Verizon’s Small Business Survey finds inflation and supply chain top concerns

Small Business Days: $500+ off a Verizon Business Unlimited Pro 2.0 Plan and a free 5G phone with a qualifying trade in

More than half say spam, viruses and password theft pose a cybersecurity threat

Sixty-one percent of small businesses have adopted new tools and technologies over the past two years to improve customer experience

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business today released findings from its third annual State of Small Business Survey, conducted by Morning Consult. With responses from more than 600 small and midsize businesses, the data shows that challenges such as inflation, labor and the U.S. economy are top concerns. Despite this, businesses remain upbeat regarding their future, with 56% of small and midsize businesses believing they will be better a year from now than they are today. Other areas of concern include cybersecurity and businesses’ outlook for the 2022 holiday season. Download the full survey results.

“While there has been a tightening of the belt by businesses of all sizes, they have also seen the benefit of continued innovation and technology investment to drive sales, employee engagement, and improved customer experience,” said Aparna Khurjekar, Chief Revenue Officer, Business Markets and SaaS, at Verizon Business. “We are committed to providing our small business customers with a suite of integrated tools that will give them the technological edge they need to succeed.”

Key findings:

• Inflation and supply chain issues remain top concerns. Nearly half (44%) of small and midsize business decision makers are concerned about supply chain issues affecting holiday season sales and approximately one in three (35%) are worried about economic hardships and inflation impacting their sales.

• Workforce and economy woes. More than 82% of respondents express inflation worry, and, compared to the two previous years, respondents this time are more likely to be concerned about their own financial security (72% in Aug. 22, vs. 66% in 2021 and 67% in 2020). However, 80% of businesses surveyed haven’t laid off employees, and 87% haven’t reduced their employees’ wages.

• Technology investments the last to be cut. Compared to cutting spending on operational investments (39%) and employee events (59%), only 29% have already cut or plan to cut technology investments in the next six months.

• Connectivity technology upgrades driven by revenue. Nearly half (48%) of technology additions made by small and midsize businesses initially were to drive customer acquisition, and 53% of businesses who have added to their tech stack invested to better connect with existing customers.

• Cybersecurity concerns linger. Consistent with 2021, a majority of small and midsize business decision makers consider the following a risk to their business this year: viruses (55%), malware and ransomware (54%), sensitive data vulnerabilities (51%), password theft (51%), and spam and phishing (50%).

• Innovation to match consumer tastes. 48% of businesses surveyed began offering new products and services to adapt to changing consumer needs in the past year.

• Discrepancies in small business owners’ 2022 expectations. While 68% of small and midsize business decision makers expected their business to be doing better in 2022 vs. 2021, only 46% say that business has improved.

• Hospitality industry hit hard. Small businesses in food & beverage, restaurants & bars, and retail are more worried than other industries about bouncing back to pre-COVID levels with a more cost-conscious public. Ensuring inventory levels and fulfillment schedules amid continued supply chain disruptions was a concern for businesses in food & beverage (72%), restaurants & bars (69%) and retail (62%). Cash flow disruptions were also a concern: food & beverage (65%), restaurants & bars (59%) and retail (66%).

Verizon Business Small Business Days September 8-14th

Verizon Business is bringing back Small Business Days September 8-14th, where businesses can take advantage of special discounts and have the opportunity to meet with a Verizon Business expert for a complimentary tech check. Offers include savings of over $500 on a Verizon Business Unlimited Pro 2.0 Plan for customers that transfer their number to a new smartphone and a select free 5G phone with a new line, qualifying trade in & Business Unlimited plan.

To learn more about Verizon Small Business Days, visit www.verizon.com/business.

Free Resources Available to Small Businesses

Focused on helping small businesses with their digitization, Verizon launched a free, comprehensive online curriculum designed to give small businesses personalized learning, including over 30 courses, mentorship, peer networking, 1:1 expert coaching and incentives: Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. Available at Verizon.com/SmallBusinessDigitalReady, the portal was created with and for small businesses and the organizations that work alongside them, with a specific focus on helping diverse and under-resourced business owners. This initiative is part of a 10-year commitment Verizon made in 2020 to support 1M small businesses with the resources to thrive in the digital economy as part of its responsible business plan, Citizen Verizon.