Some 73% of South African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) learn new things from online searches, while 50% learn new things from other businesses.
Globally, 42% of SMEs say learning from each other is one of the primary ways they find the information and education to master the new mobile environment, second only to online searches.
This is according to a latest survey results from the Future of Business Survey focusing on SMEs and education. The monthly surveys, which are a result of an ongoing collaboration between Facebook, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank, provides monthly data on the perceptions, challenges and outlook of online SMEs.
Some 200 000 SMEs with an active Facebook page, in more than 40 countries, have taken the survey to date.
The survey includes questions about perceptions of current and future economic activity, challenges, business characteristics and strategy.
"Technology benefits people and businesses by connecting them with jobs, education and other resources," says Augusto Lopez Claros, director of global indicators group at the World Bank.
"Access to such information can improve lives, communities and economies. The World Bank Group's goal of boosting shared prosperity and many of the new sustainable development goals (SDGs) are necessitating the development of new tools for collecting data. The survey is a powerful tool that can get information relatively quickly and at a fraction of the cost of traditional survey methods."
The key findings include: the majority of businesses feel that when businesses connect, and learn from each other, it results in better business confidence; 61% of SMEs said they are confident in the future state of their own business, while 47% of SMEs that engage in international trade are likely to add jobs in six months' time.
When asked the question 'How do you learn new things that will help you run your business?, 46% said they use digital marketing such as e-mail newsletters to gather information.
Locally, 42% of the SMEs admitted to learning through online blogs or forums, while 36% of the SMEs learnt through online trainings such as webinars and e-learning courses. 31% of the South African businesses surveyed said they are able to educate themselves better through offline training, while a further 44% said they are able to learn through the media.
The survey results concluded that businesses benefit from building supportive communities. "Using effective mobile solutions to connect with customers, leveraging training programmes, and by sharing in the experiences of other businesses, all help accelerate entrepreneurship, diversity, and aid in business growth," concluded the report.
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