SMEs saw a strong end to 2019, with Barclaycard processing 5.1% more merchant transactions in the fourth quarter (Q4), compared to the same quarter the previous year.
Barclaycard, which processes almost GBP 1 in every GBP 3 spent in the UK, also reveals that the total value of merchant transactions is up 4.4% in the first half of Q1, compared to the first half of Q4 2019. This puts SMEs well on track to meet their quarterly revenue growth target of 3.3%.
Less than a month after leaving the EU, longer-term expectations are even more positive, with SMEs expecting to grow by an average of 6.3% over the next 12 months.
Small businesses in construction and real estate have the highest predicted quarterly growth at 6.3 per cent, while professional services SMEs are most confident about the year ahead, expecting an annual boost of 9.8%.
Businesses in the North East, Yorkshire & The Humber were the most optimistic in both the short and long term – forecasting quarterly revenue growth of 5.3%, and an annual uplift of 7.9%.
SMEs in Scotland reported the highest performance year-on-year, with a revenue increase of 6.6%, and they have even stronger expectations for 2020, predicting annual growth of 7.7%.
To measure SME sentiment, Barclaycard and YouGov have aggregated SMEs’ viewpoints on ten key topics to create an overall index score out of 200, with anything over 100 indicating a positive outlook, while anything under 100 is negative.
The figures indicate that SMEs are generally feeling confident, with a combined sentiment index score of 110. One of the areas small businesses are most positive about is the strength of their cash flow, which could be explained by the growth in the range of solutions available for cash flow management, such as business credit cards, unsecured/secured loans, and invoice financing.
Wider economic outlook
Asked about prospects for the UK economy, on average businesses were positive, with one third of SMEs (33%) saying they were optimistic. The same percentage of SMEs (33%) also said that they felt positive about prospects for their sector.
Expectations jumped when it came to their own businesses, with 42% of SMEs feeling positive, indicating a determination to succeed despite the more balanced outlook for their sector and the broader UK economy.
In another sign of economic growth, 17% of businesses reported that they had started to trade internationally in the past 12 months, with a further 10% intending to start doing so in 2020.
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