The State of Polish Business Digitalisation in 2025
Research by KPMG, Polcom, IFS Poland and EY gives a consistent picture: Polish business has entered a phase of mature digitalisation. Digital transformation is now the top strategic priority for 84% of enterprises, up 46 percentage points on 2020. Five years ago, one in four companies treated digitalisation as secondary. Today the figure is 1%.
AI Adoption Nearly Triples in a Year
The sharpest change came in artificial intelligence. The share of companies reporting some level of AI implementation rose almost threefold on the previous year, from 28% to 82%. Two years ago that pace would have been hard to imagine. It suggests companies now see real value in AI rather than a passing technology trend.
Among large enterprises the picture is further along. 65% of large companies already use AI, and the other 35% plan to join within 24 months. By the end of 2027, nearly every significant Polish company is likely to use AI in some form.
Record IT Project Completion
2025 also brought a jump in how many technology projects get finished. Within twelve months, the share of enterprises that completed all their planned IT projects rose from 11% to 46%. Polish companies are not only making declarations, they are delivering. Investment in IT, cloud and automation has entered a more mature phase.
Which Digital Solutions Companies Implement Most
This year's reports show clear investment priorities among Polish enterprises. Three areas dominate: process automation, enterprise management systems and cloud.
Process Automation and Robotisation
Automation remains the main driver of digital transformation. Companies name internal process automation (49%) and better customer service (48%) as the main benefits. Organisations that have automated routine tasks report saved time and, more importantly, people freed up for work that adds more value.
Small businesses are especially active. 78% of the small companies surveyed say they plan to automate production, against 30% of medium-sized firms. It sounds paradoxical, but smaller and more agile organisations adopt new technology faster, while medium-sized ones often get stuck between scale and budget.
ERP and CRM Systems: The Foundation
Putting core business systems in place is still a priority for most organisations. Small companies focus on automation and on deploying ERP, WMS and CRM. That makes sense: without one place to manage data, customer relationships and operations, digital transformation cannot really happen.
One in three companies plans to invest in ERP or CRM. That is a lot of demand for solutions fitted to specific industries and business models. Companies are moving away from rigid off-the-shelf systems towards ones built around their own processes.
Cloud as the New Standard
Cloud has gone from an option for the most advanced companies to the industry standard. Up to 86% of companies not yet in the cloud plan to move most of their operations there. The main reasons are flexibility, scalability and lower IT infrastructure costs.
Migration alone does not guarantee results, though. 40% of Polish companies use the cloud mainly to modernise what they have, rather than to introduce new services or systems, and only 25% take a broader approach that could improve operations as a whole. Many business leaders still don't see digital transformation as a change to the whole operating model.
Digitalisation Barriers: What Still Holds Polish Companies Back
Despite the good trends, Polish enterprises still face real obstacles. Knowing them is the first step to getting past them.
The Skills Gap and Talent Shortage
Only 44.3% of Polish residents have at least basic digital skills, well below the EU target of 80%. This shows up directly when companies try to hire IT specialists, data analysts or automation experts. A shortage of talent slows even well-planned transformation projects.
It is hardest in smaller cities and in the SME sector, which often cannot match the salaries large corporations offer for top technical people.
Budget Limits and Project Delays
Company plans look ambitious, but most key initiatives get pushed to later years. Production automation, robotisation of business processes and management system rollouts often wait because of budget limits or a lack of in-house skills.
Investment declarations don't always turn into action. Companies need money, but above all a well-thought-out transformation strategy and support from competent technology partners.
A Conservative Approach to New Technology
Some Polish enterprises still approach digitalisation with caution. Most Polish firms are at an early stage of adopting digital technology, and their digitalisation levels trail Western Europe. This is most visible in family businesses and traditional industries, where changing how things are done meets cultural resistance.
Where AI Delivers the Most Value
AI dominates conversations about digital transformation right now. The 2025 data shows where it is being put to work most readily.
Customer Service and Process Automation
The most common areas are customer service (14.7%), business process automation (13.5%) and finance (12.6%), in other words where the return comes fastest. Companies prioritise chatbots, smart ticketing, automatic document recognition and predictive financial analysis.
Two-thirds of companies (66.7%) believe AI will not reduce headcount and will raise productivity instead. AI does not replace people. It takes repetitive tasks off them so they can focus on work that needs creativity and strategic thinking.
From Experiment to Industry Standard
The direction is clear. Only 8% of companies consider AI standard in their industry today, but 84% expect it to become standard within five years. Companies that delay now may soon fall behind competitors.
The window is closing quickly. Organisations that treat AI as an experiment to postpone risk losing their competitive position for good.
Predictions for 2026
All the reports we analysed point to further acceleration of digitalisation in the coming year. 2026 looks set to be the year digital transformation becomes the norm rather than the exception.
More Spending on Digitalisation
Companies plan to spend more on digitalisation: nearly 60% of those surveyed say so for next year. That will feed demand for IT solutions, integration services and implementation support.
The fastest growth is likely in integrated systems that combine CRM, ERP and analytics. Companies increasingly want to run the whole operation from a single platform.
New Funding Sources
2026 will also bring new financial support for companies planning digitalisation. Digitalisation loans will be partly forgivable and offered on favourable terms, with about €185 million (800 million PLN) set aside for them. Under the European Funds for Modern Economy programme, instruments for digital transformation will open in the first half of 2026.
For many enterprises, especially SMEs, this is a chance to carry out projects that were put off for budget reasons.
AI Integrated with Core Business Systems
Modern platforms no longer offer isolated tools. They bring together ERP, CRM, resource management and real-time data analysis. In 2026 more companies will turn scattered AI experiments into a coherent operating strategy built on integrated platforms.
What will matter is the ability to combine different technologies into one system that works smoothly and fits the needs of the organisation.
Preparing Your Business for the Digital Future
For owners and IT directors, the main question is how to carry out digital transformation well. Companies that have done it successfully point to a few principles.
Strategy Before Technology
Technology should answer a specific business need, not become the goal. Before choosing a CRM, ERP or AI solution, map your processes, find the bottlenecks and set measurable goals. Companies that start by buying technology without a strategy often end up with tools that don't match what they actually need.
An Implementation Fitted to the Company
Every organisation is different. Sales at a manufacturer work nothing like a service agency or an online shop. Off-the-shelf products can be a starting point, but the real value appears when systems are fitted to how a given company actually works.
That is why more companies work with small technology partners who design solutions from scratch, together with the client's team.
Business Continuity and Security
Up to 93% of companies now invest in IT infrastructure, security and business continuity. Digital transformation has to go together with building resilience against cyber threats. Even the most advanced ERP system won't pay off if data protection and contingency procedures are missing.
Conclusion: Digitalisation as a Competitive Advantage
2025 showed that Polish companies take digital transformation more seriously than ever. A 300% rise in AI implementations, record IT project completion and growing investment in management systems all point to a deep change in how businesses treat technology.
At the same time, many enterprises are still at an early stage. The gap between leaders and laggards will widen. Companies that don't act now will find it much harder to compete for customers and talent in 2026.
The future belongs to organisations that see digitalisation as continuous improvement rather than a one-off project, supported by well-chosen technology and competent implementation partners.
Want a system built around your company's processes? Get in touch. We build custom CRM systems, ERP implementations, process automation and integrations. You are welcome to book a free consultation.
