Digitally mature businesses in Singapore are significantly outperforming their peers, with those that are fully integrated and AI-enabled being up to ten times more likely to report strong performance, according to new research from HubSpot and Lonergan Research.
Digitalisation
The survey of 544 Singaporean business leaders revealed that while 91% of companies have digitalised, only a small portion are fully unlocking the value of digital tools. Fully integrated businesses were three times more likely to realise ROI within a month. Advanced AI adopters were 25 times more likely to report an immediate return on investment (ROI) compared to early adopters.
“In today’s highly competitive environment, agility is everything,” said Carol Fong, head of Asia at HubSpot. “Integration and AI maturity are key to scaling efficiently and closing the digital performance gap.”
Barriers to progress
Despite widespread digital efforts, only 16% are advanced in AI use, with just 15% fully integrated. Fragmented systems and leadership hesitancy continue to hinder progress; 39% of fully digitalised businesses cite slow decision-making as a barrier.
Government support remains strong, with 89% of companies saying public programs such as SkillsFuture and the Enterprise Development Grant helped enable transformation, though small businesses face more challenges.
Amid economic uncertainty, the most agile companies are focusing on operational efficiency, AI, and sales improvements. As the gap between digital leaders and laggards widens, competitive advantage increasingly lies in AI-powered, integrated systems driven by aligned leadership.
