Survey Says…Small Businesses Cautious in IT Spending
New survey by Wasp Barcode Technologies reveals, however, that spending will still be strong for productivity solutions.
Not all technology spending is equal, reveals a survey by Plano, Texas-based Wasp Barcode Technologies, a provider of barcode-based productivity solutions for small business.
In a recent customer survey, Wasp asked its small business customers to estimate their technology spending for the remainder of 2009. Survey respondents overall appeared cautious, with only 19 percent intending to increase their IT spending for the second half of the year. Forty-one percent plan to spend the same amount as they did in the first half of 2009, while the remaining 40 percent expect to spend less.
Yet these numbers change significantly for a particular set of businesses. Companies that previously invested in productivity solutions to track inventory or assets have a much more positive attitude toward IT spending: 31 percent plan to increase IT investments for the remainder of 2009, while another 39 percent expect their IT dollars to remain the same. Only 30 percent of these businesses intend to spend less.
“Small businesses are still spending, especially if they can find a way to improve their operations, save money, or gain a competitive advantage,” says Tom O’Shea, general manager for Wasp. “It seems they are particularly interested in exploring technologies that have a positive impact on their bottom line.”
But one question remains unanswered: Are these businesses more willing to spend because productivity solutions have improved their financial positions, thus freeing up cash? Or because they now understand how strategic IT solutions can change their businesses for the better?
“We think it’s a little bit of both,” says O’Shea. “As we visit and talk to our customers, we see the efficiency and gains being achieved. Our productivity solutions have literally saved millions of dollars for thousands of small businesses, while also making operations flow more smoothly and with less frustration. Once small business owners and managers see the difference that these solutions can make, they are ready to embrace similar investments.”
