Articles About Cable, DSL, And The Internet

Small Business Research Board Auto / Vehicle Dealer eCommerce Study: Sampling Shows Small Auto, Other Vehicle Dealers Slow To Embrace Internet; Many H

NORTHFIELD, Ill. (BusinessWire EON) September 19, 2007 -- The SBRB study, co-sponsored by Business Today Magazine, said that only 54.5% of the auto and other vehicle dealers participating in the national sampling have websites. Auto and vehicle dealers as a category ranked next to last of the eight industries studied in terms of their ownership of proprietary websites. Trailing the list were construction and contracting firms of which 57% of the respondents said they do not have their own captive websites.

(The study did not ask if dealers participated in third-party web programs in which they presented information and / or conducted transactions through sites owned by others. Auto and other vehicle dealers often appear on these non-proprietary sites.)

While 96.9% of the auto and vehicle dealers responding to the SBRB poll said they believe their revenue from Internet driven transactions will remain the same or increase during the next 12 to 24 months, only 24.2% of the total believe revenues will improve. Again, that ranks the industry segment as the second least optimistic of the eight industry categories. Small construction and contracting companies also were most reticent about predicting they would build more revenue through eCommerce as only 13.9% said they were looking for increases during the same 12 to 24 month period.

The study did reveal other significant findings, which shows a gap between those companies with sites and those that are still parked by the curb. More than 21% of all of the "dealers" participating in the poll said they generated some of their 2006 revenue from eCommerce transactions. However, among those dealers with Internet sites, 46.4% said they generated eCommerce sales last year. This represented improved results from five years earlier when 40% the same small auto and vehicle dealers with Internet sites said they produced some of their revenue from Internet sales. For both 2001 and 2006, 20% of the respondents said they generated more than 75% of their revenue from "The Net."

Owners and managers of more than 550 small businesses representing numerous industries responded to the nationwide SBRB / Business Today study.

The SBRB / Business Today report provides specific detail by size of business, by industry, by region (and in some instances by state) the various experiences each segment has had with the Internet and their commitment to offer products and services through eCommerce transactions.

The study, for instance, breaks out information by size of business and industry on the number of firms with websites, the number of websites they have, the percentage of their product line available on their sites and percentage of business revenue derived from eCommerce.

Of the industries studied, manufacturers led all business categories in their commitment to the Internet with 67.2% indicating they have at least one website. Transportation companies as a segment followed, with 63% indicating they have websites. Small retailers were next with 62.5% saying they have websites.

Nationally, 42.7% of the respondents said they did not have a website while 47.3% said they had one website. Another 9.1% said they had between two and ten websites and .9% said they had more than ten websites.

Additionally, 56.1% of the small businesses with websites said they sell products and services on a company-owned site.

The SBRB / Business Today Small Business eCommerce Study is believed to be among the most comprehensive efforts recently undertaken to understand eCommerce and the reality of its impact on small businesses. The resulting information thus provides both a snapshot on current attitudes and realizations among small business owners as well as establishes benchmarks.

Among the questions asked were:

-- How many websites does your company own?

-- On how many of these websites do you sell products / conduct transactions?

-- What percentage of your product line can be purchased on your Internet site?

-- How much of your sales were transacted on your Internet site(s) last year?

-- Over the next 12 to 24 months do you expect your Internet sales to increase, decrease or remain the same?

Poll participants also were asked to provide information on the percentage of products and services that could be purchased on their websites five years ago as well as the correlating percentage of sales that were derived. This data contributed to helping establish trends and historical benchmarks.

The study provides data for the all participants and also delineates data pertaining to only those businesses which have Internet sites.

Data is included for such industries as manufacturing, construction and contracting, retail, food and beverage, distribution and wholesaling, transportation and automotive.

Business Today Magazine is dedicated to serving the information needs of owners and managers of small businesses. The primary goals of the quarterly publication based in Buffalo Grove, Il. are to inform and educate its readers by providing timely, useful information that will help readers both contend with the daily demands of running their businesses as well as provide insight on achieving long term growth.

The Small Business Research Board ascertains and reports the opinions of small business owners and managers on a wide variety of topics related to their own businesses as well as national and international issues that may impact their operations. The SBRB conducts these studies for the benefit of small business owners and managers. The SBRB also provides opportunities for third parties to gain real time insight into the attitudes of small businesses nationwide through the independently conducted research.

The latest information about the Small Business Research Board can be found at www.biznus.net.

Small Business Research Board / Business Today

Selected Results of National eCommerce Study

-- September 2007

                             All US            Auto, Other

                                               Vehicle Dealers

Percentage of

small

businesses

owning

websites

 none                         42.7                   54.5

 1                            47.3                   33.3

 2-plus                       10.0                   12.1

Of companies

with Internet

sites, number

of sites selling

products, services

 none                         43.9                   46.7

 1                            44.8                   33.3

 2- plus                      11.3                   20.0

Internet

revenue

expectations

next 12 to 24

months

 increase                     29.2                   24.2

 remain the same              67.5                   72.7

 decrease                      3.3                    3.0

NOTE TO EDITORS: This article is the twelfth and the final scheduled release in a series on the study of small business, the Internet and eCommerce by the Small Business Research Board. Previous releases detailed overall findings of a nationwide poll of small businesses in which nearly 97% of the respondents expect revenue generated from web-based sales to stay the same or increase during the next one to two years -- with 29.2% of those expecting revenue to increase. Additional releases break out the results by size of business, geographic region, several states (New York and California) and by industry.

(1) some totals may not equal 100% as a result of rounding.

For more information about this poll, copies of the complete study and the results of previous studies or other matters related to the Small Business Research Board, please contact Raymond D. Minkus, (847) 441-4192.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

The Cool 100 - Topnetpix.Com Scours the Internet for New, Emerging and Just Outright Cool Websites
With proceeds from sale of Christmas.com, new breed Web aggregator TopNetPix.com launches a one-stop source for what's hot. How cool is that?

Norton Internet Security 2007: The New Generation in Internet Security
The Internet is a place where people communicate at a very cheap price. It is where people now do their shopping, do business and trade in the financial market. This is why the Internet is considered as one of the most important tools in the new millennium.

Big Fish, Small Pond: How the Largest Business Website on the Internet is Driving Success For Small and Medium Sized Businesses
Manta.com announces the release of comprehensive profiles on 45 million companies, allowing small and medium sized businesses access to premium company information.

Money-Making Internet Stock Tip Forum is Up and Earning Cash for Savvy Posters
New TickerTattle.com provides global forum for posting money-making real-time stock tips.

Gamma Launch for the Internet Marketers Social Network, Monky C
Monky C, the social network for Internet Marketers, has moved from Beta to Gamma with a Delta launch expected by the end of the week.

How To Start An Internet Business – Site Layout
The fourth step of how to start an Internet business involves the layout of your site. When organizing it, two audiences must be considered.

Tools To Record Internet Radio With
With podcasting and internet radio programming exploding, a lot of folks are looking for tools that would let them record streaming audio. Here are four tools that will do just that without you having to take AV class first.

Traditional Businesses on the Internet
Have you ever thought of putting your business on the Internet, but simply not known where to start or you're not sure whether the Internet is really meant for your business?Most of the time we see the big Internet businesses like Google, Amazon and Yahoo or the big corporations like Microsoft, Airlines companies and banks being successful on the Net. On the other hand you find someone with a brilliant idea who slaps a website together and makes a huge success with very little effort simply because they had the right idea and acted on that idea.

Don't Be Afraid to Learn How to Earn Extra Internet Income
The sad truth is that internet scams are rampant. Couple that with the amount of people who wouldn't think twice to part with there hard earn cash to get rich quick and there is the basis for a lot of trust issues when it comes to you who are looking to earn some extra income via the internet. As with any industry there are as many offerings that have proven track records that deliver what they promise. So rest easy and trust your instincts, you probably have heard it a million times before; if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.

After a Decade on the Internet, Brisket.net Expands Into the Blogging World
With 30 years of business under their collective belts, Max and Marsha Stabel are no strangers to trying to get their name out there. In fact the only difference between them and other upstart entrepreneurs is that they actually know what they're doing. "My husband has a Master's Degree in meat science," mentions Marsha Stabel. "We wanted do something in his area of expertise, but after we bought the business, we took it in a whole new direction in order to reach a new audience."

New Jersey Marriage Counselor Merges TV with Internet, Radio, and Blogging to Provide Expert Advice
Dr. Marty Tashman, a New Jersey Marriage Counselor, has five promises. These promises are unique not only to him as a counselor, but to virtually anyone in his line of work. Suppose you were offered free follow-up sessions, or perhaps the freedom to cancel last minute, with no charge. Suppose you do not feel progress during your session, and you don't have to pay for that session. Well, that is what Dr. Tashman promises.

Livecast® and WiMAX Forum® Announce Partnership to Accelerate Live Video Broadcast Platform for Mobile WiMAX? Wireless Networks
Livecast demonstrated today at XOHM WiMAX launch celebration.

Watch Satellite TV on PC, TV or Cable TV
Watch satellite TV on PC, TV or cable TV? This is a question of choice but not on equal grounds since each have its strengths and weaknesses. According to a national wide survey, an average American probably spends more than 16% of his time in an entire year watching TV. This translates to about two months in a year which is more than half the time we spend on sleeping. Another staggering fact is more than two-thirds of American homes own more than three TV sets. TV is part of American culture. Discover what the differences are to help you decide whether to watch satellite TV on PC, TV or cable TV.

Finding The Right Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity
Finding The Right Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity By Tom Worsley   As the Internet grows and the amount of people using it so does the endless amount of online home business opportunities.   So how does one find the best work from home business opportunities on the Internet today? You could do a search for business opportunities or work from home business opportunities using your favorite search engine such as Google but chances are you will be more confused than when you started.

The Skeptics Are Wrong - There Are Still Easy Ways To Make Money Online, Internet Marketing Expert Says
Internet Marketing Expert announces three simple strategies to help anyone get started with a home-based internet business so they can make money online