Birmingham entrepreneurs most tech savvy outside London

BIRMINGHAM’S entrepreneurs have been named as the most tech savvy in the UK – outside of London.
 
A new survey of small business owners, carried out by Appsme.com, found that one in seven entrepreneurs who have developed an app for their business are based in Birmingham placing it comfortably ahead of other major cities such as Manchester (one in 25) and Liverpool (one in 33).
 
More than 16,000 new businesses were established in Birmingham in 2013 and according to Nick Barnett, CEO at Appsme.com, these are now closing in on London when it comes to embracing new technologies.

He said with a focus on improving customer service and retention, business apps were helping to drive brand awareness and reward customers with real-time deals and loyalty schemes.
 
The survey also revealed that two thirds (61%) of small business owners say having an app actively boosts their monthly revenue. One in five also said the extra revenue driven directly by their business app exceeded £500 per month.
 
Barnett said: “These figures speak for themselves and show that business apps significantly boost revenue for even the smallest of businesses. It’s great to see the businessmen and women of Birmingham embracing this technology as a tool to increase customer engagement and grow their monthly revenue.”
 
Unsurprisingly, London topped the poll with 31% of small business apps having been created in the capital. The cities in the top five are:

1.      London
2.      Birmingham
3.      Bristol
4.      Glasgow
5.      Southampton

Appsme is a specialist app provider which aims to empower brands to create their own mobile apps. It was created specifically with smaller businesses in mind to make it easier for its own customers to share useful information, events and loyalty schemes with their own customers.