The year 2024 has marked the beginning of a new era for small and medium-sized businesses in our country. SMEs are fully aware that they need to invest in technological innovation to continue advancing along the path to success. The adoption and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be essential to achieve this.
According to the study ‘Opportunity in Change’ conducted by Acquis, Spanish SMEs show a clear ambition to invest in technological innovation, with 32% of them recognizing it as a growth opportunity. Additionally, this study reveals that 45% of small and medium-sized enterprises recognize cost and price optimization as a key growth opportunity, 40% are investing in sustainability to continue growing, and 34% recognize that digitization is a key growth opportunity.
A high percentage of small and medium-sized companies in Spain are currently using digital tools in their daily operations, as revealed by the study conducted by Adigital, ‘Digital Trends 2024 for SME growth’. For this progress to be possible, Artificial Intelligence is positioned as the driver of the entire axis, and more and more companies are betting on it.
However, it is important to note that Artificial Intelligence, in addition to being a technological tool, is a fundamental partner for those companies looking to innovate and lead the market. Incorporating it into the business structure of SMEs is not enough. To take full advantage of its strength, they need to evolve towards an AI-Ready and Data-Driven organization, a transformation that goes far beyond technology, also encompassing organizational structure and business strategy.
Beyond Artificial Intelligence
In addition to the sure bet on AI, SMEs have to adopt different trends to continue improving their operational performance. “Digitization, the growing preference for solutions, the role of Artificial Intelligence, and the challenges associated with the integration of new technologies will play a fundamental role in 2024,” says Luis Targhetta, Business Development Manager for Iberia at Acquis.
Spanish companies have set a clear goal for 2024 – to continue advancing and embracing the new trends of an ever-changing market. In addition to investing in AI, they are also adopting a series of key trends such as automation, cloud services, and sustainability solutions.