After pandemic-driven growth, small businesses in the country still have limited online presence, reveals ICT Companies 2023

Only 52% of this segment owns a website, with the vast majority being online exclusively through social networks, according to a survey released this Tuesday (14th); the study also shows that the use of AI and IoT in Brazilian companies is not widespread

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digitization in Brazilian companies, but there are still challenges in expanding the online presence of small businesses, those with 10 to 49 employees. The survey ICT Companies 2023, launched this Tuesday (14) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), shows that after the health crisis, social networks remain the main digital channel used by the segment. Just over half of small businesses (52%) have their own website, a percentage similar to that observed in 2019 (51%). By comparison, 77% and 85% of medium and large companies, respectively, have this resource, according to the current edition of the survey, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

According to the survey, 75% of small businesses in the country use messaging platforms (such as WhatsApp or Telegram); 71% have their own profile or account on networks like Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok or Flickr and 26% on LinkedIn. Considering the total universe analyzed (small, medium, and large companies), the percentages for 2023 are 74% (WhatsApp or Telegram, compared to 54% in 2019, before the pandemic), 71% (Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok or Flickr, compared to 44% in 2019) and 30% (LinkedIn, compared to 15% in 2019).

The study also reveals that 91% of Brazilian companies use optical fiber, with 60% of them having download speeds above 100 Mbps. “Advancements in terms of connectivity infrastructure were not necessarily accompanied by an improvement in the online presence. The survey shows that a significant portion of active companies in the country does not have a website, for example. There is room for them, especially small and medium ones, to diversify and complexify this participation,” explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br|NIC.br.

Online Commerce
According to the survey, 70% of companies sold products or services online in 2023, proportion that was 73% in 2021. The results indicate a stable scenario in the indicator, which grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic – in 2019, the percentage was 57%. Considering the size of the companies, the online sales indicator appears as follows: small (57% in 2019; 74% in 2021 and 71% in 2023), medium (58% in 2019; 67% in 2021 and 66% in 2023) and large (52% in 2019; 68% in 2021 and 63% in 2023).

The most commonly used means by businesses to sell in the digital environment are messaging apps, mentioned by 78%. Sales through this type of platform are more common among small companies (80%) – they are the ones that use social networks the most for this purpose (40%) and the least to carry out the practice on their own websites (29%). Among large companies, there is a higher incidence of other forms of digital environment commercialization, such as the website (55%) and sales sites (30%). The survey also found that industry (81%), lodging and food (81%) and commerce (74%) are among the sectors that sold the most on the Internet in 2023.

New Technologies
In its 15th edition, the study shows that the adoption of emerging technologies is beginning to spread among Brazilian companies, but the variety of types of uses is still limited.

In the case of cloud services, the most used are those related to solutions like finance software, accounting (49%) or email (53%). Applications more related to digital infrastructure, such as cloud processing capacity, were adopted by one-third of businesses (33%).

The proportion of companies that used some Internet of Things (IoT) device in 2023 was 14%, the same observed in 2021. The use of this technology is concentrated in large companies and in the information and communication sector. The most used type of IoT device was related to facility security, such as alarm systems, smoke detectors, door locks and security cameras (84% of companies that used IoT).

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence also showed stability over the period (the percentage went from 13% in 2021 to 14% in 2023). As with IoT, AI use is more common among large companies and in the information and communication sector. The most adopted application was workflow process automation, mentioned by 73% of organizations that use Artificial Intelligence. More complex resources, such as machine learning (16%) or natural language generation (13%), are mentioned less frequently.

“The data demonstrates a consolidation of greater business digitization driven by the pandemic. At the same time, the survey indicates that the adoption of new digital technologies, such as IoT and AI, is still limited to certain localized processes, revealing challenges for more comprehensive utilization by all Brazilian companies,” Barbosa adds.

About the Survey
Conducted since 2005, the survey measures the adoption of information and communication technologies in small, medium, and large Brazilian companies. In the 2023 edition, the study interviewed 4,057 companies with 10 or more employees throughout the national territory, with data collection occurring between March and December 2023.

The ICT Companies adopts international standards established by entities such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union.

The complete list of indicators can be found at https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/empresas/indicadores. To review the launch of the survey, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp8_TMg0YNM.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), from NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, publishing periodic analyses and information on network development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Center for Studies under the auspices of UNESCO, completing 19 years of activities in 2024. More information can be found at https://cetic.br/.

About NIC.br – Brazilian Network Information Center
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity responsible for managing the .br domain, distributing IP numbers, and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil - CGI.br since 2005, and all resources generated come from its activities, which are of a primarily private nature. It conducts actions and projects that bring benefits to the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br/), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Good Practices Portal for the Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the office of the W3C Chapter São Paulo (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet services initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of services offered. Based on principles of multisectoralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic internet governance model, praised internationally, where all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information can be found at https://cgi.br/.
Contacts for the Press – NIC.br:

Weber Shandwick
https://webershandwick.com.br/
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Paula Boracini - pboracini@webershandwick.com - (11) 98123-5235

Communications Advisory – NIC.br
Carolina Carvalho - Communication Manager - carolcarvalho@nic.br
Ana Nascimento - Communication Coordinator – ananascimento@nic.br

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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.