Intelligent SME.tech Issue 70 | Page 3

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intelligent
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Intelligent SME. tech is an Intelligent Global Media publication for professionals with an interest in global SME news and events.

EDITOR’ S NOTE

H ello and a warm welcome to the 70th edition of Intelligent SME. tech. Within these pages, you will find news, features and whitepapers from around our regions with a core focus on technology for SMEs.

On this month’ s front cover, we feature Jon Cleaver, CTO at SportsShoes. com, which is a UK-based online retailer selling sports gear for runners, gym-goers and hikers. It built its native app with the help of apps specialist, One iota, focusing on building stable foundations first. Since going live, the app has attracted close to 300,000 downloads and, at peak periods, can account for up to 20 % of total revenue. Cleaver discusses the importance of developing an app that felt like a community and loyalty space for runners. Go to page 14 to read more.
Our Talking Point is from Mary Tamvakologos, Managing Director at AnyBusiness. com. au. She discusses how businesses are facing a growing crisis of trust online, with new Google search analysis revealing searches for‘ buy fake reviews’ have soared 1,268 % over the past year, highlighting growing demand for services that artificially boost online reputations. Turn to page 18 to read more.
Partnerships are often seen as a high-potential growth channel, particularly for SMEs with limited sales and marketing resources. However, in practice, many partner strategies fail to deliver meaningful results – not due to lack of intent, but to a lack of structure, prioritisation and visibility into what’ s actually driving value. Jon Mead, CEO & Founder at PartnerBridge, explores how a more structured, data-led approach can help SMEs prioritise the partnerships that genuinely move the needle. Turn to page 35.
We also have an Intelligent Technology section dedicated to all the latest technology developments affecting SMEs and a page called Project Round-Up which features news from across our regions.
I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you’ d like to contribute to any future issues, please contact me by emailing rebecca. miles @ intelligentglobalmedia. com
Rebecca Miles Managing Editor
Many SMEs are becoming digital delayers even when they are experimenting with AI. The issue is rarely enthusiasm – it’ s more likely to be unclear ownership, weak data foundations, disconnected tools and a lack of practical measurement. Sean Evers, VP of Sales & Partner at Pipedrive, discusses the strategic investments in software, skills and lessons in AI preparation that smart SME leaders should pay attention to. Turn to page 24 to read more.
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