And it’s clear to see why businesses would go with a bot over
a human. Dallas-based Automated Copywriting offers services that can reduce copywriting costs. For instance, with a package that costs US$25,000 a year, businesses can save more than US$52 million, not to mention hours of labour. Bots can even create copy that is as good as or better than a
human can. For example, Persado soſtware can create copy that has a positive emotional impact, that induces consumers to spend more and, because the language produced sounds natural, chances are that customers won’t be able to tell that the copy was written by automated soſtware.
PREDICTION 5 By 2020, retail businesses that use targeted
messaging in combination with indoor positioning systems will see a 5% increase in sales. While some thought smartphones and the Internet would
kill traditional shopping, brick-and-mortar retailers will soon use that technology to provide a more engaging experience for their customers. Indoor positioning systems will allow businesses to use
Wi-Fi and low-energy Bluetooth to accurately track shoppers in a store to within a few centimetres. “It helps the retailer under- stand the overall behaviour [of shoppers] and also can drive [customers] into the store,” Allan Toy, cofounder of Calgary- based indoor positioning system startup Spectre, explains. Retailers can learn where customers stopped, what they looked at the most, where they spent most of their time and more. “Having that information is key to all retailers,” Toy says. Real-time mapping provided by indoor positioning systems
can also direct customers to specific areas in the store or to individual products. Additionally, retailers can send shoppers ads and messages relevant to where they are in a store or mall to make deals find the customers — not the other way around. If indoor positioning systems
sound too much like Big Brother, the ability to opt out will make it less so.
PREDICTION 6 By 2017, nearly
20% of durable-goods e-retailers will use 3-D printing to create personalized product offerings. When the products of the future arrive in our homes, chances are 3-D
MARCH 2016 | CPA MAGAZINE | 35
printing will have played a role in some part of their develop- ment or production. “You can help to prototype [an] object in a way that, by the
time you [produce] the mould for injection moulding, fewer mistakes will be made,” Daniel Southwick, University of Toronto PhD candidate and 3-D printing expert, says. “When you’re talking about very high-end degrees of customization and very low production runs, there’s a spot for 3-D printing somewhere in the production chain.” Since 3-D printing also makes some products cheaper to
produce and allows for the design of products to be changed easily, Gartner believes businesses big and small may offer more products such as sports equipment, eyewear and shoes customized for individuals. Just don’t expect to see many mass-produced, large-scale
products created exclusively with 3-D printers, as it can take several hours to create an object and the quality of products printed by even some of the best 3-D printers can be poor. “It makes things look profoundly cheap,” Southwick says. “I don’t know if I’d want a 3-D-printed monstrosity in my house.” The few 3-D-printed, mass-produced items would likely be objects such as screws, gears and covers. While personal 3-D printers exist, don’t anticipate that you’ll
have one in your home for practical purposes any time soon. With the printers’ cost, size, limited number of uses and the strong plastic smell emitted, getting the few items you might need printed at a store kiosk would make more sense than printing items at home, Southwick says.
DEXTER BROWN is a freelance writer in Whitby, Ont.
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