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Cashing In On The US Small Business Accounting Market - Intuit And Microsoft Go Head To Head

Published by: Access Markets International Partners

Published: Feb. 17, 2006


Table of Contents



Report Highlights and Executive Summary




Introduction




Section 1: Sizing Up Small Businesses’ Use of Accounting Solutions

Section 2: The Brands Small Businesses Use—and Where They Buy Them

Section 3: Intuit

Section 4: Microsoft

Section 5: Summing Up the Small Business Accounting Balance




About AMI-Partners




List of Figures




Figure 1: Small Businesses’ Primary Accounting Method

Figure 2: Percentage of U.S. Small Businesses Using Standalone Accounting and Accounting as Part of a Larger Solution Suite

Figure 3: Accounting Software Spending and Lifecycle by Employee Size

Figure 4: U.S. Small Business Accounting Forecast by Employee Size

Figure 5: U.S. SMBs Top Ten Selections for Accounting and Related Software

Figure 6: U.S. Small Business Channel Preferences for Accounting Software

Figure 7: Intuit’s QuickBooks Product Line

Figure 8: Intuit’s Payroll Processing Offerings

Figure 9: Microsoft’s Financial and Accounting Solution Positioning

Figure 10: Microsoft SBA Standard and Promotional Support Plans

Figure 11: Comparison of Intuit and Microsoft Strengths and Weaknesses in the Small Business Accounting Market

Abstract

Cashing in on the U.S. Small Business Accounting Market, takes an in-depth look at how Microsoft Small Business Accounting will affect the U.S. small business accounting market—long dominated by Intuit’s QuickBooks product line. The report details current adoption, trends and brand preferences in the U.S. small business accounting market, and provides a comprehensive analysis of Intuit and Microsoft’s small business accounting strategy, offerings, marketing and channel initiatives.

Although the U.S. small business accounting market is a relatively mature one, it offers vendors room for growth. A surprising number of existing small businesses have yet to deploy accounting software, and small businesses typically update or change their accounting software every one to three years. Consequently, AMI-Partners forecasts that U.S. small businesses’ spending on accounting software will grow by more than 5% CAGR through 2009. Intuit has long been the undisputed leader in the small business accounting space with its QuickBooks product line, relegating rivals to second-tier status. However, this past fall, Microsoft re-entered the game with Small Business Accounting. With its significant resources, and SBA-Office integration, Microsoft intends to lure small business accounting buyers to SBA. Some of the key battlegrounds in which the two vendors will compete head-to-head include:
  • First time accounting software users, most heavily concentrated in the 1 to 4-employee segment, in which more than one-quarter of firms still use basic checkbook accounting and manual processes
  • The one third of small businesses that upgrade or change their accounting solution annually
  • The 550,000 new small businesses created in the U.S. each year
“Accounting software is the first strategic business application that many small firms purchase, making it an important on-ramp for other business applications, which need to integrate with the accounting solution, and a first step towards higher end financial solutions,” said Laurie McCabe, author of the report, and AMI-Partners’ Vice President for SMB Insights & Solutions. “Intuit has long been the undisputed leader in the small business accounting space with its QuickBooks product line. But Microsoft, which has a solid base in the mid-market financials arena, wants to build volume in the small business accounting market.”

About the Study The study analyzes whether Microsoft will be able to lure small business accounting buyers away from QuickBooks and towards SBA, or if Intuit will ward off this latest threat from Redmond, as it has done successfully in the past. The report examines:
  • Current adoption, plans, trends and brand preferences for accounting solutions in the U.S. small business market, based on AMI 2005-2006 U.S. Small Business survey data;
  • Comprehensive synopses of Intuit’s and Microsoft’s small business accounting and related products and services, marketing strategies and channel programs ;
  • Analysis of each vendor’s strengths and weaknesses in the small business accounting space; and
  • Short and long-term perspectives about the impact of Microsoft’s entrance into the market.


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