Small Business Tech Trends For 2020
Keeping your small business ahead of the curve in 2020 could garner you more attention and even more customers, especially if you’re up on all the tech trends. Tech trends are more than just what’s popular. Instead, the emerging technology or further reliance on existing technology as it becomes more refined will affect how business is done in the next decade. Small business owners that become early adopters can often reap the benefits of changing mindsets and capture demographics that have adopted new technology shifts. With that in mind, HJR Global wants you and your business to be ahead of the curve. Here are some of the top tech trends that we could identify which will be important in 2020.
- The Internet of Things – When we look back at the future that was imagined in sci-fi movies of the 80’s, it seems a little ridiculous, but there are certain technologies that are operating on a practical level that are something out of a sci-fi film, such as the Internet of Things. IoT is an interrelated and interconnected system of computing devices that manage multiple tasks without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. This is what allows people to set up smart homes and things of that nature, but the implications are far more vast.
- 5G Networks – If you haven’t heard, 5G is here for many mobile users with a full rollout of 5G wifi expected to happen in 2020. This gives people super fast internet access in the palm of their hands. What does this mean? Not only will there be faster or more consistent interconnectivity with faster download speeds, but it will fundamentally change how we interact on the internet, paving the way for VR and the internet of things to take off, while empowering self-driving and drone technology.
- The Decline of the App – If you’re thinking of investing into an app, it might be time to rethink that plan. More and more companies are abandoning the model that forces their customers to download their app from an app store in favor of a web-based apps. This is one of the most rewarding tech trends of 2020 for small business owners because it saves on costs and the app is accessible to anyone at all times as long as they have an internet connection.
- Engaging Content – Users are always looking for the newest content in the most engaging format. As new technology becomes readily available and more accessible, the businesses that stay ahead of the tech trends and adopt formats like Virtual Reality or even Augmented Reality will be in a nice place for the future.
- The Importance of User Reviews – While this has less to do with tech expansion and more to do with how tech is used, it’s important for small business owners to be aware that user reviews are more and more important to your customers. Most consumers won’t even try something new without looking up the reviews of your business, so using tech trends to your advantage to get more reviews will help you increase your market share.
- Social Media Stories – Social media stories used to be limited to the Snapchat app and they were greeted with speculation when many of the major social media apps started adopting the concept. However, stories have become the format of the future, growing 15 times faster than the news feed function that we are used to. As a window into the inner workings of someone’s life, stories are incredibly dynamic and savvy small business owners will notice that companies born in the digital age have adopted stories in their marketing strategy and they will move quickly to adopt this trend.
- Smart Speakers Taking Over
– Smart speakers are another one of those tech trends that people seemed to balk at when they were first introduced, but they have been in our hands for years! Where Siri and Google Assistant help us daily from our phones, Alexa and Google Home answer our questions at home. Experts predict that nearly a third of web browsing will be done by voice in 2020.At the same time, from a marketing perspective, there is not a lot of advertising happening on the home assistants that many people rely on, leaving the opportunity open for small business owners that can figure out a way to capitalize on questions asked to Alexa.
Tech Trends And Small Business
Many small business owners are unwilling to break into the newest tech trends because they have always done things a certain way or because these trends usually rely on technology that a business owner doesn’t understand. However, there is so much value in getting ahead of the curve. It can breathe new life into a business that has slipped into a rut and put a small, new business ahead of larger competitors because of the convenience to their customers.
At HJR Global, we want to help small businesses succeed by whatever means we can. When you succeed, we also succeed. If you own a small business and you need anything from simple insight on tech trends to help finding business funding, send us a tweet at @HJR_Global and let’s chat about it.