28% of UK SMEs name data and AI as their top digitalisation priority for 2026

New research from Be Certified surveying 700 UK SME owners and managers confirms what the market is demonstrating: AI and data have become the top digital transformation priority for UK small and medium-sized businesses in 2026, overtaking every other investment category. The commercially significant finding is not the 28% naming AI as their top priority — it is the 43% who report that digital tools have already increased profitability. For UK manufacturers and retailers still treating data infrastructure and AI adoption as a future investment, that 43% represents businesses already pulling ahead on margin, efficiency and customer retention. The UK SME digital transformation window is not closing — but the cost of delay is compounding every quarter.