The multitude of current crises – climate, coronavirus, geopolitics, recession – present companies with huge challenges at the moment. In order to be able to survive on the market in the long term, they need to react flexibly to unforeseeable developments.
A high degree of digitalisation in marketing and sales helps with this, because this contributes to increasing resilience, efficiency and profitability as a result of a stronger customer focus. In addition to the possibility of opening up markets through additional channels, for example, digitalisation offers sales and marketing processes more efficiency. Our study “Digitalisation Index 2023 – Marketing & Sales in Crisis Mode?” provides this and other insights. It now presents the third edition of the Digitalisation Index, which we developed together with Prof. Dr Rainer Elste from Esslingen University of Applied Sciences.
Key findings of our study
1. Marketing and sales of German companies have become more digital in all dimensions since 2021.
2. Above-average profitable companies are characterised by a higher degree of digitalisation.
3. Higher marketing and sales budgets contribute significantly to strengthening crisis resilience.
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4. SMEs and family businesses continue to be less digitalised than capital market-oriented companies – and the gap is growing.
5. Establishing your own digital products and channels enables better customer understanding and allows you to stand apart from the competition.
6. Data-based sales are mainly practised in large companies.
7. There is a risk that digitalisation in marketing and sales will fade into the background due to a lack of objectives and the current crisis mode.
8. Acquiring new customers and securing customer loyalty are currently the greatest challenges for marketing and sales.
9. Personal sales remain very important, but the trend is decreasing. Sales must be aligned as soon as possible.
In our publication, we explain these nine points in connection with the most important findings of the survey. We also describe the status of digitalisation in marketing and sales using the four dimensions of digital capabilities, processes, instruments and digital performance. In a special chapter, we also address expected and observed changes and challenges in the context of current crises.
In addition, the Digitalization Index 2023 provides checklists and solutions to decisively drive the digital transformation of marketing and sales across your business.
Almost 350 specialists and managers from German companies who work in sales and marketing were surveyed for the study in the autumn of 2022. Their answers form the basis for the Digitalisation Index.
