Nearly Half of all Small Businesses Planning Holiday Parties for Employees in 2006, According to Constant Contact Survey

November 20, 2006; 05:55 AM
With a strong holiday season expected in the weeks ahead, many small businesses are finding good reason to celebrate this year. According to Constant Contact’s 2nd Annual 2006 Small Business Holiday Outlook(1) survey, nearly half (47 percent) of U.S. small businesses are planning a holiday party for their business, store, or office in 2006. In addition, 39 percent of small business owners will reward employees with holiday bonuses, up two percent from 2005. Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) is the leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations, and nonprofits.

Although plans for holiday office parties in 2006 (47 percent) represent an eight percent decrease compared to last year’s survey, small businesses owners still express confidence in the overall economy. In fact, 58 percent of those polled said they rate the current U.S. economy as “excellent” or “good,” – an eight percent increase from last year’s level (51 percent). Thirty-four percent deemed it “fair,” with eight percent scoring it “poor.” Small business owners are also predicting a successful 2006 holiday season with 62 percent anticipating strong holiday sales.

“With our survey revealing a strong holiday outlook for many small businesses, it’s encouraging to see many of them are planning to reward the people who supported them throughout the year – their employees,” said Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact. “This year we are seeing more small businesses prioritizing holiday bonuses over office or store festivities, which shows that financial incentives still work best for many businesses.”

Sample questions and results from Constant Contact’s Holiday Business Outlook 2006 survey include the following:

“Do you anticipate a strong holiday season in sales for your business?”

Are you planning to have a holiday party for your business or office this year?

Are you planning to give your employees holiday bonuses this year?

How do you rate your current confidence level in the overall economy?

For more information about the survey or for additional results, please contact Kevin Mullins at 781-472-6206, or by email at kmullins@constantcontact.com

(1) The 2006 Small Business Holiday Outlook survey was conducted from September 14^th – October 11^th, 2006 through targeted online distribution to U.S. small businesses who are current customers of Constant Contact. Results were recorded from more than 1,500 respondents.

About Constant Contact

Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Waltham, Mass., Constant Contact is the leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations, and nonprofits. With more than 80,000 customers today, Constant Contact helps small businesses and organizations succeed in building lasting customer relationships through professional email communications. To learn more, please visit www.constantcontact.com or call (781) 472-8100.

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