Fiverr International Ltd. Survey Reveals Small Businesses Struggle with Marketing Despite Embracing Freelancers and AI

A Fiverr survey reveals small businesses prioritize brand awareness, content, and customer retention, often relying on freelancers and AI tools.

Quiver AI Summary

A recent survey by Fiverr International Ltd. reveals that small businesses face significant marketing challenges related to brand awareness, customer retention, and engaging content, yet 70% allocate less than five hours per week to address these issues. The survey, conducted among nearly 6,000 small business owners across 25 countries, highlights three key priorities: building brand awareness (42%), creating engaging content (40%), and retaining customers (33%). To cope with limited resources, 46% of small business owners utilize freelance services, turning to freelancers mainly for visual branding (45%) and strategic marketing (28%). The report underscores a trend of small businesses relying on external talent, including a strong adoption of AI tools, with 77% of owners using generative AI for various needs. Despite marketing hurdles, many small businesses are committed to increasing digital marketing investments through 2025.

Potential Positives

The survey highlights a significant demand for freelance services among small businesses, indicating a strong market need that Fiverr is well-positioned to address.
77% of small business owners are currently using generative AI, demonstrating a trend towards technology adoption that Fiverr can capitalize on with its offerings.
Nearly half of small business owners use freelance services as their primary labor source, showcasing Fiverr's relevance in supporting these businesses in a competitive market.
The emphasis on prioritizing digital marketing investments through 2025 suggests a growing willingness among small businesses to invest resources in services Fiverr provides.

Potential Negatives

Despite a significant reliance on freelancers and AI, the survey indicates that a large majority of small businesses still struggle with fundamental marketing challenges, highlighting potential shortcomings in Fiverr's ability to fully address client needs.
The report suggests that while small businesses are increasing their digital marketing investments, many still do not leverage effective strategies like paid advertising and SEO, indicating a gap in knowledge that Fiverr may not be adequately filling.
While 77% of small business owners are using generative AI, the fact that only one-third utilize paid advertising and SEO could suggest that the integration of these tools isn't translating into competitive market advantage for Fiverr's clients.

FAQ

What are the main marketing challenges for small businesses?

According to a Fiverr survey, small businesses face challenges in brand awareness, customer retention, and creating engaging content.

How much time do small businesses spend on marketing weekly?

The survey found that 70% of small businesses spend less than five hours a week addressing marketing issues.

What percentage of small business owners use freelance services?

Nearly half, or 46%, of small business owners rely on freelance services for their primary business needs.

How is AI being utilized by small businesses?

Seventy-seven percent of small business owners use generative AI for various business and personal needs.

What digital marketing investments do small businesses prioritize?

Small businesses prioritize digital marketing and social media (49%), followed by branding (39%) and content creation (34%).

Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.

$FVRR Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 72 institutional investors add shares of $FVRR stock to their portfolio, and 83 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP added 962,158 shares (+9638.9%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $30,529,273
CONTOUR ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC added 513,285 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $16,286,533
INVENOMIC CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP removed 479,382 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $15,210,790
ACADIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC added 389,188 shares (+44.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $12,348,935
CONNOR, CLARK & LUNN INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LTD. added 356,035 shares (+92.0%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $11,296,990
SUMMIT PARTNERS PUBLIC ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC added 292,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $9,265,160
TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP added 281,344 shares (+121.3%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $8,927,045

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$FVRR Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $FVRR in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Scotiabank issued a "Outperform" rating on 03/12/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $FVRR, check out Quiver Quantitative's $FVRR forecast page.

Full Release

NEW YORK, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marketing challenges from brand awareness to customer retention are the top concerns facing small businesses, yet 70% spend less than five hours weekly addressing these issues, according to a survey of nearly 6,000 small businesses across 25 countries by Fiverr International Ltd. (NYSE: FVRR), the global platform for freelance services.

The comprehensive report, done in acknowledgement of Small Business Month, reveals three critical digital marketing priorities, with building brand awareness (42%), creating engaging content (40%), and retaining customers (33%) cited as top concerns.

“Small business owners recognize that marketing is critical to their success, yet most simply don’t have the time or resources to give it the attention it needs,” said Rivi Bloch, GM of Catalog at Fiverr. “This survey underscores a growing reliance on freelancers and AI tools to bridge that gap, helping entrepreneurs stay visible and competitive even with limited hours to invest.”

To help overcome limited time and in-house resources, the survey found that nearly half (46%) of small business owners use freelance services for their primary business, while another 48% rely on them for side hustles. Freelancers are most often brought in to handle visual brand elements (45%) and strategic marketing services (28%), both of which remain critical in establishing businesses’ social, digital, and overall marketing footprint. This growing reliance points to a broader trend: small businesses are leveraging external talent to stay competitive in a fast-paced digital landscape without overextending their internal teams and capacities.

Other key highlights of the survey include:

Despite current marketing challenges, small businesses plan to prioritize digital marketing investments through 2025, with half focusing on digital marketing and social media (49%), followed by branding (39%) and content creation (34%).
While nearly two-thirds of small businesses rely on social media marketing (64%) as their primary promotion channel, only about one-third each leverage paid advertising (37%) or SEO and content marketing (35%).
Small business owners are rushing to embrace AI, with 77% currently using generative AI for business needs, personal needs, or both. Only 17% said they were not planning to incorporate AI tools into their workplace within the next year.

To learn more about Fiverr’s Small Business Month Survey, click here .

Methodology
To inform this report, Fiverr collected nearly 6,000 responses from small business owners and entrepreneurs across 25 countries between July 2024 and March 2025. The findings reflect the perspectives of active Fiverr users on current priorities, investment areas, and growth strategies during this period.

About Fiverr
Fiverr’s mission is to transform the way the world creates and works together. We’re shaping the future of work with the world’s leading open platform, seamlessly connecting top talent and cutting-edge technology with businesses around the globe. From expert freelancers in over 750 skilled categories to best-in-class GenAI models and agents, Fiverr provides the most advanced and comprehensive talent and tools for digital services—helping businesses get mission-critical projects done fast and cost-effectively.

From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, millions trust Fiverr for projects in software and AI development, digital marketing, finance, business consulting, video animation, music, architecture, and more.

Learn how to future-proof your business with exceptional talent and cutting-edge tools at fiverr.com . Follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , TikTok, and Facebook .

Press Contacts
Tommy Lee
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/238bf8b8-4eca-4ed3-b527-f5c6524e557a