Digital transformation, innovation, technology, among others, are topics that are constantly talked about today and, to tell the truth, that are put into practice in a society that is much more involved in the digital scene.
First of all, we must put in context a report of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which indicates that, at present, 4.9 billion people around the world are connected to the Internet. Now, just In Mexico, the number of Internet users is about 80 million, according to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
Today, we speak of Europe as the region where the quality of digital life is higher compared to Latin America, with Mexico ranking 62nd (out of 117) globally, according to the Digital Quality of Life Index developed by surf shark.
Undoubtedly, one of the greatest benefits -if it can be called that- left by the pandemic was that of granting a greater move towards a scenario that, even, had already been going strong: that of digitization.
It is not, in itself, a new topic, although it is one of the most relevant, at least, in the last 10 years, where innovation plays an extremely important role not only in the daily lives of users, but also, Similarly, in the development of countries.
Taking this as a starting point, Latin America can be considered one of the most complex regions in all areas, which is why issues such as innovation, technology and digitization come a little later if we compare it with what happens in other latitudes.
Mexico, according to the results of the Global Innovation Index 2022developed by the World Intellectual Property Organizationranks third among the most innovative countries in Latin America, a ranking led by Chile and Brazil, which speaks, in general terms, of progress towards digital maturity.
Digital transformation in Latin America
There is no doubt that the last couple of years (2020 and 2021) represented a great challenge for both industries and society in general; a moment in history that, without a doubt, definitively changed people’s consumption habits.
In this way, one of the main slogans was to adapt to a digital life and, with it, join forces in order to overcome one of the most critical moments in the life of the countries.
Digital transformation, from this perspective, more than a trend, became a priority in the face of what was coming in the face of a post-pandemic era, which, according to some specialists, we are beginning to experience.
In terms of digital maturity, according to the study Transformation with digital sense 2022: A new rhythm in the digital maturity of Latin AmericaEcuador, Chile and Mexico are the three countries showing progress in the financial and consumer sectors.
Through a survey of 715 leaders from 16 different industries in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and the Dominican Republicit was revealed that 53 percent of those surveyed allocated a larger budget to the digital transformation of their companies, under the argument of accelerating the changes that the market had already been demanding.
In topics such as Strategy and Innovation, Customer Experience, Operations and Supply Chain, Administrative Areas, Information and Technology, Risks and Cybersecurity and, finally, Culture and Organization within the businesses, Latin America manages a level of digital maturity forming a total of 61.16 points, on a scale of 100.
That said, putting it in the context of the study, the mentioned region is located in the range of “Developing digital capabilities”, which represents a significant advance considering that the market demand is focused on the digital scenario.
One of the data to highlight is that, of the 53 percent of the countries that decided to allocate a larger budget to their own digital transformation, 42 percent said they had invested more with the intention of simplifying and making processes more efficient; 37 percent did so due to customer demand and to offer more value; and another 15 percent did so as a change in strategy.
The study Transformation with digital sense 2022 It also revealed that, currently, 63 percent of respondents say they feel “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their own progress in digital transformation.
Now, what should not be left out of the analysis is that there is still a long way to go in the digitization race, since 45 percent of those surveyed consider that the lack of trained personnel is one of the greatest barriers to successfully undertake digital transformation in their organizations.