Over five million users from small and medium sized businesses now using V-Hub – Vodafone Business’ free digital advice service

Vodafone Business to launch enhanced one-to-one advice service and grow to seven million users by 2025

More than five million users in small and medium-sized (SMEs) businesses and small-office, home-offices (SOHOs) across 14 European and African countries benefitted from V-Hub, the free digital advisory service from Vodafone Business. This is up from 3.6 million customers this time last year.

V-Hub was launched in July 2020 in response to the pandemic and is designed to help SMEs and SOHOs increase their understanding of the complexities of the evolving digital landscape by providing them with personal advice on how they can navigate their own digital transformation. Vodafone Business is expanding the service later this year to give every user access to a bespoke action plan in addition to ongoing one-to-one advice with an expert advisor and exclusive content at no extra cost.

The move is designed to help many more individuals and smaller companies with limited digital and IT resources gain the necessary digital skills to be able to manage networks, productivity tools and the cyber security defences required to compete globally. It also supports the European Commission’s goal for more than 90% of SMEs to reach a basic level of digital intensity, and underpins Vodacom’s drive to develop affordable financial and digital services at scale in Africa.

Amanda Jobbins, Chief Marketing Officer & Director of Strategic Partners at Vodafone Business, said: “Many SMEs are starved of personalised digital advice and services, and V-Hub aims to change that. By 2025, we aim to support seven million users to digitalise with V-Hub’s practical and applicable advice, and access to local-to-global digital communities.

“This will make a real difference to the SMEs that make up 90% of all businesses, and employ between two-thirds and 90% of workers, in Europe, Egypt, and South Africa where the service is available.”

V-Hub’s popularity is growing. In the first three months of 2023, more than 35% of SMEs and SOHOs have come back to the site, attracted by the advice Vodafone Business offers, including one-to-one conversations with an advisor and usable tips like search engine optimisation (SEO) and hybrid working. Also, in Germany and the Netherlands, broadband speeds and 5G are very topical, whereas UK firms want to know more about how digital tools can help them manage the rising cost of living.

Note To Editors

Additional help for SMEs

Alongside V-hub, Vodafone Business has invested in further supporting SMEs with bespoke training such as the Business.Connected programme in the UK. The programme offers a wide variety of free online training courses in partnership with Enterprise Nation, including mentoring and workshops to help SMEs maximise business opportunities online, adopt new technology, mitigate cyber-attacks and meet with other like-minded individuals.

Also, Vodafone is working to support SMEs in its supply chain. SMEs can take advantage of optional supply chain financing which allows suppliers to leverage Vodafone’s credit position to access cheaper funding and liquidity. This has no impact on Vodafone’s commercially negotiated payment terms.

And in South Africa, Vodacom Financial Services has built a supplier portal called VodaTrade, where small suppliers can connect with bigger business partners. Currently, there are 127 SMEs registered on the VodaTrade portal, which gives them access to procurement opportunities with seven large retailers.

For further information

Vodafone Group, Media Relations
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GroupMedia@vodafone.com

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About Vodafone Group

Vodafone is the largest pan-European and African telecoms company, Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve lives, digitalise critical sectors and enable inclusive and sustainable digital societies.

We provide mobile and fixed services to over 300 million customers in 17 countries, partner with mobile networks in 46 more and are also a world leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting over 160 million devices and platforms. With Vodacom Financial Services and M-Pesa, we have the largest financial technology platform in Africa, serving more than 56 million people across six countries.

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero emissions by 2040, while helping our customers reduce their own carbon emissions by 350 million tonnes by 2030. We are driving action to reduce device waste and achieve our target to reuse, resell or recycle 100% of our network waste.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.