Technology is changing the face of business at a faster rate because of the Pandemic. What are the top technology trends for small business heading into 2022?
In the two years since the emergence of COVID-19, every aspect of life and business has changed. While many trends were expected such as the transition from an analog world to a digital world, some have been unexpected such as the speed of the transition to digital, primarily the result of the Pandemic. That begs the question, what are the top technology trends for 2022?
While more unexpected shocks can be expected in the years ahead, let us look at those technology-related trends that are on track to grow in the year ahead. For business owners, this is a very important thought exercise as it will put you into a better position to take advantage of prospective technology-related opportunities and prepare for potential hazards. Take a look at these top technology and marketing-related forecasted trends for 2022.
User ratings and reviews will continue to be important
According to a report from Benetrends Financial in 2021, If your product or service does not have a review online, 92 percent of prospective customers will not buy it. Since online reviews are a low-cost marketing tool, it is critical for small businesses to encourage them from existing customers. While there are many online review sites and platforms, Google My Business is the 800-pound gorilla in this space, largely because these reviews also impact your search rankings in Google search results.
For 2022, online reviews are changing. For starters, they are shorter, a lot shorter. They are about the length of an expanded tweet. Additionally, reviewers are demanding more value from small businesses. Reviews that mention value tend to be much more critical than other aspects of the customer experience such as product, service, or location.
E-Commerce will play a bigger role in our lives
While “in-store” traffic will may continue to increase as more people obtain the COVID-19 vaccine, e-commerce will continue to make up a larger part of total retail sales. The cost benefits, convenience, and utility for business and consume cannot be overlooked.
In 2022, e-commerce is becoming increasingly diversified in that purchases are no longer taking place primarily on websites. According to a recent blog post by Wakeupdata, ecommerce will see more mobile and social media in the coming year. Additionally, consumers will demand businesses offer more payment methods.
According to a Bluehost poll taken in 2020, 9 out of 10 business owners believed that selling online is critical. Since COVID, more than half of them have witnessed an increase in web traffic. A “digital divide” between small businesses became very apparent during the Pandemic when many small businesses without an online presence went out of business, while those that had embraced the Internet thrived. In 2022, expect this divide to increase between those businesses that continue to invest in ecommerce versus those that maintain the status quo.
The demand for tech-savvy companies will continue to grow.
More employees in both large and small firms are working remotely. As a result, the computer equipment utilized by employees may not be comparable to the equipment used in the office. This can lead to a slew of technical issues. As a result, small businesses specializing in computer repair and troubleshooting will be in high demand, as will those companies that offer software training and troubleshooting.
Video conferencing will continue to displace “in-person” meetings
While the Pandemic was a big driver in the growth to video conferencing, it is expected to continue to grow in the years ahead, even as more people transition to working in offices. Video conferencing not only alleviates pandemic health worries, but it also eliminates travel costs to meetings, and trade shows.
According to recent research from Fairfield Market Research, global video conferencing is expected experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.6% between 2021 and 2026. What is the biggest global opportunity? The healthcare industry.
The “gig” economy, or use of freelancers will continue to increase
According to Upwork, a leading freelancing platform, a recent survey found that 10,000,000 current employees, are thinking of doing freelancing work. As a result, the supply of freelancers for companies will continue to grow, ensuring a steady supply of workers for the employers. Freelancing and the “gig” economy is appealing to many firms who cannot afford to hire full-time employees or may not have sufficient work to justify such an investment.
There is a second benefit to employers from using freelancers. Since many freelancers and contract employees work from home, many companies minimize their expenses from using smaller offices and eliminating the purchase of office equipment.
Concluding thoughts about the top technology trends for 2022
Business trends aren’t always indicative of what will happen in the future. They do, however, assist you in better understanding the external world in which your company operates. As a result, it’s critical to think about these trends when making future plans.
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