Results of a recent survey indicates Australians are increasingly supporting local business in an online environment.
Conducted by Venture Insights on behalf of NBN Co in April, the research found:
- 49 per cent of respondents had boosted their spending on online shopping since social distancing measures kicked in.
- 70 per cent were consciously supporting local businesses online.
- 70 per cent would like to support more local businesses, but felt restricted by their limited digital presence.
“Businesses have encountered many unprecedented challenges during COVID-19, and what this research shows is that there is a significant opportunity for businesses to expand online and harness the very strong ‘buy local’ sentiment of consumers,” said Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher.
While the survey was run in April, buying habits may have formed that will continue to some degree as restrictions have eased.
More Than Just Websites - Connectivity
Expanding online doesn't just necessarily mean implementing a website, or improving an existing one. It can also involve how a business connects to the internet; i.e. having robust, speedy connection.
Minister Fletcher pointed out many smaller business are still on residential-grade NBN plans and may benefit from business-grade services offering features such as symmetrical speeds; where the upload speed is the same as the download rate. This allows for multiple users to engage in bandwidth heavy activities simultaneously, such as online conferencing where a number of staff members may be participating concurrently. But that's really only just scratching the surface of how symmetrical speeds can help a business.
"I encourage Australian businesses to speak to a telecommunications retail service provider to find a plan best suited to their business requirements and to invest in digital channels to make the most of increasing demand for online commerce," said the Minister.
The good news is the NBN isn't the only show in town when it comes to business connectivity.
Even on Lightning Broadband's residential packages, symmetrical speeds are offered. But for enterprise-strength services offering up to 1,000 Mbps upload and download, our business broadband plans can deliver. These commercial connections are placed on a non shared network that doesn't run on the residential sectors, enabling Lightning Broadband to provide businesses guaranteed bandwidth and uptime along with other important features supporting business activities; such as virtual PABX.
Lightning Broadband can design a direct fibre or 5G fixed wireless broadband plan tailored to a business's requirements - you can find out more by calling 1300 596 426 or using this form.
