Indigenous technology adoption for Indian SMB is very challenging, why?

India has 65 Million Micro Small & medium scale business which has created 100 million employment and contributed to 7% of the total GDP 2.7 trillion USD calculated to 189-Billion-dollar sector.

Isn’t there a big barrier in adopting technologies for SMB sector Business? Is Budget allocation drives the challenge? Or technology being an overwhelming factor? Or is there a lack of stakeholder’s belief that technology can’t help them scale? Or their Business modeling involves Technology-less platform for seamless communication in their trade exchange? Or they are really not bothered or impacted to a stage where technology is the key ingredient for them to survive in their Business?

On the contrary, how mobile technology have penetrated 25 times faster than any other countries in India?

Is that lack of more personalization in the Business technology which is the fundamental factor driven in Mobility based technology?

It’s time to call as lack of innovation from Technology providers in taking a medium to communicate to SMB on the importance of Business Technology or making people understand that similar to Mobility in personal life Robust Technology in workplace is very important. It is also a fault with the Technology creators in providing a use case or define business need for adopting the technology.

Example of Innovation: Often observed the way of certain SMB companies being promoted to adopt Internet Business technology packages by Godaddy in collaboration with MS Dhoni (Indian Cricketer) by bringing Cricketing examples which makes people to understand the importance of Godaddy or Domain in Business!

VP Marketing & Sales discusses the challenges in SMB on adoption Software technologies from Intel and in addition to what was discussed I feel below 5 reasons are creating a decline mindset for software technology adoption which creates more challenges 1) Mindset that cost of technology for Business is very high 2) mindset of people to look for humanized solutions because of cheap labor 3) Sentimental impacts towards business & people 4) wrong assumption from people that Technology adoption will expose to more sales tax 5) never understand the importance of Software upgrades and more

On the other side that SMB who have adopted Technologies mentions that they expect more personalized solution to their business which does not compromise the value proposition rather proposing any generalized solutions and that calls for an opportunity towards AI (Artificial Intelligence)

If Digitization is critical for Transformation and making one’s business more competitive why would SMB ignore? Is their choice to become less compelling in the Market and not to be a global competitive player?

ONE way in order to make this 189-Billion-dollar sector in to a trillion-dollar sector is to bring in Industry, Policy makers & Large Enterprises must come together for Tech Adoption!

TWO Platform or medium to communicate the importance of Technology in SMB via innovative way of articulating the story in a personalized manner targeting industry wise has also got chances to boost the adoption of tech in SMB’s 

About Author:

Balaji Hariharan is a visionary & Speaker towards having right mix of Technology & People for a Sustained growth of economy towards future. 

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-p8HH542g - Boost your Business by CNBC TV