Financial service SMEs not online – survey
Less than half (44%) of South African small, medium and micro enterprises (SMEs) operating in the financial services sector have any kind of online presence, according to new data.
Research compiled by World Wide Worx, and conducted among 1,007 SME decision makers, found that the majority of respondents operating in the IT and telecoms sectors have websites (89%).
Similarly, a high number (76%) of those in the tourism and transportation sector also have an online presence.
According to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, 20% of respondents said they wouldn’t be in business without a website. He said that if the country could add 35% to that total, it would add value and sustainability of SMEs in South Africa – and thus boosting economic prosperity.
The results of the SME Survey 2012 found a clear correlation between competitiveness and having a website, as 68% of SMEs with a website regard themselves as generally competitive, and 45% regarding themselves as highly competitive.
For those without a website, these figures declined to 59% and 38% respectively.
Goldstuck noted that the research was at an interim stage, as 2,000 SMEs would still be included in the survey.
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