Scorpion Survey Finds Americans Doubled Down on Local Business Support Through the Pandemic; Plan To Continue

Survey Also Finds Mask Compliance Expectations Remain Largely Divided Among Businesses and Consumers Alike

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Dec 08, 2021, 09:00 ET

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Scorpion, a leading provider of technology and services helping local businesses thrive, today announced the results of a survey conducted on their behalf by YouGov to gauge American opinions on a number of issues pertaining to local businesses, including what it takes to be seen and supported during a pandemic, mask mandates, and vaccine expectations. Findings include:

Proactive Support Of Local Businesses Continues Through The Pandemic

Of the 2,380 U.S. adults (18+) surveyed, Scorpion discovered a majority of Americans chose to support their local businesses during the pandemic and plan to continue doing so. For example:

68 percent of Americans rose up during the pandemic to actively support their local businesses, which included purchasing goods and services more often (34 percent) and in higher volume (29 percent) than before the outbreak, recommending the businesses to others (31 percent) and choosing locally-owned businesses over nearby national chains and franchises (27 percent).
Furthermore, 97 percent of those supporters have maintained their active support of local businesses through the pandemic.

Community Support Isn't Automatic for National Chains and Franchises

The survey revealed Americans have a much more nuanced attitude toward national chains and franchises operating in their areas, with only 20 percent of those surveyed automatically considering them true local businesses.

When asked what nearby national chains and franchises needed to do to be seen and supported as local businesses, 40 percent said they needed to see those businesses contribute to their local communities. National or regional businesses can also benefit from proactive local support by offering goods and services specific to a given community (as reported by 29 percent of respondents), hiring employees that are either from or knowledgable about the area (26 percent), donating to local charities or community groups (23 percent), or offering more personalized service (21 percent).

The survey also suggested national chains and franchises could improve their status in the communities they operate in by improving in a few key areas where Americans feel locally owned businesses perform better than regional or national business; these areas include:

Personal interactions: 58 percent feel local businesses perform best vs. 8 percent who feel regional or national businesses perform best
Uniqueness of services offered: 48 vs. 9 percent
Trust: 44 vs. 8 percent
Responsiveness: 44 vs. 12%
Familiarity: 42 vs. 17 percent
Better service: 40 vs. 10 percent
Quality of products/services offered: 31 vs. 13 percent
Reliability: 31 vs. 15 percent

Business and Consumer Expectations of Covid Remain Divided

The survey also explored how business owners should handle mask mandates as the threat of new and existing variants linger:

41 percent said masking should be enforced among employees
28 percent believe the employee should decide
16 percent said it's enough to enforce masking only among employees who aren't vaccinated

Americans demonstrated a similar stance when it comes to the customers of those businesses:

37 percent said all customers should be masked
32 percent believe the customer should decide
17 percent said it's enough to enforce masking only on customers who aren't vaccinated

American attitudes toward masking differed only slightly when asked about local service providers coming into their homes:

Of those who are willing to allow providers into their homes, 45 percent said they would ask the provider to wear a mask while 38 percent would let the individual decide. 13 percent would only require non-vaccinated providers to wear a mask.
Overall, 38 percent reported feeling 'very' or 'slightly' comfortable asking providers whether they're vaccinated, edging out the 27 percent who said they would be 'very' or 'slightly' uncomfortable asking.

"We are incredibly heartened to see how far Americans will go to support their local businesses, particularly in times of crisis. It's a reminder of the good in the world. These survey results show that American small businesses will continue to thrive, thanks to the people who support them," said Scorpion CEO Daniel Street. "Our survey also revealed there are ways any company can contribute to their communities and be embraced as a local business. National chains and franchises may operate on a larger scale, but that doesn't mean they have to be disconnected locally."

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,380 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between October 1 to 5, 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighed and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+).

About Scorpion
Scorpion is the leading provider of technology and marketing services helping local businesses thrive. It helps local service providers understand their unique market dynamics, maximize their marketing efforts, and delight their customers. Scorpion offers SEO, Reviews, Advertising, Email Marketing, Chat and Messaging, Social Media, Websites, Lead Management, Appointment Scheduling, and more. The company brings everything together in a way that's easy to understand and manage, blending AI and teams of real people with vertical expertise to support customers in setting, measuring, and reaching their goals.

Scorpion is Headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, with offices in California, Texas, and New York. For more information, please visit https://www.scorpion.co/about-us/.

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SOURCE Scorpion