intelligent

DATA HELPS

SMBS REMAIN PROFITABLE AND COST-EFFICIENT IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY ,

MARKET TURBULENCE

AND EVOLVING CUSTOMER

EXPECTATIONS .

When SMBs let data flow through their organisation , and make sure those that need it can access it , the benefits are profound . The study found that highly data-driven SMBs are roughly twice as likely to experience positive impact from data across key business outcomes than less data-driven competitors : customer satisfaction ( 69 % compared to 37 %); revenue ( 65 % compared to 34 %); process efficiency ( 65 % compared to 32 %); marketing ( 61 % compared to 27 %); cost reduction ( 55 % compared to 25 %) and reduced risk ( 50 % compared to 20 %).

Highly data-driven SMBs will lead the pack for the foreseeable future

Highly data-driven SMBs forecast far more positive impact across the same key business outcomes than their less data-driven

A mature data strategy is a potent competitive advantage

Sixty percent of organisations with a mature and comprehensive data strategy financially outperform their competitors . Only 24 % of those still in the early stages of developing their strategy can make the same claim .

SMBs with a high-level of data maturity can harness their data more effectively , empowering both data managers and data consumers alike . A robust data strategy is a key component of data maturity and directly impacts an SMB ’ s likelihood of outperforming competitors .

In addition , a mature data strategy is an essential part of building a data-driven culture that encourages cross-team collaboration . It also means more robust data governance and compliance , reducing risk . Plus , SMBs that have more historical data to work with benefit from more accurate forecasting and customer segmentation .

Highly data-driven SMBs adopt AI at twice the rate of less datadriven competitors

AI delivers transformative benefits for SMBs , with key areas of value being customer satisfaction and experience , IT operations and security , and content creation and data analysis .

Fifty-two percent of highly data-driven SMBs are using AI to keep their business secure through automation . For example , communication analysis can automatically detect and remediate threats like phishing . competitors . For example , 65 % of highly data-driven SMBs anticipate data positively impacting marketing in the next two years , compared to just 33 % of less data-driven SMBs .

Exactly how much value an SMB receives from its data directly correlates to its level of data maturity .

Highly data-driven SMBs are also using AI to enhance marketing and advertising ( 41 %), as well as content creation ( 53 %). AI can significantly improve personalisation and customer segmentation and Generative AI greatly accelerates content generation – be it articles , social posts , images and more .

And 48 – 57 % of data-driven SMBs report moderate to high positive impact from AI across the following key areas : process efficiency , marketing , market share , revenue , customer satisfaction , cost reduction and risk . Only 21 % of less data-driven SMBs could make the same claim .