The internet has cracked the world wide open for anyone who wants to sell online.
Learn more in 8 Things to do Online to Make Holiday Season Sales Soar
TIP 5: November Content
Grow your traffic, grow your business! Timely content can differentiate your business while generating traffic that converts.
Note: We post a list of holidays & observances (monthly, weekly and daily) for marketers in the Online Business Canada Facebook group. There’s a lot of them! You’re bound to find some that are a perfect fit for you business.
Here are just a few November holidays & observances:
Child Safety & Prevention Month
Education Month
Fragrance Month
Good Nutrition Month
Healthy Lifestyles Month
Real Jewelry Month
Senior Pet Month
TIP 6: Business Books Worth Reading
Here we share quick quotes from business books we’re reading to help your knowledge grow with your business, and your business with your knowledge.
“While it’s important to still size the market to understand the relative opportunity size, niche ideas can be open ground on which to plant the seeds of your next business idea.
Don’t be afraid of small market opportunities. They are ignored by the big companies and may be serviced by ineffective competitors, particularly if the issue you’re solving is a tough one. Solve a tough problem in a small market and you may be able to extract significant profits while delighting your customers.” ~ Startup Different: The Myth-Busting Blueprint For Your Multi-Million-Dollar Business, by Canadian brothers, David Sinkinson and Chris Sinkinson.
Incremental Change
Changes spread out over the year will combine into powerful results. When growth based on technology overwhelms us, we can make small changes to continue growing and develop further as we feel our way through it.
How will you grow your online business in November? Please share your ideas or questions in the comments below, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.
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7 Recession Proof Online Businesses To Start From Home
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Last Updated on November 27, 2025 by Melody McKinnon, Online Business & Marketing Manager
Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business/marketing education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.
Melody has worked with many businesses in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.
