As January hurtles by and 2014 becomes a distant memory, our minds have turned to what the business world has in store this year. Here are our top 5 picks of key 2015 trends…
1. Mad for mobile
Can’t live without your phone? You’re not alone. We rely on our trusty mobiles for all sorts of everyday tasks these days, and 2015 will see mobile continue to grow, becoming increasingly prevalent across different sectors.
In the world of retail, Vend have predicted that companies won’t just use their customers’ small screens to “get in front” of them, (i.e. through geo-fencing and mobile-enabled sites). 2015 will be an exciting year where we see retailers greatly expanding the way they utilise mobile.
What can we expect to see?
Mobile being integrated into many other parts of well-known retailers’ customer journeys, for example order fulfilment and payments.
The use of mobile is also increasing in financial services, and mobile banking will grow even more in 2015. A study conducted by Unique Digital and YouGov at the end of 2014 showed that almost half (42%) of online consumers now use mobile devices to search for and complete financial transactions. With big data still very much at the forefront of strategic planning, financial service firms will be gathering richer analytics-driven insights to allow for a more personalised approach to targeting and engaging with their consumers.
What can we expect to see?
Financial services firms to use location-based offers to improve their services, as well as using spending patterns, product use, and channel interactions to deliver improved experience-driven banking.
2. Social media will get the tills ringing
Retailers will be adding selling to the list of ways that they can engage their customers on social media sites. 2015 will be a key year for Twitter’s transformation from a place to get a quick update on the latest goings on into a place to buy. In 2014 Amazon’s introduction of a ‘buy’ button on Twitter was a big milestone, but this was only the beginning. Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg recently commented on this point, saying that “commerce is really important and is a growing important part of our business.”
What can we expect to see?
Even more retailers adding ‘Buy’ buttons on Twitter and Facebook and ‘Like2Buy’ on Instagram.
3. ‘The uber of something’
2014 was the year of the sharing economy, and the runaway success of companies such as Airbnb and Uber is likely to spark a whole host of companies with similar business models in 2015. These companies harness the power of omnichannel communication and allow people to share and monetize their assets, meaning that they can build a business in a connected and co-ordinated way. In fact, this "ego system", as christened by Brian Solis, will become increasingly prolific as more products, services and experiences are tailored to our individual preferences.
What can we expect to see?
Vice recently reported that British companies are in a race to become ‘the Uber of something’, with at least six recently launching in laundry alone!
4. UK wages set to rise in 2015
IoD Chief Economist James Sproule suggests that wage rises are unlikely to be spectacular in 2015 (around two to three per cent) and that they will broadly be in line with corporate performance. This means that pay rises have the advantage of being in line with productivity and are therefore much more sustainable than rises simply tied to inflation.
What can we expect to see?
According to a report by Deloitte CFOs were upbeat and on average expect wages in their businesses to rise by 2.9% in 2015.
5. 2015 talent trends
The summer of 2015 will see an influx of Generation Zers into the world of work, just as baby boomers are starting to retire, so it’s all change! Although we will have 3 generations working, the youngest baby boomers reach 50 this year and with the oldest retiring, a skills gap in many key professions is on the cards.
In our ever-increasingly digital world we are also in the midst of a shift in covetable skills. According to Capgemini Consulting, the war for talent will increasingly be faced with a ‘Digital Talent Gap’ that shows no signs of diminishing.
What can we expect to see?
Capgemini’s report predicts that 4.4 million jobs globally will be created around Big Data alone by 2015, but rather worryingly, a third of them will remain unfilled, as the skills employers want are increasingly not being met by the talent entering the workforce.
Looking for some analytical firepower to tackle these trends in 2015? Give us a call or drop us an email.
