Seventy-one percent of U.S. consumers would spend more money at a small business if it supported a positive social or environmental cause
LAS VEGAS – Social consciousness is spilling over into U.S. consumers’ shopping and dining habits, according to the 2018 Cox Business Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses. The survey data was released during National Small Business Week, a weeklong annual focus on entrepreneurs and small business owners, April 29 – May 5, led by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Seventy-one percent of survey respondents said they would spend more money at a small business if it supported a positive social or environmental cause.
While 68 percent of consumers think small business owners should openly promote the causes they support, more than half would stop supporting a small business if the causes they supported weren’t in line with the consumer’s social and/or environmental views. But the survey highlights still other data including in the area of technology.
“Entrepreneurs, innovators and small business owners are some of the most important influencers in our economy,” said Derrick Hill, vice president of Cox Business / Hospitality Network in Las Vegas. “Whether its e-commerce, improved customer service or bolstering office productivity – the incorporation of technology is key to supporting their endeavors and serving their customers.”
Consumers are placing more importance on the technology offered by the small businesses they frequent. When asked what type of technology would enhance the customer experience at their favorite small businesses, the following were the top three choices:
• 41 percent – Free and reliable Wi-Fi
• 21 percent – Email or online product recommendations based on past purchases
• 18 percent – Point-of-Sale (POS) that accepts mobile payments
Nearly 40 percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 think small businesses should adopt Amazon’s “checkout-less” shopping model.
Diversity and inclusivity also factor into consumer support of a small business. Seventy-one percent said it is important to them that the small businesses they frequent practice diverse and inclusive hiring. When asked how important supporting women-owned businesses was to them, nearly one-third of consumers indicated it was significantly meaningful.
Using technology to power better experiences at small businesses is important to consumers and is becoming an important factor when consumers think about their cities too. Forty-two percent of consumers say their city is starting to adopt “smart” technology – applications that combine people, connected devices, data and process to improve city operations and the city experience. Cox Communications announced on March 28 the designation of the city of Las Vegas as the newest member of the smart Gigabit Communities program.
Visit www.coxblue.com for more details on the 2018 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses. Follow @CoxBusiness on Twitter and use #GoSmall to share your conversation.
About the 2018 Cox Business Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses
Cox Business commissioned a blind survey of American consumers in April of 2018. Respondents to the online survey included a total of 1,129 consumers. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 3 percent.
About Cox Business
The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business provides voice, data and video services for more than 350,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including healthcare providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions and federal, state and local government organizations.
The organization also serves most of the top tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. Cox Business is consistently ranked as one of the top Ethernet providers and recognized by third parties for award winning business telecom service. For more information, please visit www.coxbusiness.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2018
CONTACT
Juergen Barbusca, manager of communications
(702) 545-1004, juergen.barbusca@cox.com