PURCHASE, NY — MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide, today introduced The Small Business Study, an in-depth report of cardholders' spending, attitudes, and preferences across the leading small business card issuers.

Based on responses from some 5,000 U.S. small business owners, the new research supplies unique, data-driven insights into what issuers can do to encourage cardholders who own small businesses to employ business credit cards, as well as how to ensure customer satisfaction.

“Issuers need to take a different approach to selling small business cards into the market,” says Jonathan Cetnarski, an executive with MasterCard Advisors. “Many banks still rely upon direct mail, for example, but our Small Business Study reveals why this may not be the best way to reach this relatively untapped market.”

The Small Business Study provides an informative view into how many small business owners still use personal (consumer) credit cards–rather than a dedicated business card–to cover their company expenses. The second of six reports in Advisors' Comparative Cardholder Dynamics series, it also provides valuable insights into how small business owners respond to the card products and services targeted to them, as well as their attitudes and card usage patterns. MasterCard Advisors can help issuers leverage these insights with turn-key solutions to develop new card products or to maximize the performance of existing small business products.

“Small businesses are a growth engine for the US economy and the key to successfully serving their payment needs is an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges and characteristics they face,” said Bruno Perreault, Group Head, Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises, MasterCard Worldwide. The Small Business Study provides a comprehensive look at the pain points facing small businesses today, enabling issuers to more effectively serve their small business customers.”

The questions The Small Business Study answers include how well are issuers meeting the needs of small business owners? Which small business card issuers are doing the best job? Which benefits and features influence a customer's choice of a small business card? How important are rewards and online financial reporting to small business owners? How do various product and service offerings affect cardholder satisfaction? Which issuers are most successful at boosting average cardholder spend?