America's Smaller Businesses are Just Beginning to Take Advantage of the Internet for Business.GTE GTE General Telephone & Electronics GTE Génie Thermique et Énergie (French) GTE Gas Turbine Engine GTE Global Tropospheric Experiment GTE Geothermal Energy GTE Gas Turbine Efficiency plc (Sweden & USA) SuperPages.com/Gallup Release Results of National Small Business Internet-Use Survey As the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the grows at an astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, rate, more small-to-medium size businesses are planning to take the plunge Take The Plunge was an early evening game show that was produced by Thames Television and aired on the ITV network for one series in 1989, the programme was hosted by comedy actress Su Pollard. by developing a Web site and offering e-commerce e-commerce, commerce conducted over the Internet, most often via the World Wide Web. E-commerce can apply to purchases made through the Web or to business-to-business activities such as inventory transfers. . Up to this point, many smaller businesses have been reluctant to develop Web sites and conduct e-commerce activities due to limited resources and fear of the unknown. These and other interesting findings were recently released in a national study conducted by GTE SuperPages.com and the Gallup Gallup, town (1990 pop. 19,154), alt. 6,515 ft (1,986 m), seat of McKinley co., NW N.Mex., on the Puerco River near the Ariz. line; inc. 1891. It is a rail and trade center in a large mining, timber, and ranching area. Organization. "Our survey findings indicate that small businesses are beginning to understand important ways to grow their business through the Internet," stated Earl A. Goode, president of GTE Directories Corporation, provider of SuperPages.com. "We are seeing more small companies use the Internet to increase sales, communicate with existing customers and market their business to new consumers." A leading online Yellow Pages and shopping resource, GTE SuperPages.com provides a variety of marketing services for small businesses interested in establishing and promoting an Internet presence including Web site development and hosting, online advertising, and Internet access See how to access the Internet. . SuperPages.com helps small businesses get connected on the Internet and maximize their exposure, in turn, helping increase awareness and growth. Small Business Internet Use Continues to Grow The results of the random survey of 500 businesses indicate that 62 percent of small businesses are currently using the Internet for some of their business needs including communicating with customers, online sales and to provide product or service information. In addition, 25 percent of small businesses owners said that they currently have a Web site. These businesses are reaping the benefits of being online; 68 percent of those surveyed reported that their Web site has met most or exceeded their business expectations. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the small businesses who sell goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. online, 15 percent of their total sales volume comes from online sales and 66 percent believe that sales volume will increase in the next 12 months. "Small businesses that have embraced the Internet as a business tool will continue to see the benefits of its use," explained Goode. "The Internet provides endless opportunities for any size business to market any type of product or service. Small and medium size businesses are precisely the customers that we are targeting with SuperPages.com." The SuperPages.com/Gallup study indicates that an interactive and informative Web presence is important to small businesses even if they are not ready or equipped to conduct online transactions. Why Small Businesses are Not Using the Internet Even with the overwhelming presence of the Internet in the business world, many small businesses are opting not to use the Web. The major reasons cited for not using the Internet were: 1) lack of time, lack of staff, and lack of a suitable Web partner to develop the site; and 2) the concern that the Internet does not reach local customers. "We've found with our customers that no business is 'too local' to take advantage of the Web as an effective way to reach customers. Consumers are beginning to use the Internet more and more as a resource for local information and small businesses need to be there," said Goode. As more small businesses discover the benefits of the Internet their desire to establish a Web site increases. According to the small businesses without a Web site surveyed, 44 percent indicated that they had plans to develop an Internet site within the next 12 months. They understand that with more consumers using the Internet, it is important for them to develop an online presence to continue to grow. Meeting Customer Needs on the Internet Small businesses believe the Web features most important to their customers include: 1) Web sites that allow secure and private transactions; 2) the ability to correspond with the business via e-mail; and 3) the convenience of being able to obtain online price quotes, conduct price comparisons between competitors and purchase products online. "Any business, including a small business can develop a Web site that meets their customers' needs," explains Goode. "The Internet is an essential tool for businesses entering the new millennium." About SuperPages.com and GTE Directories Corporation With more than 12 million businesses listed and tens of thousands of advertisers, SuperPages.com, offered by GTE Directories Corporation, is a rich, comprehensive shopping resource designed for people who want the convenience of finding information and purchasing products and services online. A leading Internet Yellow Pages and shopping site, SuperPages.com has received 23.9 million cumulative unique visitors A count of how many different people access a Web site. For example, if a user leaves and comes back to the site five times during the measurement period, that person is counted as one unique visitor, but would count as five "user sessions. from January through September, according to Media Metrix. SuperPages.com conducts as many as 12.6 million Yellow Pages searches per month. GTE Directories Corporation is a part of GTE Corporation, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies See telecom company. and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services In telecommunication, the term telecommunications service has the following meanings: 1. Any service provided by a telecommunication provider. 2. . In October, GTE Corporation founded GTE Reads, a national, non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. dedicated to fighting illiteracy illiteracy, inability to meet a certain minimum criterion of reading and writing skill. Definition of Illiteracy The exact nature of the criterion varies, so that illiteracy must be defined in each case before the term can be used in a meaningful . For a complete copy of the survey findings, contact Stacey Lammot at 310/288-5523 or slammot@painepr.com . |
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