The NSW Nationals have welcomed new research showing that Australians are increasingly supporting local businesses online.
Conducted by Venture Insights on behalf of NBN Co, the research found that 49 per cent of respondents have increased their spending on online shopping since social distancing measures came into effect. More than two thirds (70 per cent) are consciously supporting local businesses online.
More than two thirds (70 per cent) of respondents also said they would like to support more local businesses, but were restricted by the limited digital presence of those businesses.
These results, on the back of the highly-successful Buy From The Bush and Buy Regional campaigns championed by the NSW Nationals, show the pandemic has not dampened our remarkable community spirit, with Aussie families and small businesses supporting each other where they can.
Small 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.
The survey results show that people are committing to local businesses and would spend even more of their hard-earned money locally if businesses were more accessible online.
NBN Co’s Behavioural Change Survey looked at how Australians’ internet habits have changed during social distancing, and how they may change once restrictions ease.
