Sendle Small Business Survey - October 2023

It’s been another turbulent year for SMBs across Australia. How are they coping with rising inflation and falling consumer confidence? We checked in with more than 1,300 Australian small business Sendlers to see what’s happening in their businesses.

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to shipping, small businesses want more competition and government intervention to keep pricing down. We’ll continue to do our part to support SMBs with great service and competitive rates to make shipping in Australia more efficient and affordable.

Keep reading to learn what strategies other SMBs are adopting to drive future business growth, and see if your plans are in line with your peers.

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Growth despite inflation

Aussie businesses are adapting to high inflation. With a recession predicted for 2024, SMBs are taking proactive measures to keep growth strong.

SMB priorities in 2024:

61%

growing social
media presence


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40%

changing pricing
strategy


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39%

investing in marketing initiatives


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But despite their confidence, 28% say inflationary pressures will have a severe impact on their business and more than half (52%) are expecting no to limited growth (less than 25%) in 2024.

The biggest challenges they forecast facing in 2024 include

Finding customers and driving sales growth

67%



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Managing cost
pressures

53%



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Keeping the business competitive

38%



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With Sendle, I don’t need to worry about plans or bands. Every parcel I ship counts towards my Ship & Save level. It’s such a transparent way to do shipping!

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- Eugene, co-founder, The Sneaker Laundry

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Photo of Eugene Cheng

Small business shipping

Inflation and the rising cost of business means SMBs are looking closely at how they ship their goods. To run efficiently, they’re demanding more competitive pricing and added convenience. 88% of SMBs feel confident and understand the logistics side of their business, so it’s not surprising they’ve been switching their shipping practices this year.

36%

moved to Sendle in the past 12 months due to Australia Post’s price increase



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60%

moved over half their shipping volume to Sendle



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49%

use multiple couriers to get the best price



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84%

want greater competition and access to low cost couriers



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35%

want to see more government intervention to drive prices down



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AusPost charges 41 cents more per 500g parcel when I send within Sydney. By switching to Sendle, and thanks to Ship & Save, every parcel I send (it’s a lot of 250g and 500g parcels) gets me closer to even bigger discounts. I’m a big fan of that!

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- Andres, founder, Sydney Sock Project

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Photo of Andres Herrero

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Getting ready for peak season

Usually the busiest time of year, SMBs are still optimistic about the coming sales period with 34% expecting growth of at least 25% over the period.
To encourage sales during peak season

43%

plan on offering free shipping.
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Want to know how SMBs are optimising shipping to drive sales?

Get our free guide to strategic shipping

Download ebook

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With Sendle’s new near city and near capital ranges, we’re saving on deliveries from our Brisbane warehouse to places like the Sunshine Coast, and from Melbourne to Adelaide. It’s great that we can rely on both the service and great, clear pricing.

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- Jared, founder, The Print Bar

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Photo of Jared Fullinfaw

Download the PDF version

Want more business insights?

See the Sendle Small Business Service 2022 results


Learn more