Home topics news News News Small businesses failing to satisfy customer expectations by resisting digital technology James Harkness February 12, 2018 Small businesses are falling short of meeting the needs and wants of digital-savvy customers due to a reliance on gut feelings and traditional ways of operating, according to Telstra Executive Director, Small Business, Brendan Donohoe. Commenting on the 2018 Telstra Small Business Intelligence Report , Donohoe said there was a gap between what customers want and what small businesses are delivering in terms of how customers find businesses, how they prefer to interact and what keeps them loyal. Online is the new word of mouth: 76% of business owners consider ‘word of mouth’ (referral from others) to be the most significant driver of new sales, but for 71% of consumers, it comes behind online search and online reviews. Build it and they will come: A mere 36% of sole traders have a website when 89% of customers say they want a website that’s easy to navigate and 48% of customers say they will stop considering a business if it doesn’t have one at all. Customers are on the go: Two in five e-commerce businesses (43%) do not have a mobile-friendly website, while one in two (48%) of customers are shopping on a mobile device at least once per week. Reward loyalty: A rewards program is important for more than one third (39%) of customers, but only a minuscule 14% small businesses offer one. Face to face is out of