MORE SMALL BUSINESSES MOVING ONLINE

It’s been estimated that up to 99% of consumers, at least once in a year, will now find a local business they need using the internet. Around 80% go online more than once a week to try and find a local business.

Customers looking for things like a local hairdresser, florist, restaurant or garage will now increasingly find those businesses online, while using their smartphones or other online devices. 

For companies therefore – particularly small, local businesses – it’s now essential to have some kind of online presence. The days of companies relying on just a small newspaper advert and local word-of-mouth have passed.

While traditional advertising and recommendations from friends and family still count for businesses, the huge growth in smartphone ownership in recent years, alongside the popularity of companies like Google, Facebook and Apple, has transformed the way small companies do business.

Chris Sims, MD for BT’s SoHo (Single/Small Office, Home Office) unit, said: “The growth in smartphone use and the way we access the web and social media to find information has changed the game for small businesses. 

The pandemic sped up that shift to online, with many businesses having to change the way they operate, almost overnight.”

He added: “While the idea of ‘being online’ for many businesses in recent years meant simply having a website, that has changed quickly, with companies now having to think about how people find them on search engines like Google and also how they can promote themselves locally via social media.”

Chris Sims commented further: “With people of all ages now spending more time than ever on social media, it offers another great platform for small businesses to use the power of the internet to promote their business locally.

It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, if you don’t have a solid online presence, you’re potentially missing out on thousands of customers who don’t know you exist. It’s also a big leveller. It allows a small local business to appear online, alongside big, well-known brands, allowing customers to make a choice.

Although many small businesses have already expanded their online presence, we know that, for many of them, they lack the time, money, and confidence to do this effectively.”