The research firm Frost & Sullivan reports that 55% of all advertisers surveyed found new money to fund their increased internet spending this year. However, the proportion that did not, increased from 29% last year to 45%.

34% of those surveyed sourced their extra online advertising funds by reducing their traditional media budgets, including 16% who transferred print media budgets to online.

An additional 11% moved other digital marketing activity to online display advertising.

The Internet Advertising Bureau reports that total internet advertising was up 30% for the September quarter, compared with the same quarter last year.

Advertisers spent more than $100 million in additional funds across search, directories and classifieds, as well as general advertising, a total of $450 million online for the quarter.

49% of advertisers said that they would increase their general online advertising budget next year; with 29% expecting it to be the same amount to be spent and 5% said they’d spend less.

Retail, automotive and media and entertainment advertisers moved more money from print to online than any other industry sectors.

The IAB expects online advertising growth to slow in the final quarter of 2008, but Frost & Sullivan said the internet will benefit from an increasing share of media budgets over the next two years.

The movement from old media to online advertising continues, and our Online Australian Local Search Business Directory assists the 1.2 million businesses listed, by providing them with qualified prospects at no cost to them.

The National Australia Bank's monthly survey of business reports that business confidence continues to fall but the Westpac/Melbourne Institute monthly survey of consumer confidence reports a substantial improvement, as a consequence of reducing interest rates and lower petrol prices.

The survey reported that consumer confidence rose 4.3% in November to 85.5 points from 82 points in October; however the index is still 22.6% below last year's level.

This represents the longest period since the 1990/91 recession when pessimists have outnumbered optimists.

Westpac thinks the cash rate will fall to a low of 3.50% in 2009.

Debt futures markets anticipate a cash rate of 3.25% as early as March 2009. The cash rate currently stands at 5.25% and is expected to fall by at least .50% next month.

In the USA the Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence report that their economic optimism Index jumped 9.7 points to 50.8 in November, the biggest one month increase in the index's eight year history. Index readings above 50 indicate optimism; below 50 point to pessimism.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports the wage price index up .9% for the September quarter and 4% for the year to September.

In September, the value of owner occupied housing commitments, excluding alterations and additions fell by 1.9% and there was a 1.5% rise in the value personal finance commitments due to a rise in revolving credit commitments.

Business finance had a 14.1% rise in the seasonally adjusted value of total commercial finance commitments.

Australian business is still having a difficult time. We’re helping with our Australian Online Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.2 million businesses listed and provides them with qualified prospects at no cost.

The Veda Advantage business credit demand index, which is based on their database of more than 6.3 million business inquires, reports that businesses and consumers making credit enquiries during the quarter dropped by 7% in the March quarter compared to a year earlier, 2.5% in June, 2.6% in July, 6.3% in August and 9.5% in September.

Property mortgage enquires in the quarter dropped 41% compared to the same period last year, and 15.7% against the previous quarter.

Hire purchase enquires dropped by 10% for the year to the end of September and 17% in the quarter.

However 30 day credit account enquires increased by 3.9% compared to the period a year ago, which was more than 25% of all credit enquires.

Credit card account inquires dropped by 16% on the previous year’s period.

South Australian businesses had a credit demand reduction in the September quarter of 8% over the year, NSW dropped 6.6%, Queensland reduced by 6.4%, Western Australia 7.6%, and Victoria by 4.8%.

So consumers and Australian businesses are not borrowing at this time, and in addition, businesses are lowering overheads reducing staff where possible, and are trying to tighten up cash flow control.

This will be a trying period. In addition to reduced credit, the violent fluctuations in the share market and the dramatic fall in the exchange rate of the Australian dollar have created great difficulties for some and exciting opportunities for others.

We help with our Online Australian Business Directory, with 1.2 million businesses listed, by delivering qualified prospects to the businesses, with no cost involved.

The National Australia Bank reports that business conditions in Australia weakened  to 2001 levels in the September quarter, one of the largest quarterly falls in the past two decades.

However, business confidence was steady in the third quarter, well above the levels of the 1990 recession.

The bank said that sales declined by 11 points to minus 4, while forward orders reduced to minus 6 from minus 5. Profits improved, with the index rising to minus 8 from minus 10, while employment increased to 2 from minus 3.

Capacity utilization fell 1% to below 83%, and was about 2.5% lower than its record of 84.5 % in the fourth quarter of 2007.

The 3 month and 12 expectations for business conditions were revised down further to minus 7 and minus 4 respectively. Annual hiring plans were also downgraded significantly further.

The bank lowered the global growth forecast to 3.6% in 2008 and 2.5% in 2009 and forecasts recession for the USA, Europe, Japan and the UK, with moderate growth rates in the developing economies. For China, the bank lowered the forecast in 2009 to 7.5% but raised it for 2010.

The forecasts for GDP for Australia remained unchanged at 2.5% in 2008 and 1.25% in 2009. Ex-farm and mining sectors' GDP were forecast to rise by 0.5% in 2009.

The bank said core inflation is expected to return into the Reserve Bank's target band during 2009 and lower in 2010. It also expects the Reserve Bank's cash rate to be cut from 6% to a low of 4.5% by mid 2009.

It’s a difficult time for businesses. We’re assisting the 1.2 million businesses listed in  our Online Australian Business Directory, by sending them qualified prospects, with zero cost involved.

At a business summit in Brisbane, attended by 500 business leaders, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a variety of plans to help small businesses.

These included individual tax management plans, $4 million for advisory centres, and guarantees of prompt payment for businesses by government departments.

The government will also streamline the process of small businesses selling goods and services to the public service.

The prompt payment guarantee applies to contracts with the government up to $1 million. >From 1 December 2008, payments will be made to businesses within 30 days, or the firm will have the right to charge penalty interest.

Mr Rudd said the tax office's assistance would be based on individual circumstances and he also said that he had assurances from banks regarding the availability of finance for small businesses.

Mr Rudd said that the measures were about improving small business cash flow.

The Australian federal government has more than 65,000 contracts under $1 million and spends about $30 billion on goods and services.

Mr Rudd said small business would also benefit from the extra cash given to consumers and training places announced under the $10.4 billion economic security strategy, as well as the first home owner grant boost.

These measures are welcome, since small businesses are vulnerable to late payment of invoices and reduced credit, at a time of generally reduced demand.

Our Australian Online Local Search Business Directory, with 1.2 million businesses listed, is helping by providing prospects to the businesses, most of which are small businesses, at no cost to them.

The yearly TNS Business Finance Monitor, a survey of the banking behaviour and attitudes of 10,000 businesses, reports that 79.7% of Australian businesses were satisfied with the services offered by the major banks, up 10.5% since last year.

ANZ is rated best of the four major lenders, with 83.8% customer satisfaction, then Westpac 81.1%, Commonwealth 78% (a 16.2% increase in a year) and NAB 76.7%.

Bendigo Bank had a business customer satisfaction ranking of 92.5% (3.2% reduction since March), Bank of Queensland 91.1%, St George 84.8%, and Suncorp 84.5% (2.2% reduction since August).

Westpac is the worst affected of the majors, recording a drop of .2% in customer satisfaction since August.

In very difficult economic circumstances, these results are encouraging. With the stage set for an extended period of diminished financial activity, it will be interesting to see if the bank’s approval ratings are maintained.

All Australian businesses will be looking to get the highest possible return on any funds expended and the support of banks will be an essential aspect of keeping businesses profitable.

Our Australian Local Search Directory will assist the 1.2 million businesses listed, since we provide them with prospects, with zero cost to the businesses.

The lowering of official interest rates by 1% and the expectation that the Reserve Bank official rate may get down to 4% have improved the confidence of small business owners.

However the bank lending rate to small business is still very high, the Westpac overdraft rate is 10.86% and the unarranged lending rate is 19.15%.

At the same time consumers are restricting their spending. Credit card debt, which  is growing at the slowest pace on record. The number of credit card cash advances in August was down 10.6% on a year ago -- the weakest annual result on record with 16 consecutive months of annual declines.

CommSec reports that the number of purchases made on credit cards in August was down 3% on a year ago, the largest fall in 14 years.

Adding to the problems faced by small businesses, is the fact that Dun & Bradstreet says our big companies are now the fifth worst in the Asia Pacific in paying their bills.

Dun & Bradstreet’s survey included businesses in 33 countries and for the last quarter it found that, for Australian companies, 32.3% of payments were 30 days or more late.

Queensland companies took 53.7 days to make their payments in the September quarter. This was 3.3 days longer than the same period a year ago. However, this was better than the ACT, NSW and Victoria, whose companies were even slower payers.

There has been an 11% increase in business failures and cash-flow problems are the number one cause.

Dun & Bradstreet says that companies more than 500 staff, on average, take 59.3 days to pay.

Small businesses are having a difficult time. We’re assisting with our Australian Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.2 million businesses listed, the bulk of which are small businesses, which delivers qualified prospects to them, without cost.

The Business & Population Monitor from business advisory firm PKF, with Access Economics, reports that small businesses involved in health and aged care, housing construction, personal finance services and retail, will benefit greatly as Australia’s population gets older.

In addition, small businesses in these fields would gain from Australia's rising immigration and increased fertility rates.

 

The working age population will decline in the next 5 to 10 years as the ratio of people aged over 64 compared to those aged 15 to 64 almost doubles over the next 30 years.

 

Half of the increase in retail sales in the next 10 years will be to customers aged 60 and over and demand for health insurance, gambling, books, home improvements, electronics and travel will increase for this group.

 

Population growth will boost housing construction because of higher demand for new homes, with benefits for local manufacturers of building products.

 

An increase in housing construction in the second half of 2009 is anticipated and migrants will buy more property than existing residents.

 

So the Australian business environment is changing and those businesses that recognise the new opportunities and cater to this older market and increased population will benefit most.

 

We assist small businesses with our Australian Local Search Business Directory. We have 1.2 million businesses listed, the majority of which are small businesses, and we send them qualified prospects, with no cost for the business.

Bibby Financial Services reports that small businesses will experience tough trading conditions over the next 18 months, as multiple interest rate cuts, which are expected over the next 12 months, start to provide some relief.

The normal 30 days payment period for small businesses is now out to about 60 days, and large companies and government departments are the slowest payers.

One option is factoring and discounting facilities, which can help companies improve cash flow and gain additional working capital by converting up to 90 per cent of the value of each sales invoice into cash within 24 hours.

The falling Australian dollar and lower retail sales are also contributing to the difficulties.

A further concern is that a recent CPA survey of 500 Australian small businesses (less than 20 staff) found that 41% of businesses never prepare a cash flow forecast, 25% never pursue late payments and 70% don’t prepare quarterly financial statements.

Small businesses need to tighten up their procedures to ensure that they survive the current stressful economic conditions.

Our Online Australian Business Directory is helping in these difficult times by provided qualified prospects to the 1.2 million businesses listed, at no cost to the business.

A CPA Small Business survey of 500 Australian small businesses with less than 20 staff, found that 41% of businesses never prepare a cash flow forecast, 25% never pursue late payments and 70% don’t prepare quarterly financial statements.

75% of the small businesses said they believed that their bank would help with loan funds in the event of a financial shortfall, but due to the credit restrictions being applied, this was, in reality, far less likely then in normal economic circumstances.

36% of those surveyed had borrowed in the past year for business survival, with banks usually being the lender.

39% of small businesses that have borrowed funds don’t know the interest rate on the money they borrowed.

Regardless, 66% of those surveyed expected their businesses to grow in the next few years.

So small businesses in Australia are vulnerable at this time and need all the assistance they can get. We help with our Australian Business Directory, in providing qualified prospects to the 1.2 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, with no cost to the business.

 

The value and importance of local search being available on mobile devices is obvious and it is becoming an essential feature for online business directories.
 
The most searched mobile requirement is restaurants. People want to know, quickly, what is available, particularly what restaurants are close to them, to make a booking, and to get directions.
 
Analysts say that iphone user