In order to help Serbian entrepreneurs and businesses understand their position within Serbia’s digital ecosystem and how to improve their online presence, RNIDS has implemented the Serbian Digital Development Index project. The Index represents a unique numerical indicator of the level of digital tool and internet technology adoption in business operations.
A reference number is defined for Serbia as a whole, as well as for businesses from different regions, of various sizes, ages, classifications, industries, and different target markets.
How is the Digital Development Index calculated?
The reference indices were determined based on research conducted in October 2023, with different weighting factors assigned according to the importance of specific technologies for online business (for example, a website, a custom domain email address, and a TikTok profile do not carry the same weight). These values were then incorporated into the website at индикс.срб.
Anyone interested can visit the site and fill out a 14-question survey. Upon completion, they receive their company’s index and can compare it with the national index, as well as with the indices of companies of similar size, age, or from the same industry.
For those with lower scores in the use of certain technologies, the site will suggest links to expert articles that can help them improve.
How digital are Serbian companies really?
The Serbian Digital Development Index stands at 46.97 and varies significantly depending on company size and age, business sector, target market, and other factors.
For companies that have been in operation for 3 to 10 years, the index is around 50, while it is significantly lower for those younger than a year, at just 19.25. The index is higher among manufacturing companies (50.82) and below average in the service sector (44.11). As expected, companies that primarily operate internationally have a noticeably higher index (58.26) than those doing business solely within Serbia (46.02). The index is considerably lower for sole proprietors (36.55), while it is quite high for large enterprises (59.13).
Conclusion
The Digital Development Index can be a valuable tool for any business entity that wants to assess its position relative to the competition and identify areas for improvement. All it takes is to occasionally visit the site at индикс.срб and check their index.