Given all the disruptors of the global economy, businesses have to face at any given day it is not farfetched to look at the current landscape through a more visionary lens. The global ongoing shifts in policy and finance teach entrepreneurs how to understand better what people want and how companies can meet these new demands more efficiently. We will discuss today some of the most prominent business trends and ideas that you can adhere to or implement now.
As we all know, things are shaking up in all life, social, political, and business departments. As an entrepreneur, you can and should rely on the available technologies and trends to make your business grow. So let’s discuss some of the strategies you can adopt for your business to stay ahead and seize the new opportunities rising every day. This way, no matter what crisis hits next, you will have the proper tools to manage it.
1. E-Commerce
E-commerce is not the playground of big retailers and corporations anymore. From independent grocery stores to bookshops and from small artisans to specialty gourmet stores, anybody who wants to be somebody invests in e-commerce platforms and solutions.
Online shops have been around for quite a while, but now they are going stronger, especially because technology is here to help at very affordable prices. Long gone are the days when a starting business had to hire and pay entire teams of web designers and programmers to create an online store from scratch.
Today, you can take advantage of some of the biggest players in the field of website building services and choose the reliable ucreate websites that offer you the best value for your money. Modern and affordable website builders allow you immense levels of customization, from the creation of your own logo to fully functional online shops packed with different payment and delivery options. Website builders also open new and unexplored niches for entrepreneurs in all types of industries.
One of the major trends we witness – propelled by the young generation – is to shop locally and support farmers’ markets, convenience stores, local suppliers, and so on. More than a health and economic fad, sustaining community-based businesses is not an idea going away any time soon.
In a world more and more preoccupied with social causes, health, and unity, small businesses thrive if they can offer the products people want and deliver them with no fuss to their homes.
If you already have a small online store, now it is time to revamp it and grow it. Consider SEO and online marketing tools, a redesign of your landing page at least, new tools for customer support, integrated social media services, website analytics, and more. Even the redesign of your company logo and the upgrading of your website to work across all screen sizes and device types can boost your revenue like no others.
2. Cyber Security
Another thing that we constantly learn every day – sometimes in the hard way – is the fact that we are not 100% safe in online environments. By exposing vulnerabilities, cyber-attacks, hacking scandals, leaks, and security breaches help many small businesses reinvent themselves. The young tech-savvy generation takes any online venture with a grain of salt these days. Watch out for the cybersecurity rising trends and make everything possible to align your business to the increasing demands coming from your customers and stakeholders.
Consider cybersecurity as a two-bladed weapon to use now and in the future. It can become a startup to build. We need more security for our apps, browsers, shops, and online platforms now more than ever.
On the other hand, you can consider cybersecurity as a long-term investment to make in your existing company that will set you apart from your competitors. Keep in mind that you can cater to young audiences by also creating new job opportunities in cybersecurity, so this is a tech trend to follow very closely.
Analysts everywhere warn us that the next immense threat of this world lies within cyber-attacks, as all our systems still have plenty of vulnerabilities on display. Being prepared for the upcoming cyber era is wise as both a startup vision and an existing business wanting to thrive.
3. Remote One-to-One Services
If you are looking for a business opportunity that is on the rise and does not seem to fade, consider virtual fitness. Most gyms shifted perspective by offering their clients online fitness classes, on-demand workouts on DVDs, live streaming workout sessions, and even products to buy (like treadmills and other fitness equipment for the living room).
But beyond virtual fitness, you can now consider the “virtual” anything. We don’t necessarily say you should start a streaming service to compete against Netflix, but you can invest in such businesses, as they are on the rise.
What you can do is consider “virtual” cooking, dancing, other forms of entertainment, hair and make-up classes, writing and acting classes, etc. Some cosmetic companies register a terrific revenue by teaching people how to use make-up and selling products at the same time.
As long as you can deliver online or recorded video classes that help people learn a new skill, feel better, look better, and do other things better, you might have a future in the new economic landscape. Remote learning is a concept that blends in perfectly with our highly digitalized world, and entrepreneurs would make a grave mistake to miss riding out this particular wave. Education is not inside a classroom anymore, nor is selling constrained into a brick-and-mortar building.
Bottom Line
According to studies and reports, small businesses are constantly trying to improve, grow, and become relevant on an over-crowded market. One might say you cannot come up with anything new, as others are already in the field playing the game.
Consider the following, however: technology helps us today as it never helped us before. We now witness an increased availability of Big Data even for small businesses. We have access to cloud computing and storage, advances in mobile internet, new sources of energy, AI developments, and more.
Therefore, if you want to build or grow a business now, you can go for the more powerful trends: e-commerce; customer support; online courses; remote applications; IT software and hardware development; website building platforms; SEO services; digital marketing services, etc. On the other hand, you can extract the best ideas generated by such entrepreneurial ventures and come up with a view of your own.
Alternatively, you can invest your money in such successful companies and allow them to help you strengthen your business, no matter your field. It is the best time to shop locally, make new partnerships, and develop a network!