'Lloyds Digital Business Index: Do small businesses need a digital strategy in a digital age?' One of 5 presentations from guest speakers at Digital Leaders North East's annual review, delivered by Marianne Whitfield, of COBWEB Information.

1. NOVEMBER
Lloyds Digital Business Index:
Do small businesses need a
digital strategy in a digital age?
Marianne Whitfield
COBWEB Information

2. CHALLENGES FROM THE SALON
• Report highlights the digital divide that is evident
throughout the UK small business sector
• Marked differences between the attitudes of innovators
and adopters
• Education and the development of digital skills is
important but digital inclusion is resource intensive
• Laziness/comfort factor is evident in the research

3. CHALLENGES FROM THE SALON
• Importance of context – what business benefits result
from better use of digital solutions?
• Omnipresence of 'digital' – explosion in use of
'personal' technology
• Cultural differences between work and personal life
• Government policies have been around provision of
connectivity – but once a business has access, what do
they do with it?

4. SOLUTIONS FROM THE SALON
Digital transformation
+
Digital education
+
Digital inclusion
+
Digital adoption
=
Digital application

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
• More discussion is needed – and more promotion of
the benefits of digital solutions
• Role for Digital Leaders as advocates of digital
technologies
• More signposting is required – business owners don't
know what they don't know
• Acceptance that some people will never change?