10 Top Tech Trends for 2016
In the light of the mushrooming information and communication technology evolution and innovation experienced across the digital world in the past few years, it is clear that 12 months of great possibility and opportunity lie ahead as a new year approaches.
Instead of trying to make precise predictions on the incredibly dynamic ICT industry, I have listed top trends to watch in the coming year.
Betting on online
Nigeria is still picking up pace in terms of digital media adoption by individuals and businesses. The rate of adoption has increased in the last few years but 2016 is going to see the existing barriers falling away and many more Nigerians flooding online. As consumption needs and taste shift, more businesses will look to retain their existing offline customers while reaching out to those on the limitless online market. Businesses, both large and small, will turn to search marketing to drive new traffic to their websites.
Offline events will drive online search
Businesses and individuals will take advantage of the direct link between offline events and the emerging surge in online search. People for now search the Internet for news, insights and videos relating to major offline events. From sports to politics and natural disasters, offline events provide perceptive and fast-acting businesses the opportunity to make the most out of rising online search activity surrounding each event. The reverse is also true: If customers cannot find you online to make an evaluation, then you are missing a substantial portion of the market.
Data beats opinion
Every day, hundreds of millions of people search on Google – we are able to see trends emerge in real time. Access to search trend information is available to everyone through Google Trends. For example, the xenophobic attack in South Africa was one of the most popular searches in Nigeria in 2015.
We expect to see an increase in the use of search trend data in structuring online marketing campaigns. This new level of insight into the trending online searches will empower marketers to move away from relative guesswork and work from an informed point of reference. Marketing and brand managers are also able to make comparisons with their competitors using Google Trends.
Websites get better and better
More web users are starting to make use of the readily available free and easy-to-use tools to improve usability and functionality of their websites. You can use advanced tools to turn your website into a more effective sales tool by understanding how visitors use your website. For example, Google Analytics allows you to track user browsing behaviour on your site, (which pages they visit, at what point they leave the site and how much time they spend) and Google Website Optimiser can suggest ways to improve the layout and format of your website to make it more user-friendly.
Going mobile, going big
More than 80 per cent of Google’s mobile search queries come from outside the U.S., and Nigeria has shown growth in mobile search traffic. More people do business on their mobile phones than on their laptops because mobile search gives users instant, contextually relevant access to information anytime, anywhere. Nigeria’s mobile penetration massively exceeds the broadband penetration. Even with the expected rise in broadband access in 2016, it is not going to catch up with mobile. So, it is important for Nigeria’s businesses to think mobile as they head for the new year.
Telemedicine
Increased mobile penetration means better access to cutting-edge health technology, potentially improving the health and welfare of people across Africa and beyond. For example, the Wall Street Journal reports of ECG apps that by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for consumers and validated in many clinical studies.
The Internet is social
The social media landscape will continue to evolve at a break-neck pace and many companies will launch marketing campaigns within the social media space to take advantage of their massive power. From the video of an aspiring rock band on YouTube to on-the-ground footage of flash mobs, from one person’s political Twitter stream to a sophisticated multi-party political blog portal, the Internet is providing greater transparency into what is happening in the world, and in the process widening our perspectives.
Cloud computing is in your future
Cloud computing moves all of our computer-based activities – searching, emailing, watching videos, creating documents and more – to a virtual space referred to as ‘the cloud’. By keeping and accessing the information that is important to us online or in the cloud, we are bringing an unprecedented level of flexibility and accessibility to our lives.
Infrastructure investments will increase access, thereby driving mobile web adoption, new cloud computing services and, in turn, demands for media and advertising.
High tech cross-cultural communication
Developments in translation, voice search and text-to-speech technology will empower people to communicate more across different languages, thereby breaking down cultural barriers and increasing cross-continental trade.
Video will continue to take centre stage
Online video viewing will become more popular. About 400 hours of video were added to YouTube every minute in 2015. Next year will see not only a continued growth, but also an explosion in innovative use of video within marketing campaigns.
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