July 2026
PYMNTS Data Books

The SMB Growth Engine: How Digital Sales and Customer Tracking Drive Revenue

U.S. small and medium-sized businesses grew revenue by an average of 9.5% in 2025, more than twice the rate of nominal GDP growth. Yet the strongest results didn’t come from digital access alone. They came from businesses that used digital channels to reach customers and used tracking tools to see which channels produced growth. This report shows how sales channels, launch strategies and customer data separate fast-growing SMBs from the rest.

SMB digital growth revenue

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    Growth by U.S. small and medium-sized businesses outpaced the broader economy in 2025, but it varied sharply by how companies reached customers and tracked demand. The data show that digital channels increasingly shape how SMBs launch, sell and invest, while businesses with a clearer view of customer acquisition are more likely to report higher revenue.

    Growth Lead

    9.5%

    U.S. SMB revenue grew an average of 9.5% in 2025, more than twice the 4.7% increase in nominal GDP. Half of surveyed SMBs individually exceeded the GDP benchmark.

    Digital Majority

    57%

    Digital channels generated 57% of SMB sales on average, compared with 41% from physical channels. Websites, social media, apps, marketplaces and other digital options now form the larger sales layer.

    Growth Advantage

    56%

    Fifty-six percent of digital-led SMBs increased revenue in 2025, compared with 42% of businesses that generated most of their sales through a physical store. Hybrid businesses fell between the two at 51%.

    Digital Start

    70%

    Seven in 10 SMBs launched with at least one digital sales channel. Nearly half, 47%, opened with both physical and digital channels already in place.

    Tracking Dividend

    58%

    Fifty-eight percent of SMBs with formal customer tracking grew revenue when their planned investment differed from their current top acquisition source. By comparison, just 22% of businesses with no tracking mechanism grew. The results suggest that having usable customer data may be more valuable than choosing the perfect channel.

    Methodology

    The findings are based on a survey of 526 U.S. SMB owners and senior executives conducted from May 1-May 24, 2026. The study examined how businesses sell, attract customers, track acquisition sources and plan future channel investments.

    About

    PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE

    PYMNTS Intelligence is a leading global data and analytics platform that uses proprietary data and methods to provide actionable insights on what’s now and what’s next in payments, commerce and the digital economy. Its team of data scientists includes leading economists, econometricians, survey experts, financial analysts and marketing scientists with deep experience in the application of data to the issues that define the future of the digital transformation of the global economy. This multilingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world’s leading publicly traded and privately held firms.

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