BUSINESS INTERNET ACTIVITIES

Businesses with access to the internet were asked which activities (excluding emails) they used the internet for during the year ended 30 June 2012. Businesses were able to identify more than one activity from a list which focussed on activities most likely to improve business efficiency, productivity or facilitate innovation.

Overall, financial activities (including online banking, invoicing and making payments) was the most commonly reported business internet activity by all businesses, at 85%.

Selected business internet activities, by employment size(a)(b), 2011-12
		0-4 persons	5-19 persons	20-199 persons	200 or more persons	Total
		%	%	%	%	%
Financial including online banking, invoicing, making payments		81.9	88.6	91.1	96.2	84.8
Enabling persons working for this business to:
	work from home	38.0	33.6	48.1	76.9	37.7
	work from other locations	26.9	32.0	46.4	82.2	30.4
Information gathering or researching for:
	assessing or modifying this business' range of products, services, processes or methods	33.8	45.0	39.5	44.1	37.8
	development of new or improved products, services, processes or methods	21.4	29.6	30.3	38.6	24.8
	monitoring competitors	21.2	29.5	33.7	44.1	24.9
	identifying future market trends	18.0	21.1	28.2	46.0	20.0
Online training/learning		29.9	36.2	49.5	69.7	33.7
Information sharing or data exchange (e.g. EDI, FTP) with:
	customers or clients	23.4	22.8	26.1	36.2	23.5
	businesses or organisations (which were not customers or clients)	14.4	16.2	18.9	28.8	15.4
(a) Proportions are of all businesses with internet access in each output category.
(b) Businesses could identify more than one activity.

Aside from financial activities, businesses were most likely to report using the internet for enabling persons working for this business to work from home and information gathering or researching for assessing or modifying this business' range of products, services, processes or methods (both 38%). Businesses were least likely to use the internet for information sharing or data exchange with businesses or organisations (which were not customers or clients) (15%).

With the exception of using the internet to assess or modify the business' range of products, services, processes or methods, businesses with 200 or more persons employed were more likely to report undertaking the listed activities than any other employment size range. This included being three times as likely to report using the internet for enabling persons working for this business to work from other locations (82%) than businesses with 0-4 persons employed, at 27%. Businesses with 200 or more persons employed were also more than twice as likely to report that the internet was used for enabling persons working for this business to work from home than businesses with 0-4 persons employed (77% compared with 38%). Businesses with 0-4 persons employed had the greatest increase in the proportion that reported the use of the internet to enable persons working for this business to work from home or to work from other locations between 2009-10 and 2011-12 (8% and 7% respectively).

One in five businesses reported using the internet for information gathering or researching for identifying future market trends. Businesses in Rental, hiring and real estate services reported the highest proportion for this activity, at 31%, while businesses in Transport, postal and warehousing reported the lowest proportion (9%).

Further data relating to selected business activities can be accessed via the Downloads tab. Data from previous releases can be accessed through the Past & Future Releases tab.

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