Some say it started in the 1990s, while others say it emerged almost at the same time as the new millennium. The truth is that, regardless of when it began, the digital transformation continues at full speed and this has different repercussions, including the need to achieve the digitalization of SMEs.
Yes, it is a necessity and not a luxury or an added strategic
Only through digitalization can a business aspire to a privileged position in today’s markets and grow with scalability and sustainability, that is, meeting all its demands and without losing those qualities that add value and differentiate it.
In fact, digitizing a business is key to resisting situations and times of crisis, and this has become evident in recent times.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 has generated a massiv
e closure of businesses in Latin America. The venezuela phone number data Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) estimates that up to 2.7 million formal companies in the region —of which more than 98% will be SMEs— could end their operations as a result of the economic standstill caused by the pandemic.
This is due, in part, to the fact that many companies do not have a strong digital presence or the necessary structure to operate virtually , in order to withstand confinement measures and the decrease in consumption and maintain constant interaction with their clients and prospectsSo, given this reality, we consider it appropriate to offer you a concrete guide on how to digitalize your SME.
What are the challenges for digitalization of SMEs?
We won’t lie to you: you may face multiple challenges on the inevitable path to digitalization of your SME .
Before sharing the keys to success with this process, we will show you concretely what challenges you might encounter so that you can identify them and not let them stop you.
1. Resistance to change
Something curious happens with SMEs: they are the main economic engine of many countries, but at the same time they are the most vulnerable organizations , which disappear most quickly.
In Mexico, for example, more than 95% o web analytics tools companies are SMEs, and they represent 52% of the national GDP, while generating more than 70% of employment opportunities.
However, in the Latin American giant, these
types of organizations tend to last very little, and an example of this is that almost 80% of the SMEs created in 2017 were not even able to maintain their operations until 2019.ften, this e to change, something that does not usually occur in large corporations, which are accustomed to staying at the forefront and constantly innovating .Precisely, resistance to change and a new form of operation and interaction with users is one of the challenges that must be overcome to achieve the digitalization of SMEs .
2. Budget limitation
This is one of the challenges that, so to speak, you will have to face.
Although SMEs tend to have a limited dt leads udget for marketing and modernization, the truth is that there are currently different practices that allow these aspects to be developed without a high investment.
So, we can say that the limited budget is a limitation, which you can overcome with intelligent management of resources.
Taking advantage of the fact that we mentioned the financial topic, below you can calculate your