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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has released its biennial survey of members. One of the most interesting findings - for those of us who beat on about exploiting the benefits of the internet for business, anyway - was that 43 per cent of respondents had improved sales figures after linking to suppliers and using their website to advertise their firm.

This simply underlines the value of using the internet for business transactions. Even more, it highlights how improtant this will be during an economic downturn.

As John Walker, the FSB National Policy Chairman, says:

“The number of small businesses who have their own website has grown over the past two years, which indicates that small firms are becoming increasingly internet-savvy. Despite the onset of an economic downturn, all small firms should look to the internet to maximise their sales and increase efficiency.”

The FSB report is called Putting the economy back on track: Transport, Environment and ICT and was written by Professor Oswald Jones and compiled by the University of Glamorgan.

As a final comment on the way that businesses are now turning to the internet, the report reveals that the number of small businesses who now have their own web site has increased by a quarter to around 70 per cent since the last survey.

Businesses who are still deciding whether the internet is something in which they should be investing energy, focus, or finance take note. Your competitors are doing it and they will be gaining market share.

Tags: economic downturn, FSB, increased sales, University of Glamorgan