2023年小企業(yè)狀況報告（英）

+VERIZON

BUSINESS’

4THANNUAL

STAT

E

OF

SMALLBUSINESS

SURVEYYearFourResultsA

U

G

U

S

T

2

0

2

3+VERIZON

BUSINESS’

4TH

ANNUAL

STATE

OF

SMALL

BUSINESS

SURVEYBackgroundMETHODOLOGYThissurvey

was

conducted

byMorning

Consult

onbehalf

of

Verizon

Business

between

August10

–

August

23,

2023

among

anational

sample

of681

small

tomidsize

business

owners

anddecision

makers.

Theinterviews

were

conducted

online.

Resultsfrom

thefull

survey

have

amargin

of

error

of

+/-4percentage

points.TARGET

AUDIENCE?

Works

atabusiness

with

1(sole

proprietor)

to500employees?

Has

decision-making

power?

Works

inone

ofthe

following

industries

(~100N

per

industry):

Construction

&Contracting,

Entertainment

&Recreation,

Food&Beverage,

Hospitality

&

Accommodation,

Retail,Restaurant

&BarTRENDINGDatahas

beentrended

against

previous

years

where

applicable.?

Year

3fielddates:

August

12

–

August19,

2022?

Year

2fielddates:

August

5

–

August

16,

2021?

Year

1*fielddates:

August

26

–September

4,

2020*The

year1survey

targetedabroadersetofeight

industries;

yearonedatathroughout

thereport

hasbeenfiltered

toexclude

theindustries

thatwere

notincluded

inyears

2,3,and4.2+VERIZON

BUSINESS’

4TH

ANNUAL

STATE

OF

SMALL

BUSINESS

SURVEYKeyPoints1.

Business

owners

anddecisionmakers

remain

concerned

abouttheUSeconomy

overallbut

havegrown

less

concerned

aboutconditionsforbusinesses

ofallsizes

compared

to

early-pandemicyears.

About

4in5decision

makers

saythey

arevery

or

somewhat

concerned

abouttheUSeconomy

generally,consistent

with2022.

Concern

about

businesses

ofall

sizescontinues

trending

down

compared

toprior

years,thoughconcern

for

small

businesses

(81%)

continues

tooutpace

concern

for

mid-size

(60%)

and

large(39%)

businesses.

Fewerexpressconcern

abouttheir

personal

jobsecurity

(41%).2.

Inflation

andapotential

recession

remain

leadingconcerns

amongbusinessdecision

makers.

Manyare

already

experiencing

increasedcosts

ofdoing

business

andare

responding

byreducingspendorincreasing

prices

tooffsettheimpact.

4in5respondents

saythey

haveexperienced

increased

costsoverthe

pastyear,

afigure

that

continues

togrow

Yo

Y.

Further,81%

say

they

are

worriedabout

the

effects

risinginflation

willhaveontheir

business.

Inresponse,

nearly

3in5small

business

ownersand

decision

makers

haveraised

orhave

plans

toraise

pricesof

goods

and

servicestooffset

the

impacts

ofinflation

(59%)

and

asimilar

share

havereduced

orplan

toreduce

spending

on

non-essential

itemsand

activities(57%).3.

Whileenhancements

tointernetbandwidth,internetspeeds,

andwireless

signalremain

commontech

upgradesthat

respondentssaytheirbusiness

hasmadein

thelast

year,

fewreportusing

AI.

Manyare

unaware

ofthebenefitsandapplications

of

AI

thatcouldsupporttheirbusiness

andworry

aboutitpresentinggreater

risks

ofcyberattacks.Justover1in10decisionmakers

say

their

business

currently

usesAIsolutions

(14%),

while2in5are

unaware

of

how

AIcould

support

their

business

(40%).

Nearly

half

of

respondents

express

concern

aboutintegrating

AIsolutions

intotheir

business

(45%),and

approximately

2in5worry

about

AIopening

their

business

tomorecybersecurity

risks

(43%).However,decision

makers

alsoacknowledge

thepotential

efficiency

gainsitcan

bring

totheir

business.4.

Supplychaindisruptions

andremainingadequately

staffed

are

leadingconcerns

as

decisionmakers

lookahead

tothe2023

holidayseason,

andnearly

halfof

businessleaders

expect

towork

extended

hours.

Consistent

with

lastyear,more

than

1in3decision

makers

areconcerned

about

stayingadequately

staffed,

supply

chain

issues,

properly

pricing

goods

and

services,and

economic

hardships

impacting

theirsales.Concern

about

supply

chain

issues

(36%)

showsadowntickfrom

44%

in2022.

Nearly

half

(46%)

of

business

leaders

expect

toworkextended

hours

over

theholidays.

Mostrespondents

say

their

business

isinvesting

more

inadvertising

ahead

of

theholidays

(52%).

A

plurality

ofrespondents

anticipate

more

online

traffic

than

in-storetraffic

this

year(35%),while1in4say

theopposite

(25%).

Another

25%

expect

anevenmix.3CONTENTSOUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IMPACTSTECHNOLOGY,

CYBERSECURITY,

AND

AIHOLIDAY

SEASONMENTORSHIP++OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSOverall,

concern

about

both

the

US

and

global

economies

is

stablevs.

2022,with

atleast

4

in5decision

makers

indicating

they

areveryor

somewhat

concerned

about

each.

Concern

about

businesses

of

allsizes

continues

trending

downcompared

to

prior

years,though

concern

for

smallbusinesses(81%)

continues

tooutpaceconcern

for

mid-size(60%)

and

large

(39%)

businesses.Ingeneral,

how

concerned

are

youabout

each

ofthe

following?%

VERY

OR

SOMEWHAT

CONCERNEDAug-23Aug-22Aug-21*Aug-20*TheU.S.economyTheglobaleconomySmallThelocalMyfinancialsecurityMid-sizebusinessesintheU.S.Mybusiness'

MyjobsecurityLargebusinessesintheU.S.businessesin

economywheretheU.S.

Ilivefinancialsecurity5*Prior

toAugust

2022,

thisquestionwasasked

as:“Ingeneral,

howconcerned

are

youabout

the

impact

ofthe

coronavirus

(COVID-19)

pandemiconthe

following?”+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSNearly

half

of

decision

makers

believethe

US

(49%)

and

global

(48%)

economies

will

get

worse

inthecomingmonths,

outpacing

theshare

whobelievetheywillimprove(26%and

23%,respectively)

–consistent

with

2022.Slightlyfewer,

44%,

expect

conditionsfor

smallbusinesses

inthe

US

to

get

worse,

though

fewer

than1in5expecttheirpersonal

jobsecurity

to

get

worse

(15%).And,

overthenextfew

months,

doyouexpectconditions

for

each

of

thefollowing

to

getbetterorgetworse,

ortostay

aboutthesamecompared

totoday?MUCH

ORSOMEWHAT

WORSEExpectto

getmuchworseExpectto

getsomewhatworseExpectto

getmuchbetterExpectto

staythesameDon't

know/NoopinionYOYExpectto

getsomewhatbetter202349%44%48%32%24%19%29%20%15%CHANGETheU.S.economySmallbusinessesintheU.S.Theglobaleconomy14%14%13%35%30%35%22%21%18%17%22%5%

3%---1+2-4--28%6%

4%6%

3%25%Thelocaleconomywhere

IliveMyfinancialsecurity7%6%25%18%14%40%5%

2%35%42%41%43%54%28%27%12%

1%10%

2%5%

6%Mybusiness'financialsecurity

5%Mid-sizebusinessesintheU.S.

5%Largebusinessesinthe

U.S.

4%Myjobsecurity

3%-1-2-5-124%19%16%12%21%19%10%5%10%

2%6+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSAcross

regions

and

industries,

with

the

exception

of

retail,the

share

ofrespondents

whosay

theirbusiness

isdoingbetter

nowcompared

toa

year

ago

is

lowerthanthe

share

of

respondents

whosaid

in2022that

they

expected

todobetter

in2023.And,

thinking

about

theoverall

stateof

yourbusinessnow

compared

toayearago(e.g.,

August

2022),

would

yousay

yourbusiness

now

is…/Year3Data:Oneyearfromnow

(e.g.,

August

2023),

doyouanticipatethat

theoverall

stateof

yourbusiness

willbe…43%AllSMBDecisionMakers56%2023:

Sharewhosay

businessisbetternowthaninAugust202247%46%Region:NortheastRegion:Midwest57%57%57%40%42%45%47%2022:

Sharewhoanticipatedbusinesswouldbe

betterinAugust2023Region:SouthRegion:West63%Industry:Construction&ContractingIndustry:Entertainment&RecreationIndustry:Food&BeverageIndustry:Hospitality

&AccommodationIndustry:Restaurant&BarIndustry:Retail40%44%47%59%62%55%30%55%51%48%7+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSDespite

2023

and

previous

years

fallingshort

of

expectations,

most

respondentsremain

optimisticand

expecttheirbusiness

to

be

doingbetter

nextyear

compared

tonow.Finally,

one

yearfromnow

(e.g.,

August

2024),

doyouanticipate

that

theoverall

stateof

yourbusiness

willbe…MuchbetterthannowSomewhatbetterthannowMuchworsethannowAbout

the

sameasnowDon't

know/NoopinionMUCH

ORSOMEWHATBETTERSomewhatworsethannowAdultsRegion:Northeast18%15%18%19%19%14%20%24%18%36%37%35%39%30%32%10%

3%3%10%

5%6%

3%9%

3%54%52%Region:Midwest29%10%53%58%51%54%56%56%56%47%55%Region:South29%Region:West32%40%31%27%12%2%4%4%

3%6%Industry:Construction&ContractingIndustry:Entertainment&RecreationIndustry:Food&BeverageIndustry:Hospitality

&AccommodationIndustry:Retail12%9%36%32%38%27%25%15%3%36%4%

3%15%17%32%29%12%4%

7%5%

2%3%Industry:Restaurant&Bar38%35%8**Added

in

2021

study*Added

in2022

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSNearly

half

of

respondents

continuetoreport

challenges

related

tohiringfor

open

positions

and

retaining

toptalent.

Inrecentyears,

far

fewer

say

they’ve

reduced

employees’

hours

and

laidoff

employees

compared

to2020

and

2021.PERSONNEL:

Over

the

last

year

(e.g.,since

August

2022),

has

yourbusiness…Aug-23;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-22;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-21;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-20;Businesshasdonesincethestartofthepandemic49%43%49%19%17%Hadchallengeshiringnewemployeestofillopenpositions**Laidoff

employees35%NANA43%45%40%46%18%19%Implementednewsystemsortechnologytocompensatefor

ashortageofworkers**Lost

employeesorhadchallengesretainingtop

talent**ExperienceddecliningemployeeproductivityReducedemployees'hours30%NA35%30%16%13%Changedhowwe

payemployeesdue

tocashflowconcerns(e.g.,payrollcadence)*39%33%NANA33%29%16%13%Hiredemployeeswho

donotlivelocallyfor

rolesinwhichtheycanworkremotely**48%20%61%NA32%28%10%11%Implementednewsystemsortechnologytohelpwithonboardingandtrainingemployees**Putemployees

onanunpaidleaveofabsenceReducedemployees'wages37%30%NANA38%28%26%31%9%10%Providednewdevicesortechnologytoemployeestohelpattractorretaintalent**24%27%27%26%8%10%ImplementednewsystemsortechnologytoallowforremotecollaborationPutemployeesonapaidleaveofabsence38%32%24%917%**Added

in

2021

study*Added

in2022

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTS4in5decision

makers

say

theirbusinesshas

experienced

increased

costs

inthe

last

year,

afigure

that

continues

togrow

year-over-year.

Themajoritysay

they’ve

started

offering

new

productsand

services

toadapt

tochanging

needs,

while

fewer

reportexperiencing

decliningsales

compared

to

thepast.OPERATIONS:

Over

thelast

year

(e.g.,

since

August2022),

has

yourbusiness…Aug-23;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-22;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-21;BusinesshasdoneinthelastyearAug-20;Businesshasdonesincethestartofthepandemic28%29%80%78%Addedortransitionedto

digital/onlineoperationsExperiencedincreasedcosts40%61%58%32%28%30%45%StarteddeliveringproductsandservicesdifferentlyWithdrewfromcashreservesStartedofferingnewproductsand

servicestoadapttochangingcustomerneeds39%38%48%48%36%24%27%52%53%56%42%Experiencedissuessourcingmaterialsdueto

supplychaininterruptions34%18%20%47%43%46%Appliedforanewlineofcredit27%14%17%19%ExperienceddecliningsalesBegunpreparingforapossibleeconomicrecession*Slowedorstoppedhiringdueto

economicconditions*Implementednewsystemsortechnologytoensure

security60%70%Reducedwagesofbusinessowners/leaders35%40%39%44%16%16%NAMAWithheldpaymentsonbills(e.g.,rent,utilities,internetservices,etc.)28%27%16%34%31%15%14%NANAAppliedforaprivateloanorgrantAppliedforafederalloanorgrant18%12%16%33%32%38%39%35%1031%+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSThemajorityof

respondents

(81%)are

worried

about

the

effects

inflationwill

have

ontheirbusiness,

consistent

with

2022.

Thisyear,

moredecision

makers

are

concerned

about

howincreases

incost-of-living

have

changed

theiremployees’

expectations

(+6pp

vs.

2022).TOTAL

AGREETo

whatextentdoyouagreeor

disagree

withthe

following

statements?YOYCHANGEStronglyagreeSomewhatagreeDon'tknow/NoopinionSomewhatdisagreeStronglydisagree202381%-1+6-2-1-2-Iworryabouttheeffectsrisinginflationwillhaveonmybusiness.38%43%3%

12%

5%Increasedcost-of-livingischangingmybusiness'employees'expectationsofthebusiness.70%59%59%54%45%36%28%42%6%18%6%Mybusinesshasuseddigitaltoolsandtechnologiesoverthe

pasttwoyearstochangeourprocessesandcustomerexperiences.21%38%39%8%21%19%11%Mybusinessisdevelopingor

implementingstrategiestodrivecustomersbacktoface-to-faceinteraction.20%19%10%12%14%Mybusinesshasleverageddigitaltoolsandtechnologiestocreatenewopportunitiestomakemoneyoverthepasttwoyears.35%10%21%Alaborshortageischangingmybusiness'employees'expectationsofthebusiness.15%30%11%26%18%Iworrythatemployeesatmybusinesswilllookforjobselsewhereif

theflexibilitytoworkremotelyisnotoffered.12%24%11%24%29%+111*Added

in2023

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSAmajorityof

decision

makers

say

theyeither

already

have

orareplanning

toreduce

spending

onnon-essential

itemsand

raise

pricesinpreparation

for

apossible

economic

downturn.

Compared

to

2022,fewer

respondents

say

theywill

be

cutting

back

onoperationalinvestments

and

scalingback

onprogramsor

business

offerings.Hasyourbusiness

done,

ordoes

it

have

plans

todo,

any

of

thefollowing

due

to

thepotentialfor

aneconomicdownturninAL

R

E

AD

Y

D

O

N

E

,

C

U

R

R

E

N

T

L

Ythenear

future(i.e.,arecession)?D

O

I

N

G

,

O

R

P

L

AN

N

I

N

G

I

N

T

H

EN

E

X

T

6

M

O

N

T

H

SAlreadydone/currentlydoingthisNo

currentplanstodo

thisPlanningto

do

in

thenext6monthsDon'tknow

/NoopinionPlanning

todoin

thenext7–12monthsYOYCHANGE2023Reducespendingonnon-essentialitemsand

activities(e.g.,teamevents,

etc.)Raisethepricesofgoods

orserviceswe

offertooffsettheimpactsofinflationUtilizemorefreeresourcesorplatformstomanagedailyoperationsStockadditionalproductwithlowholdingcosts44%43%13%16%9%13%35%39%43%42%46%42%44%25%20%8%8%57%59%39%37%31%35%29%30%32%25%24%26%26%30%24%18%-2-3-2-2-8-2-2-227%23%12%14%9%14%10%

10%12%10%11%9%13%14%14%14%15%16%12%10%12%15%12%15%16%10%Cutbackon

plannedoperationalinvestments22%21%19%18%18%17%17%16%15%14%12%Investin

employeeretentionto

avoidcostsandtimeassociatedwithhiringSeekoutsideadviceonmerchandisingproductsorservicesSeekoutsideadviceonfinancialplanning12%11%12%Change/considerchangingyourbusinessmodeltomeeteconomicdemands*Reduceemployeeheadcounttohelpsavemoney*14%8%

8%7%

9%10%

10%11%

10%57%55%50%52%46%47%Implementahiringfreezetoavoidincrementalexpenses*Cutbackonplannedtechnologyinvestments-3-7ScalebackonprogramsorbusinessofferingstocovercostsSeekbusinesseducationtokeepup

withchangingeconomicconditions*Seekoutnewfundingopportunities,suchas

grants*16%12%9%13%Scalebackemployeebenefitstosavemoney10%

8%

8%64%-112+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSWhilerespondents

continuetobe

mostworried

about

inflation(70%)

and

apossible

recession

(66%),concern

about

bothof

theseissues

hassubdued

slightlyvs.

2022.Decision

makers

also

express

less

concern

about

theirabilitytocreate

newrelationships

withcustomers

and

maintainexistingrelationships

compared

tolastyear.Thinking

about

how

yourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

if

at

all?VERY

ORSOMEWHATCONCERNEDVery

concernedSomewhatconcernedDon't

know/NoopinionNottoo

concernedNotatallconcernedYOYCHANGE2023Theimpactofinflationon

yourbusinessThepossibility

ofan

economicrecessionordownturnCashflowdisruptiondue

to

economicissuesCreatingrelationshipswithnewcustomersorclientsMaintainingrelationshipswithexistingcustomersorclientsRetainingtop

talent33%32%37%34%4%17%9%9%70%66%55%48%45%48%54%47%-43%22%-7-4-8-6+1-2-222%33%6%26%14%21%20%19%19%18%27%4%32%17%19%21%16%21%25%29%3%32%7%25%Managingrisinglaborcosts35%7%23%Maintainingadequatestaffinglevels29%5%26%13Showing

attributes

withhighest

%VeryConcerned;

continued

on

following

slide+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSAbout2in5respondents

express

concern

about

preparing

for

increased

sales

activity

during

the

holiday

season.

Mostrespondentsarenot

concerned

about

having

toreduce

theirworkforce

(29%)or

implementa

hiringfreeze

(26%)inthenextfew

months.Thinking

about

how

yourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

if

at

all?VERY

ORSOMEWHATCONCERNEDVery

concernedSomewhatconcernedDon't

know/NoopinionNottoo

concernedNotatallconcernedYOYCHANGE2023Marketingmybusiness'productsandserviceseffectivelyAttractingtop

talent16%16%16%14%13%12%12%30%29%34%26%29%25%30%6%7%31%27%26%32%32%36%33%17%20%18%21%20%22%19%46%45%50%40%42%37%42%29%26%-6-1-6-3-1-3Ensuringinventorylevelsorfulfillmentschedulesamidcontinuedsupplychaindisruptions6%Ensuringthesecurityof

onlineanddigitaltransactions8%5%Creatingnewproductsand

servicesthatmeetthe

changingneeds

ofconsumersEnsuringthesecurityof

company

networks

and

computersystems6%Preparingforincreasedsalesactivityduringtheholidayseason*5%Reducingtalentheadcount*

10%Hiringfreeze*

10%19%16%9%9%30%33%38%28%14+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSConcerns

about

non-economic

business

issues

continueto

tickdownyear-over-year.

Despite

this,nearly

half

of

respondentsremain

concerned

about

creatingrelationships

with

newcustomers,marketing

products

and

services,

and

maintainingexistingrelationships

with

customers.Thinking

about

howyourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

ifat

all?%

VERY

OR

SOMEWHAT

CONCERNEDAug-23Aug-22Aug-21Aug-2048%56%Creating

relationshipswithnewcustomersorclients66%65%46%52%52%Marketingmy

business'productsandserviceseffectivelyMaintainingrelationshipswithexistingcustomersorclients60%45%51%60%60%42%43%Creatingnewproductsandservicesthatmeetthechangingneedsofconsumers52%52%52%46%40%43%Ensuringthe

securityofonlineanddigitaltransactions43%37%40%Ensuringthe

securityofcompanynetworksandcomputersystems44%15Showing

attributes

not

related

tothe

economy*Added

in2023

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSDecision

makers

inthe

restaurant

&bar

industryexpress

stronger

levels

of

concern

about

staffing

and

retention

inthecomingmonths

relativeto

those

inother

industries.Thinking

about

howyourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

ifat

all?TALENT:

%

VERY

OR

SOMEWHAT

CONCERNEDIndustry:Construction&ContractingIndustry:Hospitality&AccommodationIndustry:Entertainment&RecreationIndustry:Restaurant&BarIndustry:Food&BeverageIndustry:RetailManagingrisinglaborcostsRetainingtoptalentMaintainingadequatestaffinglevelsAttractingtoptalentReducingtalentheadcount*Hiringfreeze*16*Added

in2023

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSRespondents

inthe

food

&

beverage

and

restaurant

&

bar

industries

are

morelikelyto

be

concerned

about

maintaininginventory

levels

amid

supply

chain

disruptions

compared

torespondents

inother

industries;

construction

&

contractingdecisionmakers

aremost

worried

about

inflation.Thinking

about

howyourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

ifat

all?OPERATIONS:

%

VERY

OR

SOMEWHAT

CONCERNEDIndustry:Construction&ContractingIndustry:Hospitality&AccommodationIndustry:Entertainment&RecreationIndustry:Restaurant&BarIndustry:Food&BeverageIndustry:RetailThe

impactof

inflationonyour

The

possibilityof

aneconomicCashflowdisruptiondue

toeconomicissuesEnsuringinventorylevelsor

EnsuringthesecurityofonlineEnsuringthesecurityofcompanynetworksandcomputer

systemsbusinessrecessionor

downturnfulfillmentschedulesamidcontinuedsupplychaindisruptionsanddigitaltransactions17*Added

in2023

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSLevels

of

concern

across

sales

and

marketing-related

areas

vary

less

across

industries,

though

decision

makers

inthefood

&beverage

industryaremost

likelytobeconcerned

about

theincreased

sales

activity

duringtheupcomingholiday

season.Thinking

about

howyourbusiness

plans

tomoveforwardoverthe

nextfew

months,

how

concerned

are

youabout

thefollowing,

ifat

all?SALES

&

MARKETING:

%

VERY

OR

SOMEWHAT

CONCERNEDIndustry:Construction&ContractingIndustry:Hospitality&AccommodationIndustry:Entertainment&RecreationIndustry:Restaurant&BarIndustry:Food&BeverageIndustry:RetailCreatingrelationshipswithnewcustomersorclientsMarketingmy

business’

products

and

Maintainingrelationshipswithexisting

Creatingnewproductsand

services

Preparingfor

increasedsalesactivityservices

effectivelycustomersorclientsthatmeetthechangingneedsofduringthe

holidayseason*consumers18*Attribute

added

in

2022

study+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSThemajorityof

decision

makers

(70%)

say

thatthe

cost

of

doingbusiness

has

been

higher

for

themin

thepast

year,

upslightlycompared

to2022.Meanwhile,

respondents

thisyear

are

slightlymorelikelythanlast

year

to

report

higher

customersatisfaction

and

overall

revenue.Compared

toayearago

(i.e.,

August

2022),

would

yousay

the

following

are

higher,

lower,orabout

thesame

for

your

business

now?%

MUCH

OR

SOMEWHAT

HIGHERAug-23Aug-22Aug-21*Aug-20*Costofdoing

CustomerorQualityofproductorserviceOverallrevenueLevelofinnovationinRevenuegeneratedLevelofLevelofTechnological

EmployeemoraleLevelofcollaborationamongEmployeeturnover*business*clientinnovationin

flexibilityand

advancementsatisfactiontheproducts

throughdigital

ourbusiness

adaptabilityandserviceswedeliverwithinourbusinessofferingsoronlineoperationsoperationsamongemployeesemployees19*Prior

toAugust

2022,

thisquestion

wasasked

as:

“Comparedtobefore

thecoronavirus

(COVID-19)

pandemic

began,

wouldyou

say

thefollowing

arehigher,

lower,

orabout

thesameforyour

business

now?”+OUTLOOK

&

BUSINESS

IM

PACTSSocial

media

marketing

(56%)

and

offering

deals

toappeal

tonewcustomers

(50%)

aretheleadingtacticsthatdecision

makershaveimplemented

over

the

past

year,

consistent

with

2022.

About

2in5say

theirbusiness

hasoffered

flexibleworkingarrangements

inthe

past

year

to

support

hiringand

employee

engagement,

and

another

21%say

theyareconsidering

doingso.Inthelast

year,

has

yourbusiness

done

or

considered

doing

thefollowing?%

DONE

ORCURRENTLYDOINGChange

vs.

2022MybusinessiscurrentlydoingorhasalreadydonethisMybusinessisnotconsideringthisMybusinesshasnotyetdonebutisconsideringdoingthisDon't

know/NoopinionUsingsocialmediamarketingtoincreasecustomerengagementandonlinetraffic56%21%17%21%7%6%-3+2+5+2+3-2Offeringsalesor

dealsonproductsor

servicesto

appealtonewcustomers50%23%Offeringflexibleworkingarrangements(e.g.,schedules,location)toemployeestodrive

newhiresorretainemployees41%21%29%9%Implementingnewdigitalmarketingtechnologiestobettertargettherightaudiences41%26%24%9%Offeringincentivesto

drivenewhiresorretain

employees31%22%37%10%9%Usingsocialmedia'storefronts'or'shops'toallowconsumerstobuyproductsorservicesdirectlyvia