What OICE does

OICE (Osservatorio Italiano per il Commercio Elettronico PMI) is a private research observatory headquartered in Turin, Italy, founded in September 2021 to study the e-commerce and digital transformation practices of Italian small and medium enterprises. Its operating geography is concentrated in Northwest Italy, covering Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria, and Western Lombardy. The organization was established through a tripartite collaboration between GBS Group (a digital consulting firm of 20+ years), Fondazione ITS ICT Piemonte (an EU-, Ministry of Education-, and Piedmont Region-funded higher technical education foundation), and the Università di Torino, with the University providing statistical methodology and academic rigor. OICE is the first Italian observatory dedicated specifically to e-commerce for SMEs.

Name

OICE

Legal name

Osservatorio Italiano Commercio Elettronico PMI

Website

https://osservatorioecommercepmi.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

OICE is a Turin-based research observatory founded in 2021 that conducts quarterly e-commerce and AI readiness research, training, and networking events for small and medium enterprises in Northwest Italy. Founded with GBS Group, ITS ICT Piemonte, and Università di Torino.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research and Advisory Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• E-commerce market research
• Digital transformation consulting
• SME research services
• E-commerce training programs
• B2B market analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Turin

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Association: OICE operates as a membership-based observatory where companies can associate with the organization to access research findings, participate in surveys, and receive consulting services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OICE operates as a market research observatory that conducts quarterly surveys and publishes research on e-commerce trends, digital maturity, and AI readiness for small and medium enterprises in Northwest Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria, and Western Lombardy). The organization complements its research with digital training programs, personalized coaching services, and networking events designed to help SMEs build digital culture and adopt e-commerce strategies.

Product overview

OICE (Osservatorio Italiano per il Commercio Elettronico PMI) is a research observatory focused on e-commerce and digital transformation for small and medium enterprises in Italy. The organization offers a suite of services centered on market research (conducting quarterly surveys and publishing research reports on digital maturity and AI readiness), digital training programs, events and networking opportunities, and personalized digital coaching services. The core offering consists of research activities that generate insights shared with members, supplemented by educational resources (white papers, e-books, case studies) and direct advisory services for SMEs seeking to improve their digital presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Research Services Quarterly market research services including surveys, data collection, and analysis of e-commerce trends among small and medium enterprises in North-West Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria, Western Lombardy).
• Digital Training Programs Training programs for e-commerce and digital literacy targeting SMEs and entrepreneurs, designed to increase digital culture and awareness of opportunities in the digital market.
• Events and Networking Activities Online and offline events, conferences, workshops, and networking activities organized to facilitate collaboration among members, industry professionals, and the academic community.
• Digital Coaching Services Personalized digital coaching services tailored to individual business needs, including a one-hour free initial consultation for research participants analyzing opportunities in the digital transformation landscape.
• Research Publications and White Papers Downloadable research reports, white papers, e-books, case studies, and video content shared with OICE members covering topics such as digital maturity, AI readiness, consumer behavior, and e-commerce trends.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BrainscapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2021Brainscapital, a Benefit company specializing in management consulting and advisory, signed a collaboration agreement with OICE to accompany SMEs on the Digital Transformation journey. The partnership aims to help businesses seize opportunities from an increasingly pervasive and competitive digital world.
• GBS Group (Global Business Solution)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGBS Group is the main promoter and founding partner of OICE. With 20+ years of experience in digital marketing, GBS provides digital consulting services and drives the research and training activities of the observatory.
• ITS ICT PiemontecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondazione ITS ICT Piemonte is an accredited foundation providing higher technical education funded by EU, Ministry of Education, and Piedmont Region. Partners with OICE for digital training and research activities.
• Università di Torino (UNITO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Turin, one of Italy's most prestigious academic institutions founded in the early 15th century, partners with OICE for research methodology and statistical analysis support.
• Metro-PolisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn interdisciplinary team from universities, research centers, and companies offering highly specialized skills in Data Science and data-driven decision making.
• KeyToLearnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISO 9001:2008 certified company accredited by Piedmont Region for continuing education activities. Designs and delivers training courses responding to real training needs of client companies.
• LoP BrandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketing consulting and temporary management company that helps organizations realize specific marketing projects cultivated on their brand identity.
• HighESt LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Data and Artificial Intelligence laboratory of the Department of Economics and Statistics 'Cognetti de Martiys' at University of Turin, contributing research methodology for AI and consumer behavior studies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cerved: Italy's leading business information and credit data provider, increasingly expanding into market intelligence and decision-support for SMEs. A large-scale data-and-analytics competitor with deeper Italian SME coverage than OICE.
• Fondazione Censis: Italian socio-economic research foundation producing long-running analyses of Italian society, consumption, and digital adoption. Overlaps with OICE on consumer behavior and digital transformation research, with a national (not regional) reach.
• School of Management - Politecnico di Milano (MIP): Business school producing research and executive education on digital transformation, e-commerce, and innovation in Italy. Competes with OICE for academic credibility and corporate training budgets in the digital/SME space.
• Osservatori Digital Innovation (Politecnico di Milano): Italy's largest digital innovation research network, with dedicated observatories on e-commerce, digital payments, and B2B. A more established, better-funded academic research competitor that overlaps with OICE's e-commerce and consumer behavior research.
• Digital360: Italian B2B media and advisory platform that publishes research and events on digital transformation for Italian enterprises and public administration, intersecting with OICE's research-publishing and SME advisory model.
• BVA Doxa: Italy's largest market research and consumer insight firm, conducting consumer, retail, and digital behavior research — a generalist competitor that overlaps with OICE's consumer and e-commerce research from a much larger scale.
• GfK Italy (NielsenIQ): Global market research firm with strong Italian operations producing consumer, retail, and e-commerce intelligence. Represents the enterprise-scale competitive alternative to OICE for clients needing broader and longitudinal datasets.

Direct peers

• Casaleggio Associati: Italian research and consulting firm specialized in e-commerce and digital business models, publishing long-running reports (e.g., 'eCommerce in Italia') and advising SMEs — the closest direct competitor to OICE in the Italian SME e-commerce research space.
• Netcomm Consortium: Italy's main consortium for e-commerce and digital retail, producing research, events, and training for the Italian e-commerce ecosystem. Overlaps directly with OICE on SME-focused e-commerce research, training, and member events.

Emerging players

• Brainscapital: Italian Benefit Corporation providing management consulting and advisory for SME digital transformation; a strategic partner of OICE and a partial peer on SME digital advisory services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OiceEcommerce
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OICE