Hey Rashed. Short answer: yes, but not in the way most people think. The biggest difference isn't flashy AI campaigns. It's the boring stuff done faster. Things like personalizing emails at scale, adjusting ad spend in real time, and figuring out which leads are actually worth your time. Traditional methods still work, but AI lets a small team operate like a much bigger one. The businesses seeing real results aren't replacing their marketing with AI. They're using it to stop wasting time on things that never converted anyway.

The fundamentals still work, they just need a refresh. Write content that answers what people are actually asking, not what you think they're searching for. Make sure your site loads fast on mobile. And now in 2026, you also need to think about how AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity pull answers. If your content is clear, well-structured, and actually helpful, you'll show up in both traditional and AI-powered search results.

Complete your profile like a buyer is grading you. Most SMEs skip this and wonder why nobody reaches out. Fill every field, add certifications, upload real product photos, and respond to inquiries fast. Buyers filter by trust signals before price. After that, use the platform's built-in SEO and post content that answers what buyers are actually searching for. You don't need ad spend. You need to look like someone worth doing business with.

Three big shifts are reshaping it. First, AI went from "interesting" to embedded - small businesses are using it for ops, not just experiments. Second, fintech is replacing traditional banking relationships, giving SMEs faster access to capital and tools their bank never offered. Third, trade volatility is forcing even local businesses to think about supply chain resilience. The common thread? SMEs that adopt technology strategically are pulling ahead. Those waiting for things to "settle down" are falling behind.

It depends on what you're buying or selling. For sourcing products, Faire has been a standout for indie retail and boutique owners. For services, Fiverr and Upwork still deliver if you filter well. But the biggest shift I'm seeing is small businesses skipping marketplaces entirely and using AI tools to handle what they used to outsource — marketing, customer support, bookkeeping. The real question isn't which marketplace, it's whether a marketplace is even the right solve for what you actually need.