The survey, covering February to July this year, showed 200,000 business records changed over the period, representing 10% of the Royal Mail's 2m business customers.
Royal Mail said that changes were due to business moving address, starting up, or closing down.
Shaun Randles, head of data development at Royal Mail, said: "Royal Mail has developed the Business Changes File to enable companies to track their customers when they move address, and to monitor new businesses as they start up."
He added: "Businesses are likely to have additional needs when they are starting up or changing location, and by identifying these businesses, companies can better market relevant services to them, just when they need them."
Randles also referred to the issue of data decay raised by the Business Barometer. He said that with such a high rate of business data decay it was imperative for any business to keep its customer data fresh and updated, to avoid wastage and make its direct marketing spend more effective.
The research used information collected by the Royal Mail Business Changes File, a database product updated monthly.
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