Marketing presence provider, Localsearch is celebrating 30 years of working together with Australian small businesses by giving back a total digital presence package of $30,000 to SMBs who may have been doing it tough lately. 

With three decades of experience, and 28,000 Australian small businesses on their books while providing free support to a further 300,000, Localsearch is on the lookout for Australia’s standout, up-and-coming partners that are looking to make a mark on Australia’s SMB industry. Whether they are a hairdresser, a mechanic or creator of Australian handcrafts, Localsearch wants to hear from these mum-and-dad businesses and boost their digital presence. 

Daniel Stoten, Executive Chairman of Localsearch, said at the Localsearch 30th Anniversary event, “Three decades is simultaneously an achievement but also a moment to reflect. To be proud of what we have done and strive towards what we can do more. Looking back, Localsearch was originally in an industry that no longer exists, and today we’re in an industry that wasn’t in existence 30 years ago. We remain committed to being the very best digital presence partner we can be, making digital marketing damn easy for tens of thousands of small businesses across the country.”

Localsearch will welcome submissions from their network, searching for and awarding 10 standout Localsearch partners across Australia a comprehensive promotion package valued at $3,000 AUD to amplify their presence and showcase their work to the nation. Celebrating the milestone birthday together, the package can be used on products such as Google Ads, Meta Advertising etc. 

Daniel continues, “Small businesses are the backbone of our Australian economy. These businesses create jobs, contribute to economic growth, and provide unique and personalised services that larger corporations often cannot match. We are excited to spotlight some of Australia’s standout, promising and up-and-coming small businesses to the nation and celebrate 30 years of small business.”

Businesses are invited to submit their pitch to be considered here.

Applications will close on the 13th of September.

GoTo has rolled out AI Chat Analysis, an AI-powered sentiment analysis and chat summary function within GoTo Connect’s Contact Center. This new optional feature will expand the level of data-driven insight available to customer service supervisors and analysts, resulting in a better understanding of customer interactions.

Following each customer conversation, a positive, negative, or neutral sentiment analysis score will be given, providing insight into the customer emotion within interactions. Additionally, a summary of the customer conversation is generated using AI, enabling supervisors to identify challenges or coaching opportunities for agents without needing to read the entire conversation.

“In a year when innovation and AI seem to go hand in hand, businesses continue to navigate how they, too, can take full advantage of the increased efficiencies AI can provide. Within the broad area of AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have played an outsized role in changing the game for businesses across almost any industry, offering up time-saving solutions and more advanced comprehension than ever seen before,” said Damon Covey, Head of Product, GoTo.

“These AI-powered advancements will not only save customer service personnel time, but also will provide insights to improve the customer experience,” stated Covey.

“The addition of the AI chat analysis is something that excites us very much, and we look forward to seeing how GoTo will continue to leverage AI in the future,” said Marouane Rouicheq, Managing Director, NativUC, and partner of GoTo. 

“As GoTo’s Top Contact Centre Partner award recipient for 2022, we have been prodigiously recommending GoTo Contact Center to our customers, and this innovation to access data and insights to augment customer success practices will only make it a more enticing offering for us to share”, he said.

Earlier this year, GoTo announced optional AI functionality for both GoTo Connect and GoTo Resolve, each leveraging OpenAI-based technology. GoTo aims to continue advancing its AI capabilities and is excited to announce the next phase of that growth.

CSIRO’s Australia’s AI ecosystem momentum report found 56 per cent of AI providers believe the AI industry has the necessary expertise to deliver positive outcomes for Australian businesses, and 60 per cent of respondents indicated they are accelerating and expanding their AI-related solution offerings to meet market demand.

“With the opportunity for different pathways of innovation, we can expect to see organisations utilise AI to distinguish themselves within their markets to gain a competitive edge. AI will help organisations become more agile in responding to emerging opportunities, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs, wants, and sentiments. This, in turn, will enable them to create a highly personalised experience that sets them apart”, said Andrew Kernebone, APAC Head of Presales, GoTo.

What’s on the horizon for GoTo:

New AI-powered self-service features for GoTo Resolve are currently in beta and expected to be rolled out to customers in the next three months. These new capabilities will enable end users to troubleshoot and find answers to IT questions using natural language, regardless of their complexity, without the need to connect to a support agent.    

“With the right approach, AI can be a valuable asset to businesses, and complementary to human IT and customer support teams. GoTo’s aim is always to help businesses get their work done more efficiently and increase their productivity. Exploring evolving AI technologies and adding even more AI to power our already seamless products helps us to do just that,” said Damon Covey.

Small and medium sized business owners are taking advantage of Commonwealth Bank’s unique Benefits finder tool to find ways to offset rising cost of living pressures, develop skills or explore new opportunities.

New figures show businesses are turning to CBA’s Benefits finder to explore options for rebates and concessions relating to wages, staffing and rising business costs, but also to find support for training or new business opportunities.

Businesses were connected to almost 18,000 claim opportunities, through Benefits finder in the 2023 financial year (July 1 2022 to June 30 2023), for benefits worth around $36.9 million. The majority of claims initiated through Benefits finder related to support for wages and employment, followed by training and business development.

Business customers have been connected to more than 44,000 claims, worth more than $105 million in benefits, since the digital tool was launched for businesses in June 2021.

Almost 2000 business customers have also taken advantage of CBA and More Telecom’s discounted NBN^TM, broadband, phone or mobile services, saving more than $566,000 since the offering was launched to businesses in June 2022. Commonwealth Bank Executive General Manager Small Business Banking Grant Cairns said business owners were exploring Benefits finder for a wide range of reasons, including to help them better manage cost of living pressures such as staff and labour, and rising business costs, but also to support their development and growth.

The women’s pay gap continues in Australia, according to a new survey of over 1,400 Australian workers conducted by leading HR and Payroll solutions provider ADP. The ADP® Research Institute’s People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View, reveals that in Australia, women’s salary increases are failing to keep up with men’s – moreover, they anticipate a continuation of this trend in the year ahead.

According to the survey, Australian pay rises in the past 12 months averaged 5.7% for men, compared to only 4.4% for women. In the next 12 months, men expect to see their pay increase by an average of 6.3%, while women foresee an increase of just 5.2%. 

Not surprisingly, women are more inclined than men to perceive themselves as being underpaid for their work, with 60% of women expressing this belief, in comparison to 56% of their male counterparts.

Kylie Baullo, Managing Director ANZ at ADP, comments: “Despite the ongoing discussions regarding the gender pay gap, this data demonstrates that the disparity continues.

“This is particularly worrisome given the current economic challenges Australian workers are facing across all industries. People are grappling with genuine financial difficulties including in utility prices and interest rates, and it is disheartening that women are not being paid in a way that enables them to contribute equally to household expenses.

“With Equal Pay Day falling on 25 August, there is an opportunity for employers to assess any existing inconsistencies and inequalities in employee pay. In doing so, employers can create a more equitable work environment, enhance staff morale and engagement, retain talent and ultimately drive organisational success.”

Older Australian workers also believe they’ll be overlooked by their employers when it comes to pay rise and bonus awards in the year ahead. 

More than half (58%) of Australian Generation Zs (18-24-year-olds) expect to receive a pay rise in their current company in the next 12 months, compared to only 34% of those aged 55 and over. Similarly, 21% of Gen Z believe they’re in line for a bonus, compared to 16% of those approaching retirement age.

Mrs Baullo says, “Failing to recognise the value of experienced workers is likely to have long-term consequences. Overlooking these individuals may lead to the loss of vital knowledge and skills as they seek better pay and conditions elsewhere.”

People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View explores employees’ attitudes towards the current world of work and what they expect and hope for from the workplace of the future. 

D-Link A/NZ has launched its new DIS Series of Industrial Gigabit Long Reach PoE+ Switches consisting of the unmanaged DIS-F100G Series and the Layer 2 Smart Managed DIS-F200G Series, both with Long Reach PoE support. Built from the ground up for reliability and durability, the DIS Series Industrial Gigabit Switches offer a complete solution for demanding indoor and outdoor Industrial network applications, including factory automation, warehousing, intelligent transportation systems including automated carpark facilities and wherever harsh environmental conditions exist.

To accommodate such deployments, the new DIS-F100G and DIS-F200G Series Switches are housed in a highly durable, industrial-grade enclosure with IP40 ingress protection. Their fan-less energy-efficient design and robust housing enable operation in harsh environments with wide operating temperatures. For optimal reliability, the DIS Series provides cold start capability in environments with temperatures as low as -40°C with full-load operation at up to 75°C.

D-Link also designed the DIS Series with hardened components to reliably withstand environments with high electromagnetic interference (EMI) that would damage ordinary enterprise devices. Over and above this, all switches in the DIS Series also support dual power inputs to provide power redundancy, ensuring the connected networks keep running in the event of a power failure.

The DIS Series features models that support IEEE 802.3at PoE+ to deliver up to 30W of power per port to connected PoE devices with a total PoE power budget of 120W or 240W. These models dynamically allocate power to connected PoE devices, such as IP phones, wireless access points, surveillance cameras and other standard PoE devices efficiently with lower deployment costs.

The DIS-F100G and DIS-F200G Series furthermore offer Long Reach PoE technology, allowing the use of longer network cable runs which are normally limited to 100m. The Long Reach PoE technology supports cables up to 250m long.

Importantly for devices with usage criteria that may include exposure to outdoor applications, the RJ-45 Ethernet ports on the DIS-F100G and DIS-F200G Series feature embedded 6 kV surge protection. This helps protect the switches against sudden electrical surges caused by events such as lightning strikes or unstable electrical currents. Built-in surge protection significantly reduces the chances of equipment being damaged by these surges and effectively lowers management costs by minimising the need for expensive equipment repairs or replacement. 

The DIS-F200G Series also features carrier-grade RUN-Ring technology with 10-20ms recovery for high-speed metro Ethernet ring resilience. In addition, support for loop detection and cable diagnostics for network troubleshooting and maintenance provide reliable network access for non-stop service.

DIS-F100G Series

The DIS-F100G Series of Gigabit Industrial Unmanaged Switches are equipped with various port combinations, including 10/100/1000BASE-T Long Reach PoE+ ports and SFP ports. These switches feature a robust design making them ideal for deployment in Industrial and outdoor cabinet surveillance settings and capable of withstanding the harshest environments. In addition, the DIS-F100G Series are plug-and-play, allowing for effortless and swift deployment.

DIS-F100G-6PS-E

6-Port Gigabit Industrial PoE+ Switch with 4 Long Reach PoE+ ports and 2 SFP ports

RRP AU$399.95 and NZ$499.99

DIS-F100G-10PS-E

10-Port Gigabit Industrial PoE+ Switch with 8 Long Reach PoE+ ports and 2 SFP ports

RRP AU$559.95 and NZ$699.99

DIS-F200G Series

The DIS-200G Series Layer 2 Gigabit Industrial Smart Managed Switches are equipped with 4 (DIS-F200G-6PS-E) and 8 (DIS-F200G-10PS-E) Long Reach PoE+ capable 10/100/1000BASE-T ports and 2 SFP ports. These switches feature a robust design making them ideal for deployment in Industrial and outdoor settings and are capable of withstanding the harshest environments. The DIS-F200G Series furthermore integrates advanced management and security functions to provide a complete solution.

DIS-F200G-6PS-E

6-Port Gigabit Industrial Smart Managed PoE+ Switch with 4 Long Reach PoE+ ports and 2 SFP ports

RRP AU$499.95

DIS-F200G-10PS-E

10-Port Gigabit Industrial Smart Managed PoE+ Switch with 8 Long Reach PoE+ ports and 2 SFP ports

RRP AU$679.95 and NZ$789.99

The new DIS-F100G and DIS-F200G Series Industrial Gigabit Switches are available now from www.dlink.com.au, and from all D-Link authorised partners.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reminding businesses who are required to lodge a Taxable payments annual report (TPAR) to do so by 28 August 2023. 

ATO Assistant Commissioner Tony Goding said the Taxable payment reporting system helps maintain a level playing field by ensuring all businesses pay their fair share of tax.

‘While most businesses do the right thing, not reporting payments to contractors and deliberately under reporting income makes it unfair for honest businesses,” Mr Goding said.

‘It may also be seen as a red flag and could prompt closer scrutiny from the ATO.’

Around $400 billion in payments made to almost 1.1 million contractors were reported in the Taxable payment reporting system in the last financial year.

‘The Taxable payments reporting system is just one tool in the ATO’s toolbelt helping expose missing income and keeping things fair for businesses doing the right thing,’ Mr Goding said.

‘We use a range of information in the TPAR to check for red flags, like not including income, not lodging tax returns or activity statements, overclaiming GST credits or mis-using Australian business numbers,’ Mr Goding said.

Businesses in the building and construction industry as well as businesses that provide cleaning, courier and road freight, information technology and security, investigation or surveillance services and have paid contractors in relation to these services need to lodge a TPAR.

The ATO recently issued more than 16,000 penalties for businesses who didn’t lodge their TPARs for previous years, despite receiving multiple reminders. The average penalty for not lodging was approximately $1,110.

‘It is getting harder for businesses to hide from the ATO, like using cash payments to avoid tax, as the TPAR data gives the ATO the extra puzzle pieces it needs to catch-out dodgy behaviour,’ Mr Goding said.

‘We know there are some who deliberately don’t report or under-report their income, making it unfair for honest businesses.

‘Dodgy businesses doing “cashies” are being put on notice as the ATO continues to crack down on shadow economy behaviour’.

The shadow economy is estimated to cost the Australian economy $12.4 billion every year in unpaid taxes.

‘If you are asking for cash and not declaring it to the ATO, you will receive a ‘please explain’ from the ATO and you will be penalised. It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of when,’ Mr Goding said.

TPAR data recently enabled the ATO to investigate a cleaning company who chose not to be ‘squeaky clean’ in their tax return. A sole trader providing cleaning services reported $6,892 of income from government allowances, but no business income or expenses. The data showed they received payments of more than $80,000 from three different companies. An audit confirmed no activity statements had been lodged and the payments were never reported. As a result, their tax return was adjusted for the omitted income, and penalties were applied.

‘Every dollar of tax dodged is a dollar that can’t be used for vital services like health and aged care. The TPAR program helps to prevent billions of dollars being lost to the shadow economy,’ Mr Goding said.

As Gen Z has entered the workforce over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about what this means for the future of business. There is no doubt that this generation is bringing with them a new approach to career and success, causing many businesses to wonder how they can best adapt to the changing needs of their employees.

With Gen Z set to make up over half of the global workforce by 2030, businesses must face the fact that the values and expectations of this new generation of employees will inevitably carry weight in the workplace. Here’s how you can realistically adapt your business to ensure you can hire and retain great Gen Z employees. 

Promote a healthy work-life balance

Work-life balance has been a huge topic of conversation in recent years, and it’s no coincidence that it’s come just as Gen Z started entering the workforce. New research from Employment Hero has found that Gen Z has vastly different priorities when it comes to work than other demographics. In particular, the study found that younger workers are prioritising workplace culture and mental health over their salary when making career decisions.

What businesses can learn from this research is that without a healthy work environment, Gen Z employees aren’t likely to stick around for long. Rewarding their hard work by offering flexible working arrangements, planning social events, encouraging them to take breaks and leave on time, and creating space for open conversations about mental health and wellbeing are all great ways to improve work-life balance day to day. With the right environment, you will attract engaged Gen Z employees who are willing to work hard to help your business succeed.

Prioritise inclusion and diversity

Gen Z has been driving the conversation around diversity and inclusivity in recent years, so it’s no surprise that they expect to see these values represented in the workplace too. Making the effort to hire people of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds indicates to potential employees that you value a wide range of perspectives, skills, and strengths, and are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. 

The more committed you are to hiring diverse people, the more talent you will inevitably attract to your business. In addition to this, creating a more diverse workplace offers a host of benefits to your business overall. Research has shown that companies that prioritise diversity are 35% more likely to perform better than their peers and are more likely to capture new market opportunities. With greater diversity comes greater opportunity, both for your employees and the longevity of your business.

Provide opportunities for growth

Despite reports of Gen Z being ‘lazy’, research shows that they highly value opportunities for career growth when it comes to choosing where they work. For businesses, this means you should invest in the development of your Gen Z employees’ skills in order to keep them engaged and motivated. 

Having open conversations about your employee’s career goals, encouraging staff to attend workshops or online courses, or even hosting regular team-wide skill-sharing seminars is a great way to show Gen Z employees that you are open to creating new opportunities for them within your company. By creating an environment where your team feel they can continue to learn and grow, you are far more likely to retain staff and make great use of their growing talents.

—

Written by Jas Singh who is the founder and managing director of SKL Executive, a specialised recruitment and search firm delivering high-quality services to the actuarial profession. As a qualified actuary (FIAA) with over a decade of experience in Australia and the UK, Jas leveraged his extensive technical knowledge to found SKL in 2013.

From thousands of entrants from right across the nation, just nine have made the Information Technology Finalists List of the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – a prestigious and comprehensive programme that celebrates the growing number of Australia’s most inspiring and influential women in small business.

The only national annual awards programme of its kind created specifically to shine a spotlight on the rising economic and social contributions of women in small business – spanning all capital cities as well as rural, regional and suburban towns – the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is arguably the most diverse in terms of the breadth of represented industries and sectors.

Now in its second consecutive year, the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards features more than 65 categories, judged by an independent panel of representatives who have relevant experience or an understanding of the operations of small business.

Among this year’s most competitive categories, Information Technology is proving one of the most challenging categories to judge, says Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.

“The quantity and quality of entrants in the Information Technology category in particular is truly remarkable and so the ultimate selection of this year’s finalists has by no means been an easy feat.

“When the Champion Judges evaluate entries, they consider all aspects of a small business: its strategies, innovative initiatives, customer service, vision, growth, charitable and community support – to name but some of the judging criteria.

“We’re simply blown-away by the incredibly high calibre of Australia’s female-led small businesses in the marketing services sector and – while it’s certainly a welcome challenge – the next round of judging is bound to be even more challenging, as we continue to nut-through the nine impressive finalists to reach one category winner,” adds Mr Loe.

The nine Information Technology category finalists are:

ClanCyber.Digital (NSW), Compass IoT (NSW), CyberUnlocked (NSW), I.T. Lady (NSW), Midnyte City (VIC), Propel Technologies (NSW), Quick Look (QLD), TechAbility (NSW) and Wisdome (VIC).

In addition to honouring business category winners, the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards also showcases the achievements of four individual category winners – Young Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged 30 and younger), Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged over 30), Australian Small Business Champion Influential Woman and Australian Small Business Champion Icon.

“The success of female-led small businesses in this country is absolutely on the rise, especially during the past decade and even during the current challenging economic climate,” says Steve Loe.

“Since our inception more than 40 years ago, Precedent Productions continues to present a multitude of state and national award programmes, so we’re generally in-tune with the country’s best performing business operators.

“We simply could not look past the spiking number of female small business trailblazers – such as this year’s Information Technology finalists – and so deemed it only appropriate to present a standalone awards programme that really celebrates our nation’s women in small business,” adds Mr Loe.

Free-of-charge, entries closed on 21 July and the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is sponsored by Nine Plus, CUB, NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, Xcllusive Business Sales and Big Clean.

Winners of the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards will be announced on Saturday 23 September at National Presentation Evening Gala Event.

With a mounting reputation as the ‘Logies’ of small business, the red-carpet event will be hosted by accomplished journalist and popular broadcaster, Deborah Knight, at the newly-built Western Sydney Conference Centre at Penrith in NSW.

For more information including a full list of the 2023 finalists, visit: womensbusinesschampions.com.au.

Fifty-eight percent of Australian retailers admitted to passing the majority of the increased costs of doing business onto consumers, with 23% passing on all costs, as the Australian retail industry grapples with inflation, worker shortages, and softening consumer demand, new research from Shopify has revealed.

The Shopify Australian Retail Report, conducted in partnership with YouGov, unpacks the tactics retailers are employing to manage the current economic environment, their investment priorities for the next 12 months, and their plans to connect to Australian consumers who are becoming increasingly value conscious. The study of more than 200 medium to large retailers and 1,000 Australian consumers sheds light on shifting consumer behaviours and lays out effective pathways to growth for retailers to connect with customers facing economic pressures. 

Unsurprisingly, almost all (99%) of Australian retailers have been impacted by macroeconomic pressures with the increased costs of wages (45%) being the biggest strain on company budgets, followed by the increased cost of servicing debt (43%), and surging operational costs, including energy bills and rent (41%). 

For 95% of Australian retailers, the immediate response to manage these mounting pressures has been to pass at least some of the increased costs of doing business onto consumers. The one group bucking this trend is direct-to-consumer retailers (DTC), with 62% absorbing the majority of costs, signalling the sector is still coveting raw customer growth over profitability. The tension, for retailers, exists in the finding that three in four (75%) Aussie consumers say they have opted to cut back spending in order to save money and 82% of Australians have changed their spending habits due to increased cost of living. 

“Australian retailers are in a precarious position, as they are facing growing price-sensitivity amongst consumers dealing with the higher cost of living, whilst having to overcome those same inflationary pressures themselves. It really is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place,” said James Johnson Director of Technology Services & Enterprise, APAC at Shopify. “In such a competitive environment, many of the retailers we’re speaking with are doubling down on customer-focused initiatives, whether that’s expanding their product offering to appeal to a broader range of consumers, or investments in customer experience, personalisation, and loyalty programs.”

Customer experience is a top priority for Aussie retailers 

Ninety-three percent of Australian retailers cite customer experience as either important or critical. In fact the retailers most likely to view customer experience as critical for their business’ survival were also those that may be considered the most successful by measures – 50% of businesses with $500m+ annual revenue, 41% of retailers in operation for 20+ years, and 34% of retailers with 500+ employees.

Australia’s largest and most successful businesses are betting on personalisation to improve their customer experience over the next twelve months, adopting methods such as data-driven recommendations and personal touches like handwritten notes with delivery. Nearly half (47%) of businesses with over 500 employees, and nearly three quarters (73%) of businesses earning over $500m in revenue, have adopted or are planning to implement personalisation strategies, being their biggest priority for the next twelve months. 

DTC businesses are also making personalisation a top priority when it comes to customer experience with 62% saying this will be their focus. 41% of B2C retailers are looking to invest in additional customer insights such as qualitative and quantitative data as their number one priority. Whereas, B2B organisations have a strong focus on the integration of online shopping with in-store experience as their main focus with 41% of businesses doing this. 

Jehan Ratnatunga, Co-Founder & VP of Strategy and Digital Product at Who Gives a Crap said “If we want to meaningfully grow market share, we need to understand and drive a behavioural shift. There’s education or sampling or driving behaviour to ‘top of mind awareness’, our brand campaign is a first step in that direction”

“We do need to think about where the customer is. We’ve been DTC for years, but the supermarkets still capture most of the market, so we need to think about an omnichannel approach to reach those customers. Our DTC experience will always be the best way to engage directly with customers but there are still customers we can’t reach without an omnichannel approach.”

Investment in tech 

Technology is important for efficiency, but it’s also incredibly important for enabling customer experience excellence, an especially valuable trait for retailers as consumer behaviour evolves. Almost all (98%) of Australian businesses are investing in different technology measures over the next 12 months, with nearly half (44%) investing in real-time data analysis. 

Almost two thirds (64%) of respondents will be using technology to improve their customer experience through automation. Second to this, over half (55%) said they are planning to enhance their customer’s online experience such as automatic refunds. Interestingly, retailers located in NSW are 50% more likely to enhance online customer experience in the next 12 months compared to those in Victoria. 

Highlights from the increased costs research:

Macroeconomic pressures retailers are facing 

• The increased cost of wages is the main challenge businesses are grappling with in most states and territories, with South Australia (59%) and Western Australia (52%) most impacted.
• Queensland businesses cited the increased cost of servicing debt as their main challenge (58%), while Victorian businesses cited increased operational costs (42%) like energy bills and rent
• Victorian retailers were the least likely to plan price increases in the next 12 months at 16%, almost half the rate of the most likely, NSW at 28% 
• One in five (21%) businesses are looking for new non-bank sources of finance, jumping to 35% for businesses in WA
• Businesses with $500m+ revenue cited digital transformation as the biggest challenge their business was facing (55%), but did not perceive maintaining profitability or people management as challenges (both 9%)
• Conversely, maintaining profitability was the number one challenge for businesses with $100-499.9m in revenue (47%), while they were least concerned with cyber security (11%)

Customer experience takes hold 

• On average, Australian retailers are planning to invest 13.2% of total revenue in customer experience over the next 12 months, with those turning over $500m+ investing the most at 15.9%
• Personalisation is the top customer experience initiative businesses are investing in, at 41% – a number that jumps to 71% for businesses with $500m+ annual revenue
• This is followed by promotions (28%), most prevalent with businesses turning over $50-$99.9m p.a., and investments in additional customer insights (28%), also most popular with businesses clearing $500m+ p.a.
• 55% of enterprises with $500m+ revenue are investing in the integration of online shopping with the in-store experience, as are 42% of businesses with between $100m-$499.9m in revenue

Tech talks 

• Real-time data analysis (44%) is the primary technology investment retailers are making in the next 12 months,  most pronounced with businesses generating $100,-$499.9m at 58%
• This is followed by technology upskilling programs for internal teams (41%) and supply chain optimisation initiatives (36%)
• 26% of retailers are reviewing the total cost of ownership of their tech platforms, with 19% aiming for vendor consolidation
• 54% of DTC retailers were investing in a customer data platform, while 46% were investing in social commerce