• August 17, 2004

New data from Wave VII of The Kelsey Group (TKG) and ConStat's Local Commerce Monitor, shows that 48 percent of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whose customers and suppliers are within 50 miles of their location, now have Web sites.

SMEs, also called Hometowners by the study, are rapidly adding Web sites to their mix of advertising and marketing media, having increased their use of Web sites by over 100 percent since Wave III of this tracking study was conducted in the spring of 2000.

TKG says the current research indicates a significant shift in the attitudes of Howetowners in just the past two years. In 2002, only 35 percent agreed with the statement, "The Internet will enable my business to be more successful in my local market." In 2004, more than half the Hometowner businesses surveyed agreed with the statement.