Last year, we looked at realistic targets all staff can buy into and feel involved in, and all of them still apply. So, instead of looking at general resolutions that can fit into any small business, we’ve looked at specific trends of what will happen in 2017 and how your business can react to them.
The year of VR
Virtual reality (VR), is constantly developing, and constantly improving. Even since we published our piece on how it will affect your business, it has come on in leaps and bounds. VR poses the opportunity to experience new environments and challenges without going anywhere. Brands are already jumping on this technology – Merrell created virtual mountain hike Trailscape to launch a new hiking boot and Marriott Hotels created 4D Tourism experience Teleporter. Think about how this could transform your business – from providing immersive training for your staff (if astronauts can use it, so can you) to offering your customers a ‘try before you buy’ experience of everything from hotel rooms to white-water rafting.
The year of sustainability
One of the most popular programmes of 2016 was Planet Earth II, which received higher viewing figures than the X Factor. At the end of the series, David Attenborough delivered a messaged to his 9.5 million strong audience: ‘It’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on earth.’ His sign-off is a powerful reminder that sustainability needs to be top of the agenda for 2017, and years to come. This needs to be woven into every part of our lives, including our working lives. As a business owner you are responsible for ensuring sustainability and eco-friendly practices – this could range from monitoring printing levels, to using Green Tomato cars, to implementing green supply chain management.
The year of video
Just last week, Twitter released an update that will let you broadcast live video from within its app. This follows a high-profile campaign from Facebook to promote its live functionality. As this trickles down to mainstream usage, you need to decide if you should make investment in live streaming. Think about whether your core audience need to see your content now and whether you have unique content – if you are involved in sports coverage for example, this could be a good avenue to go down.
360-degree video is also making headway in becoming a more mainstream tool that small businesses should be investing in. Facebook have also just selected certain pages – such as National Geographic – to feature live 360-degree video – and it’s more than likely that this will roll out to all users soon. There is a lower entry point for pre-recorded 360 video, as all you need is access to the internet and a decent bandwidth in order to watch and explore them. Think about any additional experiences you could provide to your customers – stories that tie in with new product launches are a fantastic use of 360-degree video, take the series published alongside the release of The Jungle Book as an example.
The year of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
From self-driving cars to chat bots, the growth in artificial intelligence in recent years is staggering. Just this year, Amazon released personal assistant ‘Alexa’ to answer queries and control connected devices in the home and office. And Kia launched the NiroBot to deliver instant access to product information for the 2017 Niro hybrid utility vehicle. This mirrors a growth in personalisation across all markets. Cars too, are developing sophisticated infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems, as we move closer to completely driverless cars. So start thinking about how you could use this technology, both from a customer services point of view, and a fleet point of view, if your business has one.
Whatever 2017 brings, there are ways that you can make the most of the trends that emerge. Just be sure to only invest in the ideas that fit within your business model and your audience. As long as you stick to those rules, you’ll be able to reap the rewards for you and your small business.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Kia Fleet sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network Accessing Expertise hub.
