Investment by VSEs in digital technology, support and typing

Knowledge of businesses and entrepreneurs

♦ 56% of business leaders are men. 25% of entrepreneurs are under 40 years old, 30% between 41 and 50 years old, 33% between 51 and 60 years old and 12% 61 years old and older (including 2% 71 years of age and older).
40% have a diploma beyond bac+3, 34% a bac+2 or +3, 14% a baccalaureate and 12% a lower level diploma.

♦ Industries an average of 25 years of life (63% were created after 2010, 25% between 1991 and 2010, 12% before). They work as much in BtoC (38%), as in BtoB (32%) or in a “mixed” mode (30%).
79% of companies issue less than 1,000 invoices per year, including 40% less than 100 per year.

42% have investment projects (all types):

• More in Business 54%, Personal Services 54%, and IAA (mainly food trade) 51%, less in Special Services 33%, and Financial Activities 31%,
• More in larger companies: among 50 to 250 employees (63%), among 20 to 49 employees (57%) and among 1 to 4 employees (38%),
• More among younger leaders: 53% among those under 30, 51% among those aged 31 to 40 vs. 37% among those aged 51 to 60, 33% among those aged 61 to 70 33%, and 30% among those aged 70 and over,
• Also more among the most qualified: > Barrier+3 47% vs

Digital spending and projects

♦ The way to buy the used software solutions:

35% is received in the form of investment purchases (licenses) and related maintenance costs, 33% is paid ​​in the form of membership and 13% is received for free; 19% use these 3 methods.

♦ Current spending towards digital.
60% spent €1,000 or less in 2023 (30% less than €100, 16% €100 to €500 and 14% €500 to €1,000), 25% €1,000 to €5,000 and 15% more than €5,000.

The costs involved:

• Acquiring or developing digital solutions (software) for 26%, construction or development of digital equipment (21%), and again cybersecurity (18%, especially for those who are already protected),
• Training of managers and employees (13%), development of management (12%), development of data management to better understand customers or management (10%), definition of strategy (7%) and support in the general to the manager (7%) ,
• The company’s online presence (27%), especially those under 30 (38%), HCR activities (36%), trade (33), bac+3 and beyond (30%) and those in BtoC (30%) .

♦ Companies with digital projects (68% of companies) expect to increase their digital spending slightly: 55% expect to spend less than €1,000 (including 14% on €500 and €1,000) and 45% plan to spend more than €1,000 (43% in 2023), including 16% more than €5,000 (14% in 2023).

When the budget exceeds €1,00060% intend to use funding sources including donations: 40% including public (26) and 19% loans (including crowdfunding, 3%).

Help

♦ Internal skills.

• 46% have internal skills.especially the NICT sector (86%), companies with 50 to 250 employees (65%), managers under the age of 30 (59%), >Bac+3 (55% vs Bac+2+3 31%) ), knowledge of France Num (59% vs. 44% of those who do not know).
• 39% use external services (service providers, etc.).

♦ Who would they ask for support?

• To their local networks : accountant (15%), personal and family networks (15%), consular companies (13%), French number (13%), professional union (5%), local authorities (4%),

15% say they know France Num, especially the NICT sectors (26%), business services (22%), companies with 50 to 250 employees (18%), those with Disability + 3 and further afield (19%), those in BtoB 18%, those in Ile de France (18%) and Normandy (20%).
15% of companies are aware of at least one France Num function, the most famous being the France Num study (system proposed in 2021 and completed) and the France Num website. The opinion of these activities is 91% positive.

• To their professional networks including service providers (39%), especially companies with 20 or more employees (48-50%), the NICT sectors (49%) and financial activities (48%),>Bac+3 (47%). 78% say they have no problem identifying a digital service provider.

A typology

♦ “Fraud” companies (35%) : they are less equipped and without digital projects and overrepresented in agriculture, construction, transport/logistics sectors; more often they have a workforce of 0 to 4 employees; they have older managers (> 60 years old), and a lower level of training (

♦ “Possible” companies (16%) : they are less equipped and without digital projects but projects (of all kinds) are going on; they are overrepresented among companies in agriculture, IAA, HCR, construction, transport/logistics. They are more often understaffed: their managers have a lower level of training (

♦ “Mature” companies (23%) : they are better equipped but without projects (of any kind) going on; they are overrepresented among companies in the NICT, finance and trade sectors; there are more VSEs; their leaders are younger (Bac+3).

♦ “Dynamic” Companies (26%) : they are better equipped, with digital projects in progress and they are overrepresented among NICT, business and personal services companies; These are mostly SMEs with younger managers (Bac+3).

To find out more: “France Number Barometer 2024”, Credoc, DGE

Methodology: 10,125 companies respond in 2024 (compared to 9,453 in 2023, 4,671 in 2022 and 2,796 in 2021), guaranteeing the strong statistical strength of the results: 6,425 VSEs responded (1,175 of 0 work, 2, 2, 2, 2, 5 with 0 workers, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 , 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 796 in 2022 and 2,796 in 2021. to 9 employees) and 3,700 SMEs (1,995 with 10 to 19 employees, 1,232 with 20 to 49 employees and 473 with 50 to 249 employees).
The collection took place between 03/18 and 04/11/2024 (92% online).
The recovery was carried out on 3 axes: size (6 size brackets), activity regions (12 regions) and regions (13 regions of mainland France).