Business Trends for 2016
Every business needs to keep up with the current trends, or it risks falling behind its competitors. One way to stay ahead of the curve is by knowing what some of the trends will be going forward. To that end, we have come up with a list that we think businesses will be following for 2016 and beyond. If you can incorporate some of the things listed below into your company, you stand a good chance at being ahead of your competition.
Cyber Security
Over the past few months we have seen some very high profile cases in which large organizations had information stolen from their computer system. This has placed a larger concern over cyber security, and is making many companies re-think how they handle it. If your business handles personal information, it is especially important that you take a look at your current security setup. For the years to come, you will want the best security possible in place to ensure that you are not one of the companies that has your information stolen. Having information stolen about either your company, your employees, or your customers can lead to a lot of very large problems, so you want to prevent it at all costs.
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Mobile Design
With more and more business being conducted online, it is essential that your website is prepared. Since mobile devices – including smartphones and tablets – come in all different shapes in sizes, you need to have a website that reacts to this. If your website is rigid, and only set to display right on one type of screen, it will not look right when opened on another device. Your goal is to make your website look as great as you can for as many devices as possible. It is for this reason that many businesses are designing their website with Responsive Design techniques. As more and more companies begin to do this, your website will look out of place if it is not optimized for mobile devices.
Point of Sale Equipment
Gone are the days where everything was paid for in cash. There are many more payment options out there, and your business needs to be equipped to handle them. Many places have the hardware in place to handle credit cards, but due to recent technological advancements, these terminals may now be out of date. Many customers also would like to be able to pay using their smartphone, so if you can accommodate them, your business will be better off. Credit cards and mobile phone payments are the way of the future, so you want to get ahead of the game now by ensuring you have the right POS equipment in place.
Online Marketing
Lastly, as we mentioned above, much of our interactions now take place online. As such, businesses are going to need to place a larger effort into how they market online. Businesses that take advantage of things like SEO, social media, and online advertising are going to be in a good position as these things become ever more prominent. Be sure that your company has a solid social media presence on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and is also utilizing newer applications such as Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram. The more social media sites you use, and the more effective you are with them, the more your marketing efforts will pay off.
Stay ahead of your competition by knowing what the trends of the future are likely to be. Not every company will pay attention to what the future may hold, so by doing so, you are giving your company a distinct advantage. Remember that the trends are always changing, so you need to keep up with them each and every year if you want to continue to grow.
Guest Author: Paul Smith
