Technologies That Can Make Your Business Soar In the Wake of COVID-19
Recent months have proven punishing for businesses. They’ve had to learn to adapt quickly or suffer when it comes to engaging their target audiences. With much of the world still on lockdown, but finally an end in sight, businesses are going to have to invest innovations or face struggles in a changing environment. Even when the gears of commerce start to resume their normal pace, it’s safe to say that social distancing and strictly regulated working conditions will be realities for the foreseeable future.
Still, there’s never been a better time to embrace a proactive mentality. This, combined with the right tech investments can make for a devastating combination. Technology has always been useful in helping small businesses grow. However, in the current climate, it can mean the difference between your business staggering… or soaring. Here we’ll look at some technologies which will help your business soar despite the current challenges it faces.
5G
The rollout of 5G mobile internet has been a long-time coming, and has been the cause of more than a few eye-rolling conspiracy theories. Some of which have actually gotten dangerously out of hand. Whatever you do, don’t let the actions of an ill-informed few affect your perception of this new phenomenon.
It’s no exaggeration to say that 5G has the potential to transform the way in which your business works, potentially insulating you from the risk of inefficiency and security breaches while actually reducing your overhead costs significantly.
The speed and security of 5G can make it easier for your workforce to do their jobs not just at home but from the road. Making greater use of IoT-enabled devices can potentially make your processes faster, and more efficient with greater accountability and transparency.
Whatever the future holds for your business, you’ll be starting off on the back foot if 5G isn’t a part of your plans for the future.
Drones
You’re currently faced with the challenges of doing business in an era of social distancing. But when it comes to getting your products, whatever they may be, to your customers, you’re likely to experience safety and logistical issues of all kinds for the rest of the year at the very least.
Businesses are already using drones in all kinds of cool ways from agriculture to construction and, of course, delivery. Indeed, Drones as a Service (DaaS) solutions are likely to be a growth industry over the coming years. Indeed, there are even drones such as the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual which allow for the capturing of high-definition thermal imaging to help users to detect warm bodies in visually noisy environments. Needless to say, drones can be invaluable when it comes to delivering goods or communicating with people in high-risk environments.
There are all kinds of ways in which drones could be used to take your business to the next level. Your only limit is your imagination.
VR & AR
There was a time when Virtual Reality was the stuff of science fiction. Sci fi movies like The Lawnmower Man and later, of course, The Matrix speculated as to how virtual reality could either enslave us or elevate us to godhood.
Today, however, VR has not only become demystified, it has become a fairly common aspect of many business’ daily operations. In an era where businesses are striving to create a unique and memorable customer experience, VR can facilitate immersive customer environments, without them even needing to leave their own homes.
We’ve already seen virtual stores, virtual car dealerships, virtual furniture showrooms and all manner of other VR-enabled retail experiences pop up all over the world. In an era where brick and mortar shopping is viewed as a risky prospect by many, VR may be a great way to facilitate a memorable retail experience at home.
As well as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality lends itself very well to the smartphone age, allowing businesses to create innovative experiences for their customers inside and outside of the retail environment. Whether you want to show your customers what your sofa would look like in their living room or how your clothes will look on them, AR can go a long way towards building consumer trust at a time when it’s at an all-time low.
Unique, Single-Use Promo Codes
There isn’t a problem in business that software can’t cure. The trick is identifying which software will enhance your operations and make them more efficient, and which software will become a rod for your back and result in you putting the technological cart before the business horse.
When it comes to the problem of engaging a target audience that has become especially shrewd and slow to trust, software can be your savior.
Promotional codes have always been a great way to get customers off the fence and get them to commit to buy with a great deal. The trouble is that promotional codes can be prone to spamming or misuse in ways that seriously eat into your margin. Invest in the software to create unique, single-use promo codes and you can deliver ultra-relevant promo codes to your customers which can coax them back after having not done business with you for a while. They can also be great for helping businesses to target shopping cart abandonment. In an era where 60-80% of carts are abandoned, the right promo code at the right time can help you to claw back a sale.
Business Intelligence
Finally, in the age of Big Data, businesses have access to so much operational data that it can be extremely difficult to see the woods for the trees. Being able to access your data is one thing. Being able to see what it means for your business is something else entirely.
Business Intelligence software is essential in helping you to make sense of your data and glean actionable insights from it. It can help you to stay one step ahead of market trends and give you the inside track over your competitors. At a time when the future feels more uncertain than ever, Business Intelligence is an essential investment.
Credit for free images: Image 1 by Pexels via Pixabay, Image 2 by Geralt via Pixaba