Case Study

Precise B2B targeting enables Visa to empower SMBs in their digital transformation

In 2020, Visa, world leader in digital payments, announced a three-year goal to digitally enable 50 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) worldwide. 

Visa commissioned Dynata to provide them with deep insights into the key trends shaping the payments ecosystem of SMBs across Europe, where the latter are critical contributors to the GDP. 

Leveraging its robust, high-quality panel and unique approach to B2B recruitment, Dynata set up Visa’s SMB European annual merchant survey. 

We have since been able to target 20,000+ SMB decision makers across 14 European countries, providing Visa with actionable takeaways and a nuanced knowledge on a range of topics impacting small businesses in each market. 

How Visa is partnering with Dynata to empower SMBs across Europe in their digital transformation

Cracking the European SMB sector

In 2020, Visa, world leader in digital payments, announced a three-year goal to digitally enable 50 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) worldwide.
In Europe, where SMBs are critical contributors to the GDP1, Visa needed deep insights into key trends shaping the SMB payments ecosystem to better understand its complexities, nuances, and pain points across multiple countries. Navigating a dynamic economic landscape, influenced by everything from Brexit to the COVID-19 pandemic, only raised the stakes.

Precision targeting and a pan-European lens

Visa commissioned Dynata to set up and conduct a SMB European Annual Merchant Survey with the key objective to assess merchant attitudes and behaviours towards payments. Dynata tailored the study design for enhanced impact – providing Visa with the flexibility to explore a range of topics impacting SMBs, while ensuring actionable takeaways across all markets.

Leveraging its robust, high-quality panel and unique approach to B2B recruitment, Dynata has been able to target 20,000+ SMB decision makers across 14 European countries, covering a spread of smaller and mid-size businesses. This targeted sample, recruited to meet Visa’s precise criteria (e.g. size, turnover, transaction value, B2B and B2C sales, etc.), provides a 360-degree view of the SMB landscape.

Data-Driven Growth

Visa has gained nuanced knowledge of SMB trends across Europe, unlocking strategic opportunities in each individual market. For instance, the study revealed that digital payments are fast becoming a critical enabler for SMBs: when cards are offered as a payment choice, SMBs may see a revenue increase of between 6% and 15%.

Key benefits of the Visa SMB European Annual Merchant Survey include:

  • Actionable leads: The study facilitated targeted customer acquisition, driving growth across Europe.
  • Flexible data access: A custom-designed data interrogation tool allows Visa to answer business questions throughout the year and for various stakeholder groups.
  • Evolving exploration: The survey provides room for current political and economic developments that impact SMBs.
  • Trended data: A sub-panel of SMB decision makers who have been participating in the survey over a number of years, provide valuable insights in the SMBs journey.

By June 2023, Visa had significantly exceeded its goal, having digitised nearly 67 million SMBs globally, including 13.5 million in Europe.