• Business Opportunities During Recession

    Posted on July 7th, 2010 Mark No comments

    Everyone in the country, and in fact around the world, will certainly have suffered the latest worldwide economic downturn in one manner or another, possibly as an individual or as a business operator. It may not have had a direct impact upon your own career or your individual earnings, but the knock-on result of companies dropping revenue will have affected the monetary predicament of the vast majority of people. It was a very complex problem with wide reaching implications.

    The recession now appears to be over, or is at the least coming to an end, according to most economic experts. Although it may not yet be the moment to celebrate having made it through the economic turmoil, it should be a time to begin looking forward and planning for a future in a stable economic climate. It is time to seek some recession opportunities.

    Companies of all sizes, buying and selling in all types of markets are no doubt going to need to alter their operations in light of the recession. This might be after law is brought in to more closely govern and monitor the action of international financial organisations. Many businesses will also be looking at techniques to make themselves much more robust and have the ability to withstand economic instability in the future.

    The Recent Recession

    The recession of the early 21st century started in 2007 and slowly propagated around the world over the following few years. Numerous financial analysts credited the cause of the economic downturn to be the crash in the U.S. real estate market, which in turn impacted the value of financial products linked into real estate assets.

    This drop in value then uncovered the vulnerabilities of such a widespread system of credit agreements between global companies, particularly when much of the system was being supported by subprime lenders who were financial risks. A basic lack of third-party management of the monetary services sector had permitted the creation of a very complicated web of high-risk credit agreements that relied upon a thriving economy.

    The subsequent economic fallout saw several people lose their jobs and also lose their homes, whilst many large, global companies were forced out of business. Governments all over the world had to introduce sweeping financial packages to help their own banking systems, and even now certain first world countries are struggling to make it through financially.

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    The Impact on Business

    It is probably reasonable to state that the recession has had an effect on just about every enterprise around the world. Particular company models will have been more able to adapt to the added economic strain than others however they will have still felt an impact at some section of their operations. If a key service provider or a key client goes out of business then this will have a negative effect upon your own enterprise.

    Many thousands of small and medium sized businesses have been pressured out of business as a result of the recent economic downturn. Several of these cases will have been fairly simple; as the general public begin to reduce their spending these types of companies lose revenue, and since profit margins are often extremely slender in a competitive market place there was very little room to accommodate this drop. It’s a straightforward case of supply and demand not meeting in the middle.

    Some other cases were not so clear cut. There were scenarios where one company in a lengthy supply cycle had been unable to make it through and the knock-on effect would force every business within that supply chain to the edge of bankruptcy.

    Job losses have of course been a pretty delicate subject to the broad majority of us. It is believed that the current number of unemployed people in the UK is over 2.3 million (almost 8% of the entire countries’ labourforce), and many of these will probably have been victims of the global financial crisis. These kinds of job losses lead to a greater decrease in typical spending, which triggers a further drop in income for business.

    The End of Recession
    It does seem that the downturn is on its way to an end though, and this can only be great news for business. Gross domestic product (GDP) saw a climb in the UK during the fourth quarter of 2009 and total unemployment numbers fell, both of which are signs of an economy that is recovering. This isn’t a perspective embraced by everybody though.

    Industry experts at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have predicted that the UK financial system may actually shrink over the duration of 2010 and Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England has spoken of the danger of wide-spread joblessness continuing.

    This kind of uncertainty may be utilised as an advantage though, and companies which are prepared to take a few risks or who are prepared to adjust their operations to cater to a more wary target audience might be set to make excellent profits.

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    Price Sensitivity

    On the surface it may seem that the clear technique to use whilst the economy is recuperating is to increase your own sales prices again to a point that offers your business some margin of comfort regarding running costs. As the market grows and people feel more secure in their careers they will feel comfortable spending extra cash, so price increases should be an easy thing for consumers to take on.

    In fact, several firms might find that they have to keep their selling prices as small as feasible because the newly provoked price sensitivity amongst the general public. Most of us have had to tighten our belts during the last couple of years, and simply because the hardest of the economic downturn appears to be over, we are not all ready to start spending freely again. This is a trend that is tough to precisely quantify, however firms will have to be aware of how their particular customer community feels toward spending.

    The term price sensitivity describes how influential the factor of price is to consumers when they are purchasing a specific product. If a relatively large price change, for example increasing the price of a car by £1000, doesn’t see a big drop in demand for that product then the product is said to be price insensitive. If a fairly modest change in price, say raising the price of a car by just £100, does see a fall in demand then that product is price sensitive.

    As a result, the market place at large will have great interest in the prices of the items that they are purchasing. Several people may be watching out for bargains for everyday products that they need, and particularly their grocery shopping. Many of these things are necessities however.

    Businesses will be in a position to take advantage of this by utilising special discounts and price promotions to entice new shoppers into buying their own items. Consumers will be more likely than ever to change from their preferred brand names if the price tag is perfect, and companies which offer the best priced products are most likely to stand to gain from this. Once these prospective customers have turned into customers there is a good chance that they will remain loyal to their new product choice as the economy recovers further, which could lead to additional spending at the initial prices.

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    Financial Security

    People’s awareness of the economy at large along with how it impacts us all has significantly grown in light of the recession. Prior buying choices may well have been made in accordance to the quality of the product and its value, but there is actually a fresh aspect that buyers will be thinking about now. Financial security.

    Recession Proofing

    Many firms have suffered bankruptcy in the aftermath of economic collapse. This in turn has put thousands of customers in a really poor predicament. As people look to reinvest money into personal savings and shareholdings they would prefer to know that the business they are investing in has some sort of protection against potential recessions.

    Price Guarantees

    One particular very visible feature of the recent recession in the Uk was the sharp drop in the interest rate. Once this change had worked itself through the high street stores and monetary services institutes many people discovered that they were either struggling as a result or enjoying a monetary benefit.

    Customers who are looking to open up new savings accounts or private pensions might be concerned that if the economic downturn does indeed drag on for much longer they will not be generating any substantial interest on their investments. Actually, the tough economy may even now take a turn for the worst and interest rates could drop again. In this situation, a savings product that provides a secured rate of return becomes a really appealing option. This technique could be used to bring in several new savings shoppers.

    The exact same can be said for consumers with credit agreements. If the recession is genuinely over and the worldwide economy begins to recuperate much more swiftly than many expect, then it might not be too long before we see a rise in interest rates. That would signify that customers would have to pay more each month for their mortgages and loans. A provider that could offer a guaranteed rate of interest that isn’t connected to the base rate of interest can again entice many new clients.

    A similar approach was used by a number of companies after the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) increased from 15% to 17.5% in early 2010. These companies would offer “price freezes” for their items for a specific time period in an effort to keep existing consumers and draw new clients in.

    Conclusion

    Whether the recession is entirely over yet or not, it has served as a timely indication that no company can become complacent in its own situation of survival. Company owners should always seek to consolidate their situation and boost their operations where possible. The businesses that manage to endure the economic downturn will have learnt valuable lessons.

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