The Department for Business and Trade is backing a nationwide digital roadshow designed to help small businesses adopt technology, improve productivity, and reach more customers, with support from companies including Google, eBay, Sage, and Xero.
The roadshow launched at Cobalt business park in Newcastle and is due to visit 13 locations including London, Edinburgh, and Manchester. It is aimed particularly at retail, hospitality, and leisure companies, where digital tools can influence booking, payments, stock control, customer communication, marketing, accounting, and operational planning.
Small business minister Blair McDougall said: “Through this roadshow we’re backing small businesses across the UK to seize the opportunities of the digital age.”
He added that the government was working with industry to give companies “the practical support they need to adopt new technologies, reach more customers and drive productivity and growth.”
The roadshow fits into a broader policy push around technology adoption and productivity. AI deployment has already been tied to workforce skills in Ministers tie AI adoption to workforce skills, while the British Chambers of Commerce has called for a clearer test of whether government measures translate into company growth in BCC urges new growth delivery test.
The UK has long struggled with the gap between available technology and adoption inside smaller companies. Many SMEs have access to cloud accounting, ecommerce marketplaces, digital marketing tools, customer relationship platforms, payment systems, booking software, automation, and AI services. Uptake remains uneven because time, cost, skills, confidence, and implementation support often determine whether a tool changes daily performance.
Retail, hospitality, and leisure operators face intense pressure. High labour costs, energy bills, rent, inventory risk, and shifting customer demand leave little margin for poorly chosen technology. Digital tools can reduce manual administration, improve forecasting, speed payments, support online visibility, and help owners understand customer behaviour. The difficulty lies in deciding which systems are worth adopting and how they should connect.
The involvement of major technology companies gives the programme commercial weight. Google can support visibility and digital marketing. eBay can help with marketplace selling and cross-border ecommerce. Sage and Xero bring accounting, invoicing, payroll, and finance management capability. The value of the roadshow will depend on whether advice is practical enough to guide decisions rather than simply encouraging more software use.
Productivity gains usually come from connected systems rather than isolated applications. A retailer may improve performance when ecommerce, payments, stock control, accounts, customer messaging, and marketing data are integrated. A hospitality business may gain more from linking bookings, rota planning, procurement, customer feedback, and cash flow than from adding a single new platform.
Digital adoption also creates risk. Companies placing more processes online need to consider cyber security, data protection, payment resilience, supplier lock-in, staff training, and continuity if systems fail. Practical support should therefore include governance and implementation guidance, not only opportunity-led messaging.
The initiative will test whether government-backed support can be specific enough to change company behaviour. Smaller businesses do not need another abstract case for digital transformation. They need help choosing tools, sequencing investment, training staff, measuring returns, and avoiding avoidable risk.
Technology adoption is strongest when it is treated as operational change. The roadshow’s success will depend on whether it helps companies make better decisions with the time, budget, and skills they actually have.
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