Executive summary · TL;DR

The Kit Digital catalogue is not one-size-fits-all: each sector has different needs. Retail prioritises e-commerce and online presence; hospitality, online presence and social media; construction, ERP and electronic invoicing; professional services, CRM and cybersecurity. Choosing two or three priority solutions by sector is what truly makes the voucher pay off.

How the Kit Digital is distributed by sector in Spain

Before going sector by sector, it is worth seeing the overall map. According to official Red.es data, classified by the Tax on Economic Activities, the distribution of Kit Digital beneficiaries in Spain is as follows:

The key fact: retail, hospitality and services concentrate the vast majority of the grants, in line with the weight of these sectors in the Spanish fabric of SMEs and the self-employed. The underlying reading is that the programme has digitalised, above all, businesses that deal directly with the end customer and that needed to put their digital shop window and their commercial relationships in order, rather than large industry, which already started from a higher degree of computerisation.

In some communities the bias is even more pronounced: in Castilla y León, retail and hospitality reach 31.49%, almost three points above the national average, as I detail in my guide to the Kit Digital in Castilla y León. That regional nuance matters more than it seems: a community with a lot of local retail, rural tourism and seasonal hospitality has different digital priorities from a territory with a strong industrial or logistics weight. In Canarias, for example, tourism and catering draw heavily on the online-presence and bookings categories, while in areas with a manufacturing fabric ERPs and analytics gain ground.

The practical conclusion is simple: the sector breakdown is not just a curious statistic but a map of where the voucher is actually being invested and, therefore, where the digitalisation agents have accumulated the most experience. Knowing that your sector is well represented means you will find providers with cases similar to yours.

A reminder: the Kit Digital catalogue of solutions

To understand what fits each sector, it is worth keeping in mind the full catalogue of categories that the voucher funds:

Each category has a different maximum amount depending on the company segment. The trick is to choose, within that catalogue, the two or three solutions that really solve your sector's problems. It is worth remembering that not all categories compete for the same objective: some serve to acquire customers (website, e-commerce, social media), others to manage the business internally (CRM, ERP, BI, electronic invoicing) and others to protect it (cybersecurity, secure communications, secure workstation). Cross-referencing those three families with the real needs of your activity is the exercise that truly makes the voucher pay off.

A common mistake is to think you have to spend the maximum amount across as many categories as possible. The programme's logic rewards exactly the opposite: investing well in what delivers a return. Let us look, sector by sector, at which are those winning categories. If you want the full overview of the programme, my guide to the Kit Digital for SMEs and the self-employed serves as the foundation.

Kit Digital for retail

Retail is one of the great protagonists of the Kit Digital, and its needs are fairly clear: to sell beyond the counter and professionalise the online presence. The solutions that make the most sense:

Practical recommendation: a shop starting from scratch usually performs better by combining e-commerce + online presence, rather than dispersing the voucher across advanced categories it does not yet need.

It is worth distinguishing two very different cases within retail. The neighbourhood physical shop (a stationer's, a hardware store, a local clothing shop) does not need to compete with the e-commerce giants; it is enough to have an impeccable Google listing, a simple website with opening hours and location, and a constant presence on social media so that its regular clientele finds it and remembers it. By contrast, a shop with the ambition to sell across the whole of Spain, or with distinctive products, does need a solid online shop and, in many cases, the leap to a marketplace to gain volume without building its own traffic from scratch.

A generic example illustrates the difference well: an artisan-products shop that only sold on its premises can use the voucher to set up an online shop and open a national sales channel, while a local food shop will probably get more return by reinforcing its local listing, its reviews and a courier-based ordering system. Same sector, opposite priorities. That is why, before signing with a digitalisation agent, ask whether they have experience with your specific type of retail and request examples of similar shops they have launched.

Kit Digital for hospitality

Bars, restaurants, cafés and accommodation share a group with retail in the statistics, but their digital priorities are their own. What fits best:

Hospitality tends to underestimate the value of an optimised business listing and managed reviews: it is the first thing the customer sees and what most decides the visit. That is why I recommend starting with online presence and social media before more complex internal solutions.

Within hospitality it is also worth separating the profiles. A daily-menu restaurant that fills up with local clientele lives on its reputation for proximity: there the priority is the Google listing, up-to-date photos and responding to reviews. A tourist accommodation, by contrast, competes in a national and international market, and needs its own website that reduces its dependence on booking platforms (with their commissions) and that allows direct booking with advance payment. And a takeaway or home-delivery business fits squarely with e-commerce, because the online order is its cash register.

A point that often goes unnoticed: seasonality. Many hospitality businesses in coastal or mountain areas concentrate their turnover in a few months, so it makes complete sense to have the digital presence and social media campaigns ready before the high season, rather than improvising them in the middle of summer. When choosing a digitalisation agent, value one who understands the rhythm of your business and can leave the site operational and well positioned well in advance.

Kit Digital for construction

Construction represents 10.13% of beneficiaries and has a very different profile from retail: here the customer does not arrive through an online shop, but through reputation, quotes and completed work. What adds the most value:

In construction, the best-invested voucher is almost always the one on process management, because it tackles the sector's main pain point: the lack of control over project costs and timelines.

The construction sector encompasses very different realities, from the self-employed person who does refurbishments to the company that carries out works for public administrations. For the small refurbisher, the most cost-effective is usually a combination of a portfolio website (with photos of completed jobs that build trust) and electronic invoicing, because their volume of work does not justify a complex ERP. For the medium-sized company, by contrast, the process-management ERP is transformative: moving from keeping projects in scattered spreadsheets to having quotes, work reports, material purchases and certifications in a single system avoids the two great drains of money in the sector, cost overruns and uncontrolled delays.

Electronic invoicing deserves special attention in construction for two reasons: companies that work with the public sector are already familiar with mandatory electronic invoicing through the administrations' entry points, and the progressive generalisation of electronic invoicing between businesses will make this category, sooner rather than later, a necessity and not an option. Getting ahead with the voucher means investing in something you will have to have anyway. When choosing an agent, prioritise one who knows the real operations of a construction site and not just generic software.

Kit Digital for professional services

Consultancies, firms, advisory practices, clinics, agencies and professionals in general make up the large block of "other services" (19.73%). Their digitalisation revolves around the customer relationship and internal efficiency:

In services, the winning combination is usually CRM + cybersecurity: selling better and protecting the information that is the business's core asset. If security is your priority, I go deeper into the Kit Digital for cybersecurity and into the guide to ISO 27001.

It is worth fine-tuning according to the type of service. A law firm or a tax advisory practice handles highly sensitive personal and financial data, so cybersecurity and the secure workstation stop being a luxury and become a reputational and legal obligation: a data breach in a firm not only costs money, but the trust of its entire client portfolio. A marketing agency or a consultancy, by contrast, lives on continuously acquiring new customers, so a CRM and an advanced online presence that demonstrates professional authority are usually their best investment.

Clinics and healthcare centres deserve a separate mention: to the sensitivity of health data is added the need to manage appointments and reminders, where a well-configured CRM reduces no-shows and organises the schedule. In all these cases, the virtual office gains weight when the team works remotely or splits its activity across several sites. The key question when choosing a digitalisation agent in services is whether they understand your duty of confidentiality and whether the software they offer complies with the data protection regulations that apply to you.

Kit Digital for industry, transport and logistics

Although industry and transport carry less weight in the breakdown of beneficiaries (other manufacturing industries add up to 4.78%, the industry of metals, engineering, aeronautics and telecommunications 2.44%, and transport and communications 5.87%), they are sectors where a well-invested voucher produces an especially high return, because their margins depend on process efficiency.

In industry, the qualitative leap usually comes from moving from fragmented management (one program for the warehouse, another for production, a spreadsheet for costs) to an ERP that unifies it and gives real-time visibility. In transport and logistics, the control of the fleet and of costs per service marks the difference between a profitable route and one that eats away the margin without anyone noticing. Analytics is the tool that turns all that data into decisions.

A cross-cutting piece of advice for these sectors: when choosing a digitalisation agent, prioritise integration. A new ERP is of little use if it does not talk to your invoicing, your analytics or the systems you already use. Always ask about integration capability and about the provider's previous experience with companies of your size and activity before committing the voucher.

Common mistakes when choosing solutions by sector

Beyond what fits each activity, there are mistakes that recur regardless of the sector and are worth avoiding so as not to waste the grant:

The common thread in all these mistakes is treating the Kit Digital as a procedure for spending a grant, rather than as an opportunity to solve a specific business problem. The right question is never "what can I request", but "what do I really need and who knows how to implement it well in my sector".

Summary table: which solution to prioritise by sector

A practical synthesis to decide quickly where to start:

It is a guideline, not a rigid rule: every business has its own context. Artificial intelligence is beginning to slip in as a cross-cutting category across all sectors; I analyse it in the Kit Digital and artificial intelligence for SMEs.

Status of the programme and how to make the most of it now

It is worth situating the current moment. The original Kit Digital calls are closed: the last two, aimed at Segment III and at communities of goods, civil partnerships and agricultural holdings, ended on 31 October 2025, when the programme surpassed 860,000 grants awarded nationwide.

That said, Order TDF/39/2026 (BOE of 28 January 2026) amended the rules to allow leftover funds to be distributed until they are exhausted, with no fixed deadline. This leaves the door open to new calls with surplus funds. In the meantime, it is worth keeping an eye on acelerapyme.gob.es and planning now which solutions your sector needs, so that you arrive prepared for the next window.

Arriving prepared means having your homework done before the period opens: the business digitally diagnosed, the two or three priority categories identified according to your sector and, if possible, a trusted digitalisation agent already located. Grants of this type usually work on a first-come, first-served basis and by availability of funds, so speed and having everything in order make the difference between obtaining the voucher or being left out. And remember that, to justify the grant properly and avoid having to return it, the documentation is key, as I explain in how to justify the Kit Digital and avoid having to repay it.

Work with me to choose well by sector

Choosing the Kit Digital solutions that truly fit your sector, and combining them with the available regional grants, makes the difference between digitalising sensibly or spending the voucher with no return. As an independent consultant with offices in Castilla y León and Canarias, I help retail, hospitality, construction firms and service companies design their digitalisation tailored to their sector.

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Author: Ángel Ortega Castro, independent consultant in strategy, quality and digitalisation for SMEs.

Authorship: Ángel Ortega Castro · independent consultant in strategy, quality and digitalization for SMEs.

Frequently asked questions

Which Kit Digital solutions fit best in retail?

For a shop that wants to sell online, the priority is e-commerce, accompanied by a website and online presence and social media management. Local retail that does not sell online also gains a great deal from a good online presence and an optimised Google listing.

What suits a hospitality business?

Online presence (with a digital menu, opening hours and a Google listing with well-managed reviews), social media management given the visual nature of the sector and, if it sells or takes bookings with payment, e-commerce. A CRM helps to build loyalty and organise bookings.

What is the best Kit Digital solution for construction?

Process management (ERP) is usually the most cost-effective investment, because it controls projects, quotes, materials and costs, which is the sector's main pain point. It is followed by electronic invoicing (relevant with the legal obligation under way) and a portfolio website that builds trust.

And for a professional services company?

The winning combination is usually CRM plus cybersecurity: the CRM organises the commercial relationship and cybersecurity protects sensitive customer data, something critical in firms, advisory practices or clinics. The virtual office helps with remote working.

How are the Kit Digital grants distributed by sector?

According to official Red.es data by IAE classification, retail and hospitality concentrate 28.62% of beneficiaries, followed by institutions and financial activities (21.73%), other services (19.73%), construction (10.13%) and transport and communications (5.87%). Retail, hospitality and services add up to the majority of the grants.

Can I apply for the Kit Digital now according to my sector?

The original calls closed (the last ones on 31 October 2025). However, Order TDF/39/2026 allows leftover funds to be redistributed with no fixed deadline, which leaves the door open to new calls. It is worth keeping an eye on acelerapyme.gob.es and having decided what your sector needs.

Is it mandatory to spend the whole voucher on a single category?

No. The voucher can be split across several catalogue categories within the limits of each segment. The recommendation is to prioritise the two or three solutions that truly solve your sector's problems, rather than dispersing the grant just to use up the voucher.

Brain marketing is more predictable than opinion marketing. — Ángel Ortega Castro