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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/sme/0,3800004380,39160322,00.htm

Small business loving web shopping
SME, myself and IT

By Jo Best

Published: Friday 14 July 2006

'Have internet, will shop' - that's the new motto at SMEs, analysts have found, with the majority opting to do procurement over the web.

According to a report from JupiterResearch, 79 per cent of SMEs buy products and services over the internet.

The research also shows that smaller businesses tend to shop cautiously, choosing familiar brand names from which to make purchases. SMEs are also influenced by their offline relationships with vendors, with around 62 per cent saying if they know a company from the 'real world' they're more likely to buy from them.

SMEs are also frugal shoppers and almost half of them use comparison shopping sites to get the best prices.

The research found that SMEs' top online shops are travel-related, with IT hardware and software second.