While this is true that most cryptos are in there as an asset and investment but if it's about these businesses and merchants then the first thing that they can think of is another payment method that they can adopt without being tied up with any third party.
Most of these businesses do know what it's up being tied with them and that sucks them a lot of fees per transaction. So, the best advantage that they can have is if they're paid with bitcoin, the payment goes directly into them without the intervention of any bank or any third party payment processor.
And all they need to do is to receive it as the transaction fee will be paid by the sender.
Although return on investment is one of the advantages of bitcoin been used by businesses but the most important is the fact that it easier to transact with someone using a different currency without having to pass through the hurdles of the commercial banks. Also business owners have seen that bitcoin hedges against inflation so it is easier to have there funds stored as bitcoin to avoid inflation crises
But what you've said is right that they've seen that bitcoin is a good hedge against inflation and with all of these economic rumors about the potential global impact of a crisis that's about to come or it has already came. Thus, Bitcoin is the better choice.