Online Buying Activity of Small Businesses
- 12 Comments
- March 8th, 2009
Recently over at Small Business Trends I asked the community to participate in a survey conducted by Working Solo. The survey was completed by 647 small businesses, and one of the questions asked was: what do you buy online? Here are the results:
I wasn’t surprised by over 90% buying books and other low-cost media online. I wasn’t even surprised that nearly 86% bank online and pay bills.
But I was surprised that almost 2% don’t buy anything online. These days that is a rarity.
The survey was of small businesses ranging from solo business owners with no employees, all the way up to businesses with 20 or more employees. Revenue size was under $100,000 to over $1 Million annually,
The survey was about business insurance, and was sponsored by TechInsurance Group, LLC, America’s leading online provider of insurance to IT businesses and a wide range of solo professionals — www.techinsurance.com and www.businessinsurancenow.com.
-
-->
YouTube Channel
It is rare to find people who don’t buy online but they do exist. I’ve come across several people who have no trust in online transactions. They very much prefer to order over the phone instead of entering their personal info online. I’m not sure who’s smarter though. We who purchase online or these select cautious few?
Reply@Amanda: Yes — we are rare! Count me in.
ReplyHi Anita and Amanda,
ReplyI guess no one has told the 2% minority that phone transactions are less secure than online transactions. I wish I could remember the study that I read that in, so i could back it up. But i read it at a reputable source..
Hi TJ, I believe each has it’s own risks to take. I am very interested to read that source. Just in case you find it or remember it, please update us here. Thanks!
ReplyIt could be of security reasons or that you are not used to use the computer for business. Do you have “age data” of the people?
ReplyHi Martin,
Why? How do you think age data will bring significant impression on the result of the survey?
ReplyI’m actually not surprised by the 2%. There will always be some amount of the population that doesn’t do what everyone else is doing.
ReplyMartin, Yes, there is age data:
Age
0.3% Less than 19
2.1% 20-24
14.7% 25-34
27.2% 35-44
33.5% 45-54
13.3% 55-59
6.8% 60-64
1.9% 65-69
0.3% Over 70
However, keep in mind that those who took the survey took it online. So they are definitely going online — they just don’t buy stuff there.
Anita
ReplyRose,
Depending on the age groups 65 – 69 and over 70, you get 2.2%. It could be the case that the older generation is not used to buy online. I don’t have any solid proof for it, but it is an estimated guess.
Anita: Thanks for the data.
ReplyOh I see. Yes, you are right Martin. Thanks!
ReplyJust today there was an article on Foxnews.com that was talking about how online shoppers have seen ODD purchases on their bills that they did not make from shopping online. Great article!
ReplyThe few who do not purchase online does not surprise me. My husband does not purchase online either, aged 52. He does not have a credit card or prepaid credit card. He prefers cash. Me I would rather do an online purchase rather than phone an order in. I just be cautious of what purchases I make online. Sometimes purchasing online can be a hassle depending on how they have the site set up.
Reply