MATURITY

The results of the 2022 Digital Leaders in Ireland study released by digital consultancy BearingPoint in January reveal considerable progress among businesses here on the digital maturity path. Ireland has moved up the ranking to third place when compared to the other 10 countries in the study.

e study assessed 679 companies (35 Irish, 644 UK and European and 50 from the US) against criteria related to four dimensions of digitilisation: digital marketing, digital product experience, e-commerce and e-CRM. Countries and companies were scored on a scale ranging from ‘Failed’ (0) to ‘Outstanding’ (5). e country comparison was scored by analysing the top 30 companies in each country.

On that basis, Ireland achieved an average overall score of 3.43 for its digital maturity. Meanwhile, Virgin Media achieved the highest rating as an individual digital leader in Ireland with an average score of 3.67 (see panel for top ten companies) with the telco sector emerging as the most digitally mature industry here, scoring 3.5 overall.

Four other industry sectors were assessed in Ireland: banking, insurance, energy and media. Insurance and energy both scored 3.1, with banking achieving an overall score of 3 having been rated the most digitally-mature industry for the previous two years.

“ e telco sector has been consistently one of the strongest performers across all countries for the past number of years and is worth watching. Telco companies will continue their focus in 2023 on advanced technologies, such as arti cial intelligence, data analytics, 5G and automation to improve broadband and network performance and customer service,” says Gillian O’Sullivan, Country Leader for BearingPoint in Ireland.

“ e top ten companies in Ireland demonstrated digital maturity across the four key dimensions analysed. ese capabilities are required to capture and hold the interest of consumers before turning that interest into new sales – all while retaining existing customers.

“It is very encouraging to see Irish companies performing so well this year when compared to their counterparts in other countries. It is a real sign that Irish business leaders are committed and more fully invested in the digital transformation of their organisations to better equip them for the challenges they are facing.”

Engaging and focused

O’Sullivan highlighted some key insights to illustrate what makes digital leaders stand out from the pack. For example, the research found that Instagram is the most popular platform for advertising across 92% of companies in the study. Sky was the top-rated company for digital marketing in Ireland.

“Two-thirds of companies in the study displayed at least two types of engaging content for target customers such as videos and articles to increase conversion rates and allow customers to make more informed decisions,” she adds, noting that Aviva was rated highest in Ireland for digital product experience.

Regarding e-commerce and e-CRM, 42% of customer-focused companies (excluding B2B) o er click-and-collect services while 87% of companies reviewed provide customers with access to an online pro le where they can manage their own data. AXA ranked highest for e-commerce and Bank of Ireland was Number 1 for e-CRM in the Irish sample.

“E-CRM had the most signi cant improvement of the four dimensions in Ireland year on year as it ranked lowest in the 2021 study. Across many of the Irish companies included in the report, we can see the

TOP TEN DIGITAL LEADERS – IRELAND

majority improved on their customer service scores from 2021,” notes O’Sullivan.

“What makes a digital leader naturally changes over time, but our study has highlighted the key themes which are prevalent today: customer centricity, personalisation, data centricity, innovation and sustainability.

“Digitalisation is transforming the customer relationship, creating opportunities for new and established organisations to better understand customer needs and establish business models that are more in tune with customer expectations.”

Five Critical Steps To Digital Leadership

1 2 3 4 5

Placing customers at the centre of value propositions

For digital leaders, everything starts with customers. They understand them, personalise o erings for them and make them feel special.

Generating a positive emotional response through all interactions

Digital-leading companies focus on the psychological and behavioral, as emotions engendered by a product last longer than the product’s features, however excellent.

Delivering value with a suite of advanced technology that synchronises activities and leverages data centricity

Digital leaders focus on getting everbetter data sets and exploiting them with advanced analytics to provide enhanced experiences and build a more trusted brand.

Innovating in all aspects of their ecosystem

Innovation is a constant, ongoing focus for digital-leading companies. It permeates their organisation and interactions with their customers and their broader ecosystem.

Integrating ethics, sustainability and a broad world view in day-today activities

Digital leaders take a stance and use their scale and influence to drive change, while being an exemplar of sustainable, ethical practice.

Source: 2022 Digital Leaders, BearingPoint