Small Business and Mobile Technology - Survey Shows 66% of Small Business Owners Adopt Mobile Technology

For those wondering if small business owners are actually using mobile technology for their business, the answer is a definitive “Yes,” according to new survey data from Constant Contact (NASDAQ: CTCT). Of those surveyed in March 2013, 66 per cent report currently using a mobile device, including smart phones and tablets, or a solution, like mobile-optimised websites and text message marketing.

 While this majority adoption is promising, it’s important to note that, of the 34 per cent not using any mobile device or solution for their business, a resounding 65 per cent have no plans to do so in the future, mainly citing a lack of customer demand.
Email and social media marketing paving the way
How are small businesses using mobile technology?
The top two ways are email and social media marketing, and they have a considerable lead over other uses:-
73 per cent conduct social media marketing.
71 per cent conduct email marketing.
44 per cent advertise through social platforms.
34 per cent have a mobile-optimized website.
18 per cent run a mobile tablet-based payment point-of-sale.
18 per cent use mobile apps to manage operations, like accounting.
“It’s encouraging that a majority of small businesses recognize that their customers are relying more than ever on their mobile devices to find information, look for deals, and even to make purchases,” said Joel Hughes, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development.
“That said, small business owners are still getting their sea legs, so it’s not surprising that they’re leading with two areas where they have a solid track record of success with customer engagement: social media and email.”
When asked what types of mobile/social advertising they currently employ, 97 per cent of respondents said social media like YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Location-based promotions (Foursquare check-in, etc.) came in a distant second at 17 per cent, and text message came in third at 15 per cent.
A deeper look into mobile-optimized websites of small businesses reveals that 70 per cent are social-media optimized. Other findings:
44 per cent contain a menu.
40 per cent contain individual product listings.
39 per cent contain videos.
Apple & Android – the new POS?
In the battle of iOS vs. Android, iOS is the clear winner.
Among small business owners, iPhone users trump Android users 66 per cent to 39 per cent, while iPad users trump Android tablet users 49 per cent to 15 per cent.
iOS popularity among small business owners is not reflected among the general public where, according to a recent comScore MobiLens study that measures the smartphone platforms used by everyone in the USA, Android subscribers account for 52.3 per cent of all subscribers, while iOS subscribers account for 37.8 per cent.
Small businesses are using these devices for point-of-sale functions.
Seventy-one per cent of small businesses using mobile technology accept mobile payments and 52 per cent utilize a mobile-/tablet-based point-of-sale system.
Mobile apps for managing operations
Mobile apps are playing a growing role in how small businesses manage operations.
82 per cent use a calendar/time management app.
74 per cent use a customer communications app.
52 per cent use a GPS and mapping app.
44 per cent use an accounting/invoicing app.
44 per cent use an app for industry news/information consumption.
29 per cent use a travel planning app.
Why aren’t all small businesses mobilising behind mobile?
When Constant Contact asked small business owners not using mobile the all-important question of why, here’s how they responded: -
56 per cent said their customers haven’t expressed demand for mobile communications.
47 per cent said their customers haven’t expressed demand for mobile payment solutions.
36 per cent said they are interested in mobile solutions but don’t know enough about how to best use them.
33 per cent said they’re interested in mobile solutions but haven’t had time to implement any yet.
31 per cent said they don’t have a work-/business-related smartphone.
28 per cent said mobile is not relevant to their industry/business.
“Generally speaking, small business owners have very little spare time on their hands, so learning how to use mobile technology for their business is not necessarily tops on their ‘to do’ list,” said Hughes.
“We received some anecdotal survey responses that said ‘It costs too much’ and ‘I have no idea how this stuff works,’ representing the subset of small businesses that will forgo mobile opportunities until their customers start demanding mobile communications or payment solutions.”
For more details click here : http://www.gomonews.com/66-of-small-business-owners-use-mobile-technology/