Bank of the West, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, launched Digital Doors, a new small business offering in collaboration with Mastercard. Digital Doors offers resources and interactive tools to help small business owners establish, grow, and protect their online presence.
Impacts of COVID-19 and recent shifts in consumer behavior have prompted business owners to accelerate their move to online platforms. According to Mastercard research, 76% of small business owners across North America suggest the pandemic prompted them to make their businesses more digital and 64% say digitally managing their business is a challenge.
“Now more than ever, having the right digital presence is an essential part of a business’s strategy and success,” said Michelle Di Gangi, Executive Vice President, Head of Small & Medium Enterprise Banking at Bank of the West. “Bank of the West and Mastercard launched Digital Doors to help small businesses deliver superior customer experiences, stay competitive, and thrive online.”
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The new Digital Doors platform helps small business owners understand how to digitally ready their businesses, move their storefronts online, and accept digital payments. It also provides cybersecurity guidance to help protect businesses and their customers. Each section within the platform contains educational resources, Bank of the West solutions, Mastercard tools, and collaborator offers, enabling businesses to seize their online opportunity.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, I wasn’t set up to handle online orders. I had to teach myself how to quickly set up an entire online store to serve my customers and stay in business,” said Hannalee Pervan, Owner and Head Chef of One House Bakery. “Tools like Digital Doors™ are so important for entrepreneurs. I’m always looking for digital tools that help me save time, make life easier for my employees, and improve my customers’ experience.”
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“As the shift to digital continues, it is imperative we provide the tools and resources to help small businesses get online, grow their operations and secure the right tools to digitally transform,” said Ginger Siegel, North America Small Business Lead at Mastercard. “Together with Bank of the West, we are thrilled to expand our Digital Doors initiative and further our joint mission in helping the small business community better understand and expand their digital capabilities.”
Business owners can begin the digitization process by completing the Mastercard Small Business Digital Readiness Diagnostic to assess their business with custom recommendations and benchmark their existing capabilities, or by exploring the Digital Doors content.
Mastercard Digital Doors is just the latest offering from Bank of the West’s targeted support of small businesses, and more specifically, women- and minority-owned businesses. Additional programs include the Bank’s “WE” Source Program dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs establish and grow their businesses and the recently launched Means & Matters podcast highlighting women changing the status quo in business.
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