This interim report provides an overview of emerging findings about the state of digital and technology adoption amongst businesses in the Humber LEP area. Specifically, the objectives are to:
- Examine the current digital maturity levels of businesses in the area
- Identify which technologies are being used in businesses
- Determine barriers to the adoption of digital technology
- Identify recent changes made by businesses and their future plans.
To gain insight on these areas, an online survey was designed and emailed to over 1,300 businesses . Those who completed this survey belonged to a range of sectors, including retail, professional, scientific and technical activities, education, and information and communication.
Nearly all businesses surveyed had adopted at least one digital technology, with 77% using social media. This indicates that social media platforms have become an integral part of business activity, as has digital marketing, as social media is an ideal and cost-effective channel for businesses to reach potential customers. Indeed, customers may regard businesses without an online presence as potentially suspicious.
Our findings also showed that technologies supporting remote and flexible working were being used by a good proportion of businesses. Cloud computing is used by just under half (49%). This was followed by online learning (43%), video conferencing (41%) and web-based collaboration apps (24%). These results reflect wider trends on how digital is changing the location, and the ways in which work and training is undertaken. A 2019 global survey of business leaders found that 85% of respondents said their business has become more productive due to flexible working, whilst 67% believed flexibility can improve productivity by at least a fifth.
Humber-business-digital-technology-research-Interim-Results.pdf