Top Digital Trends for 2017

November 20, 2016

As digital technology continues to evolve, it is important to consider digital transformation as apart of your overall business strategy. Staying on the cusp of digital transformation is important for every type of business, especially during planning mode for the new year. This blog looks into the top trends that we anticipate welcoming in 2017, and how your business can adapt for the inevitable changes ahead.

Culture of Change

Over the last few years change has happened, and it has happened fast. 2017 will be no different. The businesses that will succeed are those that can quickly adapt to change and can shift with new technologies and trends. The only way to do this successfully is to cultivate a culture of change where employees embrace change as opposed to fight change. This shift will help all departments to move with the ebb and flow of change and be as efficient as possible with new initiatives.

User Experience Design

User experience design is becoming more complex. Customers are wise to common online practices and will turn their back on brands that don't align with their values. Businesses that offer a user experience that is second to none are more likely to keep their audience engaged but this is no easy feat. The user experience a brand offers customers needs to be seamless on all touchpoints online, giving a consistently positive experience to users. Users are finding brands via multiple different channels and each path should be as frictionless as possible. It is not only your website that should offer a fantastic experience but also your Facebook, your advertising, your email and so on.

Remote Workforce Management

Millennials have proven that they have certain types of requirements that they enjoy and flexible hours/working remotely fall into those preferences. Technology has enabled businesses to connect with clients and employees alike from anywhere in the world and the workforce knows what this means for them - that they can work from anywhere so long as the boss permits it. This has its perks for businesses too as they can employ the top talent in any field and in any time zone from around the world. 2017 looks set to drive a creative approach to remote workforce management and how businesses choose to work with this unique set of employees.

Development of Augmented and Virtual Reality

2016 saw the dawn of Pokemon GO in augmented reality via a mobile app. Early adopters were seen roaming to the farthest parts of the world to capture rare Pokemon in the middle of lakes, mountain pastures and beyond. What will we see in 2017? Augmented reality and virtual reality are becoming easier to implement and both tools have the potential to offer customers a rich and unique experience with brands. The experiences we will see will likely remain in the gamification format we have seen in 2016 but will break out into more niche audiences. Most importantly, augmented reality will jump from being just a passing thought to a main business strategy.

Artificial Intelligence

The devices we use daily are getting to know more and more about our behaviour/habits. Consider how many times you have asked Siri a question on your phone? Siri and other voice recognition services are gathering all this information about us to better serve our needs. As these machines develop, they will become steadily more intelligent and will be able to adapt to different environments with its user. Artificial intelligence is set to be one of the most disruptive technologies in 2017.

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Written by
Alexander Rauser
Alexander Rauser

CEO

Alexander Rauser is the author of Boardroom Guide to Digital Accountability and Digital Strategy: A Guide to Digital Business Transformation, and creator of the DSX Program, a digital strategy and transformation program for Enterprises.

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