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Small businesses are committing more money to marketing this year than last, but surprisingly few have any confidence that their investment is paying offeven as more report using new tools like artificial intelligence to help boost their efforts. The latest State of Small Business Marketing report from Constant Contact finds that just 18% of small business owners are very confident that their marketing is effective, down from 27% in 2024. Thats despite the fact that 37% of the more than 2,500 businesses surveyed said they had increased their marketing budgets for the year. Small businesses feel optimisticand under pressure Small businesses are under real pressure to see positive results from their marketing, but many feel like they are doing more without getting more back, said Smita Wadhawan, chief marketing officer at Constant Contact, in a statement. Overall, the report found that the majority of small business owners in the U.S. are most likely to say they are not confident at all that their marketing efforts are producing results. The findings stands somewhat in contrast to the most recent NFIB Small Business Optimism Index: It found that small business sentiment in the country increased last month, with many owners expecting positive business conditions and opportunities in the coming months. AI may be case for optimism Those using AI may be faring slightly better when it comes to their marketing, however: The report found that nearly half of all the small businesses in the study are using AI to some extent in their marketing efforts, including using the tech to help with copywriting, emails, and creating visual content for social media feeds. And while some 50% of small businesses in the U.K. and Australia and New Zealand are deploying AI, only 37% of U.S.-based firms arethe lowest percentage of any country polled in the report. That finding syncs with other reports into how American businesses are using AIor perhaps more accurately, not using it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC) recently released a report that found 44% of small businesses in the U.S. used generative AI in some fashion. Tech and financial services companies, unsurprisingly, had the highest levels of adoption. How to bridge the confidence gap So why arent more firms using AI to help reach more customers? Some possible explanations for the low adoption rate are a lack of expertise or guidance in using the tools, or a failure to see how, exactly, AI might be useful in a given setting or organization. Yet interest in AI and spending more on it to help with marketing is only set to grow among small business owners, despite the confidence gap. Small business owners are working harder than ever, said Wadhawan, but without the time, expertise, or data to guide them, many are still guessing about what will resonate with their customers.
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E-Commerce
Shares in French drugmaker Sanofi fell more than 10% on Thursday, wiping nearly $13 billion off its market value, after late-stage trial data for its experimental inflammatory disease drug amlitelimab disappointed Wall Street. The company said amlitelimab, which it is developing for atopic dermatitis, a severe form of eczema, met all main goals in the Phase III study, showing statistically significant improvements in skin clearance and disease severity compared with placebo after 24 weeks. But the data looked weak against Dupixent, Sanofi’s best-selling medicine, which treats the same condition and is due to lose patent protection in 2031. The company has billed amlitelimab as a potential successor to Dupixent, and Barclays analyst Emily Field told Reuters investors had viewed amlitelimab as Sanofi’s lead pipeline asset to follow on from that drug ahead of the data release. “That’s why we’re seeing a big reaction in the stock, because of the concern that Sanofi is not going to have enough in its pipeline to replace Dupixent after patent expiry,” Field said. “This is increasingly looked at as a cliff stock.” Shares were down 10.3% at 0950 GMT, making Sanofi the biggest faller on Europe’s blue-chip STOXX 600 index. Dupixent, which Sanofi jointly developed and co-owns with drugmaker Regeneron, is approved not only for eczema but also for other immune-related conditions, including severe asthma. With the patent expiry looming, Sanofi has doubled down on immunology, making amlitelimab a pillar of that effort. JPMorgan said the data confirmed the drug is less effective than Dupixent, which brought in about 13 billion euros ($15.22 billion) in sales for Sanofi in 2024. Analysts at Jefferies said the Phase III results fell short of its earlier trial and of rival biologic drugs, though the drug’s safety profile and convenient 12-week dosing could still support its use. UBS called the drug’s efficacy solid despite it being weaker than Dupixent, adding that this could be countered by the advantage of amlitelimab’s less frequent dosing, which some injection-averse patients may prefer. ($1 = 0.8542 euros) Maggie Fick, Reuters
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E-Commerce
On Wednesday, September 3, Figma released its first earnings report since going public in July, bringing with it a significant change in tide. The collaborative design software platform had an incredible initial public offering (IPO), which saw its stock price rise 250%. In contrast, Figmas shares (NYSE: FIG) have now plunged about 15% in after-hours and premarket trading on Thursday. So, what brought Figmas stock down? Revenue-wise, the company grew 41% year-over-year (YOY), reaching $249.6 million. The figure beat Wall Streets predicted $248.8 million, according to consensus estimates cited by CNBC. Figma further said it expects 2025 revenue between $1.02 billion and $1.03 billion, beating an estimate of $1.01 billion cited by Reuters. Finally, the company also announced a series of new products, including Figma Make, an AI-powered design tool, and Figma Sites, which lets users publish websites from the platform. While its earnings numbers are positive, the company’s explosive IPO stock growth may have meant that some investors had unrealistically high expectations, Reuters notes. ‘Significant investments in our AI efforts’ In an earnings call, Figma cofounder and CEO Dylan Field noted how AI growth might negatively impact profits. You should expect to see significant investments in our AI efforts because we believe AI will be critical to how software development workflows evolve moving forward,” Field said. “This means that we expect margins to come down in the near term as we invest in the long term. Another consideration for the drop in share price might stem from their availability. When the stock market closes on Thursday, September 4, the lockup period will end for 25% of shares owned by employees. This change means that a significant number of shares will enter the public market, potentially diluting the existing shares’ worth. This story is developing…
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E-Commerce
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