Some 79 percent of small businesses conduct business-related online shopping regularly, making it almost as prevalent as the use of email among online small businesses, according to a new research report from JupiterResearch, "Small-Business Online Shopping: Understanding Online Research and Purchase Behavior." Travel leads the small-business shopping categories with 71 percent penetration, followed by computer hardware and software and office supplies.

"Sixty two percent of small business online purchases are influenced by familiarity or an existing on or off-line relationship with a supplier. Comparison shopping, however, also influences almost one-half of the online small business purchases," said Sonal Gandhi, JupiterResearch analyst and lead author of the report.

"Traditionally, small businesses have bought from suppliers based on ongoing relationships and we have found that they are emulating this same purchasing behavior online," she said.

According to Jupiter, categories such as advertising/marketing services, financial services, credit cards, vehicles and furniture will benefit most from growing internet expertise of the small business customer.