Small businesses are seeing real business benefits to using social media and e-commerce, according to a survey commissioned by American Express.
From the 1000 Australian small business owners surveyed, 23 per cent said social media helped grow their business, with one third who said an average of 45 per cent of their revenue comes from e-commerce.
The survey found 54 per cent said sourcing new customers through social media helped grow their business, followed by raising brand awareness (51 per cent) and generating new sales (40 per cent).
“Australian business owners cite company websites and Facebook pages as the most effective marketing channels,” Amelia Zaina, American Express’ head of marketing and customer engagement, small business services, said in a statement.
“Small business owners who have incorporated e-commerce into their business are seeing it as a worthwhile investment and appear confident of its long-term benefits.”
However, the survey revealed there are still some small business owners who are reluctant to take up e-commerce, with 40 per cent who find it to be irrelevant to their business — those mostly in construction, finance, insurance, and health and community.
“Some small business owners also say they are not sure how to approach adopting e-commerce with their main concerns surrounding difficulties in setting up the payment platform and customer privacy issues,” Zaina said.
“Fortunately, for small business owners, the Internet offers limitless opportunities so even those who feel e-commerce isn’t right for them can make use of the online opportunities offered by social media to promote their products and grow their business.”
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