Is your small business conducting e-commerce directly through Facebook? According to a recent study by Ability Commerce, only 10% of the Web’s largest retailers sell products directly through Facebook. Are retailers simply not hip to the sell-through potential of the world’s most popular social media site? Or, as I pointed out in my early review of Google+, is this just indicative of Facebook’s long-standing difficulties in integrating e-commerce into its social networking architecture? Read More
Tag: survey
It’s Official: Smartphones are More Important than Hygiene
When we last checked in with Manta, they released some promising survey data indicating that Small Businesses are hiring. Their latest survey, however, tells us a little bit more about the modern Small Business owner and entrepreneur. While it’s within their margin of error, more small business owners check their email on their mobile device first thing in the morning (32%) than brush their teeth (31%). The age of the smartphone has truly arrived.
That said, it’s important for Small Business owners and entrepreneurs to make the most of their time spent on their mobile devices. Reading this site is one way. Signing up for Manta might be another. If you missed our previous coverage, allow me to recap: Manta allows small biz owners to ‘claim’ their online business listing, network with other small business owners, and participate in a rich Q&A-style forum called Manta Connect. The best part? Manta just announced the latest version of their mobile app for iOS devices. And it’s all free, so you really have no excuse.
The new version of the app allows you to search for small businesses in a variety of ways, offering search filters by category, name, number of employees, proximity and more. They give you maps of company locations, and let you bookmark other small businesses you might be interested in networking with. But the best part? If you’re using the new Manta app on your iPhone, you can easily add a biz’s contact info straight into your phone book.
One last bit of data from the survey: Manta found that a full 73% of business owners are working remotely while on vacation this summer, checking email or documents from their smartphone or tablet computers. I know that it’s tough working for a small business sometimes, feeling like you have to work twice as hard as your competition just to stay afloat, but you need to remember to relax too. Maybe you should be using the Manta app to find yourself a decent spa or massage parlor.
Oh, and if you want to check out the full release of Manta’s new survey data, head on over to their site. Just don’t drop your smartphone in the toilet while trying to juggle your floss with your iPhone.