Almost eight in 10 small businesses, 79 percent, shop online regularly, compared to 65 percent of online consumers, according to a report released this morning by JupiterResearch.
The report,
based on a February survey of 501 small companies, revealed some striking nuggets about the factors that influence shopping by businesses. Sixty-two percent of those that make online purchases said
familiarity with the vendor is among the most influential considerations; 46 percent said the same for online research and 39 percent said that advice of friends and business associates plays a major
role. (Respondents were asked to choose up to three factors that influence online shopping.) E-mails and coupons were influential for just 21 percent of small businesses' online purchases.
What do they buy? Seventy-one percent purchase travel online; computer software and hardware also were popular categories, as was office furniture.
Accounting and financial services, as well
as credit cards, were far more likely to be purchased by companies in business for less than two years than more established firms. For instance, 23 percent of companies in business for less than two
years purchased or applied for financial services online, compared to 13 percent of businesses that had between two and 20 years' tenure, and 4 percent of businesses that were older than 20.
The State Of Online Advertising
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