NEWS ROUND-UP


Future Technologies and the impact on mobile workforces and their devices


Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Sensors will be the technology trends most impacting mobile workforces over the next 12 months, say mobile technology buyers in the latest research from Panasonic. When asked to rate the importance of technology trends for use by their mobile workforce, buyers rated Big Data (52%) the most important, closely followed by IoT (51%) and Sensor technologies (41%), including atmosphere, temperature and biological sensors. The main drivers for the technologies were improved business efficiency and productivity. Unsurprisingly, the mobile device buyers thought that the


IT Department would benefit most within the organisation from every technology trend. However, looking at the second department to benefit most threw up some interesting insights. Respondents believe business management would benefit from Big Data, the IoT and Wearable technology. Sales would benefit from virtual reality developments. Logistics from drone technology and Research and Development would benefit from augmented reality, sensor technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence.


Future Trends


Looking further into the future, over the next three years, buyers could clearly see the impact on their mobile workforces of Big Data to improve service offerings, improve processes and reduce costs. With IoT, they saw the mobile workforce benefits as improving processes, improving service offering and helping to improve the functionality of mobile devices. Considering how mobile devices will need to change over the next five years to take advantage of these new technologies,


buyers prioritised improvements in device and data security (43%), processing power (31%) and communications for faster data transfer (31%). Mobile device buyers also predicted


the increasing importance of foldable tablets over the next five years and the continued rise of rugged devices as critical tools for mobile workforces. However, the largest group of buyers did not expect to change the type of mobile


devices they were buying until two-to five years out. Change already underway


However, the adoption of smart technologies for mobile workforces already looks well underway. Many buyers said that the implementation of smart watches, wrist bands and drone use had already been completed or was imminently planned for mobile workforces. Cost (27%) and reliability (19%) were the biggest issues preventing organisations from adopting new technologies faster. “Although a wide range of exciting future technologies


are being watched closely, there is clear evidence from this research that businesses are adopting and looking to capitalise on the benefits of Big Data, IoT and Sensor technology for their mobile workforces,” said Jan Kaempfer, General Manager for Marketing at Panasonic Computer Product Solutions. “As these technologies are deployed, we move ever closer to the age of Edge Computing, where processing power is required at the edge of the network, much closer to where data is collected. This means the role of the mobile workforce computing device becomes even more critical in the gathering, analysis and communication of data, and the provision of services and in improving productivity.”


“Just make it easy and convenient”, plead consumers on digital experiences


In an age where marketers look to enhance and differentiate their digital offering, 68% of consumers are crying out for brands to keep their experience simple, while 92% want mere convenience, a new report by Acquia says. Experiences have become too complex in a multi-channel,


multi-device world, consumers argue, with 47% admitting they struggle to find what they want on a brand website, and 57% finding it hard to interact with brands online altogether. In fact, the majority (56%) of consumers feel brands are


behind the times with how they interact with customers online, and 70% notice that the brands they buy from provide a different or inconsistent experience across different channels. These are the UK findings from Acquia’s inaugural annual


report entitled Closing the CX Gap: Customer Experience Trends Report 2019, which assesses the state of customer experience. Sylvia Jensen, VP of EMEA marketing at Acquia explains: “Look at Uber, Deliveroo, Netflix and Instagram — these


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companies create amazing digital experiences, and at the core of all of them is simplicity and convenience. “But with other organisations, marketers are often guilty


of passing on their martech disfunction on to their customers when they look to expand and integrate new channels and technologies. “Marketers must therefore keep ease and convenience front


of mind when designing and planning new experiences. It’s not easy to integrate martech seamlessly, but if it’s done poorly, customers will just go elsewhere.” According to the same report, 71% of consumers abandon a


brand for a competitor if the online experience is poor, and 76% of consumers would switch brands after the first bad experience alone. More than 5,000 consumers and 500 marketers across the


UK, France, Germany, North America and Australia contributed to Acquia’s report.


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