Trends in Marketing
December
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Top 5 Predictions for Small Business in 2011
2010 at 12:11 pm Posted by Sherri Sharp
Well, December certainly went whizzing by and after reading this article by Erica Swallow on Mashable, I'm thinking 2011 is going to be a busy year. Over the course of 2010, Mashable offered quite a few small business resources, ranging from tips on social media and marketing to resources for web design and development. As the year is coming to an end, it's very interesting to look back at the technological advancements that small businesses have benefited from and Swallow predicts how those technologies will affect entrepreneurs next year.
Here are her five predictions about how small businesses will continue to adapt to changing technologies as we move into the new year:
Increased Spending On Websites Small businesses are predicted to increase online marketing spending, with websites taking the front seat, according to a recent survey. The survey found that 54% of respondents indicated that their businesses currently have websites, which I find to be an amazing statistic. Unfortunately, most of those websites contain nothing more than general information, and less than half of them incorporate customer service features. The importance of being easily findable on the Internet has still not been fully recognized by small businesses, but increasingly, smart entrepreneurs are taking notice. Next year will be marked with increased spending on website development, lifting small business sites from their current iterations as online brochures to more prominent positions as useful resources for customers. Those making valuable upgrades to their online presences will increase functionalities revolving around e-commerce, reservation systems, corporate blogs and social media integration. Furthermore, we may see increased attention on better web design.
SmartPhone Revolution A whopping 49% of small business owners use smartphones, outpacing the rest of America in smartphone adoption, according to a recent Forrester study. As more small business owners are exposed to smartphones on a daily basis, it’s inevitable that they will begin to innovate with mobile technologies. In 2010, business owners were tweeting on the go, using location-based services and investing in mobile advertising. In 2011, the smartphone revolution will continue to ensue, with ever increasing smartphone adoption. Mobile devices will continue to change the way that companies of all sizes do business. With most business needs at the tips of their fingers, small business owners will experience more flexibility than ever before.
Social Shopping and E-commerce Advancements While a number of small businesses benefited from social shopping in 2010, others were left wondering if group buying was really worth the risk. Regardless, it’s evident that e-commerce is a huge advantage for small businesses taking part in it. Offering their products online, businesses have widened their customer bases beyond their local markets. While only 30% of small business websites currently incorporate e-commerce abilities, the increased buzz around online and social shopping will probably push more small business owners to experiment with the medium in 2011.
More Focused Social Media Efforts This year was a time of social media experimentation for many small business owners. Testing many social media services in the past year, small businesses are becoming more knowledgeable about which platforms their customers use most and how their companies can benefit from staying connected on each platform. It isn’t uncommon to visit a small business’s website to find a mass of social icons pointing to less-than-utilized profiles all across the web. It seems that anxious entrepreneurs have spread themselves thin in the social media realm this year, trying out every platform that got buzzed up. The simple truth is that not every platform is right for every business — it’s all about where your customers are. Next year is really going to be about paring down to the essentials based on proven successes and strong metrics.
Increased Adoption of Cloud Computing Earlier this year, a group of Internet and tech experts and social analysts predicted that Internet users will “live mostly in the cloud” by 2020. While I don’t have the expertise to analyze that prediction, I can point to the fact that I and many of my friends and co-workers already do live and work mostly from web-based and mobile apps, relying less on software installed on our desktops. Cloud services have already simplified many processes for businesses. Google Apps and Google Docs, for example, make hosting and collaborating on spreadsheets, presentations, forms and word processors much simpler. Box.net and Dropbox have also made online file sharing and collaboration much easier. Meanwhile, 37signals supports a full line of business tools for project management, CRM, internal communications and group chat. In 2011, businesses will be increasingly exposed to cloud services as tech companies introduce more and more products geared toward moving our digital lives into the cloud.
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July
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Take Pictures of People at Wal-Mart and Swipe Your Armor All Wipes in One Fell Swoop.
2010 at 01:28 pm Posted by Sherri Sharp
Think the person on their phone swerving in the lane ahead of you is annoying? Wait until you're behind them in the grocery aisle. Smartphones may be the self-service kiosks of the future. Progressive Grocer is reporting North American consumers continue to embrace self-service technology, as transactions at self-service kiosks are set to surpass $740 billion in 2010, according to a new research study conducted by retail technology consulting firm IHL Group.
However, the rate of growth going forward may be tempered in favor of enabling consumer smartphones in the future. “Self-service continues to grow, and clearly, DVD kiosks are driving huge increases in the number of units in the market,” said Greg Buzek, president of Franklin, Tenn.-based IHL. “However, the rise of consumer mobile devices will have an adverse effect on many new kiosk installations within the next two years.”
“The information kiosks will soon give way to the kiosk in the consumer’s pocket, with many consumers already doing price comparison shopping and reading reviews while at the shelf,” added Buzek. “In addition, what is particularly interesting looking forward is that Apple has patents in loyalty and payment technologies. It is foreseeable that transactions even in the retail environment could be scanned and transacted through the mobile device rather than a stationary self-checkout.”
In the market study, “2010 North American Self-Service Kiosks,” IHL examines the increasing use of six types of self-service kiosks where payment is accepted: self-checkout systems, ticketing kiosks, check-in kiosks, food ordering, postal and other retail kiosks.
The report covers self-service kiosks in the United States and Canada, detailing the number and type of kiosks shipped historically. It also provides forecasts for each type of kiosk, both in terms of units shipped and revenue transacted. In addition, the report highlights best practices and best-in-class machines for each class of kiosk.
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Posted in: Trends in Marketing
December
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2009 at 03:15 pm Posted by Sherri Sharp
A new study by the Marketing to Moms Coalition—a not-for-profit group that seeks to share insights about moms to help marketers better engage with them—shows just how much American moms are sacrificing so their families can stay afloat during the downturn. The survey results reveal that "mothers are sacrificing purchases for their own use in order to ensure their families get what they need," according to a report at the Brandeo blog. A couple of examples, as cited in the blog:
• 72% of survey respondents lowered the quality of new clothes they buy.
• 51% cut back on health-and-beauty product quality.
"Yet the majority of mothers say they are not scrimping on the quality of their children's food, medical needs and clothing," the post notes.
The annual State of the American Mom Report is a nationally representative sample of moms with kids under 18 living in the home. Among its other findings:
• 78% of moms have cut back on household spending this year.
• More than half of all moms are making special trips to retailers that offer the best price.
• 61% are focused more on the environment this year.
• 39% are on Facebook, while 11% are on Twitter.
• Most moms plan to spend more than $600 on holiday gifts this year.
What does that mean for advertisers targeting moms this holiday season? Try stressing the quality of the products you offer for their family members and the value of products they may grab for themselves.
Posted in: Trends in Marketing
