4 Online Trends That Will Change the Way Your Business Operates

The online world is constantly evolving. As such, the way that people use online search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. is changing all the time. Businesses need to keep up to date with these changes so that customers and potential customers can continue to find them online. Here are some of the big new trends that businesses need to be aware of.

Voice

People are now accessing their devices with their voice. People are using “digital assistants” such as Siri or Cortana to search for things online. This is becoming more common as voice recognition technology continues to improve.

Messaging apps

People are now spending more time using messaging apps than on social media. This includes apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat, etc. Usage levels of messaging services overtook social media in 2015. Since then, usage has continued to grow.

Mobile

Look around the next time you are on a train or standing in a queue. You will notice that most people are staring at their smartphone screen, surfing the web and searching for information online. Since the arrival of the smartphone a few years back, mobile has become the primary channel through which people access the internet. One of the most significant consequences of this shift has been that we access the web much more often but for shorter periods of time.

Connected devices

According to a recent survey, people now own an average of 3.64 connected devices. This is going to keep on growing, particularly with the rise of the “Internet of Things” (IOT) and online digital assistants such as the Amazon Echo, Siri, etc.

What should you do next?

How you choose to take advantage of these trends depends on the type of business that you have and the customers that you are targeting. Perhaps you should consider setting up a Snapchat or WhatsApp account for your business so that you can tap into these marketing channels.

If you haven’t already done so, perhaps it is time for your company website to be redesigned with “responsive” technology so that it resizes appropriately for smartphone screens, tablets, etc. Maybe there are new ways for Siri or Cortana to access your firm’s services? Now is the time to consider these trends and how leveraging them could be advantageous to your business.