Weather Information Benefits for UK SMEs’

2.2.7 Research Objectives

Overall Objective: To provide evidence of the benefits to the UK economy of weather forecasts and data used by Small to Medium Sized enterprises (SMEs)

Specific Objectives are:

Impact of the weather
• To understand how much impact the weather has on their business.
• What sort of impacts does the weather have? Can they give any examples of when the weather has had a serious/ significant impact?
• Has this impact increased in the last decade/ recent years? Can they see the weather having more of an impact in the future?

Use of Weather forecasts/ data
• Where from and how do they get their weather forecasts and or data? (free/ paid for)
- Free e.g. BBC/ MO website
- Paid for e.g. commercial product
• Do they use it to create their own product?
• What impact does a weather forecast/ information have on their business?
• What do they use weather forecasts for? E.g. planning day to day activities etc.
• How satisfied are they with the weather information they use/ receive?
• How accurate do they think weather forecasts are and has this improved over the last X years?
• How valuable are weather forecasts to them? (Financial if possible and other?)
• What improvements/changes to weather forecasts would increase the value to them?

• How would it help their business if they had a ‘better’ forecast? How would that help mitigate against costs/ impacts?
• What do they need from forecasts/ data that they are not currently getting in order to make the best business decisions?

• Any case studies/ stories/ examples of where a forecast has helped or hinder they would be happy to share?

The specific questions are open to amendment depending on methodology / advice etc.

Nb. The Met Office carries out an Annual Public Perception survey looking at usage and attitudes toward weather forecasts, and there might be value in aligning some of the questions from this survey with this piece of research. We would review this with the appointed agency.