32% of Small Businesses Want to Improve Marketing
The challenges small business owners face are well documented, but marketing remains a critical focus for many. In the ShopKeep Small Business Pulse: 2018 report, 32% of respondents said they want to improve their marketing. The report highlights the increased awareness small business owners have of their digital presence and the marketing efforts required to maintain it.
For example, 57% of respondents in the survey said they rely on their website and blogs to run their business while another 44% counted social media as a critical tool. A less significant 12% said they use influencers regularly to grow their business.
Although there are high rates of digital adoption, ShopKeep revealed brick-and-mortar small business owners are not yet fully aboard. For example, only 23% of respondents listed developing an Ecommerce component to their operations as a key business goal. This contradicts the general consensus that businesses want to move some or all of their commerce online.
In a post on the official ShopKeep blog, CEO Michael DeSimone points out this contradiction as it is born out in mobile payment adoption. DeSimone explains, “There is still a lot of confusion in the marketplace when it comes to digital wallets and mobile payments. In the ShopKeep Small Business Pulse, 43% of small business owners stated that they don’t even offer mobile wallet options to their customers.”
This is despite the fact 25,000 small businesses on ShopKeep’s platform are equipped to accept mobile payments. DeSimone goes on to say, “we believe that improving education, as well as adding incentives like tying mobile payments to a loyalty program, could be something we see more of in the future to drive further adoption of the technology.”
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