Share of SMEs that…
have a website76.1%
use social media58.5%
sell online14.3%
01sell online
14.3%↓ from 14.7% in 202402analyse customers
17.2%↑ from 11.2% in 202303have a strategy
31.4%04use AI
15.7%↑ from 7.7% in 202405value per employee
+5.2%01Where you are
Being online isn’t selling.
Italian SMEs that…
have a website76.1%1
use social media58.5%1
sell at least 1% of turnover online14.3%1
Shares of SMEs, not steps of a conversion funnel.
Firms using AI
EU19.95%2
Italy16.4%3
scale 0–25%
02Diagnosis
Before spending, find out where the money goes.
Four lines to read before you spend
SMEs with basic digital intensity…but only this many with high intensity
79.5%1→37.3%1
firms analysing customer data (11.2% in 2023)
17.2%2
firms analysing sales and payment data
26.0%2
SMEs that haven’t invested in AI and don’t plan to
76%3
What is changing, and what isn’t
15.7%1
17.2%2
14.3%1↓
03Plan
A few things, in order.
Sample grid · real timings come out of the diagnosis
PriorityLeverTime
1Reply the same dayautomation2 weeks
2Get found for the right servicesite and listing4 weeks
3Explain the productcontentongoing
4Know which enquiries become customersmeasurement3 weeks
of firms list a digital strategy among their competitive factors
31.4%1
61.6%1
- firms ≥ 10 employees
- large firms
04Execution
The levers switch on one at a time.
Automation and AI
15.7%1
- SMEs using at least one AI technology (7.7% in 2024)
- 33.1%2 of users, in marketing and sales
Content and video
EU firms using AI to generate…
images, video or audio9.55%3
text8.76%3
05Measurement
What gets measured grows.
Monthly report
+5.2%1
value added per employee
+11.9%1
EBITDA per employee
associated with AI adoption
SMEs using AI, by productivity quartile
1st quartile 6.5%24th quartile 9.2%2
16.6%3
of Italian firms track online conversions accurately
Notes
- ¹ Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 · SMEs with 10–249 employees, Italy
- ² Eurostat, Use of AI in enterprises, 2025 · firms with ≥ 10 employees, EU
- ³ Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 (same EU survey) · firms with ≥ 10 employees, Italy
- ¹ Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 · SMEs with 10–249 employees, Italy
- ² Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 · firms with ≥ 10 employees, data analysed by own staff
- ³ Osservatorio Innovazione Digitale nelle PMI, Politecnico di Milano, 2025-2026 research (release of 21/05/2026) · SMEs, Italy
- ¹ Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 · SMEs with 10–249 employees, Italy
- ² Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2025 · firms with ≥ 10 employees that use AI
- ³ Eurostat, Use of AI in enterprises, 2025 · firms with ≥ 10 employees, EU
- ¹ Banca d’Italia, Occasional Paper no. 1005, 2026, Table 4 · firms with ≥ 50 employees, industry and non-financial private services; associated with adoption, not a promise
- ² Istat, ICT usage in enterprises 2024 · SMEs 10–249 employees; productivity = turnover per employee; correlation, not causation
- ³ Register.it/iubenda, State of European Business 2026, commercial survey · Italian firms
