Looking for what will be hot in 2012? A recent article in Entrepreneur highlighted ten trends that will shape business next
year, and for website and software
developers it would seem the sky’s the limit as nearly each trend has
technology implications.
More and more we are relying on information, feedback and
recommendations from others to help us in our decision-making, Knowledge
is power. In a 2010 study it was found
that 62 percent of online retail shoppers think product recommendations are
useful. With sites offering
recommendations on products, restaurants, decision-making does become easier.
So how can you tap into this trend? At
minimum, ask for referrals and make sure your testimonials are front and centre
on your website.
Collaborative
commerce speaks to the increase in businesses interested in sharing,
bartering, lending and renting goods, skills, money, space or services. Take
Getaround, it’s a social car-sharing service that enables a car owner to make money
by renting out their car when it is not being used. Or TaskRabbit which is like an eBay for
errands. What services do you
need? Is there someone you can barter
with? We actually will be talking about
collaboration at our January Oakville dinner.
More and more customers are wanting
products customized to their needs
and they are willing to pay for these special orders – be it chocolates, shoes
and jewelry. Closer to home, Megan
Barnes with her customized play mats for children can testify to this growing
trend, with orders flooding in from all over the world for her product.
New electronic devices, like the tablet, give people mobility and make it easier to work
from home or while on the road. Any
applications that can further increase their productivity will be successful in
the year ahead. Are you accessing useful apps on your mobile phone? Consider checking out what is available to
you. You might be surprised.
Today resources are available to foster creativity and help creative artists sell their wares. Websites like Etsy, an online marketplace for
direct-from-the-artist crafts clocked up $314 million in sales last year. While other sites like skillshare.com sell
in-person lessons on everything from guitar to gardening and with Blurb, authors
can self-publish bookstore quality books or produce photographic journals.
The push for food grown locally is growing. As a society we
are more concerned about what we eat and what we put into our bodies. With urban farming, people in cities are converting
their back yards into vegetable gardens; public places are being developed to
include community gardens; and local farmers markets are turning into social
gathering spots where the community collects and supports its local farmers.
The popularity of social gaming devices has been ever
growing, but gamification is
actually looking at “how to use game-design thinking to non-game applications
to make them more fun and engaging.” explains Nathan Landes, founder of Gamify,
which has developed a product that allows individuals and brands to gamify
their own virtual space.
Simplicity and
authenticity are the current driving forces behind design. It is about moving back to basics. Several websites are
marketing design products. With the
increased interest in industrial design,
the Rhode Island School of Design, is equipping its graduates with
“artrepreneur starter kits” in
preparation for this growing market.
High intense boot camps proved more popular this year
compared to fitness centres where people join but never go. Software designers are also capitalizing on
this extreme fitness, developing
boot camp apps that let its users develop their own circuit training workout.
With unemployment at an all time high, online tools such as
LinkedIn are linking people to jobs
through social media. Entrepreneur reckons “the employment
support sector is rife with opportunity.” New software apps, for example, are
being developed to make it easier for job-seekers to post their resumes on
numerous job sites at the same time.
Regardless of your business or industry, if you are not
online, don’t have a website presence or are not taking advantage of all the
new software and apps out there, you may well find yourself on a desert
island.
One fast growing trend for sure is that technology is
changing faster than anything, and now is the time to get on board.
No comments:
Post a Comment