In small stores, where tasks are distributed among a few people, thinking about automating procedures, organizing data or improving customer service using artificial intelligence seems an attractive but sometimes inaccessible option. The turning point comes when the trader understands … it can start with something small, useful and cheap. “The challenge is not having AI, it’s understanding what meaning it has for your business and how it can help you on a daily basis,” says Luis León, co-founder and CEO of IA TRI Projects. The first obstacle “is not technical but emotional, because behind the idea that AI is expensive and for large companies, there is a lot of fear and ignorance.” It’s the fear of not understanding it, of making mistakes or even of the changes that this entails, accompanied by the classic “I don’t have time for that.” But León insists that it’s not a matter of hours, but of not knowing where to start.
In the same spirit, Susana Gilabert, general director of Spanish Retail Association (AER), argues that, for many, AI is still seen as something typical of big brands, even as science fiction. Furthermore, “if we speak honestly, small businesses are still in their infancy. What is interesting is that, without knowing it, many are already getting in touch with them through very simple tools.
Added to all this is the lack of time, adds Julián López-Arenas, director of competitiveness at Chamber of Spain. “With small teams and a high daily operational load, many companies feel like they can’t spend hours exploring, benchmarking, or learning new technologies. »
The other big obstacle is thinking that AI doesn’t apply to your industry, León continues. “When they tell me, I have a carpentry, AI does not matter here, we have to make them understand that in addition to their work, there is customer service, diary management, invoices, budgets, suppliers… and there are many opportunities there.”
How to apply it
In particular, there are three areas in which it can be easily applied: administrative tasks, customer service and internal management. This translates to “less time spent on mechanical tasks and more time on what really provides value, which in a local store is usually being with the customer and nurturing the relationship.” For example, León explains, the manager of a small business spent a good part of the morning responding to the same emails and messages over and over again. Questions about products, pricing, deadlines, budget preparation… They have a very simple system in place that generates these answers and budgets in seconds, reviews them and sends them. “For her, the change was not having an AI, but stopping feeling like paperwork was eating into her day and being able to spend more time with clients.” In another business, the owner thought everything was fine because he was selling more, but he had no real control. The distribution of invoices and the closing of cash registers have been automated. “The AI showed that the company was in loss. It was hard but necessary. From there, he was able to adjust and recover his margin. » AI, he insists, not only saves time: “it puts the reality of the business in front of you”.
There is fear, ignorance and the idea that AI is expensive and for big companies.
Gilabert underlines this. There is a perception that AI is expensive, complex and requires advanced technical knowledge. Added to this is the lack of practical training and real support. “The small entrepreneur does not need futuristic speeches, he needs to understand what it is for today and how it can help him save time, sell more or communicate better. When AI is explained from everyday utility and not technology, fear disappears. The problem appears when the tool begins to be used enthusiastically in the first weeks, then changes arrive, doubts… and, little by little, it is abandoned because it is more work to maintain it than to do it by hand.
Another common myth is that without large volumes of information, AI makes no sense to them. But the exact opposite is happening. “The first step is to organize what already exists, putting in a common place processes, models, common responses, free documents that live in the owner’s head or in scattered notes,” explains León. From there, you can create an internal assistant that answers team questions, automate mechanical tasks, and start recording information well.
Today, López-Arenas continues to explain, most AI solutions are accessible to small businesses or are integrated into tools they already use in their daily business. POS, e-commerce platforms, management software or social networks. Are affordable and simple adoptions, which do not require large investments or advanced technical knowledge.
Regarding the approximate cost, León says there is no precise figure. “The biggest cost is usually not the technology, but the time it takes for the team itself to stop, review how it works, and validate the changes. A few sessions are enough to understand the processes, identify what can be improved and test it on a small scale before expanding it. This does not require a technical department, but someone within the company who gets involved, makes decisions and serves as a bridge in this transition.
At this point, the main mistake according to all experts is implementing AI for fashion, adopting tools without a purpose or waiting for technology to solve structural problems. AI is not magic, they analyze from the AER. “You need a minimum of strategy, prioritize what brings real value and move forward step by step.” It’s also common to try to do too much right from the start, when the most effective thing is to start with one or two useful apps, allocate resources, and grow from there.
Institutional role
To make this transition possible, associations, administrations and digital agents have a key role as translators between technology and the reality of the counter, by offering accessible training, adapted tools and close success stories.
The Chambers of Spain have been supporting the modernization of small businesses for years. “Territorial capillarity allows us to be close to daily business and act as independent advisors, guiding each company in choosing solutions that truly correspond to its level of digital maturity and avoiding investments that it does not need,” emphasizes López-Arenas. This support takes the form of personalized reports with precise recommendations and an improvement route which also facilitates subsequent access to calls for help and programs aimed at implementing these solutions. “Artificial intelligence offers opportunities to improve sales, optimize operations and better understand the customer, but the level of real-world use is limited and focused on very basic tools such as automatic recommendations on social networks, simple chatbots for customer service or automation functions integrated into platforms such as point of sale, small business ERP or e-commerce solutions.”
“Small businesses need support, practical training and concrete examples, not theoretical speeches.” AI can be a lever for competitiveness if it is brought into the field and explained for what it is: an ally to simplify, optimize and provide visibility.
In terms of profitability, you have to start with a small audit. From AI TRI projects, they explain how it is necessary to review real business processes, identify where time is going and what can be automated or improved. Questions such as what happens if this person spends this time on something of greater value (customers, sales, product) or what should be more if X is implemented, help come up with specific scenarios.
real savings
“If an automation system manages to save, for example, one hour per day for a key person, in a month, there are around 20 hours freed up. When you evaluate these hours and compare them to what it costs to build and maintain this solution, it’s easy to see whether it’s cost-effective or not. “If we don’t see it clearly, we prefer not to implement it.”
Currently, concludes León, “a small store that uses AI well can turn it into a competitive advantage. Work better, with less load, better analysis and greater focus on the customer. But soon it will cease to be an advantage and will be just a minimum requirement to keep up.”
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