If 2013 was defined by the thousands of small merchants turning to bitcoin and other digital currencies for their low transaction fees, dedicated community and international appeal, 2014 has shown that larger businesses are now eager to capitalize on this value proposition.
Led by big-name online retailers like Overstock, Fancy and TigerDirect, industry insiders are becoming even more bullish in their predictions for merchant adoption.
Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam has predicted that 10 $1bn retailers will join the bitcoin network by the end of 2014. Likewise, the list of smaller merchants on sites like Coinmap grows everyday.
Still, as anyone who has fumbled over a QR code knows, bitcoin's merchant tools aren't foolproof just yet, and many unanswered questions remain about how bitcoin impacts businesses in the weeks and months after the initial rush of excitement dies down.
With this in mind, CoinDesk is embarking on its first large-scale survey of bitcoin-accepting merchants with the goal of revealing how bitcoin has impacted their business on a range of topics, from new customer acquisition to sales.
If your business accepts bitcoin, fill in our survey by clicking the link below. If you're a bitcoin enthusiast, please help us spread the word and encourage bitcoin-accepting merchants to complete the survey.
Small business owner image via Shutterstock