Paying for a cup of coffee on an iPad is mainstream in big cities, but the majority of small businesses — the backbone of our local economies — have not yet fully come online. And as e-commerce outfits increasingly follow Amazon’s lead in adopting a purely data-driven model to provide greater value in the face of squeezed margins, retailers and service providers that don’t embrace technology will be at a major disadvantage. Small businesses like restaurants, which have an 80% failure rate in the first five years, are some of the most challenged in curbing inefficiency and meeting the rising expectations of tech-empowered customers.
How Small Businesses Can Increase Their Digital Capabilities
You don’t have to be Amazon to compete on technology.
July 25, 2017
![](/resources/images/article_assets/2017/07/jul17-26-116781792.jpg)
Summary.
While tech is the secret sauce of the eBays of the world, it’s also leveling the playing field for small businesses, allowing them to take advantage of data in entirely new ways. But not every small business is and there’s a huge spectrum of digital capabilities and even those businesses in the middle of the spectrum– which is most of them– are leaving money on the table. To succeed, they need to do two things: bring their operations online and double down on their customers.
New!
![](/resources/css/images/hmm/HBR-learning-icon.png)
HBR Learning
![](/resources/images/hmm/Course_Illustrations/Digital_Intelligence_Course/topic_landing_page_1400.png)
Digital Intelligence Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Digital Intelligence . Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Excel in a world that's being continually transformed by technology.
Learn More & See All Courses
New!
HBR Learning
![](/resources/css/images/hmm/HBR-learning-icon.png)
Digital Intelligence Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Digital Intelligence . Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Excel in a world that's being continually transformed by technology.
![](/resources/images/hmm/Course_Illustrations/Digital_Intelligence_Course/topic_landing_page_1400.png)