According to the US Census Bureau, there are 30.7 million local businesses in the United States.
A study of over 6,000 local online US consumers was conducted to show how consumers find, choose, and interact with local businesses. In addition to indicating what consumers would most like to see from local businesses.
Local Business Stats
82% of consumers use local businesses.
48% of consumers plan to increase their use of local businesses.
96% of consumers think local businesses offer more personalized services.
75% of consumers say reviews give local business the competitive advantage.
86% of consumers are willing to leave a review if they had a positive experience.
Only 7% of consumers are asked to leave a review.
The Personal Touch Matters
While 77% of consumers believe that national chains have more competitive pricing, 72% are willing to pay more in order to use a local business and receive more “quality work.” 96% of local businesses do beat the national chains when it comes to personalizing services.
Additionally, local businesses are preferable to national chains in several areas.
91% of consumers think local chains are more trustworthy.
88% of consumers think local chains provide better customer service.
86% of consumers think local chains deliver quality work.
75% of consumers think local businesses have more quality staff.
Consumer Expectations
Quality Website – Websites are important to consumers, whether it is a brick-and-mortar business or not, consumers rank website improvemetns as a top change they would like to see local businesses make. (Improve your website!)
Online Reviews – 76% of consumers want to see reviews online. 6 out of 10 people want to be able to leave an online review and three quarters of consumers say reviews set a business apart from its competitors.
Special Offers – 49% of consumers want to see more special deals and offers. 57% of consumers would like ot see special offers for returning customers.
Online Scheduling/Billing/Payments – Online conveniences are gaining steam. Consumers also want the flexibility to scheduling their appointments or book services online. Managing their payments and billing online is another convenience they would like to see.
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(Source: Yodle Insights)