November 2013
Featured in this insight: Business & enterprise, Culture, heritage & leisure, Financial services, Food & drink, Retail
New research indicates holiday shoppers avidly support small businesses: According to a recent survey, commissioned by the Deluxe Corporation – a leading provider of marketing services and business products for small businesses – 35% of consumers are planning to shop at a local, small business this year, compared to a quarter (27%) in 2012.
Almost all (95%) of survey respondents said it is important to support small businesses. When asked why they planned to shop at local merchants, the top responses were: ‘important to support local businesses’ (57%), ‘unique merchandise’ (49%), ‘personalised service’ (39%) and ‘good prices’ (25%).
Among respondents, four-fifths (78%), said they will shop for holiday gifts online in 2013, and approximately one in four (28%) prefer a small business or boutique website. Search engines remain an important way for consumers to find gift ideas online, particularly among eighteen to thirty-four year olds (54%) and Hispanics (57%).
However, regardless of age or ethnic group, Search Engine Optimisation remains critical for small businesses. Half (51%) of all survey respondents said they will not go past the first two pages of any search result for online gifts.
Tim Carroll, Vice President Of Small Business Engagement at Deluxe, said:
‘Small businesses should be very encouraged by the results of Deluxe Annual Holiday Shopping Survey… Since shoppers increasingly use technology to plan and fulfil their holiday shopping needs, small businesses must leverage that same technology to remain top-of-mind and drive sales.’
View more of our sector specific insights: Business & enterprise, Culture, heritage & leisure, Financial services, Food & drink, Retail
