Canadian Small Business owners link business improvements during the pandemic to connectivity and online solutions, new survey finds

96% of Canadian small businesses surveyed plan to continue investing in online solutions and connectivity post-pandemic, according to new survey hosted on the Angus Reid Forum^*

85% of Canadian small businesses rate reliable connectivity as top priority^*; with Canada’s Largest & Most Reliable 5G Network^**, Rogers is here to support Canadian small businesses with their digital transformation

TORONTO, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To mark Small Business Month this October, today Rogers for Business launched new Small Business offers, from Business Internet to Advantage Mobility on Canada’s most reliable network^**, as new survey findings on the Angus Reid Forum^* show the strong impact connectivity and technology have played for Canadian small businesses over the past 18 months. Of the 500 small businesses surveyed, 60% now conduct most of their business online, a 50% jump since before the pandemic, and 71% link business improvements to using connectivity and online solutions.

Representing 40% of the country’s GDP and employing nearly 70% of private sector workers, Canadian small businesses make up 98% of businesses in Canada¹. These survey results demonstrate that for SMBs, digitizing their business has been key to their success throughout the pandemic and as they look to the future. Nearly all surveyed have adopted the use of technology – from wireless and wireline networks to e-commerce, digital marketing, online inventory management and collaboration tools – to keep their business running and adapt in new ways.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy and it has been truly impressive to see the countless ways they have adapted, evolved, and in many cases flourished throughout the pandemic,” said Ron McKenzie, President, Rogers for Business. “As Canadian small businesses rely on connectivity more than ever and with internet usage increasing nearly 50 per cent over the past year, we are proud to continue providing our customers with reliable, world-class connectivity and the tools and solutions to support their success.”

Tiptap, a Rogers for Business small business customer that provides a near field communication (NFC) enabled wireless receiver allowing for instant acceptance of any contactless payment or donation, is just one example of a Small Business that has embraced technology during the pandemic:

“Our work on tiptap stems from a place of empathy. During the pandemic, it was extremely important for us not to slow down as demand for charitable and fundraising services increased significantly. As the only technology offering a solution to cashless and touch-free charity, tiptap alleviates concerns of COVID-19 spread and bolstered donations when they mattered most,” said Chris Greenfield, CEO and founder of tiptap. “Our touchless solution uses a Rogers low bandwidth network (LTE-M) specifically designed for secure IoT solutions.”

Additional findings from the survey:

• Reliance on connectivity: The vast majority of small businesses rely on connectivity: 88% of those surveyed use Internet; 82% use WiFi; 67% have wireless plans with cloud services
• Reliability most important: 85% of small businesses rated reliability as a top priority when it comes to connectivity. Following reliability were privacy/security, speed, cost, and support
• Online tools gain importance: 68% of small businesses increased their focus across at least one of the following categories during the pandemic: collaboration tools, online inventory management, e-commerce, online marketing, and traditional marketing
• Investment in always-on connectivity: Nearly one third of small businesses increased their investment or newly invested in wireless backup
• Work from home trends: 64% of small businesses have needed at least some of their employees to work from home as a result of the pandemic
  • As a result of working from home, 87% relied on online meeting tools like Microsoft Teams; 59% relied on collaboration tools

In recognition of Small Business Month, Rogers for Business is offering Small Businesses to with a number of offers on Advantage Mobility, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, reliable Business Internet and more.

^*These are the findings of a survey conducted by Rogers Communications from September 24^th to September 30^th, 2021 with an online sample of 505 Canadian small business owners with businesses of 10-149 employees who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French.

^**Rogers was ranked first in the umlaut Mobile Data Performance audit in major Canadian cities in Q4, 2020. Visit . Largest based on total square kilometers of Rogers 5G coverage compared to published coverage of other national networks.

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About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

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