Netflare, a marketing strategy firm in the UK, recently completed a survey of small businesses in multiple sectors. The results show that SMBs still aren’t leveraging the Internet as a convenient way to simultaneously increase revenue and decrease spending.
In some cases, the businesses had a Web site, but didn’t keep it up-to-date! In fact, 23% of the small business Web sites in the survey hadn’t been updated since their launch, meaning much of the content was obsolete or inaccurate. The average age of a Web site was 4 years—that’s a lot of time for a business to change inventory, focus and pricing!
The survey also found that only 8% of respondents had e-commerce technology on their Web sites. Here’s what Netflare’s Jon Beal had to say about those results:
“We were completely staggered by the tiny percentage of small business owners who were actively using their Web sites to generate sales.”
A majority of the small business owners indicated they wanted to use their Web site to increase sales. Beal said, “It is beyond comprehension that small business owners are ignoring one of the fastest growing sales opportunities there has ever been…the fact that small businesses are neglecting this huge and growing marketplace is astonishing.”
So what’s keeping businesses from doing more with their sites? “It seems that once small business owners have a Web site, they do not really know what to do with it so they ignore it,” Beal said.
With the help of our web solution, business owners can see the value of a well-designed, up-to-date Web presence. From those crucial e-commerce solutions to site promotion tools, the Web site we provide will be equipped with everything required to reach that ‘huge and growing marketplace’ Beal is talking about!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Did you know…
According to research by Harris Interactive and eMarketer, people aged 13-21 have a growing impact on purchasing decisions in their parents’ households!
As a matter of fact, teens as young as age 14 said they have debit cards or were using their parents’ credit cards to make online purchases. Kids said they had particular influence in business categories such as travel, clothing, movies/video games and books.
Do you have any prospects working in these business categories or others that would appeal to this demographic? If so, they need e-commerce solutions to keep up with the competition!
According to research by Harris Interactive and eMarketer, people aged 13-21 have a growing impact on purchasing decisions in their parents’ households!
As a matter of fact, teens as young as age 14 said they have debit cards or were using their parents’ credit cards to make online purchases. Kids said they had particular influence in business categories such as travel, clothing, movies/video games and books.
Do you have any prospects working in these business categories or others that would appeal to this demographic? If so, they need e-commerce solutions to keep up with the competition!
Did you know…
A recent Power Review Survey of retailers and merchants shows that 59% of respondents cited ‘customer experience’ as the most important factor in adding reviews to their site.
Moreover, 79% of those surveyed said their “Products” page is an effective place to show customer testimonials and reviews.
Finally, many of the merchants surveyed said they found that reviews answered questions that would otherwise be directed to customer service.
The business owner have the opportunity to create a site with a products page featuring testimonials! Doing so will improve your customers’ experience and cut back on the time and effort they invest in customer service! It’s just another example of what a Web site can do for your business!
A recent Power Review Survey of retailers and merchants shows that 59% of respondents cited ‘customer experience’ as the most important factor in adding reviews to their site.
Moreover, 79% of those surveyed said their “Products” page is an effective place to show customer testimonials and reviews.
Finally, many of the merchants surveyed said they found that reviews answered questions that would otherwise be directed to customer service.
The business owner have the opportunity to create a site with a products page featuring testimonials! Doing so will improve your customers’ experience and cut back on the time and effort they invest in customer service! It’s just another example of what a Web site can do for your business!
Did you know…
Recent findings from eMarketer and Media Audit indicate that cities with universities or colleges have higher populations of Internet users than cities without learning institutions.
“College towns topped (Media Audit’s) list of places with the highest number of Internet users,” according to the article.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is home to the University of Michigan, came in first place with 86% of adults online. Washington, D.C., which also hosts a number of major universities, is in second place with 84% and Colorado Springs, Colo., home of the US Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, came in third with 83.7%.
Are you and your prospects located in a college town? If so, you’re surrounded by people who access the Internet for information—a Web site is mandatory for a small- or medium-sized business to survive!
Recent findings from eMarketer and Media Audit indicate that cities with universities or colleges have higher populations of Internet users than cities without learning institutions.
“College towns topped (Media Audit’s) list of places with the highest number of Internet users,” according to the article.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is home to the University of Michigan, came in first place with 86% of adults online. Washington, D.C., which also hosts a number of major universities, is in second place with 84% and Colorado Springs, Colo., home of the US Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, came in third with 83.7%.
Are you and your prospects located in a college town? If so, you’re surrounded by people who access the Internet for information—a Web site is mandatory for a small- or medium-sized business to survive!
Check out what recently appeared in USA Today’s Ask an Expert Monday!
A reader named Phil wrote:
I know, I know, I am supposed to have a Web site. That said, as I have no plans to sell online, I just don't see the need for a site. My business has been around forever and we have done just fine without one. Am I wrong?
The expert—small-business author and lawyer Steve Strauss—responded with an anecdote that sounds like hundreds of thousands of others:
A few days ago on a busy school night, my wife called and asked me to pick up some dinner on the way home. She mentioned a restaurant we like…and asked me to look up their menu online so we could figure out what to get.
Yet try as I might, I couldn't find their Web site. It finally dawned on me that they did not have one. But since we had not been there in quite a while and could not remember everything on their menu, we decided to get dinner from another place.
This could be the case for any small- or medium-sized business whose owners have opted not to have a Web presence. Plenty of SMBs have lost business to a competitor without even knowing it!
Strauss continued:
Can you do e-commerce if you are not online? Nope. Can customers who hear about you check you out later on the Net if you don't have a site? No again. Can current customers (like I was) find out what your new offerings are if you lack a site? Not easily.
No matter what a business’ size, status or goals, there’s no way your Web solution won’t help it prosper!
I know, I know, I am supposed to have a Web site. That said, as I have no plans to sell online, I just don't see the need for a site. My business has been around forever and we have done just fine without one. Am I wrong?
The expert—small-business author and lawyer Steve Strauss—responded with an anecdote that sounds like hundreds of thousands of others:
A few days ago on a busy school night, my wife called and asked me to pick up some dinner on the way home. She mentioned a restaurant we like…and asked me to look up their menu online so we could figure out what to get.
Yet try as I might, I couldn't find their Web site. It finally dawned on me that they did not have one. But since we had not been there in quite a while and could not remember everything on their menu, we decided to get dinner from another place.
This could be the case for any small- or medium-sized business whose owners have opted not to have a Web presence. Plenty of SMBs have lost business to a competitor without even knowing it!
Strauss continued:
Can you do e-commerce if you are not online? Nope. Can customers who hear about you check you out later on the Net if you don't have a site? No again. Can current customers (like I was) find out what your new offerings are if you lack a site? Not easily.
No matter what a business’ size, status or goals, there’s no way your Web solution won’t help it prosper!
eMarketer reports that there will be 193.9 million Internet users in the US this year—that’s 2/3 of the population! The massive total of Web surfers is forecasted to continue climbing for the next four years (at least), so tell your prospective customers not to let anymore business slip through their fingers!
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