2020 is a year that necessitated many changes in the digital world: from working remotely to social tracking, there is a surge of new technologies shaping the way we function. Technological development has become an even more significant aspect of businesses today and developers have become an asset to all organisations helping them innovate, adapt, and grow.
It is hard to make predictions after such an unpredictable year, but the one clear thing is that today’s most important digital trends centre, for the most part, on facing any emerging challenges. The pandemic has arguably been the catalyst for advancements that were already due to happen because of our increasingly digitalized lives. Below you will find predictions for the upcoming year and how you can prepare your businesses to stay up-to-date with the latest technological trends.
AI has been talked about for a long time now and it’s popularity- or rather the interest around it and its capabilities- is still a large topic of discussion. In 2021, it can assist even more by predicting and helping us understand the world around us. The increasing amount of data we are collecting on healthcare, infection rates, and the success of treatment or prevention will inform further technological changes. This means that AI algorithms will become better informed and increasingly sophisticated in the solutions they uncover for us.
For businesses, trends will emerge concerning new customer behaviours, with an increase not only in online sales but also working, meetings and recruitment. During 2021, we can expect the tools we use to analyse these behavioural shifts to become more complex and accurate, becoming more accessible for all budgets and infrastructure requirements of businesses.
Native apps create the best user experience and will likely remain unparalleled next year. They are built to run on a specific device and are therefore the fastest and most brand-friendly option, which increases their popularity for exactly this reason.
Augmented, virtual and mixed reality is another technological area where we can expect more developments in the upcoming year. It uses high-tech and 3D images to improve the digital experience for the user, which is predicted to remain of interest after the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns this year.
For businesses in the gaming industry this will play a pivotal role, but it is also likely to increase in popularity in other industries as well, especially as more consumers will go online to do their shopping. For example, retailers could use this new technology to showcase their products for their customers using apps and devices that are readily available to their clients.
There are various cloud-computing trends like hybrid cloud, server-less computing, and containers that will be ruling the industry in the close future. Satya Nadella, chief executive officer at Microsoft, favours the use of cloud server-less[1] as they can offer distributed computing. Between 2018-2019 and 2020 there was a massive increase in businesses opting in for hybrid cloud and there will most likely be an even larger increase in 2021[2]. For a long time, containers have been a big focus for application development in the public cloud. In the near future, the rise of Kubernetes will extensively increase the use of containers to private cloud as well.
Cyber security is one of the fastest and most focused upon tech areas at the moment. Its development and importance will most likely increase, as more work will be done outside of the office.
VPNs, cloud services, and other online solutions helped companies continue their work during the events unfolded in 2020 and will carry on playing a pivotal role in tech developments next year.
Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google will continue to dominate the market. Online shopping demands are expected to continue increasing even in the Boomer age range. This means that brands will need to leverage creativity to attract and retain customers as well as adopt a sophisticated targeting mentality. Amazon is increasing the creation of ad types and advanced targeting strategies- they will likely continue expanding their Sponsored Brand and Sponsored Display offerings in 2021, to enable brands to create awareness for their services and products.
As the volume of passengers using public transport decreased in 2020 we can expect electric cycles and scooters as well as and initiatives around self-driving vehicles to continue to rise. Driving efficiently across public transport networks will be a priority for service providers as well as civic authorities. Many companies already develop or purchase eco-friendly cars, with more of them being electric, following customer desires and expectations.
Fifth-generation technology is coming into place perhaps sooner than we expected. 5G will provide us with extremely quick connection speeds, impeccably low latency and the ability to connect many devices simultaneously, and who knows what other doors this technology will open.
Some may say that there aren’t many changes and ground-breaking innovations to be expected in 2021, which is understandable considering the circumstances brought by 2020. Nevertheless, we can expect 2021 to bring us some new technology in every field. As more technology emerges in 2021, try not to be tempted into following all the trends- choose tech that will benefit your business, not just because it’s the newest thing on the market.
Digital Marketing Executive
Wiktoria lives to create, she is a marketing postgraduate who loves social media and content creation. Customer satisfaction and driving engagement is at the heart of her work. She has worked with different clients including fintechs, affiliate marketing agencies and NGOs for over 3 years to grow their brands, as well as provide them with original and creative content. Since joining Freebook Global Technologies, Tori has focused on content creation and social media marketing.
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