The research conducted by Italiaonline on the digitalization of the country’s SMEs examined the world of nano, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises up to 50 million euros and 250 employees*, has a reference universe consisting of 6.8 million companies, of which approximately 5.1 million are registered in the Economic and Administrative News Register (REA) at the Business Register Office. Of these, approximately 3 million are sole proprietorships. The difference between ceased and newly established companies in the period examined shows a positive balance of approximately 100 thousand businesses.
The analysis was conducted on a sample of approximately 10 thousand companies, representative of the reference universe by type (nano, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise), product segment, and geographical area across the national territory.
The most significant evidence is certainly the fact that the total market for “Digital Presence and Communication” has reached 3.8 billion euros with an average annual growth rate over the last 5 years (CAGR, compound annual growth rate) of 14.4% and a growth vs. the previous year of approximately +12%, confirming the increasing awareness of the importance of using digital tools.
In the period considered, the number of communicating companies grew first and foremost, reaching 1.694 million units: +15% compared to the previous year. The average investment value is €2,243, a stable figure compared to the previous year, which demonstrates how even small and medium-sized enterprises are actively committing resources to digitalization.
Regarding the digital communication channels on which companies’ investments are concentrated, the main ones are:
- Website: with almost 700,000 businesses investing in this medium (+6% yoy) for a total value exceeding €940 million (in this case too, growth compared to the previous year is +6%).
- E-commerce: with a value of 402 million, it is the market that has grown the most compared to the previous year (+83% in SME investments). This growth is driven in particular by an increase in the average investment value for this medium, which is €2,715, from the approximately 150,000 companies that invest to sell their products and services online.
- Search&Display (including search engine advertising, SEO activities, and display adv): over 400 thousand businesses have invested in it for a total value of €673 million and a growth of +11%.
- Social media: for the first time, the number of businesses investing in social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) is almost equal to those investing in their own website. In fact, 676 thousand businesses invest for a total market of €595 million: specifically, 47% of the investment is for managing their presence on social platforms, while the remaining share is allocated to advertising to promote themselves and reach new potential customer targets.
Double-digit growth also continues among SMEs in the influencer marketing market, initially considered the prerogative of medium-to-large companies, now increasingly used by small businesses, marking +37% in terms of investments compared to the previous survey for a total value that approaches €100 million.
In percentage terms, significant growth is also seen in the marketplace market (investments in online sales platforms such as Amazon, E-bay, etc.) and sector portals (e.g., in the home professionals segment, such as PagineGialle Casa), which grew by +22% and +8% respectively.
Finally, with the 2025 research, it was possible to measure the growth in the use of artificial intelligence by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for the first time: the data show that AI adoption is growing steadily, with 26.7% (+50% compared to 2024) of companies having tested it or using it permanently in 2025. Specifically, compared to 2024, more companies have permanently integrated AI into their activities (9.4% vs. 6.3%) or have started experimenting with it (17.3% vs. 11.6%). However, a significant share (43.5%) is aware of AI’s potential but has not yet tested it, while 29.7% are still uncertain or do not use it. This latter figure is down by 10 points compared to last year.
Regarding AI applications, the content world dominates: artificial intelligence is primarily used for text creation (55.2%), followed by photos and videos (31.9%), optimization of advertising campaigns (22.8%), and review management (22.6%). Other areas, such as chatbots/virtual assistants (18.0%), website creation (15.7%), and CRM management (10.0%), remain less common but still relevant.
Italiaonline has always been a strategic partner for Italian companies in their digital transformation journey. Today, the company further strengthens its mission, establishing itself as a reference point for SMEs in the strategic adoption of Artificial Intelligence. The customer journey landscape is rapidly evolving: online interactions are increasingly shifting towards Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Being recognized and cited by these platforms is becoming crucial for any business’s visibility. To address this challenge, Italiaonline has introduced InRete+, a cutting-edge solution that increases the probability of an SME being cited by an LLM. This is made possible by ensuring the consistency and authoritativeness of the SME’s content across a network of over 37 strategic listings and directories (including our PagineGialle and PagineBianche), which are essential for fueling the reliability of the responses provided by AI. Italiaonline’s commitment extends to the entire digital ecosystem: from the integration of tools for Review Management with AI and AI-optimized websites, to AI SEO services, Google AI, and solutions for the creation of content generated with the support of artificial intelligence. Italiaonline’s goal is to make new technologies immediately accessible and usable, enabling SMEs to grow and remain competitive in a continually and rapidly evolving market.
NB This is a translation of the Italian press release