Chains Trail Independent Businesses in Free Wi-fi Stakes

Tablet surfing in coffee barFree public wi-fi is an increasingly important tool for businesses as more people spend increasing amounts of time on their phones while out shopping, in restaurants or at attractions. It can provide key demographic data on customers, and provide businesses with a digital marketing channel. However, a new study suggests that major chains are falling behind independent businesses when it comes to providing fast, easy-to-access wi-fi.

The study by Manchester-based web hosting company 34SP.com looked into the speed at 100 commercial premises across the north of England and found that independent businesses averaged almost twice the download speed of chains (10.99mbps compared to 6.46mbps).

For upload speed, the gap was even wider, with chains averaging just 0.52mbps compared to independents with 4.79mbps. Given how many businesses now encourage consumers to share their activities on social media, these findings show many need to do better if they want customers to be able to.

The best public wi-fi tested during the study was The Bar in south Manchester, an independent establishment, while the worst were the Manchester branches of restaurant chain Zizzi Ristorante and hotel brand Travelodge, neither of which were working.

“Nowadays, the general public is spoilt for choice when it comes to getting online,” said Daniel Foster, co-founder and technical director of 34SP.com. “There are literally millions of wireless networks across the UK in 2015 and consumers are increasingly heading to restaurants, bars and cafes that offer great internet access as well as great food and drink. Meanwhile, the slowest public wi-fi connections have already been eclipsed by 4G and in some cases even 3G.

“Businesses that fail to offer good wi-fi speeds to their customers are missing out financially because these consumers typically spend lots of money on snacks and drinks while they surf. When you consider how little it costs for businesses to set up public wi-fi, the investment effectively pays for itself within weeks.”