2021 Taiwan SME Digital Transformation Survey

PwC Taiwan, in cooperation with Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry and the Information Service Industry Association of R.O.C., conducted the first “Taiwan SME Digital Transformation Survey” in 2021.

The survey explores the current status of and demand for digital transformation among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across six industries in Taiwan, including:

• Wholesale and retail trade
• Hospitality and food and beverage
• Metal products manufacturing
• Machinery and equipment manufacturing
• Electronic components manufacturing
• Agriculture

The study looks at the goals that SMEs seek to achieve through digital transformation, the current status of and future SME needs for digital-related tools, the challenges they encountered during the transformation process, and the external resources they need to support their digitalization efforts. The survey findings are intended to serve as a useful reference for SMEs as they embark on their digital transformation journey.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a shrinking domestic working population, and supply chain disruptions have accelerated the resolve of SMEs to undergo digital transformation. Indeed, when responding to the challenges from the pandemic, Taiwan’s SMEs have shown themselves to be agile and flexible in seeking new solutions and using various available support resources to adjust their business models.

This pioneering survey report on SME digital transformation was produced with the invaluable assistance of partners from industry, government, academia and research institutes. We hope it provides useful guidance for SMEs in Taiwan and elsewhere on how to adapt to this challenging but promising digital era.