The global digital market is expected to reach $1,009.8 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5%. As you can see, businesses are increasingly looking to innovate and adapt to the new digital realities. However, some sectors, such as the medical sector, are still lagging behind. Resistance to change, investment difficulties, complex regulations... Discover the 5 sectors lagging behind in digital transformation!
1/ Agriculture and agri-food
The agriculture sector, and more broadly the agri-food sector, is undoubtedly the one lagging furthest behind in its digital transformation. And the main reason is quite clear: they don't feel the need to do so. In fact, 80% of them don't think it's relevant to their sector (source: Credoc 2024).
The state of the network in the countryside doesn't help either. At least, that's how farmers perceive it. Of the 19% of businesses that say they are least satisfied with the network, farmers account for 28%, making them the main group of dissatisfied customers.
Finally, the issues of cybersecurity and financial cost are also very present. Farmers have the fewest plans for digital transformation in the years ahead.
2/ Traditional industrial sectors
A recent IFS study reveals that the industrial sector is also lagging behind when it comes to their digital transformation projects. Less than 10% of them describe themselves as digital leaders. Worse still, 65% of those questioned described themselves as ‘laggards’.
One of the reasons? A paralysis of options. Indeed, when the study asked manufacturers to rank technologies in order of priority, over 80% of respondents considered them all to be essential. This highlights the confusion that is preventing decisive action.
Yet manufacturers are well aware of the importance of fully transforming their economy. 82% even said that their company would not survive more than 1 to 3 years without a stronger commitment to technology. There is therefore a strong desire to evolve, despite the fact that we are lagging behind.
3/ Health and medical services
Despite being at the forefront of technical innovation, the medical sector is struggling to make the digital shift. For example, less than half of HLS leaders (44%) have taken steps towards their digital transformation. Even more symptomatically, one in four organisations still has no established digital strategy... The reasons for this delay: a shortage of staff, budgetary constraints and limitations linked to infrastructure, tools and resources.
Yet here again, HLS leaders are convinced of the benefits offered by digital optimisation (Salesforce survey):
- 26% of respondents believe it would improve data management
- 17% that it would reduce operating costs
- 17% that it would facilitate access to customer data in real time
4/ Public sector and administrations
In the civil service, the digital revolution is also making slow progress. There are many reasons for this: often cumbersome structures, complex bureaucratic processes and a weak culture of change. Another major obstacle is the budgets allocated. The investment required for a digital transformation is often perceived as exorbitant, especially for small local authorities. As a result, many public services are still using obsolete or even paper-based tools to manage their processes.
What's more, although artificial intelligence is still viewed with caution, its adoption is making headway in local and regional authorities. While there were only around fifty local projects using AI in mid-2023, there are several hundred a year later. More than half of all local authorities (51%) claim to have already set up or tested an AI system, or have announced their intention to do so by 2025.
5/ Construction and real estate
According to a McKinsey study, the construction sector is one of the least digitised in the world. Less than 1% of its turnover is invested in technological solutions, compared with 3.5% in sectors such as the automotive industry.
What are the main obstacles? A lack of digital skills, often narrow margins and a highly fragmented industry that complicates the adoption of common technological standards.
While some large companies are beginning to set an example, the majority of the sector is still lagging behind, suggesting enormous untapped potential.
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