As stakeholder expectations evolve and regulatory requirements tighten, the shift towards digital-first reporting is no longer just an option - it’s an imperative.
Companies now have an unprecedented opportunity to bring their reporting to life, moving beyond static PDFs to create immersive, dynamic experiences that engage audiences in ways traditional formats never could.
With rich media, interactive storytelling, and real-time data, digital reporting transforms how companies communicate their performance, strategy, and impact. But despite this potential, most companies remain anchored in outdated formats - missing opportunities to enhance engagement and accessibility.
To understand where corporate digital reporting stands today, we conducted an in-depth review of FTSE 100 digital summary reports (DSR). The findings highlight a significant gap between possibility and practice:
- 50% of companies provided a digital summary report.
- Only one company had a full digital report, demonstrating that end-to-end digital reporting remains the exception rather than the norm.
- Just 3% of companies offered a multi-page digital summary report, showing limited adoption of more accessible and engaging formats.
- 7% incorporated elements of storytelling, signalling a growing awareness of the power of narrative-driven reporting to connect with stakeholders
- Two companies showcased interactive business models, demonstrating the potential for digital tools to bring businesses to life in a more dynamic way.
These numbers reveal a huge opportunity for businesses to modernise their reporting and better connect with stakeholders.
In this blog, we explore the current state of digital-first reporting, spotlight leading innovators, and share practical insights for companies ready to embrace the future of corporate communications.
Barratt Developments has embraced digital-first thinking with a microsite that transforms its annual report into an interactive storytelling experience. Instead of simply presenting static data, the microsite:
- Conveys key messages with clarity, reinforcing the company’s vision and corporate values.
- Features a performance highlights video, bringing the company’s achievements to life.
- Incorporates interactive elements, such as case studies, making the content more engaging.
- Links seamlessly to the full PDF report and other website resources, ensuring accessibility while keeping the digital experience at the forefront.
This approach demonstrates how corporate reporting can be repurposed and embedded within a company’s wider communications suite, delivering a more cohesive and engaging stakeholder experience.
Kier’s "Year in Review" blends strategy, financial performance, and sustainability into a cohesive, compelling narrative. Rather than treating these elements as standalone sections, Kier integrates them into a seamless digital experience that highlights:
- Financial success, showcasing revenue growth and a strong order book.
- Commitment to sustainability, through its "Building for a Sustainable World" framework - focused on people, places, and the planet.
- A clear investment proposition, backed by well-structured case studies that illustrate strategic impact.
By combining financial, strategic, and ESG storytelling, Kier effectively communicates both performance and purpose, ensuring that investors and stakeholders gain a holistic view of the company’s direction.
By leveraging multimedia and interactivity, Informa demonstrates how digital-first reporting can transform corporate storytelling, making content more accessible, engaging, and memorable for stakeholders.
Key features include:
- Interactive maps and animated infographics, allowing users to explore key data points intuitively.
- Video storytelling, featuring employees from across the business sharing their experience - bringing the company culture to life in a way that static text never could.
- A seamless blend of design and functionality, making complex content more digestible and engaging.
Workspace adopts a video-led approach to tell its story, through seven videos which focus on customer experiences, employees and operations. The online report supports these videos with narrative that ties leadership, culture, and governance into overall performance to reinforce is story in a holistic and dynamic way.
Beyond the FTSE 100, CLP (Hong Kong-listed) stands out with an interactive materiality matrix, allowing users to explore its sustainability priorities. This approach enhances transparency and accessibility, helping stakeholders engage with key issues.
One of the most exciting evolutions in digital reporting is the reimagining of business models, moving beyond static diagrams to interactive, user-driven experiences that make complex structures easier to understand.
Schroders has elevated the way it presents its business model, offering a dynamic and interactive format that enhances accessibility. This approach is particularly valuable for businesses with multiple segments, as it allows users to explore key areas intuitively, delivering a clearer and more structured experience that replaces traditional PDF-heavy layouts. By creating an interactive framework, Schroders enables stakeholders to engage with the business at their own pace, making corporate complexity more digestible and ensuring that key messages stand out.
Britvic has taken business model visualisation a step further, integrating clickable elements that allow audiences to navigate the company’s value chain seamlessly. By enabling users to explore each stage of the value creation process, Britvic provides a more immersive understanding of how the business operates, offering greater transparency and a clearer connection to the company’s strategic priorities. This approach transforms a traditionally static section of the report into a user-friendly experience that brings the business model to life.
By embracing interactivity, Schroders and Britvic demonstrate how digital innovation can transform corporate storytelling - making business models more engaging, intuitive, and insightful than ever before.
Vodafone is redefining corporate governance storytelling, replacing text-heavy board biographies with engaging videos that bring leadership to life. Featuring Q&A sessions, Board members share insights into their roles and reasons for joining, making governance more personal and transparent.
Notably, some videos are introduced in native languages, highlighting the Board’s diversity while fostering stronger audience connection. In a reporting landscape where authenticity is key, this approach helps bridge the gap between leadership and stakeholders.
As companies streamline reports, governance sections often remain dense with career histories, limiting engagement. Vodafone’s strategy demonstrates how digital platforms can provide deeper insights, keeping Annual Reports concise and impactful while offering richer content online. By humanising governance, Vodafone sets a new standard - one that enhances trust, accessibility, and corporate transparency.
One truly digital first reporter
Among the FTSE 100, only one company has adopted a fully digital annual report, with the PDF as a secondary, static output. The report offers a simple online experience, using minimal interactive elements like moving imagery and clickable buttons, meaning there are opportunities for improvement. While it doesn’t include videos or dynamic visuals, the report follows the structure of a traditional report, but in elevated digital format.
Beyond this, PwC has set a new standard with its online-only annual report, offering an intuitive, structured, and interactive experience. Sections are organised into tabs covering data, stories, videos, and narratives, ensuring a balance between static and interactive content. Thoughtful features, like video transcripts, enhance accessibility.
PwC’s approach signals a shift towards digital-first reporting, prioritising engagement, usability, and transparency - a model that more companies should follow.
The role of chatbots
It is no surprise that artificial intelligence will play a key role in the future of corporate reporting, specifically chatbots which a growing number of companies are exploring. While still uncommon in practice, we were excited to see ZigUp (formerly Redde Northgate) take a pioneering step by integrating an AI-powered chatbot into its reporting suite. This interactive tool enhances stakeholder engagement by providing instant, source-backed responses and directing users to key resources such as the annual report, interim results and policy documents. By offering an intuitive, on-demand experience, chatbots provide users with access to information, quicker than ever before. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, reporting will become more intelligent and responsive, shaping a more seamless and personable user experience.
Future outlook
As explored in this blog, digital reporting is transforming corporate communications, not replacing PDFs but enhancing engagement. Companies now have the opportunity to rethink the role of digital channels and their relationship with stakeholders.
A key advantage of this shift is the ability to capture user data, enabling companies to tailor narratives more effectively and deliver content that resonates with specific audience
Looking ahead, digital reporting will revolutionise how companies connect with audiences. The future is interactive, real-time, and increasingly personalised, allowing stakeholders to engage meaningfully and make informed decisions. This shift marks a new era where reporting is not just a static document, but a dynamic, accessible experience that strengthens transparency and trust.
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