Methodology

The Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies and e-Commerce in Companies (ETICCE) is an annual sample-based survey conducted by the INE for the whole of Spain. On the basis of a collaboration agreement with the INE, Idescat extends on the results offered by this operation for Catalonia.

The ETICCE was conducted for the first time in 2002 (referring to 2001), using harmonised methodological criteria, both to draft the questionnaire and to estimate the variables. The methodology used is widely accepted internationally, which enables international comparison of the results obtained.

Regulation 808/2004 of the European Parliament and Council, of April 21, 2004, sought to establish a common framework for the production of Community statistics on the information society and for the production of indicators in this area. Every year, Eurostat produces a document that details the study area and variables for inclusion in the questionnaire to enable the collection of the statistical information necessary to produce the indicators on the implantation and use of ICT and e-commerce in the reference framework.

The main objectives of the survey are:

• to show the implantation and use of ICT by companies with activity in the Spanish territory.
• to show the use of e-commerce made by companies.
• to obtain comparable information between autonomous communities, Spain and other countries.

1. Population scope

The target population for this study was made up of companies whose main activity is described in sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, the divisions of 69 to 74 of section M, and section N and group 95.1, in accordance with the CCAE-2009.

2. Temporal scope

The ETICCE is an annual survey with a double time reference to guarantee the international comparability of the results. The reference period of the variables on infrastructures, equipment and use of ICT is the first quarter of the year in which information was collected (2023), while the period of reference for the variables on e-commerce, interaction with public administration, staff specialized in ICT, training, data trading, ICT expenditure and data on general company information is the whole year 2021. The employment data is an annual average for 2022 and the economic data in relation to sales refer to the whole of 2022.

3. Geographic scope

The Geographic scope of the research consists of the whole of the Spanish territory. However, the survey does offer some results for each of the autonomous communities.

The exploitation for Catalonia contains information on all of the statistical units located in Catalonia.

4. Statistical units

The statistical unit of analysis is the company with an economic activity that is included in the Population scope as described above. The company is also the informant unit.

A company is understood to be any legal entity that constitutes an organisational unit for the production of goods or services, and that enjoys certain autonomy in its decisions, mainly in terms of the assignation of the resources it possesses. A company can exercise one or more activities in one or more establishments.

The data contained in the questionnaire refers to the whole company, i.e. it includes all establishments that the company has in different places to its head offices.

5. Sample design

The population framework for the survey is the Central Company Directory (DIRCE). This is an organised registry of information that contains data on the identities, locations, territorial distribution and classification by size and economic activities of companies. This data is obtained from administrative sources (Tax agency, Social Security, etc.) and is complemented with information provided by different INE statistical operations. The DIRCE is updated on an annual basis by incorporating new information.

For each Autonomous community, the population of EICTCE target companies is stratified by cross-comparing variables:

• Size of company in terms of wage earning employees. The following intervals are considered:
  1. From 0 to 2
  2. From 3 to 9
  3. From 10 to 19
  4. From 20 to 49
  5. From 50 to 99
  6. From 100 to 199
  7. From 200 to 499
  8. From 500 or more
• CCAE-2009 activity groups listed in the table in the Population scope section.

The sample selected in Catalonia for this edition of the survey according to size of company was the following:

• Companies with 0 to 9 employees: 705
• Companies with 10 or more employees: 2,022

6. Data collection

The questionnaire used was sent to all companies in the sample (although the sub-population of companies with less than 10 employees is considered optional by Eurostat).

The questionnaire is structured in different blocks.

Block B includes questions on the use of computers and open-source software.

The next block covers issues relating to specialist ICT workers, which are staff that, within a company, have a job related to ICT, and ICT training activities.

Block D contains questions related to businesses' access and use of the Internet. Information is requested on the different types of Internet connection (fixed and mobile) and the maximum download speed contracted. It also asks about the availability of a website and the services they offer. Questions on the use of the web to interact with public administrations and the type of interaction they make are included. This section is completed by a few questions on teleworking, the use of media companies, paying for Internet advertising and targeted advertising methods.

Block E asks about the use, exchange, analysis and trade of data, and F about the use of cloud computing services.

This is followed by an extensive module on artificial intelligence, which contains questions on types of technologies used by companies and the purpose of their use. Information is also requested, if applicable, on the reasons for which they do not use artificial intelligence technologies.

Block H is dedicated to invoicing. It distinguishes invoices that have a standard format for automatic processing (EDI, UBL, etc.) from those that have an electronic format not suitable for automatic processing (in PDF, scanned documents, etc.).

Block I collects all information related to e-commerce, differentiating between purchases and sales. In the case of purchases, companies are asked whether they make purchases through e-commerce, while in the case of sales the question is about the percentage they represent of the total amount of turnover. Sales are structured in two blocks: those made via a website (a distinction is made between a website or mobile application and a digital platform or Marketplace) and those made via electronic data interchange (EDI). In addition, they are broken down by type of customer: to other companies (B2B) and to the public administration (B2G).

The last two blocks aim to measure the expenditure that companies have made on information technologies, such as security and artificial intelligence systems, and the performance of internal R&D activities.

Data collection is done in the first quarter of 2023, by Internet and regular mail. Informants from companies are recommended to fill in the questionnaire using the Internet. However, those informants that prefer to receive a printed copy of the questionnaire can request this.

7. Concepts

Main economic activity of the company

Main economic activity is understood to mean that which generates the greatest value added. If the company does not have this data, the main activity is considered to be that which generates the greatest turnover, or if this information is also missing, that which employs the highest number of people.

Staff employed by the company

This is the number of people that work for the company, inside or outside of its buildings, and that are compensated for doing so. This includes both paid and unpaid workers

Paid employees

Those that are associated to the company by means of a permanent or temporary labour contract and that are paid by means of fixed or periodical amounts in the form of wages or salaries, payment in kind, etc. This includes paid owners, students with a formal commitment that contribute to the production process in return for payment and/or educational services, staff on strike or that are on short-term leave. Excluded from this category are workers associated to a temping agency and those that are on long-term leave.

Unpaid employees

Those that participate actively in the company without any kind of fixed payment or salary. This includes the owners, autonomous shareholders and family assistants. This does not include capital shareholders or the owners' relatives that do not play an active role in the company, or people that are on the payroll of another company that is the one where they perform their main activity.

Turnover

Income invoiced by the company during the year of reference for the provision of services and the sale of goods (not included VAT) that are the object of the company's activity. This is accounted for in net terms while deducting refunds and sales discounts and not deducting cash discounts nor sales discount for immediate payment. Turnover does not include the sale of fixed assets or subsidies for the production of good and services.

Net purchases of goods and services

Represent the goods and services acquired during the year of reference. This includes merchandise, prime materials, other supplies, work done by other companies or professionals and expenses in the outsourcing account. The purchases are valued at the price of acquisition (without deductible VAT) and are accounted for in net terms while discounting purchasing discounts and discounts or refunds to suppliers derived from quality defects.

E-commerce

The ETICCE used the broad definition of e-commerce as considered by the OECD. An electronic transaction is the purchase or sale of products (goods or services), between companies, homes, individuals, administration or other public or private organisations, by means of telematic networks. Payment for the goods or services acquired by e-commerce can be made by means of these same networks or by other means. Orders made by telephone, fax or manually written e-mails are not considered e-commerce.

Web-based sales or purchases

Sales made via an online store or using forms on the company website or extranet.

EDI-based sales or purchases

Sales made via electronic data exchange messages, the term EDI being understood generally to define the sending or receiving of sales information in an agreed format that can be treated automatically (EDIFACT, UBL, XML, etc.).

Free/open-source Systems

Software developed under an open-source licence. This type of licence allows the source code to be modified or redistributed under certain conditions without paying the original author.

Mobile Internet connection for business use

Internet connection with laptops or mobile devices (laptops, or other devices such as Smartphone, PDA phone, etc.) with Internet access through cellular networks fully or partially paid by the company. Not considered the only devices that connect via Wi-Fi.

Social media

The use of social media refers to the use by the company of applications based on Internet technologies or communication platforms for connecting, creating or exchanging online content with clients, suppliers/partners, or within the company. It is considered that companies that use social media are those that have a user profile, account or user license, depending on the requirements and type of social media used.

Big Data Analysis

Use of techniques, technologies and software tools to analyse data generated from activities carried out electronically and from machine to machine (M2M) communications (data generated from social media activities, processes, etc.). This type of data has the following characteristics: significant size (large quantity of data generated over time), variety (different complex data formats) and speed (generation speed, availability and variation in time).

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Software tools dedicated to the integrated management of customer information. These applications make it possible to store and organise this information and to integrate, process and analyse it. Two generic types can be distinguished:

• Operational CRM: allows the processing and integration of information on customer transactions.
• Analytical CRM: allows the analysis (usually through data mining techniques) of customer information, to gain an in-depth understanding of customer profiles and needs.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Set of computer tools that allow the integrated planning of processes and information corresponding to the different business areas of a company. Generally, an ERP system integrates the management of the planning, provision, logistics, sales, marketing, customer relations, finance and human resources.

Cloud computing

Servers from the Internet responsible for responding to requests at any time. Their information or services can be accessed via an Internet connection from any mobile or fixed device located anywhere. They serve the users from various hosting providers frequently located around the world. This reduces costs and uptime and ensures that websites are invulnerable to cybercriminals.

Electronic invoicing

Electronic document containing information regarding the invoice. There are two types of electronic invoices:

• Those with a standard format for automatic processing, i.e. the data they contain can be read and processed automatically without the intervention of a person or optical character recognition software. These invoices can be exchanged between suppliers and customers, via service operators or through electronic banking systems.
• Those with an electronic format not suitable for automatic processing (e.g. e-mails with PDF attachments or scanned invoices).

Telework

Work performed mainly at the employee's home, or another freely chosen place, as an alternative to being executed in person at the company's work centre.

8. Tabulation and publication of results

Idescat undertakes a tabulation of the EICTCE survey that expands on the results offered by the INE for its autonomous community.

In order for the published data to be comparable with that which is offered by the INE and other official statistics bodies, the results are structured into two sections:

• Companies with 10 or more employed persons
• Companies with less than 10 employed persons

The published results have been obtained in consideration of all of the activity groups included in the population area of the survey, apart from the division 56 and group 95.1.

In the tables that present the results for companies with 10 or more employed persons, the information is presented disaggregated by the following characteristics:

• Number of employed persons
  1. From 10 to 49
  2. From 50 to 249
  3. From 250 or more
• Activity sector
  1. Industry
  2. Construction
  3. Services

The results for the companies with less than 10 employees are only disaggregated by activity sector.

In the Research · Technology section of the Idescat website the information on these statistics can be consulted for other years.