Asia-Pac SMEs responding well to pandemic, but face challenges in digital transformation: poll

August 14th, 2020 – The Covid-19 pandemic has compelled small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to swiftly adopt new ways of working and selling, and firms in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region have responded better than their peers elsewhere in key areas, a study by SAP and Oxford Economics found.

The study published was conducted between Feb 27 and April 30 and surveyed 2,000 respondents from the Americas, Europe and APAC on their priorities, challenges and digital maturity.

Mid-fieldwork, the researchers added a section on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which garnered responses from 240 SMEs in APAC, 174 from Europe and 92 from the Americas.

Among the APAC SMEs that responded to the section on Covid-19 impact, 77 per cent said they had adjusted remote work arrangements for employees in response to Covid-19. In comparison, 75 per cent in Europe and 71 per cent in the Americas said they had done so.

Singapore SMEs were on a par with India in this regard, with 73 per cent reporting that they have adjusted such arrangements. They fell behind the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and China; the Philippines topped the chart with 89 per cent.

More…https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/asia-pac-smes-responding-well-to-pandemic-but-face-challenges-in-digital-transformation-poll

Written by The Business Times