Now more than ever, small- and medium-sized businesses are going digital. As expected, Covid-19 forced many retailers to move online, with 71% of SMBs saying digitization helped their business survive the pandemic. And they’re not just shifting their storefronts to e-commerce platforms; companies are also investing more in tech-driven, value-added services, including fintech offerings like BNPL, payments softwares and more. However, one area that I believe smaller retailers should re-examine in order to create a truly holistic, digital customer experience is their protection programs. Product protection is a huge market—the Global Extended Warranty Market Size was valued at USD 126.79 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 256.82 billion by 2030. Traditional plans often underdeliver, with unclear coverage and lengthy claims times. Customers not only want but expect personalized, embedded protection experiences, which can be delivered through a tech-forward approach.