Connectivity is not the same as capability
Romania is recognised for strong fixed connectivity, including fibre coverage, yet the Commission continues to flag limited technology uptake by businesses. That distinction matters: infrastructure can enable digital transformation, but it does not automatically create strategy, skills, measurement or adoption.
| Indicator | Value | Period | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMEs at least at basic digital intensity | around 44% | 2025 | Less than 27% in 2023 |
| SMEs at high or very high digital intensity | 21.7% | 2025 | EU average 32.7% |
What digital intensity means for marketing
Marketing maturity is only one part of digital maturity, but the two increasingly overlap. A business with fragmented analytics, weak CRM processes, poor website UX and disconnected advertising will struggle to make marketing more efficient even if it buys more media.
Digital marketing should therefore be treated as part of a broader operating system: positioning, customer data, measurement, sales process, website experience and channel execution.
A practical maturity ladder
- Presence: website and social profiles exist.
- Acquisition: paid and organic channels are used deliberately.
- Measurement: meaningful conversions, CRM outcomes and channel economics are tracked.
- Integration: marketing, sales, customer data and website experience work together.
- Optimisation: experimentation, automation and advanced analytics improve decisions continuously.
Where Romanian SMEs can create advantage
Because digital maturity is uneven, companies do not need futuristic technology to create an advantage. Better fundamentals can still matter: clearer positioning, faster websites, accurate tracking, disciplined media buying, useful content and consistent follow-up.
Advanced tools such as AI and automation are most useful when those fundamentals already exist. Automating a weak process usually scales the weakness.
Northstar perspective
The Romanian SME digitalisation gap is not simply a technology problem. It is an execution problem. The opportunity is to connect technology to customer and commercial decisions.