•Digitalisation's diffusion, advantages, and impact on performance were explored.•Few studies have analysed digitalisation and its implementation in listed companies.•Italian listed companies do not have a high degree of digitalisation initiatives.•Digitalisation is positively associated with Italian listed companies’ performance. Digitalisation has become embedded in products and services, and it increasingly supports corporate business processes. However, few empirical studies have analysed the state of digitalisation and its implementation within companies, and the extant literature has painted an inconsistent picture concerning the effects of digitalisation. This survey-based study explores the diffusion of digitalisation, the advantages and difficulties in the practical transition to digitalisation, and its impact on performance. The sample includes Italian listed companies across diverse industries. The results highlight the still embryonic adoption of digital tools to support daily company operations; however, the impacts of digitalisation on company performance are noticeable. This research contributes to the literature on digitalisation and performance, breaks new ground by focusing on listed companies, and has implications for management investment in digitalisation for value creation.