The COVID-19 crisis has affected businesses large and small, although some might say that the smaller the company, the harder the impact might be to overcome, as explained in an April 29 report in Small Business Trends. The report surveyed more than 500 small and medium businesses to find out what types of small businesses were most impacted by the crisis.

The survey revealed three categories were most affected: retail, service, and hospitality, in other words, shopping, personal services and lodging, which includes travel and transportation, casinos and others. Companies with fewer than 20 employees were hardest hit, because that size of business often lacks cash flow and capital. Companies of that size were the first to lay off employees or reduce hours, and to stop hiring subcontractors, according to Small Business Trends.

The survey revealed that the three industries least likely to suffer a negative impact the pandemic included utilities/telecommunications/communications; professional services; and life sciences, such as pharmaceuticals and contact research organizations.

Some industries have had to pivot and make changes to get their products to customers, particularly those such as retail, which relies on foot traffic to connect products and customers. Some of the changes made included revamping and reviving websites or Facebook pages, or ramping up the availability of online ordering.

Laurie Stark, cofounder and partner at SMB, said that those businesses had to learn how to serve customers in a new way.

“There will be a new normal, where people learned to do business in different ways,” Stark said. “Maybe your business was a law firm or financial planning, and everybody used to come to the office. So you offered them a way to talk to you using face time or video conferencing. And this is likely something you’ll continue to offer to customers going forward.”