To provide broad and timely measures of combined changes in business sales and end-of-month inventories for domestic retail trade, wholesale trade and manufacturers' activities.

Provides estimates on annual sales, end-of-year inventories, inventory valuation, purchases, operating expenses and e-commerce data for merchant wholesalers and manufacturers' sales branches and offices. Additionally, AWTS publishes estimates of sales, commissions, and operating expenses for wholesale agents and brokers.

The e-commerce measures report the value of goods and services sold online whether over open networks such as the Internet, or over proprietary networks running systems such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). E-commerce data were collected in four separate Census Bureau surveys. These surveys used different measures of economic activity such as shipments for manufacturing, sales for wholesale and retail trade, and revenues for service industries. Consequently, measures of total economic and e-commerce activity vary by economic sector, are conceptually and definitionally different, and therefore, are not additive.

The Business Expenses Supplement (BES) compiles statistics on business operating expenses during the Economic Census year. Detailed operating expenses are collected for Wholesale Distributors, Retail Trade, Accomodation and Food Services, Manufacturing, Construction, and Mining. Business expenses data are used routinely by government program officials, particularly the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis which uses the data for the Nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates and in developing the National Accounts input-output tables. Other users of business expenses data include market researchers, economic analysts, academics and business owners.

The Quarterly Services Survey (QSS) is the only source of service industry indicator performance providing timely estimates of revenue and expenses for selected service industries. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is the primary Federal user of data collected in the QSS. The BEA utilizes this timely data to factor into the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to make improvements to the national accounts for service industries. QSS estimates also provide the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) with timely information on current economic performance. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) use the QSS data to develop hospital-spending estimates in the National Accounts. In addition, the QSS data improves their ability to analyze hospital-spending trends.

Provides estimates of revenue and other measures for most traditional service industries. The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses these data in its preparation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), national income and product accounts, and its benchmark and annual input-output tables. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the data as input to its producer price indexes and in developing productivity measurements. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) uses the data to estimate expenditures for the National Health Accounts. The Coalition of Service Industries uses data for general research and planning. Trade and professional organizations use the estimates to analyze industry trends and benchmark their own statistical programs, develop forecasts, and evaluate regulatory requirements. The media use estimates for news reports and background information. Private businesses use the estimates to measure market share; analyze business potential; and plan investment decisions.