Saudi Small Businesses Set to Gain from On-the-Move Decision-Making

Saudi small businesses are set to grow their bottom when executives can make decisions on the move.

By enabling employees to use their own or company-provided smartphones and tablets running business applications, Saudi small businesses can grow their contribution to GDP by 15 percent, from 20 percent to 35 percent by 2030, experts announced today ahead of Mobile World Congress.

As Saudi enterprises of all sizes and industries are undergoing digital transformation, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals, small businesses, which comprise 95 percent of Saudi companies, are rapidly facing the tipping point of enterprise mobility.

“Saudi SMEs are the drivers of the Digital Economy, and need to deploy enterprise mobility strategies that put the employee at the center of digital change. By letting employees use their own or company-provided mobile devices, Saudi small businesses can rapidly enhance employee productivity, efficiency, and turnaround times,” said Ahmed Al-Faifi, Managing Director, SAP Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Bahrain.

Worldwide, a record-high 50 percent of employees use personal smartphones for business, according to a recent report by 451 Research. By enhancing productivity with mobile apps, small businesses can boost Saudi employment and women in the workforce, according to IDC’s report “Envisioning an ICT Led Approach to the National Transformation Program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

“When it comes to deploying mobile apps, Saudi enterprises should prioritize empathizing with the needs of both seasoned employees and tech-savvy Millennials. Saudi enterprises should deploy mobile apps that can analyze data and allow employees to work on the go, so employees can find the right information at the right time, at the convenience of their fingertips,” added Ahmed Al-Faifi.

At Mobile World Congress, SAP will demonstrate the business benefits of mobile strategies and apps. One of the major showcases will be the recent partnership with Apple that allows for developers, partners, and customers to build iOS-native business apps.