Decline in SME online activity: MYOB
- 14 August, 2012 11:37
- Comments
Australian SMEs are shying away from using social media, online marketing and electronic commerce tools to conduct business, according to MYOB’s July 2012 Business Monitor survey.
MYOB spoke to 1004 SMEs and found that social media activity such as connecting with customers using tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn had dropped from 21 per cent to 16 per cent since March 2012.
There was a drop in online activity across the board with 37 per cent of respondents paying bills on suppliers’ websites (44 per cent in March) and 24 per cent buying products and services online (down from 37 per cent).
Furthermore, 24 per cent were using search engines to promote their businesses (down from 31 per cent) and 29 per cent were accepting online payments from customers (down from 25 per cent).
“The decline in popularity of online business activities was completely unexpected, particularly that of online marketing and social media,” MYOB CEO Tim Reed said in a prepared statement.
"Many of these tools, such as a basic LinkedIn page, are free and can be used to raise the profile of a business and to communicate with customers.
“We also found that more business operators are experiencing revenue falls than are experiencing rises, and the majority lack confidence in a short term recovery," he added. "I suspect this has seen many shy away from online activities as they focus on the health of their business, whereas embracing them could reap productivity benefits.”
SMEs with a website were also more likely to see their revenue increase in the past 12 months – 23 per cent compared to 15 per cent without one. They also tended to have more sales in the pipeline (34 per cent versus 26 per cent).
Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia
Download the CIO Australia iPad app CIO Australia for iPad
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.
- Bookmark this page
- Share this article
- Got more on this story? Email CIO
- Follow CIO on twitter
-
Why change management doesn’t work
-
Larry Page wants to see your medical records
-
Dual-Persona Smartphones Not a BYOD Panacea
-
After two-year hiatus, EFF accepts bitcoin donations again
-
CIOs struggle to deliver timely mobile business apps: survey
-
Cloud Computing for Midsize Businesses: Delivering Innovation and Efficiency
It’s time for midsize companies to start thinking differently about infrastructure. This white paper provides a brief overview of cloud computing, explains how midsize companies can benefit, and describes the steps they can take to take advantage of what it has to offer. Read now. -
Getting Real About Security Management and Big Data – A Roadmap for Big Data in Security Analytics
It’s an exciting yet daunting time to be a security professional. Security threats are becoming more aggressive and voracious. This whitepaper examines the escalating complexity for the security management environment; how to get more meaning from data already collected and the combination of infrastructure, analytic tools and threat intelligence need to drive business value from Big Data. Download now. -
Mobile Load - Performance Testing for Mobile Applications
Key mobile trends and analysis on how performance testers must change their testing methodologies to ensure they are accounting for the changes caused by mobile usage. Download today.
Get exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis. 
