Survey shows local Web sites short on sales

by Jerry Shottenkirk
The Journal Record
11/24/2006

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma business leaders have officially accepted Web site and information technology, according to a Journal Record survey.

Done by Wilson Research Strategies Inc., and sponsored by Accord Human Resources and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the survey indicated that 85 percent of the 131 business people queried said their business has a Web site. Of that total, 46 percent said they designed and created it, while 41 percent said they contracted with an Oklahoma company to create and host it.

The benefits of having a Web site were lukewarm. Of those asked, 42 percent said their Web site did not generate a great amount of profit for their business, and 29 percent said it did. The jury is still out for the remaining 29 percent.

Information technology is an important cog for the businesses involved. According to the survey, 95 percent of the businesses use a computer for record keeping, accounting or payroll and 95 percent have Internet access. Database management is part of 85 percent of businesses and 73 percent use a computer for developing presentations, marketing and sales materials. The Internet is used for information and research by 85 percent of those polled.

In considering e-commerce strategies for the future, 69 percent said it would be important to provide product-service information online, 63 percent rated reaching new customers with e-commerce as a priority and 60 percent viewed electronic marketing to existing customers as important.

Eighty-one percent said making more information available is a major benefit, keeping up with the times and the image of their business was listed by 73 percent, and better marketing was named by 65 percent as another benefit of the technology.

Information technology figures into the future of a vast majority of the businesses. Seventy-two percent said they are considering using information technology to expand or restructure their business, and 37 percent of those said that understanding the opportunities available via the Internet would create the greatest challenges for expansion or restructuring of the business.

 

To view complete survey results, please click here.