May 16, 2017

The small-business digital divide

David McCabe

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

There's an interesting divide noted in a report, commissioned by Google and put together by Deloitte, about small businesses that use digital tools: a full 50 percent of small businesses have only a limited or moderate digital presence. The report argues that small businesses that adopt digital tools (which could include, of course, Google's many offerings) do better.

The details:

  • Of small businesses whose digital presence the report deems "basic" — which accounted for 20 percent of all small businesses surveyed — 90 percent don't have a website.
  • Another group with slightly more advanced digital capabilities make up another 30 percent of businesses. Many of those businesses had a website, but far fewer had social media presences.

Why it matters: The findings indicate that use of many of the tools we consider part of daily life haven't totally proliferated to small businesses that make up a large portion of the economy.

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 691,867 — Total deaths: 32,988 — Total recoveries: 146,613.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 125,433 — Total deaths: 2,201 — Total recoveries: 2,612.
  3. Federal government latest: The first federal prisoner to die from coronavirus was reported from a correctional facility in Louisiana on Sunday.
  4. Public health updates: Fauci says 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from virus.
  5. State updates: Louisiana governor says state is on track to exceed ventilator capacity by end of this week — Cuomo says Trump's mandatory quarantine comments "really panicked" people
  6. World updates: Italy reported 756 new deaths, bringing its total 10,779. Spain reported almost 840 dead, another new daily record, bringing its total to over 6,500.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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