Still low penetration of B2b eCommerce: only one order out of five is exchanged digitally by companies. After the push of the pandemic, difficulty using digital tools in integrated logic.
The digitization of transport documents is lagging behind: only 34% of companies issue them digitally, only one out of four receives them. Italy first EU state to introduce the generalized obligation of electronic invoicing: the “VAT in the Digital Age” Directive provides for a single format for intra-EU transactions from 2028
In Italy, in 2022 the value of B2b eCommerce is equal to 468 billion euros, i.e. all transactions in which orders are exchanged in digital format by companies, up by 3% compared to 2021, with an incidence firm at 21% of the total of Italian B2b transactions. For the first time since 2015, the incidence remains stable compared to the previous year, suggesting the beginning of a phase of consolidation of the investments made during the pandemic, when various companies introduced new digital tools and channels. Despite an average high level of adoption of technologies for digital transactions (between EDI, B2b Portals and B2b Platforms, B2b Marketplaces and B2b own sites), the penetration of B2b eCommerce is still low, with just one order out of five exchanged through digital.
Italy boasts a European record in electronic invoicing, having introduced the generalized obligation, but the last step for the complete digitization of the order cycle remains to be completed, that of the delivery phase, which is still at a standstill: today only 34% of Italian companies issue digital Transport Documents and only one out of four receives them. Among the administrative-accounting processes of companies, internal activities are the most digitized, even if the level reached is not yet satisfactory: 65% of companies have ERP management software, 60% computer signature certificates, 53% software of digital preservation and always 53% software for electronic document management. But it is SMEs that are pushing digitization downwards, which register an average diffusion of 24 percentage points less than large companies.
These are some search results dell’Digital B2b Observatory from the School of Management of the Milan Polytechnic presented last June at the conference “Digital B2b: whoever stops is lost!”.
“Digitization in B2b is a slow and complex process: due to different levels of technological equipment among companies, heterogeneous supply chain standards and different needs from sector to sector, Italy has not yet reached full digital maturity – explains Riccardo MangiaracinaScientific Director of the Digital B2b Observatory -. At a regulatory level, after the obligation of electronic invoicing, government bodies are struggling to find a new trigger to continue the digital transformation. Companies that had introduced new digital tools during the pandemic now find it difficult to insert them into a strategic and integrated logic. At this point, it is essential not to stop and trace a synergistic evolution path between institutions and companies”.
“The basket of technologies available to companies is increasingly broad and with logics ever closer to those of B2c, but the penetration of B2b eCommerce is still too low – he adds Paola OlivaresDirector of the Digital B2b Observatory -. The main obstacle to digitization is often cultural: to allow for a greater diffusion of digital in relations between companies, it is important to involve companies, especially SMEs, in training plans for top management that push towards a structural change in corporate culture”.
B2b eCommerce technologies
Among the various technologies that enable integration between companies, in 2022 23,700 Italian companies use EDI (Electronic Data Interchange, data interchange systems in structured electronic format through an IT channel that automates the direct management of commercial and administrative documents), the 13% more than in 2021, for 135 million documents exchanged (+2%), including orders, order confirmations, shipping notices and invoices.
17% of Italian companies have a B2b portal to connect with their supply chain partners and exchange all the main documents of the order cycle. From simple repositories, these portals are becoming real hubs where all the documents of the executive cycle converge, regardless of the channel on which they are exchanged. 11% of companies adopt B2b platforms, which allow different modules and external services to be integrated flexibly in a single interface (as a document management suite or link with external eCommerce platforms).
Among the digital technologies for sale, however, 6% of companies use Marketplace B2b, which in 2022 increased transactions by 33%. They are mainly used to sell products, but also as a showcase for the offer. 18% of companies have their own B2b site where customers can view or purchase products or services. According to the Observatory, there are three approaches to the use of sales technologies in the B2b sector: the “infants”, with simple showcases or collection points for order requests, activated in emergency situations or when adapting to competitors’ offers ; on the opposite side the “adults”, with real service hubs able to cover all phases of the execution cycle, from the issuance of the order to the related payment, integrating advanced reporting services and product visualization via virtual reality; in the intermediate phase the “adolescents”, aware of the importance of the new channels, but still backward on the organizational and technological front.
Transport Documents
Pixabay License
Free for commercial use
Attribution not required
To date, only 34% of Italian companies issue digital Transport Documents and one out of four receives them. It is also possible to digitize the CMR, the international consignment note used at Community level for the carriage of goods by road by vehicle for payment, but currently only 8% of Italian companies do so.
The complexities to be faced to digitize the delivery process are different: many actors to align with respect to standards and procedures, different phases to keep under control and multiple documents to manage. But the more the process is digitalised, the higher the levels of efficiency and effectiveness achievable: the advantages are a reduction in the time spent searching for and consulting documents (according to 80% of logistics operators, carriers and clients), the possibility of having access real-time information (73%) and increased sustainability (60%). However, adequate technological tools are needed, attention to the relationship with transporters and business partners (for example, providing rewards for the most virtuous ones), training courses for personnel and communication of change focused on benefits.
“The diffusion of the digitization of transport documents is still at a standstill, partly due to its complexity and partly due to the focus of companies mainly on compliance and the obligations that have occurred in recent years – he observes Riccardo Mangiaracina –. The time is ripe to hypothesize an obligation to digitize Transport Documents on the national territory which would further streamline the administrative-accounting activities of companies”.
IT companyae digital preservation
In the digitization of internal processes, the spread of electronic signatures is increasing, now used by almost half of Italian companies to sign contracts and electronic invoices. There are over 29 million active signature certificates issued to companies and individuals, +0.4% compared to 2021 and +33% compared to pre-pandemic, and effective uses are increasing (there are 5.81 billion signatures in 2022 against 4.82 am of 2021). Electronic signature is one of the trusted services regulated in eIDAS together with electronic seals, certified delivery services, time stamping and authentication certificates (TLS) for websites. The synergy between these services is increasingly strong: there are 225 qualified trust service providers (QTSPs) in Europe, of which 20 in Italy, the third country behind Spain (48 QTSPs) and France (29).
The digital storage of IT documents has undergone important changes following the new AgID guidelines applicable from 1 January 2022, which require companies, among other things, to draft a storage manual and appoint a storage manager . As of May 2023, 62 subjects are registered in the new AgID marketplace (a showcase where PAs and private individuals can identify storage service providers), of which 90% are service providers, 5% regional in-house companies, 3% regions and the remaining 2% consortia.
Electronic billing in Europa
Italy has a record in Europe with the introduction of a generalized electronic invoicing system. Two other EU27 countries, France and Poland, have already moved to introduce it. These countries will be able to maintain the current system in domestic transactions, guaranteeing full interoperability by 2028, according to the proposed Directive “VAT in the Digital Age”, which provides for the introduction starting from 2028 of a mandatory electronic invoicing system for transactions intra-EU – preferred over using a data reporting system, similar to our spender – using the European format (UBL and CII) as the only format. Countries that have not yet moved in the direction of a B2b obligation (11 EU27 countries have a total B2g obligation, 8 countries have a partial B2g obligation and 8 countries have a situation of substantial voluntary), however, will have to immediately introduce the single European system. This proposal, still under discussion, will have to be unanimously approved by all the Member States. If the proposal passes, an amendment to the VAT Directive will be needed in order for the system to be introduced. However, the situation is still very fluid, which is why the International Observatory on Electronic Invoicing was launched from the Digital B2b Observatory precisely with the aim of monitoring the situation and trying to influence future decisions.
“Given Italy’s primacy and success in introducing a generalized electronic invoicing system, in order not to frustrate the efforts and investments made, the possibility of maintaining the current system at a domestic level is essential – he observes Paola Olivares -. However, it is equally essential to design a unified model within the EU to allow companies and service providers to develop a single relationship system with all countries, without wasting energy in the construction and maintenance of ad hoc connectors and standards for single nation”.
2022-23 edition of the Digital B2b Observatory
The 2022-23 edition of the Digital B2b Observatory is created in collaboration with Adobe, Indicom, Consorzio Dafne, Ediel, GS1 Italy, Metel, Accenture, Alias Digital, Comarch, Di.Tech, EOS Reply, Get Your Bill, Intesa Sanpaolo , Liferay, Namirial, Sintra, Tesisquare, Teamsystem, Zucchetti, Arxivar, Credemtel, Edicom, Esker, Intesa, a Kyndryl Company, MyBank, Siav, Talea Consulting, Top Consult, TSeed and under the patronage of Assintel, Assolombarda, Assosoftware