Merchant Confidence Index (MCI) Survey Results - Q4 2009

Below are the results for our first Merchant Confidence Index (MCI) survey - designed to track trends in small business sentiment and habits over time. This survey was fielded online between October 29 - November 4 using MerchantCircle's member base. 12,190 total responses came in during this period and there were no incentives offered to complete the 16 question survey.

Read the press release here.















If you'd like a downloadable PDF version of the above slides - click here. We can also get you regional breakdowns on specific states and/or categories. Requests can be emailed at MCI@MerchantCircle.com.

thanks,
Community Relations

Finding the Best Business Deals on the Web

While the economy is at a standstill, many consumers and families are finding ways to cut costs at home. Whether it's carpooling to work and school, clipping coupons, or cutting back on that daily Starbucks expense, consumers are becoming smarter when it comes to spending their money. For business owners, it's important that you do the same. We've written plenty of times about getting rid of those Print Yellow page ads, but this time we're talking about cutting costs on the back end.

MerchantCircle has launched Merchant Marketplace, which will allow business owners to find the best deals on services from Fortune 500 companies, including print, credit card, office supplies, and business software. The special offers help out our growing merchant base, which is currently at 575,000 merchants, and compete with deals that normally big box retailers get for buying in bulk. The release is just one more step that will allow local merchants all over the nation to cut expenses and take home more money at the end of the day.

You can find the Merchant Marketplace by logging into your account: http://www.merchantcircle.com/merchant/marketplace

Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations

Using MerchantCircle to it's fullest

Every now and then I like to highlight a few of our exceptional merchants on MerchantCircle. These guys are the ones that use MerchantCircle to its fullest by blogging, creating coupons, uploading pictures, and basically using all that we have to help them find more customers online. It's always hard to pick the right ones, considering the vast number we have (116,000 and counting) but I try my best and often grab a handful of the ones that seem to spark my attention first.

This month we have

1. Helping Friends LLC of Akron, OH
2. Lorenzo Glass Gallery of Port Royal, SC
3. J & S Roofing and Remodeling of Kannapolis, NC
4. Elaine Barnett Pet Sitting of Ruckersville, VA
5. Healing Therapeutic Massage of Claremore, OK

If you're in there area, make sure you drop them a line and let them know you found them on MerchantCircle.

I'll be following up soon with another handful, so if you think your business should be featured and or just have a great story to tell drop me a message at support@merchantcircle.com.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers,
Ryan
Product Marketing
MerchantCircle

It's all about the community

Let's face it, starting and running a business is tough work. I remember reading that some 600,000 small businesses fail each year. 600,000 is a huge number and because of this, I think it's great to see our merchants banding together in support of one another on MerchantCircle.

You can see this most obvious in our Merchant to Merchant forums. Here you can find the support and help of our merchants to questions like How do I generate customers walk-ins?, What are some free or affordable ways for me to promote my business?, and my personal favorite Has being a MerchantCircle member helped bring you sales?.

I think it's wonderful to see this kind of support in our community. I can't wait to see more! So, if you have some great advice to share, feel free to stop by the MerchantCircle forums and lend a hand. I guarantee you that your support will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Ryan
Product Marketing
MerchantCircle