The Industries Falling Furthest Behind on Technology - And What We’re Seeing First-Hand

Across the economy, digital transformation is accelerating. But it isn’t happening evenly.

Some industries have embraced modern software, automation and data-driven workflows. Others, often the most operationally complex, are still running on spreadsheets, emails, phone calls and manual processes.

At DueTrade, we work closely with businesses in these sectors every day. What we see on the ground closely mirrors the data: some of the most important industries are also the most under-digitised.

Construction: High Complexity, Low Digital Adoption

Construction consistently ranks among the least digitised major industries.

• Industry research repeatedly places construction near the bottom of digital adoption indices, well behind finance, retail and manufacturing
• Construction firms typically invest less than 1% of revenue in R&D, limiting experimentation with new tools
• Productivity growth in construction has been largely flat for decades, despite available technology

What we see in practice is fragmented procurement, manual ordering, and huge reliance on phone calls and email chains. This creates delays, errors and poor visibility — especially as projects scale.

The opportunity isn’t flashy tech. It’s simple, connected systems that remove friction from everyday workflows.

Agriculture: Technology Exists, Adoption Lags

Agriculture is often cited as one of the least digitally mature sectors, despite the availability of powerful tools.

• Digitisation studies place agriculture at or near the bottom of adoption rankings
• Precision farming, data analytics and digital ordering tools remain unevenly adopted, particularly among SMEs

In reality, many agricultural businesses are operationally sophisticated, but digitally underserved. Technology often fails not because farmers resist it, but because tools are too complex, poorly integrated, or not built for how they actually work.

Food & Drink Supply Chains: Manual by Default

Food producers, wholesalers, and hospitality suppliers sit in a strange middle ground: operationally intense, but digitally light.

We regularly see:

• Orders placed via WhatsApp, email or voicemail
• Stock managed across spreadsheets and memory
• Little real-time visibility into demand or purchasing patterns

This is especially challenging in sectors with tight margins, perishable goods and fluctuating demand — where better data and simpler ordering can materially improve performance.

Public Sector & Large Infrastructure Projects

Public sector organisations and major infrastructure projects often operate on legacy systems that are difficult to change.

• Many public bodies still rely on outdated procurement and ordering processes
• Digital transformation is slowed by compliance, risk aversion and system fragmentation

Yet these organisations often manage huge, complex supply chains, where even small efficiency gains can have an outsized impact.

SMEs Across All Industries: The Hidden Gap

Beyond sector differences, there’s a clear divide between large enterprises and small businesses.

• Smaller firms are far less likely to use advanced digital tools, analytics or automation
• The issue is rarely ambition — it’s bandwidth, cost and usability

This is where many digital transformation efforts fail: tools are designed for enterprise buyers, not the people actually doing the work.

What We’ve Learned Building DueTrade

At DueTrade, we didn’t start by asking “What features should we build?” We started by asking, “How do orders really happen today?”

Across construction, food, agriculture and local supply chains, the answer was remarkably consistent:

• Too many steps
• Too much manual effort
• Too little visibility

Our focus has been on removing friction, not adding complexity — helping businesses move away from emails, texts and spreadsheets without forcing them into heavy systems or long onboarding processes.

Just as importantly, we spend a lot of time advising businesses before they buy anything at all:

• What to digitise first
• What not to digitise yet
• Where technology will actually move the needle

Why This Matters for Business Owners, Decision Makers, Investors and Policy Makers

Falling behind on technology isn’t just a technical issue — it’s strategic:

• Competitive disadvantage: Firms and sectors slow to adopt new tools risk losing market share to more agile competitors.
• Cost inflation: Without automation and data-driven workflows, operational costs remain high.
• Talent retention struggles: Workers expect modern tools; outdated systems hinder recruitment and retention.
• Macroeconomic impact: Countries and regions with slow digital adoption lag on productivity growth and innovation leadership..

A Final Thought

Digital transformation doesn’t start with software. It starts with understanding how work really gets done.

That’s where we spend most of our time — listening, learning, and helping businesses modernise in a way that actually sticks.

If you’re operating in a sector that’s historically been left behind by technology, the opportunity is still very much there — but the approach matters.

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