NATIONAL: Australian small fashion businesses are missing out on growth opportunities because they don't realise how quickly, easily and cheaply they could establish their own website.
New research released by web development company Mr Site - and conducted by Galaxy Research – showed that a majority of businesses with between zero and five employees in Australia do not have a website, with many respondents citing technical expertise as the reason why.
Among small business owners that did not have a website, 36 per cent believed a lot of expertise was required, whereas only 13 per cent with a website found this necessary.
The report found there was confusion about the costs involved with 51% estimating the cost to be $1500 or less and 42 per not knowing what the cost was likely to be. An abundance of online software solutions meant that small businesses could now launch their own websites with a shopping cart for just $110, the report said.
There was also a misconception about the time required to develop a website with 30 per cent of respondents saying they wouldn't know where to start. The report stated that in reality, a majority of small businesses could spend four days or less pulling relevant information together.
Mr Site's Australian spokesperson Steven Noble said given the modern age, it was vital for small businesses to have an online presence.
"While the benefits of having a website are well-known, the costs and complexity are over-rated by many small business owners who are perhaps unaware of the solutions available to help them."
Australian small fashion businesses which have online stores include sass & bide, Kirrily Johnston and Bettina Liano.
Galaxy Research conducted the study using the SME Omnibus between August 27 and September 7, 2007. A total of 525 interviews were conducted among a range of companies with 5 employees or less. State and industry quotas were applied to the sample and data was then weighted to reflect ABS business number estimates in each state and industry.