Connected Small Businesses

Connected Small Businesses 2016

This report provides updated insights on the use and benefits of digital tools in Australia’s SMB sector – a sector which generates significant economic activity. SMBs contributed $608 billion to the economy in 2014-15, representing over half of private sector economic activity. Australian SMBs also employed over 7.2 million workers in 2014-15, more than two-thirds of private sector employment.

Based on a national survey of over 600 Australian SMBs, Deloitte Access Economics has taken a fresh look at levels of digital engagement, such as through SMB use of social media, e-commerce, websites, online marketing tools and data analytics. The level of business engagement was then compared with performance metrics such as revenue growth, job creation, exports and innovation in order to identify relationships between digital engagement and business performance.

Compared to businesses with basic digital engagement, Australian SMBs that have advanced levels of digital engagement are:

• 1.5x more likely to be growing revenue
• 8x more likely to be creating jobs
• 7x more likely to be exporting
• 14x more likely to be innovating.
  

Connected Small Business 2013

This report provides insight into the role of digital strategies in Australia’s substantial small and medium-size business sector — a sector that contributed $530 billion to the economy in 2010-11, over half of private sector economic activity, and employed over seven million people, generating more than two thirds of private sector employment.

A national survey of 500 small businesses measured their level of digital engagement, such as having a website with business information or the use of digital marketing to attract customers.