Mexican SMEs’ US$7.9M Software Spend Lacks Efficiency: Canva

Mexican companies with fewer than 500 employees spend over US$7.9 million annually on software, according to a report released by Australia-based graphic design platform Canva. The company suggests that a significant portion of this expenditure is redundant, as many software features overlap across the multiple applications managed by SMEs.

Canva notes that, in Mexico, SMEs represent 99.8% of all businesses and 72% of formal employment. Approximately 95% of these organizations lack the necessary technology to automate processes or make real-time decisions. This deficiency often leads to a fragmented digital infrastructure where companies with 1 to 500 employees manage an average of 172 different applications. 

This over-tooling results in redundant subscriptions, with many departments paying for overlapping functionalities that inflate operational costs without providing additional value. Financial services platform Xepelin highlights that despite a general interest in technology, only 10% of Mexican organizations have generated measurable value from their digital investments.

Impact on Employee Performance 

The lack of integrated tools also impacts personnel performance and retention. Employees frequently alternate between different applications up to ten times per hour, a habit that results in the loss of one hour of productive time every day, or approximately 32 workdays per person annually. This friction directly contributes to employee turnover; research cited in the report indicates that more than 50% of the workforce feels unsatisfied due to the software they use, and one in eight people has resigned specifically because of poor digital tools. In this sense, Xepelin indicates that human talent management is now a critical challenge for 62% of SMEs, as businesses struggle to attract and retain quality staff amidst operational complexities.

The report emphasizes that the time lost searching for solutions and adapting to incompatible software represents a high hidden cost, as the average worker spends nearly nine hours per week simply searching for or gathering information. To combat these bottlenecks, the report advocates for a shift toward consolidated platforms that combine design, document management, and communication in a single, encrypted environment. Aurora Morales, Head of Marketing, Canva Mexico, noted that digital tools should function to reduce administrative complexity rather than add to it. By centralizing these everyday tasks, companies can mitigate the risks of shadow IT, lower their IT maintenance burdens, and ensure a standardized, professional output across all departments.

Customer Experience Undermined

Internal inefficiencies eventually degrade the customer experience, as slow response times and inconsistent service quality become more prevalent. The report indicates that 73% of people view a brand's ability to value their time as a key indicator of good service. However, inadequate software often results in delayed responses; approximately 46% of customers expect a reply to a support query in less than four hours, a benchmark that many companies fail to meet due to dispersed information. 

Furthermore, a lack of unified tools leads to inconsistent branding and professional quality, which 70% of customers note as a reason to recommend a brand. "We have seen how teams generate vastly different results simply because they use tools that are not connected. One person sends a beautiful PDF with the brand identity, while another sends a basic document, and that confuses the clientele. When teams do not use the same tools, consistency and professionalism are compromised." Morales added.

Compliance Risks

Security and legal compliance are also at risk when employees turn to unverified online tools for daily tasks like file formatting. Canva’s report notes that in Mexico, search queries for "how to convert Word to PDF" reach nearly 20,000 per month, indicating a gap in approved corporate tools. The FBI and cybersecurity experts warn that free conversion sites often distribute malware or ransomware and frequently lack basic encryption. For Mexican businesses, using these unauthorized platforms can lead to severe legal consequences and fines under the Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data, potentially reaching millions of pesos in cases of severe data breaches.

The Strategic Gap: Toward 2026

The 2025 Digital Maturity Report (IMD), driven by Needed Education, EY, KIO, and AmCham Mexico, reveals that Mexican companies have reached a 41.7% digital transformation level, an increase of 3.45% from the previous year, yet still below the ideal 70%. The report highlights that only 1% of companies have achieved AI maturity, characterized by the full integration of AI into workflows as a primary driver of business results.

The report establishes that digital transformation in Mexico currently moves along three main pathways: improving the customer experience, operational optimization, and competitiveness. Generative AI is identified as a major accelerator for these axes by improving customer behavior analysis and increasing productivity through the easier automation of repetitive tasks. However, IMD 2025 warns that companies outside the technology sector are not yet reflecting on how AI can redefine their structural and operational dynamics.

As 92% of Mexican companies set 2026 as the target year to increase their AI investments, the report warns that the transition is stalling. Currently, 47% of C-Suite executives describe the development of generative AI tools as slow, despite 69% of firms having invested for over a year. A significant barrier is the knowledge gap: while 48% of employees believe continuous training is the most important factor for AI adoption, nearly half feel the support they receive from their companies is minimal or moderate. For these leaders, the primary hurdles for adoption in the coming year include the widening knowledge gap due to the accelerated pace of technology, data governance, and cybersecurity.

The human element remains a central bottleneck; 70% of employees believe AI adoption will change at least 30% of their work within the next two years. A significant barrier is the knowledge gap: while 48% of employees believe continuous training is the most important factor for AI adoption, nearly half feel the support they receive from their companies is minimal or moderate. Gustavo Barcia, CEO,  Needed Education, emphasized that companies must stop resisting change and invest specifically in continuous training to understand the real potential of AI. “The future belongs to those who are on the side of Artificial Intelligence. Let’s remember that AI is not a technological race; it is learning to become more efficient in order to add value to companies,” said Bernardo González, Director of Operations, KIO.