Research carried out by SES Business Water in conjunction with YouGov has revealed that just 6% of small businesses with an office in England have switched water suppliers since the non-domestic market opened a year ago.

In addition, the research showed that only 39 per cent of small businesses are switching providers of other services, including energy and IT.

Small businesses that switch can expect to see a range of potential benefits, including a reduction in their water bills, further cost reductions by identifying abnormally high levels of consumption and leaks, together with better customer service,

Despite these benefits, research carried out by SES Business Water and YouGov, in which 757 people were surveyed, revealed that just 6% of small businesses with an office in England have taken the opportunity to switch water suppliers.

The research also highlighted the reasons why only a small percentage of small businesses are switching water suppliers. While 59% of small businesses were not aware that businesses in England could switch water suppliers, there was not an obvious correlation between awareness and action.

The most common reason cited for not switching water suppliers was that it is not a priority (31%), even though only a quarter of respondents said they are happy with their current water supplier.

In contrast, energy was one of the top services that small businesses have switched, with over a third (38 per cent) switching their energy supplier in the previous 12 months. The same percentage of small businesses reported that they have switched stationery supplier to make savings. The services that small businesses are least likely to switch are catering (10%) and healthcare (8%) – but these percentages are still higher than for switching water suppliers.

Max Langford, SES Business Water’s commercial director, said:

“Small businesses play a significant role in the country’s economy, but it can be challenging for them to grow and prosper. Therefore, they need to be shrewd when it comes to their spending behaviour, especially in today’s uncertain times.

“However, their inactivity in terms of switching suppliers of key products and services could mean they are missing out on a range of important benefits – for water, these include cost, efficiency and resource savings, and better customer support.

“Small businesses are far more likely to switch energy or stationery supplier than their water supplier, even though switching water could reduce their costs. It’s clear that more must be done to raise awareness of the open water market among small businesses so they can actively engage in it.”

SES Business Water is committed to improving market engagement by communicating with small businesses across the UK to explain how switching can help them achieve cost savings and access better products and improved customer service.

To coincide with the one-year anniversary of the opening of the non-domestic water market in England, SES Business Water has published The Missed Opportunity report, which summarises the switching activities of small businesses.

In conjunction with YouGov, SES Business Water interviewed a total of 757 decision makers in small small businesses in England, across different sectors including manufacturing, construction, retail, finance & accounting, hospitality & leisure, the legal sector, IT & telecoms, media, marketing & sales, medical health & services, education, transportation and real estate. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th November 2017-12th February 2018. The figures have been weighted and are representative of British business size.

Click here to download The Missed Opportunity