2012 ILSR Survey Results Bring Great News for Independent Businesses and Alliances
The sixth annual survey of independent businesses by the Institute for Local Self- Reliance showed encouraging trends for independent businesses in both sales and a rise in pro-local attitudes. It also indicated independent businesses served by Independent Business Alliances (IBAs) and peer groups are outperforming their peers by a wide margin.
The survey tallied responses from 2377 businesses, all independent and locally-owned, across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. About half of the wide spectrum of respondents were retailers. Among the highlights:
▪ A larger share (65%) of respondents reported revenue growth in 2012 than in 2011 or 2010.
▪ 68% of respondents thought awareness of the benefits of "going local" had increased in the previous year.
▪ 75% of respondents with an IBA or similar initiative in their community recognized benefit to their businesses.
Among retailers, more than 80% say "showrooming' is affecting their business (see our tips and graphics to help counter showrooming).
And, most significantly for many of you involved with local alliances or seeking to initiate one:
* Independent businesses in communities with IBAs and similarly-modeled grassroots groups reported an average revenue increase of 8.6%, compared to 3.4% among other independents.
Read the full report at ILSR.
Congratulations to all alliance leaders for this reinforcement of your great work! Use these results to trumpet your success to local media outlets or to inspire the formation of an IBA if your community does not yet have one. Here's a press release template ready-made to insert your local quotes, with accompanying graphics. Please contact us for any assistance generating media coverage in your region. We're here to help you!