Customer and Small Business Perception Survey

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website design, advertising and marketing company at sydney, australia

Most small business owners will know that having a business website and social media presence is important to the business’s growth and success. The question is, are you just giving a “lip service” to this concept, or, is your website and social media outreach really delivering what customers want?

Sadly, according to the latest Web.com Consumer and Small Business Perception Survey, most small business owners are unaware of consumers’ expectations. As a result, these people are missing out on opportunities to increase their sales, create a base of loyal customers and build longer customer relationships.

The poll of consumers and small business nationwide has good news and bad news for entrepreneurs. The good news is: generally, consumers prefer to do business with small businesses than large ones, citing personal involvement, engagement and connection as important reasons to choose small businesses over larger brands. Consumers used words like “personal, intimate, human, face-to-face;” “customer-focused;” “reliable, there when you need them most;” and “local, close-by, convenient” to explain why they prefer small businesses.

Now, the bad news: While 83% of consumers state that “having a business website and using social media are important factors” when they’re considering which businesses to patronize, only 34% say the small businesses they’re familiar with have a business website. Even worse, just 50% say the websites are meeting or exceeding their expectations.

Small business owners have a significant perception gap. Although nearly two-thirds said having a business website is important, just 41% actually had one. Of those, 61% rated their sites positively, just 46% of consumers rate the websites of small businesses they’re familiar with positively.

If your website does deliver what customers want, there’s a lot to be gained. The study found that 58% of customers would be influenced to take positive actions if a small business delivers on their web/social media expectations. About 60% say they would be likely to visit the business’ website and social media to find out more about the business, recommend the business to family and friends, visit the physical store or office, and learn what other customers have to say about the business.

So what do consumers want from your site and your social media presence? Consumers seek empowerment, engagement and relationships, while business owners tend to focus on transactions, awareness and marketing. This may be part of the problem. If you want to build loyalty, grow sales and develop relationships with customers, here are some basic tips for you:

  • Post news about your business, alerts of sales and special offers are great ways to drive traffic and boost sales—but for long-term success, you also need to focus on posting content that’s not purely transactional.
  • Ask customers for their input on what your next menu item should be or what kinds of products they’d like to see in your store.
  • Encourage customers to share photos of themselves engaging with your business—using or wearing your products, eating at your restaurant or attending an event at your location.
  • Use your website and social media to survey customers and find out what they like, what they don’t like and what they want more of.
  • Always be responsive when customers like, post or comment on your social media sites.