It seems that planning for the future has acquired a whole new dimension for businesses that have survived or started their journey during the pandemic. Leaders are not any longer driven by numbers alone, although forecasting requires understanding the most relevant driving force behind any statistic. In fact, flexibility was the business mode of that era, now agility and quick adaptation can determine the destiny of a company. However, some planning is crucial to accomplish a fruitful 2022 and make the most of the remaining time in 2021.
Yes, the pandemic has fueled many of the trends discussed here, but it is vital to remember that innovative solutions and changing customer behavior also played a role in the process. Taking all of these factors into account will help you identify the right growth opportunities for your business in the next year. Let’s go over the most significant business trends and opportunities that will influence your strategy for 2022 and let you grow.
Remote collaboration in the new normal
While we hope to see the end of all restrictions by the time we reach 2022, the pandemic will still have a huge impact the following year in terms of how companies will recruit and collaborate. Most will still be working remotely, but they will even be focused find a technology solution which allows for better efficiency for workers.
- Project management tools will become the main collaboration space for most companies of all sizes.
- Most businesses will shift to some form of cloud collaboration.
- The need for remote hiring strategies and external HR experts to streamline processes will also increase.
Localized SEO for smarter positioning
Digital marketing with increasing digitalisation as a whole will become the main method for brands to gain customer attention and increase visibility. Doing so in a highly competitive region like Australia would be a far more challenging endeavor that would often require outside support. Many local companies will partner with respectable ones digital marketing agency in Australiato build strategies that will help improve brand rankings and motivate customer engagement.
Working with external partners will be a life-saving method for small local companies, as they often lack the inner expertise or resources to develop their digital presence and compete online with their much more respectable counterparts.
Sustainability is in the spotlight
The climate crisis has gotten quite a lot of media coverage in 2021, at least as much as the pandemic. It has also become one of the major trends for companies resisting shifting to more sustainable modes of waste management and energy use, to help them move towards cleaner, safer and greener business models. This trend is a chance, which will lead to cutting costs for numerous operational processes, but will also help improve the company’s reputation.
- Brands will seek more ways to leverage renewable energy sources such as solar energy, which will help them reduce their dependence on existing energy grids, reduce utility costs, and not to mention change the way their customers perceive them.
- Green waste management practices such as recycling, reuse and reuse will be some of the most profitable trends that will slowly change the business landscape to one where green practices predominate, and traditional businesses are the ones that need to adapt.
- In well-developed and fast-growing markets such as Australia and the US, the bar will be much higher for new entrants looking to run a competitive business – going green no longer gives them an edge, but sets the minimum the public expects businesses to accomplish.
Online retail and m-commerce dominate
Companies that have already got a decent online presence may not see big changes during the pandemic. However, now that more and more businesses, particularly small and native ones are shifting to selling online, every company needs to step up their game with regards to their digital presence, and particularly online sales.
For starters, brands need to make sure consistent presence across all customer touchpoints to increase trust – which they now cannot afford to lose with competition increasing so quickly. Add to that, m-commerce is estimated at $3.56 trillion at the end of the year, meaning that not leveraging these sales outlets will cost your business more than enabling seamless mobile purchases.
Automation speeds up
Introducing more digital tools to enable remote collaboration, better cyber security, and smarter employee management all mean that companies will have an excess of menial tasks every day. Managing lots of new software solutions bundled together with the people behind the business (and customers, obviously) is time consuming. In 2022, companies need to automate more than ever before to maintain their productivity and maximize the usefulness of the new tools they use.
To improve efficiency in addition to employee satisfaction, companies need to take advantage of more automation opportunities. This lets you reduce your employees’ grunt workload to focus on significant work, but also gives your business more time to perform important tasks every day. Automating repetitive tasks should be one of your top priorities in 2022.
We’re still unsure what the new normal entails for companies or individuals. Trends and opportunities emerging from changing business dynamics and customer needs have gotten more and more evident every day, allowing companies to plan well in advance, with quite a lot of flexibility in mind.
If you are attempting to find ways to prepare your business for 2022 and leverage data to your advantage, consider optimizing your growth strategy with the trends listed in mind.
