Polish SME sector ready for digitalization. These are the barriers it has to overcome

• 87% of SMEs are aware that digitalization is important for the future profitability of their company and want to invest in it.
• When asked what they want to invest in, they first point to marketing tools and the availability of online services.
• The biggest barriers to overcome on the way to improving digitalization are costs, lack of knowledge and lack of time.

One of the largest providers of internet services for small and medium-sized enterprises, home.pl, checked the approach to digital transformation of companies from this sector operating in seven European countries, including Poland, Spain, Germany and France.

The report "Digitization of the Polish SME sector. Potential and challenges 2025" shows that the Polish SME sector is largely ready to invest in digitization. 87% of surveyed companies admit that digitization is important for the future profitability of their company. Only 1 in 25 Polish companies (4%) do not plan any new digital implementations in 2025. This is the lowest percentage of all surveyed countries.

Watch the entire interview with home.pl General Manager Magdalena Chudzikiewicz:

- Polish companies from the small and medium-sized enterprise sector are ready for digital transformation, they appreciate its importance for the development of their business and for improving profitability - admits Magdalena Chudzikiewicz.

When asked about the biggest barriers they have to overcome in terms of investing in technology development, companies participating in the survey most often indicated:

• costs,
• lack of sufficient knowledge about new technologies and digitalization,
• lack of time.

- The problems of SMEs in each of the surveyed countries are very similar, but they resonate with different intensity. In Poland, entrepreneurs pay attention to costs. A major barrier to growth is inflation, especially the double-digit one that we have experienced in recent years - says the General Manager of home.pl.

SME Investment Plans: Marketing Tools and Online Service Availability First

What do companies want to invest in in the context of digital transformation? They first mention marketing tools and the availability of online services. Every third company (33%) plans to invest in social media, and almost every third company (29%) plans to spend money on online office tools, cloud collaboration, and remote resources. 27% of respondents want to launch a company email address on their own domain, 26% will invest in a company website, and 24% in online marketing. Poland has one of the highest results among European countries when it comes to planned development in the area of ​​e-commerce.

- Companies want to invest in improving data security, data transfer, and network security, although Poland is weak in this respect compared to other countries surveyed. Although we see the need to improve digital security, we do not want to invest that much in it. In more digitally developed countries, the need for investment in data protection is higher - Magdalena Chudzikiewicz points out.

When asked about universal solutions that would help companies develop faster in digital matters, she points to providers of ready-made digital solutions - such as home.pl - that facilitate functioning on the network.

- Entrepreneurs in Poland are worse than Western ones in terms of the level of digitalization and, above all, knowledge about it. It is difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises that have very few resources, especially in the field of IT, to be technologically competitive all the time. Therefore, the best solution is to use ready-made platforms provided by large market players such as home.pl, but also banks or large telecommunications platforms - he sums up.