Release of Certify's Q2 SpendSmart Report Highlighting Business Expense Trends

For over a year and a half now, Certify has published its SpendSmart Report, a report that analyzes the most recent business vendor ratings data as well as compiling trend data from over 15 million business expenses being processed through the system, to provide valuable insights to Certify clients and the corporate T&E industry at large. This special report tracks spending across major categories such as restaurants, airlines, lodging, and car rentals.

Now in its sixth quarter, the report found the most-expensed vendors to be Delta Airlines, Marriott Hotel, National Car Rental, Costco, Shell, and Amazon. It also reported that 21% of all T&E receipts were for meals, 16% were for airlines, 13% were for hotels, and 5% were for car rentals.

For the first time, this quarterly SpendSmart report reveals those general expenses for products and services such as cell phones, gas, groceries, office supplies, and taxis. The top three companies for this new General Expense category were Costco at 7%, closely followed by AT&T and Shell, both at 5%

In addition to the analysis of some of the general travel expenses, the report discovered some interesting regional data. Chicago was found to be the top city by percentage of total receipts with 4%, followed by Houston with 3%, New York and Dallas tied at 2%, and Los Angeles and Philadelphia tied at 1%.

Certify has been tracking corporate travel and expense data since 2009, and uniquely offers integrated travel booking, travel and expense management, and reimbursement all in one system. This valuable information from the SpendSmart allows companies to make informed decisions, stay on top of vendor performance, and keep employees happy and productive while on the road. Accessing the quarterly SpendSmart reports can help companies make smart purchasing decisions to maximize employee and business productivity and efficiency, and minimize T&E expenses.

"Results from our Q2 analysis show that even as the economy improves, value remains important to companies and employees, given the high percentage of receipts coming from low-cost convenience restaurants and discount retailers such as Costco," says Robert Neveu, CEO of Certify. "Stark differences in food and lodging costs across major US cities should also help companies prioritize travel by location, when they can."