Small Biz Survey: Wi-Fi Beats Coffee When it Comes to Consumer Perks

ATLANTA, GA -- Consumers' patronage of small businesses extends beyond Small Business Week.

According to the 2016 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses, 90 percent of U.S. consumers frequent small businesses at least once a week.

Moreover, 42 percent are shopping small three or more times a week, according to the survey findings released today.

While convenience and customer service attract consumers to small businesses, 63 percent simply feel a need to support local entrepreneurs. For many, their collective sense of loyalty to businesses in their communities may stem from seeing a lack of governmental support. In fact, 77 percent of consumers feel the federal government does not do enough to promote small business growth on a national level.

The survey included a variety of lighter findings as well, including:

• Fifty-six percent of consumers choose WiFi over coffee.
• Most consumers (44 percent) tried their hands at entrepreneurship by babysitting.
• Forty-eight percent of consumers prefer to tune into Shark Tank over Restaurant Impossible and Bar Rescue.

Respondents also weighed in on small business' use of technology. Sixty-six percent of respondents prefer a digital rewards program to "old school" paper punch cards. However, respondents are slow to adopt mobile payments – 55 percent would not use their smartphones more often to pay for items if the small businesses they frequented accepted mobile payments.

One technology most consumers are on board with is WiFi. Forty-five percent of respondents believe offering free and reliable WiFi can improve the small business shopping experience.