Embracing AI: The Path Forward For Smbs
August 22, 2025 — As we near the end of 2025, the landscape for small and mid-market businesses is evolving quickly. AI isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about transforming how you operate and engage with customers.
The Importance of AI Integration
Nearly all small businesses - about 98% - are already using AI-enabled tools, and 91%of those say AI will help their businesses grow in the future. For SMBs, integrating AI across operations isn’t just a nice-to-have-it’s essential. But, most businesses are getting hung-up on the scale and complexity of AI.
The full ecosystem of AI agents is already overwhelmingly vast. Many business operators are so laser focused on the operation of their businesses they can’t actually make heads or tails of what AI is, let alone which tool they should use to grow their business.
Automation and Efficiency: The Path Forward
AI-powered marketing tools are becoming the norm. A recent report indicates that 80% of retail companies expect to integrate AI into their marketing strategies by 2025. These tools enable SMBs to create content efficiently and manage customer interactions, all without the cost of traditional marketing agencies.
Operational gains from AI can be equally impressive, when deployed to meet the scale of the business. According to a study of nearly 10,000 UK SMEs, AI adoption can boost productivity by 27-133%, with quick wins like automated staff scheduling or inventory forecasting. These are tangible improvements that make a difference to any bottom line.
But, read that percentage again. There’s a 106% deta between a minor productivity boost (22% in the study) vs a game changing boost (133% in the same study). The flat, simple truth is this: businesses that don’t learn how to onboard and implement AI into their day-to-day processes will be beaten out by those businesses that do just the minimum amount of AI implementation. The difference between no productivity boost by ignoring AI altogether and the 22% productivity boost could be the difference between making your number in a year or watching your competition take share.
Ready to start your AI Journey?
The good news here is that you aren’t behind. The entire market is sprinting at insane pace to understand how and what AI is. Let’s translate these stats for you. Book a Growth Scan with Foothold Solutions to uncover how AI can transform your business.
