Looking for predictions into the 2016 technology sector? Check out ComputerWorld.com has several predictions of tech trends that will have a greater impact in 2016. Nothing really disruptive, but check the article for their top 5. Forrester.com has predictions by various market segments providing a more in depth look at the shape of things to come. Going beyond 2016...ELON University has a few new concepts to embrace about the future. Be sure to check their 2045 and beyond predictions, it starts getting creepy and it's not that far away.
I found TheNextWeb while looking for information about wearables (great seo by the way) Wearables are technology devices that you wear. I discovered a passage called Wearables Reach Employees in an article by JT Ripton titled 6 Technology Trends for 2016. My interest in wearable is in how they can be useful and monetized in the private sector. Clearly, the applications for police, fire rescue and military are needed and in the future may be looked upon as how could we have ever done without them. But, other than convenience what applications do they really hold? Now after reading the article, from a psychology viewpoint the the possibilities are endless. Here's an exert: Some companies are giving wearables to their employees on the ground for second-by-second inventory updates. Others are using them internally to see how their corporate employees interact. Read the full article here at TheNextWeb. I am surprised I had not come across TheNextWeb.com sooner. Their site has the best layout and quality of articles that I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I strongly recommend bookmarking it and check out the Insights and Offers sections. It's at the top of my reading list now.
Top business-strategist Michael Wolf gave a presentation on the future of tech and media from 2016 to 2020 in the Wall Street Journal last October. I've been covering technology predictions in several articles and although there are some corrections in the stock market at the moment, there is nothing really holding the tech sector back. But, don't take my word for it, read Wolf's presentation on how consumer tech and media staged to grow by 535 Billion over the next 4 years.
You can view the presentation from the Business Insider here.
The previous posts on business trends have gathered a little more interest, so in doing more research I found the following treasure trove on tech trends at Deloitte University Press. Deloitte's articles through and complete with graphs to supplement the projections. The growth forecasts coincide with other news on technology predictions and when you read over the article you'll see how well laid out this presentation is. My hat is off to Deloitte, Bill Briggs, Mariahna Moore and the cast of thousands that compiled this report.
The base concept is Globalization and thinking in terms of a global resources, supply chain management and emerging markets that are evolving with the technology. Right now we are at a tipping point with the growth of Asian and India's markets set to explode. Delivering services to these economies and the challenges that will ensue, can't even fathom the numbers the rewards will bring into the fold. We are just beyond the base of the curve where it's slope is about to go vertical. Artificial intelligence, robotics, wearables, battery tech, culture and class separation. This is by far the best report for all entrepreneurs to read or make a study of. A great series from Deloitte.
Advertising in 2018 and Beyond With the Super Bowl Lll just around the corner, I am always interested in what 30 seconds of air time is selling for and what the best commercials will be. Last year companies spent up to 5 million to get in front of the 111 million viewers watching in the US, and then their money was gone. Advertising online has more than begun it's shift upward while other mediums, aside from radio, are sloping down. In an article on MediaPost.com The Winterberry Group states 2018 will be the year of digital media and spending will surpass all off lime marketing. In 2016 online spending surpassed television, now it's growing overall. That's because online advertising works and everyone is on all the time. As a business owner you know you need to be online, but finding your customers in this digital ocean is the next challenge. SmartInsights.com just released a digital marketing mega-trends guide and they have several digital marketing tool kits. The article was scientific citing the effectiveness of Amazon's trial and errors as they grew. One point not expressed enough is to acquire a memorable and easy to pronounce, easy to pass along domain name. (Note: KeyInsight.com is for sale now. Don't delay building your brand, what you put off now, will later only be more difficult and increasingly competitive to navigate.
Go Eagles!
Time to get back to business. Hope everyone had a great holiday and is ready to work. The two times a year that I take a deeper look at business trends and economic forecasts are at the end of the year and at the end of 2nd quarter. End of the year is more a reflective time for some reason, like after the game. End of 2nd quarter is like taking inventory during half time while there's still time to change the results before year end, mid game.
No one that runs their own business, or is directly responsible for one, can ever really take their mid off the game. Sure you might go on vacation and spend time with your family, but you just can't help thinking about what you have going on. Sometimes it helps to get disconnected, a fresh perspective, see from a different angle and get some rest, but successful people rarely take their eye off the ball if ever. You love what you do and you know your competition is constantly grinding. So while relaxing, I try to take a closer look at what my competition is doing right and measure what's working for me.
One of the things I do at these two points is look at the big picture. Reading through economic forecasts for different industries and countries can give you great insight to why your efforts aren't measuring up to predictions or worse, the numbers are climbing up and you have no idea why. According to The World Economic Forum, Forbes and The Balance to name a few, the economic outlook for the US is strong and set for steady growth.
No matter what business you're in, investing in yourself is never a bad choice. Educate yourself, educate your people and increase the advertising budget. Hope you are off to a great year, game on.