Many small business operators are using mobile and web-based applications to maintain their day-to-day productivity, according to a new survey of 2,000 small businesses across the United States, the UK, Australia and Canada, conducted by Intuit.
The business and financial management solutions provider's "2016 Appification of Small Business" survey indicated 68 percent of small businesses leverage mobile or web-based apps to "help run their operations, eliminate administrative tasks and shift their focus to growing their business."
In addition, Intuit found that 66 percent of small business owners use a smartphone, and many of these business operators "are seeing – and experiencing – the long-term effect of mobile and web-based apps on their bottom line."
"We're thrilled that small business owners around the world are transforming how they run their business and integrating innovative new technologies to improve how they operate," Vinay Pai, vice president and head of the Intuit Developer Group, said in a prepared statement.
- 82 percent of small business owners who use mobile and web-based apps said they leverage between one and six apps to run their business.
- 41 percent stated they are unsure of which apps are best suited for their business.
- 39 percent noted they are concerned with app integration costs.
- 23 percent said app complexity remains an issue for their business.
The small business space may represent a profitable segment for mobile developers, particularly as the demand for state-of-the-art mobile apps increases globally.
However, a recent survey conducted by mobile app development advisor ContractIQ showed that many mobile developers have ignored this sector.
The survey revealed the average mobile developer generated 23 percent of its annual revenue from small businesses in 2015. Comparatively, the average developer garnered 37 percent of its annual revenue from startups and 29 percent from enterprises last year.
For more:
- see the survey results
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Article updated Sept. 19 to correct information about the size of the survey.