The time spent on due diligence has influenced the way organizations make investments. Organizations that have internal investment decisions rely more on external data and less on intuition.

You can do more than speculate before acquiring a website – you can use digital due diligence services to find out what kind of digital marketing they’re running and how to approach them. Smart companies are taking advantage of this service before making big offers that generate higher returns.

Get the right offer now, with a comprehensive digital due diligence package.

The use of digital marketing helps a business to grow its brand, increase share and find new markets. That’s why it’s important to carry out your own research before choosing an agency.

With our digital due diligence plans, your firm can:

• Make your offer competitive
• Minimize your investment risk
• Plan your post-acquisition steps
• Increase your return on investment
• And more

What is digital?

This is a difficult topic as the definition of “digital” changes depending on who you ask. It’s important to have specific definition of digital in order to avoid any confusion. What do you think? It’s easy to get wrapped up in new technological advancements and the subsequent tasks that accompany them. But we should focus on the human side of things, i.e. customers, since that’s what made us successful in the first place.

The word ‘digital’ has multiple meanings. I like to use it to describe a convergence of many technological and social changes that has led to a new digital reality for many businesses. It is in the convergence of social media, mobile and the web that we find a new kind of user – the connected consumer, your customer. Digital consumers are a new generation of user and they see the world in a different way. For them virtual and physical have equal relevance. When buying an item or a service they are more likely to consult their network than listen to traditional advertising. This is equal important for b2b as b2c companies.

Digital isn’t business as usual. Social media, the web at large and mobile have not caused a slight change in consumer behaviour. It has caused a revolution and many organisations are failing to adapt. That is why a digital due diligence is an important piece of insight to the classic due diligence.

What is Digital Due Diligence?

Any digital due diligence assessment should look at a company’s social media, websites, and other digital assets. Technology platforms, systems, and how you treat your data. Digital vendor commitments, security, and privacy policies, and compliance considerations. Why perform a digital due diligence?

Today, an assessment of your business online performance and capabilities should be a pivotal part of almost every commercial due diligence process. It’s very often overlooked. An on Digital due diligence is not just for pure online players, but also for traditional businesses with any type of online presence.

A proper Digital Due Diligence is a very different beast from a regular commercial DD: traditional KPIs do not apply, online markets behave differently, and teams require very different capabilities. To perform a proper DDD different tools and a deep understanding of digital products are required. D3 consulting has this knowledge. The report gives you a snap shot of the current digital footprint. The report shows you where you are today and what you could do tomorrow. A prioritization of short, medium and long term growth opportunities.

In this new era of M&A, the definition of due diligence is expanding well beyond conventional financial metrics to include a company’s digital strategy, capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses as well. As Mergers & Acquisitions (August 18, 2018) describes it:

“In our digital economy, every company is a technology company—which means every company lives and dies by how effectively it embraces technology and protects itself against cyber threats. That means acquirers need to take a hard look at everything digital to see if the target company has a true tech strategy in place. Digital diligence efforts should identify areas of opportunity that may drive up the value of that asset post-close through improved use of information technology. Even more important, acquirers should ascertain the degree to which a target’s IT strategy is aligned with its corporate strategy and whether it’s a core part of the organization.”

Why is digital due diligence vital in today’s market?

Understanding a company’s digital assets, the level of risk, as well as the ‘digital debt’ will help to ensure both a proper valuation of the company’s digital assets, as well as the potential risks, cost, and timeline for integrating a company’s digital presence, systems, data, and vendors. Digital business models are becoming overwhelmingly important and valuable. It’s critical to fully understand the implications of the digital world to increase the value of a company. Add D3’s digital footprint report to your diligence to secure view ability to the whole picture.