A trio of the biggest emerging technologies we predict will make the biggest impact in the next 12 months
It's time for another new year and we're ready and raring to go for an exciting 2024, with plenty of big projects in the pipeline in the coming months. Our finger remains on the pulse for all things related to B2B tech, so we wanted to share the three things we expect to have the biggest impact on our customers in the next year.
1. WhatsApp's influence to grow even further
Last year, we recruited several new customers who could see the potential benefit of using the WhatsApp Business Platform as part of the communications strategy, and this is inevitably going to grow. The power of engagement and reach in a space where 81% of UK phone users are regularly messaging is easy to see, while Meta's own development of the functions WhatsApp can offer shows many more people are waking up the potential the messaging app could have on their business.
2. Artificial Intelligence becomes more accepted
The negative headlines that surround the danger AI poses don't need to be completely disregarded, but they aren't a realistic representation of the impact the developments will have… in the short term at least.
Currently, when most people talk about AI, they're thinking about generative AI that learns from its experiences. This technology, while impressive, is still relatively unrefined and will need much greater development before it hits the levels of influence some people are talking about, but you can expect to see the same technology informing suggested orders, online searches, product recommendations, and marketing/communications more and more.
3. Loyalty innovations to appear in previously untouched markets
Customer promiscuity is an issue businesses in all sorts of sectors are currently contending with, as sky-high prices mean loyalty is on the back burner in preference to cost savings for purchasers.
We're already seeing several businesses that hadn't previously dabbled in loyalty now looking at their options to recognise and reward regular customers and encourage them to come back for more in the future. This doesn't necessarily mean everyone spins up a scheme that's similar to established consumer initiatives, but instead they work on innovative solutions that best suit their customer base.
