Rural Retail
Sligo - Rural Retail
Survey addressed to retailers in County Sligo
OK
1.
Where is your business located?
Sligo Town
County Sligo
Ballisodare
Ballymote
Collooney
Enniscrone
Grange
Tubbercurry
Other South Sligo locations
Other (please specify)
2.
Gender
Male
Female
Other (please specify)
3.
What is your age?
Under 18
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
4.
Which of the following describes your business?
Specialised fresh food; bakery, butcher, fish monger, greengrocer
Supermarkets and convenience stores
Fashion, footwear and textiles
Electronics and entertainment; televisions, audio equipment, PC, phones
Books, toys, newspapers and stationery
Bar, restaurant, accommodation, offlicence
DIY and hardware
Furniture, lighting and homewares
Health and beauty
Fuel
Other (please specify)
5.
How do you make your sales?
Direct sales to the public
Self-service
Online sales
Vending machines
Market stall, or similar
Catalogue or telephone sales
Other (please specify)
6.
How long has your business been running?
0-2 years
3-5 years
6-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21-25 years
26-30 years
30+ years
7.
How would you describe the current state of your business?
Very good
Good
Average
Poor
Very poor
Other (please specify)
8.
What changes would best improve your business?
Update the building or equipment
Use of new technologies
Improve the business image and brand
Increase the product range
Expand the number of customers
Partnerships with other retailers
New sales strategies; loyalty cards, discounts, promotions...
Social media activity
Increase promotional and advertising activity
Well known brand names
Other (please specify)
9.
How optimistic are your regarding the future of your business in the next 5 years?
Very optimistic
Optimistic
Cautious
Pessimistic
Very pessimistic
10.
How do you think the following will influence the future of your business?
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
Digital customer experiences
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
Electronic commerce and new technology
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
Regulation and legislation for retail
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
New retail formats; retail parks, pop-up stores...
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
The economy
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
Brexit
Very negative
Negative
No real impact
Positive
Very positive
N/A
Additional comments on the above
11.
Who are your main competitors?
Local retail shops
Larger retail stores
Retail parks and shopping centres
Online sales
Other (please specify)
12.
Why do you think your customers buy from you?
Location
Value for money
Personal attention
Knowledge and advice
No other suppliers
Service or product tailored to the customer
Quick and easy transaction
Easy to make returns or repairs
Ethics and social awareness
Supporting local jobs
Online presence
Loyalty and promotional cards
Other (please specify)
13.
How do you contact your suppliers?
Phone
Email
Internet orders
Sales rep
Visit to supplier
Business networking
Central purchasing or agency
Other (please specify)
14.
How do you promote your business?
News media; digital news, print, radio, tv
Social media and internet
Printed brochures
Posters
Other (please specify)
15.
Do you reward customer loyalty?
Loyalty cards
Personal discounts and promotions
I don't use loyalty promotions
Other (please specify)
16.
How do you measure the impact of your promotional activities?
Customer satisfaction surveys
Online sales and activity data
Traditional sales data; accounts and records
I don't measure the impact
Other (please specify)
17.
Describe your online presence
No online presence
Only basic website
Only social media
Basic website and social media
Online shop only
Online shop and social media
Other (please specify)
18.
Do you plan to enhance your online presence in the next 12 months?
Yes, definitely
No
Probably
Comment
19.
What are the main obstacles to a good online presence for your business?
Price of website, social media
Time involved in maintaining presence
Lack of knowledge regarding online presence
Online presence is not relevant to my customers
Online presence is not relevant to my product/ service
There are no obstacles
Other (please specify)
20.
What do you believe would help improve retail business in your area?
Grants and funding
Tax incentives
Promotional campaigns for local business
Scheduled markets, fairs and retail events
Training and advice to the local retail sector
Updating and modernising the shop
Improving the urban environment, e.g. paths, lights, traffic calming
Raise awareness among community of local retail
Improve networking between local retail businesses
Improve networking with other business sectors; leisure, tourism, hospitality
Shopping sprees and local prize promotions
Promotion of the village or town itself
General support for owner/ managers in retail
Access to finance
Improved relationship with suppliers and distributors
Other (please specify)
21.
How many people do you employ (full-time equivalent)?
1-5
6-10
11-20
21-30
31+
22.
How many do you e
xpect to employ (full-ti
me equivalent) at the end of 2019
1-5
6-10
11-20
21-30
31+
23.
What level of discretionary spend on sponsorship did you make in 2018?
0-€250
€251-€500
€501-€1,000
€1,001-€2,000
€2,001+
24.
What is your expectation for sponsorship funding in 2019, over 2018 total?
Decrease by more than 10%
Decrease by 0-10%
Same as 2018
Increase 0-10%
Increase by more than 10%
25.
Do you plan to upskill your staff capability in 2019?
No, we are already well skilled
No, we cannot afford the time or expense
Maybe
Yes, on digital technology
Yes, on other business skills
26.
Do you expect your business to grow in 2019?
No, decline by more than 10%
No, decline by 0-10%
Remain the same
Yes, by 0-10%
Yes, by more than 10%
27.
Are you investing in your business in 2019?
Additional staff
Additional products/ services
Property investment/ refurbishment
New Technology
No plans for investing
Other (please specify)
28.
What is your view on remote working?
Good idea, but will not work for my business
Good idea and something I would like to try
Good idea and I already have remote workers in my business
Good idea already happening in my business and I would like to do more of it
Don't agree with it
29.
How smart is your business (pick one)
Not Smart
Not very Smart
Average
Getting Smarter
Very Smart
Not Smart
Not very Smart
Average
Getting Smarter
Very Smart
30.
What types of Smart technology do you use in your business? (mark as appropriate)
Smart technology used in day to day operations
Website
E-commerce (able to sell online)
Promote business on social media
Online banking
31.
What challenges are impacting upon your business? (check as appropriate)
Difficulty getting talent
Rural decline with shopping online or in more urban locations
Increased competition in sector
Rapid digital advancement - costly to remain cutting edge
Other (please specify)
32.
Have you any plans to digitise your business/ make it Smarter?
No, it's not needed
No, I cannot afford to
Maybe
Yes, we need to in order to stay competitive but need assistance
Yes, we need to and am clear on what we need to do
Current Progress,
0 of 32 answered
