19% of US consumers will use their mobile phones for shopping this Christmas.

A Deloitte survey reports that 19% of US shoppers will use their mobile device over the holiday season to help find what they want. Younger people feature in this use. 39% of consumers aged 18 to 29 will use their mobile phones to check products, prices, find store locations and get directions.

25% of those who use their mobile phone to help with their shopping say they will buy the product on their phone.

While the sales figures are still small for purchases on mobile devices, currently $750 million, less than 1% of online sales, retailers are moving to provide mobile shopping sites to cater for the expected growth in this area.

Internet Retailer reports that 112 retailers now have either mobile commerce sites, or applications, or both. Many large companies are making mobile purchases available, including Toys R Us, Sears and Victoria’s Secret.

Mobile phones are being used to compare prices, and check whether goods are available. Smartphone applications are helping drive the trend of shopping on mobile devices.

Normal websites are not very successful to view from a mobile phone, and in most cases, they just don’t function.

EBay’s mobile website has over 1 million consumers visit a day and will make $500 million this year in sales, which is currently 66% of all mobile sales.

While shoppers are not yet as comfortable about buying on their mobile phone as they are on their desktop computer, the number of people doing this is increasing at a high rate. This will continue as consumers become more relaxed about mobile shopping after having used the facility.

We are assisting by providing an iPhone version of our Local Search Facility in our US Business Directory. We have over 10 million business listed and we provide the prospects to them without cost.


Monte Huebsch, CEO

Small US firm’s sales are down 3.8% in 2009.

Sageworks, in a survey of 10,000 banks and small business CPAs, reports that small company’s sales reduced by 3.8% for this year to the end of October. They had a sales increase of 2.4% in 2008.

Large firms were better off with an average fall in sales of only 1.8% for the same period this year.

Certain small business sectors fared worse than others in sales reductions, transport and storage fell 16.7%, manufacturing fell 13.8%, wholesalers fell 10.4% and retailers fell 6.7%.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses reports that 86% of small businesses had flat or reduced earnings over the last three months and 82% had level or lower sales in that period. In the next three months, 21% plan to reduce staff and 32% will reduce stock levels.

From 1993 to 2008, US small businesses provided 65% of job growth and they account for approximately 50% of non government employment, so their recovery will determine the improvement in the current high unemployment rate.

The weak US dollar has hurt small firms who import raw materials and there is little upside in this for them since most do not export. The housing crisis has also created problems for building contractors which are mostly small companies.

Tight credit has meant that many small business owners have used credit cards to finance their operations and many lenders are now reducing credit limits.

So small firms are still having difficulties which have been produced by the economic downturn and Government assistance doesn’t seem to be getting to them.

We help by providing prospects to them at no cost from our Local Search facility in our US Business Directory. The majority of the 10 million firms listed in our directory are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

US small businesses are struggling to move out of the recession and to hire additional employees.

The US unemployment rate increased from 9.8% in September to 10.2% in October. Small businesses have led the turnaround in employment after economic downturns in the past, but that has not happened yet.

A survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses reports that 19% of small firms, on a seasonally adjusted basis, reduced worker numbers by an average of 4.2 workers in the July, August, September period. Only 8% increased staff in that period, by an average of 3.5 for each business.

The Small Business Administration says that small firms, defined as under 20 staff, provide 25% of all jobs and contributed 40% of employment growth after the last recession.

The reasons that small businesses are not hiring aggressively are:

Credit restrictions - most do not have property to offer as security, which is generally required, with tightened borrowing conditions being applied by lenders.

Few small firms export – so the economic upturn internationally is not helping them.

Cost of health care – the cost for small businesses is substantially higher than for large firms. The healthcare bill which was passed by the House of Representatives provides a cap on costs and wider coverage, and if passed by the Senate will help with this problem for small US companies.

So although the recession is technically over, with the US economy returning to growth, the state of business for small firms is still difficult and they are not yet hiring in sufficient numbers to lower the unemployment rate.

We contribute to the success of small businesses by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our US Business Directory with no cost to them. Most of the 10 million business listed in our directory are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The US newspapers decline in circulation continues at an increasing rate.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations reports that the average weekday circulation of 400 daily papers reduced by over 10% to 30.4 million for the 6 months to the end of September. This was more than the 7% reduction in the previous 6 months.

Readers are moving from print to online to access news and the online versions of the newspapers are not producing sufficient advertising income to replace the loss of revenue from their print products.

While some newspapers are now trying various methods to get web users to pay for their information, this is generally not succeeding.

The consulting firm Outsell Inc. reports that the reduction of content and the increasing of price for both single papers and home delivery have contributed to the decline in readers. They also say that 90 papers have stopped publishing at least one day a week and many have reduced delivery to subscribers in small, remote communities.

The Wall Street Journal, with 2 million subscribers, is now the largest selling daily paper, replacing USA Today, which fell 17% to 1.9 million.

The New York Times was number three, having fallen 7% in the six monthly period, the Los Angeles Times was fourth, down 11%. and the Washington Post was number five, having fallen 6%.

Smaller local newspapers are doing better because the local events they report are usually not available online.

The movement from print to online seems to be a permanent trend, making it very difficult for many well established newspapers to continue to trade profitably.

The switch to online also applies to finding businesses and our Local Search facility in our US Local Directory helps in that regard. We send prospects to the 10 million businesses listed in our directory with no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

More employees of US small businesses are losing their health insurance.

The Small Business Administration reports that health insurance premiums continue to increase and the projection is that by 2025 a quarter of the US economy will be spent on health care. 

As premiums have increased, the number of businesses offering health insurance to employees is falling, reducing from 63% to 60% in the last year.

This is accentuated in small firms, those with less than 10 employees, where firms offering coverage reduced from 57% in 2000 to 46% in 2009. 

The reason small businesses are having such difficulty maintaining employee health cover is the higher premiums they are asked to pay, 18% higher than large firms, and administration costs which are four times higher than for large companies. 

Almost 3 million employees, who are uninsured, work for firms with less than 25 staff. Over the last two years, 25% of employees of small businesses lost their health cover. 

Half of the individuals working for businesses who don’t offer health insurance have no private cover. The option of private cover is not viable for most due to the high cost, with no premium limits being applicable in 33 states, and broad exclusions which can be applied by insurance companies in effect in 45 states. 

Reforms currently being discussed would give small businesses tax credits to assist with employee health care costs and allow people to switch jobs without loss of cover. The changes would also not allow insurers to discriminate based on age, gender or prior conditions. 

With the unemployment rate increasing from 5.8% in 2008 to 8.9% in 2009, 4 million workers lost their health cover, increasing the number uninsured to over 50 million. 

The reform of health care is critically important and very difficult to enact due to the power of the vested interests involved. Small firms are the most vulnerable and urgently in need of assistance to provide or retain health cover for employees. 

We assist US small businesses with our Local Search facility on our US Business Directory which delivers qualified prospects to them without cost.

Most of the 10 million firms listed on our directory are small businesses. 

Monte Huebsch, CEO

Small U.S. businesses are not using social networking sites for business purposes.

A survey for Citibank Small Business by GFK Roper of 500 small U.S. firms reports that 75% of them do not use Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to find prospects for their businesses.

86% do not use social networking sites to get business information and only 10% have used them to find business advice.

42% have used their websites substantially to get business prospects and new business.

19% of the small firms said they were advertising more due to the economic slowdown, 41% were doing the same level of advertising, and 38% were doing less.

28% said they were using email and 25% were advertising online to attract new sales.

Hitwise reports that Facebook has 56% of social network traffic, MySpace has 30% and the next best has less than 3%. Facebook had a 200% increase in user numbers compared to a year ago.

However, U.S. users spend an average visit of 26 minutes on MySpace and slightly less, 23 minutes, on Facebook.

In the search field, Google still dominates with 64% of U.S. searches, with Yahoo having 19% and Microsoft having 9%.

As more business searches are done online, at the expense of old media, particularly the print phone books, we help small U.S. firms by delivering qualified prospects to them from our Local Search facility in our U.S. Business Directory with no cost to them. We have over 10 million firms listed in our directory and most are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

U.S. small businesses need assistance in meeting the cost of employee health care costs.

A Families USA study in 17 U.S. states reported that, in Georgia, health care premiums rose six times faster than income, over the last 9 years. The cost to employees increased 150% over that period, from 2000 to 2009. 

Small businesses are the hardest hit, with the least capacity to pay. The U. S. Small Business Administration advises that there are 27 million small businesses in the U.S. providing income for over 70 million employees and their families. This is over 99% of all U.S. employers and firms with up to 20 staff produced 80% of all new jobs from 1990 to 2003. 

So even though small U.S. businesses are the basis of employment growth, the attention given to them in the health care reform debate has been minor. The current health care bill being debated means while some small businesses would pay less, others would pay more. 

The influence that large companies are able to exert over legislators is obvious. 

A recent survey of 343 small businesses proprietors by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, found that 76% thought that they were not being correctly considered in the health care reform discussions. 78% of firms who don’t provide health care benefits said they wanted to, but 80% of them said that the cost involved stopped them form being able to offer coverage. 

Congress needs to address the cost issues for small businesses, particularly the substantial discounts in health care premiums that are offered to large firms compared to smaller businesses. 

We assist U.S. small companies by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory at no cost to them. There are over 10 million businesses listed in our directory and the majority are small businesses. 

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

 

The average cost of a U.S. employer paid family health care plan has increased by 5% in the last year.

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust says that the cost of the average employer provided family health care plan is now $13,375 per employee, an increase of 5% from 2008. 

The increase is less than earlier years, but inflation was minus .7% over the same period. 

The survey of 2,000 companies found that 40% of employers are likely to pass some of that increase on to employees, by increasing the amount that their employees pay for visits to doctors, and for prescription drugs. 

9% of employers said they would make the eligibility conditions for health care cover tighter and 8% said they would stop providing health care cover completely. 

A separate survey of 1,250 in July reported that now people are more concerned about not being able to afford medical treatment than about meeting mortgage payments or losing their job. 

Many large health insurers anticipate a 10% premium increase in the next year. Premiums are now double what they were a decade ago. 

The Business Roundtable, an organisation of C.E.O.s of large U.S. companies, anticipates premiums will increase to about $29,000 per employee over the next 10 years. 

As the President pushes for health care reform, the various special interest groups are exerting political pressure on legislators to satisfy to their individual agendas. 

Small U.S. businesses are the hardest hit by health care cost increases, with the least capacity to pay. 

We assist them by providing qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our U.S.A. Business Directory, which has over 10 million business listed, at no cost to them. Most listings are small firms, so the additional business which is created without expense is very helpful. 

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

 

Female C.E.O.’s have been very successful during the economic downtown.

The annual economic survey by the Women Presidents’ Organisation shows that 55% of female C.E.O.’s of large companies have maintained or grown their staff numbers during the global recession.

67% of their companies either increased or maintained their staff’s salaries. 

The Women Presidents’ Organisation is an organisation of 1,400 women executives who own or control large businesses in the USA, UK, Canada, Peru, and South Africa. 

82% of these C.E.O.’s have a positive view about the results for their businesses in 2010. 

Comparing 2008 to 2009: 

31% of their companies have grown. 54% have made their business “green”, that is environmentally friendly and 35% additional intend to do so. 

These results demonstrate the flexibility of female executives in coping with difficult financial circumstances and support the view that greater female numbers in large company’s boardrooms would produce a positive outcome. 

As most of the developed world comes out of recession, unemployment is still a major concern, particularly in the US. Creativity and flexibility are qualities that are greatly needed at this time.

Female creativity and ability to change with changing circumstances is a resource which has been undervalued and not properly utilised. Results like these are an indication of the benefits in making a change to a more gender balanced mix of business leaders. 

We support females in business with our USA Local Search facility in our Business Directory, by supplying the 10 million businesses listed, many of which are owned or run by women, with qualified prospects at no cost. 

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

 

 

Only 12% of eligible US homeowners have had loan modifications done under the Federal housing rescue plan, the Home Affordable Modification Program.

The US Treasury reports that by August 360,000 homeowners had their monthly mortgage payments reduced, which was an increase, up from 235,000 in July.

The assistance plan, which was launched in February, pays cash to limit monthly mortgage payments to 31% of the borrower’s income.

US Treasury officials report they expect to approve 500,000 borrowers by the end of October. A trial period becomes permanent when the homeowner has made three monthly payments at the reduced amount.

The Treasury spokesman said that even if the program is a success, millions of foreclosures were still expected, the estimate being that more than 6 million US homeowners face the risk of foreclosure over the next three years.

A Federal Reserve official said that the real problem was the rising number of unemployed and that mortgage relief is no assistance if there in no homeowner’s income.

Treasury said that 47 Lenders had agreed to be involved in the loan amendment program, but that 21 of them had altered less than 5% of eligible loans, and that a number of them had amended none at all.

So the impact of the economic downturn will continue to be felt for some time.

Both homeowners and small businesses have been the hardest hit, and the best hope for improved employment, which will help reduce foreclosures, comes from small US businesses.

We help small businesses with our Local Search facility in our Business Directory by providing qualified prospects to the 10 million business listed, most of which are small businesses, at no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

The Government is providing funding for small USA businesses for “green” technology development to help them compete with Chinese companies.

Grants totalling $37 million in funding from the Department of Energy are available to small US businesses that have up to 500 employees to develop and apply technology which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

Companies with research capacity in science or engineering are invited to apply for a share of the funds. 

Applications in a number of areas are being invited including: building air conditioning and refrigeration, efficient water use in electricity generation, cooling of power plants, gas turbines, wireless networks, solar technology, and more efficient manufacturing processes. 

Application must be submitted by September 4 and successful companies can receive up to $150,000 to use towards providing a demonstration of the commercial benefits of their technology. 

In the field of solar power, the Chinese are the current leading player, particularly in the US market, where they have reduced the cost of solar panels by 50% in the last year. There is currently an oversupply of solar panels, and the largest Chinese manufacturer is selling them at below the cost of production and transport in the US to capture market share. 

Clean energy is an industry that receives substantial support in subsidies and cash incentives from the national, state and local Chinese governments and Chinese companies are about to build factories in the US to avoid tariff penalties. 

IMS Research reports that the solar power industry had record sales growth in 2007 and shipments of solar power equipment increased by 81% in the second quarter of 2009, over the previous quarter. 

The total stimulus funding for green energy in the US is over $61 billion but it is thought that it will take at least 5 years to catch up to the Chinese in this field. 

Small businesses in the USA need all the assistance they can get in the current depressed economic conditions and we help by having them found in an online local search with our business directory portal which provides them with qualified prospects at no cost to them.

 

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

 

USA small business confidence in the economic conditions is improving.

Discover Financial Services reports, in an August survey, that small business owners’ confidence in the economy was at its highest level in one and a half years. 

The small business proprietors indicated that they are more prepared to invest in advertising and stock, the best result since February 2008. 

The improvement in attitudes was across a number of areas: 

In August, 38% think the economy is improving, up from 30% in July. 27% intend to increase their outlay on advertising, stock and capital outlays, up from 23% in July. 51% say they have had cash flow problems in the previous 90 days, down from 53% in July. 

Many small business owners see growth opportunities in “green” industries, with 21% saying that they helped their business. They said that energy conservation was the greatest assistance with profit improvement. Alternative fuels and recycling were also helping with a better bottom line result. 

23% said they would incorporate “green” systems in their businesses in the next six months. 

Regarding the current health care reform debate, the study says that 39% of small business proprietors had communicated their views to their representative in Congress. 

Since small businesses are such an important component in the employment level, the increase in confidence is an indicator that the start of the end of the recession may be at hand. 

Online local search is now an important source of new prospects for small USA businesses and our Business Directory Portal provides qualified prospects with no cost involved for the business.

 

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

 

Health Insurance for small USA businesses is too costly.

Small business owners at a Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce forum say that cost is the main barrier to them being able to provide health care coverage for their employees.

As the health care reform debate continues, the attendees said that their inability to meet the health care expenses for staff was affecting their ability to hire and retain the services of quality employees.

The small business proprietors say that they pay a loading of 18% on the health care cost for large businesses and that 20% more workers have become uninsured I the last 7 years.

This represents a real hurdle for small businesses, since the standard of staff is critical to their success. Standards have to be high and customer service excellent to succeed in competing with large firms.

Our USA Local Search Business Directory is assisting by providing qualified prospects from Google and other search engines for the 14 million businesses listed, many of which are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO