New Research Shows Overregulating Data Will Severely Harm Florida Small Businesses

WASHINGTON (Oct. 17, 2024) — As the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently considered passing the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), legislation that would restrict the collection and use of data used to power digital ads, a recent study by the Connected Commerce Council (3C), Advertiser Perceptions and Google found a direct correlation between the success of Florida small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and the use of personalized digital advertising. Personalized digital ads use basic data such as consumers’ interests, demographics or online behavior to serve the right ads to the right audiences. 

The study found that 92 percent of Florida SMBs attribute 2023 revenue growth to personalized digital ads, and 83 percent use the ads to grow their customer base and expand into new markets. 

“I make money by publishing ads on my online food blog, so data plays a key role in my business’s success,” said LaKita Anderson, owner of Simply LaKita in Panama City Beach, Fla. “Overregulating basic data would make advertising online much more expensive and complex for small business owners and publishers, both in Florida and nationwide.”

The study showed that personalized digital ads play a critical role in Florida SMBs’ financial health and sustainability. It found that more than a third of Florida SMBs would be forced to lay off staff or close if they could no longer use personalized digital ads.  

“Florida small businesses lean heavily on digital advertising,” said Lauren Fisher, general manager of business intelligence for Advertiser Perceptions. “Specifically, they rely on personalized digital ads to reach customers, grow their revenue and compete with bigger players in a cost-efficient way.” 

The study also showed that overregulating data would negatively impact consumers. In the absence of personalized ads, nearly half of Florida SMBs would have to raise prices to make up for reduced sales and cost efficiencies.

“Small businesses in Florida leverage digital advertising to stand out against competitors and get ahead in today’s economy,” said Rob Retzlaff, 3C’s executive director. “If the digital advertising landscape changes, small business owners will face tough decisions, like laying off staff, raising prices or even shutting down.”

Methodology:

Advertiser Perceptions surveyed 1,200 U.S. small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) in March-April 2024 to understand the value of personalized advertising to their organization. SMBs included businesses with fewer than 500 employees. All respondents were involved in decision-making about digital ads and used personalized advertising. National-level results are weighted to be geographically representative using 2021 U.S. Census data as a baseline for business distribution in each state.