Digital technology advances at a rapid pace and certain trends are emerging. These trends will not only shape our marketing efforts but will also influence the way we conduct business generally.

So what are these tech trends and why are they so important?

1. Cloud First

Most businesses will have by now embraced cloud-based systems in some form or other.   A cloud-first company sees cloud-based systems as an essential element of their business functionality . These businesses understand the benefits of a cloud-first strategy, which include:

• Reduced labour and equipment costs
• Reduced hosting costs
• Streamlined operations
• Increased collaboration and productivity
• In-built disaster recovery

Recent developments for the cloud include cloud-to-cloud backup, which seems set to become the digital storage solution for businesses in the future, and fog computing, which reduces data transport by localising cloud-based data usage and storage.

2. Blockchain

The way some industries conduct transactions will change out of all proportion with the advent of Blockchain. Blockchain will bring near-instant and more secure asset transfer and data movement. Digital blocks containing individual pieces of information (such as a contract or certificate of ownership, for example) are linked together via a digital, tamper-proof signature. Blockchain will serve to increase trust and will speed up transactions, revolutionising any business that concerns itself with title registry, identity verification, asset transfer and data movement.

3. AR and VR

The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is becoming more mainstream. Amazon Go is a good example of this, as they are changing the retail experience in line with consumer expectations, using augmented reality to simplify the shopping experience – helping you find what you need more easily and leave knowing that your bill will be taken care of digitally.

4. Mobile Location-based Marketing

Another development in retail is location-based marketing using Smart Beacon technology. A Smart Beacon will send a signal using bluetooth technology when a smartphone or tablet is in the beacon’s range, triggering a notification on the device. Notifications alert individuals products and services they are interested in, including any promotional offers, as they pass by on the street. Location-based marketing is becoming increasingly prevalent.

5. Intelligent Apps

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to create intelligent apps that go beyond the limited capabilities of existing virtual personal assistants and could transfer the workplace. Intelligent apps will be systems that make day-to-day tasks much easier, such as prioritising emails, streamlining processes and highlighting important content. Marketing processes will be AI-enabled too, providing more insightful analytics, improved customer service, conversational interfaces etc.

6. Humanised Data

Data about individuals is collected from an increasing and vast amount of devices, appliances and components. This data can be leveraged both for making more informed business decisions and for marketing purposes.

7. Increased Collaboration

With on-the-go technologies making working from any location and increased mobility a reality, chat-based collaboration tools are becoming increasingly important. Real-time messaging service, Slack, is a good example of this, keeping team members up-to-date. A number of new, similar services on the market suggest how significant this technology is for the modern business.

Keeping up with new digital technology is vital, but applying the technology in such a way that it adds value to your business could make the difference to success or failure of your business in the future. How are you harnessing digital technology for your business? Which of the above technologies do you think will be relevant to the way you operate in the next few years?

Want to go further? Please get in touch here if you would like to discuss any aspect of your own digital marketing