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Consumers say they'll buy online
from small businesses Cite over all high satisfaction with Web
shopping
For small and mid-sized retailers
without a Web site, making a resolution for 2005 should be easy—join
the Internet e-commerce revolution.
According to a national survey sponsored by Web-hosting leader
Hostway Corp., online shopping has become an accepted facet of
everyday life. The national study of 2,500 consumers found that
more than 90 percent of consumers have purchased products or
services online, and the vast majority report that they are
satisfied with their e-commerce experiences.
Even more telling is the fact that many of these consumers are
just as willing to buy from small online retailers as they are
from larger, national e-commerce providers. Three-fourths of
consumers who have shopped Web sites of both large and small
companies said size is not a factor in satisfying their online
shopping needs.
"This survey is proof of the increasing acceptance of
shopping online and the increasingly positive attitudes towards
small businesses," said John Lee, Hostway's vice president
of marketing. "With industry analysts forecasting continued
growth in online consumer spending in 2005, we believe smaller
online retailers should be prepared to capture a bigger slice of
the e-commerce pie."
According to the most recent statistics released by the U.S.
Small Business Administration, there are approximately 23 million
small businesses in the United States. Of these businesses,
approximately 70 percent had or planned on having a Web site by
the end of the 2004, as reported in an April 2004 Harris
Interactive survey.
"The Internet is helping to level the playing field,
allowing small and medium-size companies to compete with the
giants," added Lee. "There's still time to build a Web
presence and take advantage of the e-commerce explosion."
The e-commerce survey, conducted recently for Hostway by market
research firm TNS, also found that nearly half of consumers (48
percent) will buy from an online retailer that does not have a
physical presence, which opens the door for purely Web-based
businesses.
Note to editors: To obtain top-line survey results click here. To
speak with an executive at Hostway, please contact Tina Janczura
at 312.970.5841 or Tina.Janczura@slackbarshinger.com
About Hostway Corporation
Hostway Corporation provides Web hosting and managed services to
more than 300,000 customers worldwide. Hostway helps individuals,
small businesses and large enterprises achieve more value from
state-of-the-art Web-based technologies by reducing their
complexity and cost. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the five
largest Web hosting companies in the world with offices in North
America (Chicago, Tampa and Vancouver), Europe (London and
Amsterdam), Asia (Seoul) and Australia (Sydney). For more
information about Hostway Corporation, please visit www.hostway.com
or call 1-888-290-5170.
About TNS
TNS is one of the world's leading market information groups,
providing market measurement, analysis and insight through its
operating companies in 70 countries. Working with national and
multi-national organizations, TNS helps its clients develop
effective business strategies and enhance relationships with
their customers. In July 2003, the group merged with NFO
WorldGroup, Inc. For more information about TNS, please visit www.tns-global.com
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Survey Methodology
TNS conducted the survey online on behalf of Hostway Corporation
between November 10 and 13, 2004 among a nationally
representative sample of 2,507 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older
selected from TNS-NFO ACCESS panel. For more information on
survey methodology, please contact Tina Janczura at Tina.Janczura@slackbarshinger.com
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