As consumers become increasingly connected, they leave a trail of their interactions with businesses and more organizations are utilizing the large data sets they collect in always more sophisticated ways. The resulting complex analysis of customer data is essential to understanding consumers and to developing and optimizing products and services for them.
The ultimate artificial intelligence recreates the human thought process and has human intellectual abilities such as learning, reasoning, using language and formulating original ideas. Although there is little evidence of the full execution of artificial intelligence coming anytime soon, early forms based on machine learning are increasingly infiltrating our lives. Amazon uses it to suggest products, Netflix to recommend movies, Facebook and Twitter to choose what posts to show.
It is believed that the trialling of virtual reality in gaming will generate more awareness and that it will penetrate other industries such as travel, retail, business and education.
Marriott, Thomas Cook and Qantas Airways have already created promotional experiences using virtual reality: the technology gives would-be travellers a taste of their possible destinations, as well as hotel facilities and rooms.
Video is growing faster than anyone anticipated and online is becoming the go-to channel on which to enjoy it. Current predictions suggest that 80% of all consumer internet traffic will be video by 2019. Video consumption is increasingly migrating to smartphones, particularly among millennials and pre-teens and brands are maximizing the opportunity to use this platforms to engage with them in a highly personal and targeted way.
Wearables will increasingly be able to migrate from the wrist to clothing, footwear and even jewellery in the near future. Although high-profile launches such as Google Glass and Apple Watch have captured the consumer’s imagination, few have adopted these high-end devices. In comparison, the popularity of health and fitness trackers provides insights into the elements needed to turn the wearables market “mass”.
The mobile payments market is only really evolving now. In some markets there is still a need to raise awareness, while in others it’s all about increasing accessibility. It is crucial for brands, manufacturers and retailers to understand the global picture now and how it might evolve to ensure they meet the needs of connected consumers who increasingly want to pay by mobile.
All sorts of organizations look to maximize their involvement in tomorrow’s home demonstrating to consumers how smart home technology fits with and enhances their lives. This is the time when collaboration and education are needed to accelerate demand and to propel smart home innovation from a manufacturer-led evolution into a consumer-led revolution.
The idea of the connected car isn’t new, but it’s only in the last five years, with the explosion of the smartphone, that connectivity in vehicles has taken off. Almost every original equipment manufacturer in Europe now offers connected features in their vehicles in some shape or form.
Despite the media attention, drones are not new. But with improvements in technology and falling costs, there is a real opportunity for these unmanned aerial vehicles to evolve from a hobbyist market into a mainstream technology. The extensive capabilities of drone technology are only now being realized and exploited by many businesses.
3D printing is becoming cheaper and increasingly accessible to both customers and businesses. Speculation about 3D printing being already dead is premature. This market has huge potential, and appetite from the connected consumer will be key in growing this technology.
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is pleased to announce a special call for speakers and subject matter experts for a brand new program element: The MPI Technology Showcase for its 2016 World Education Congress (WEC), taking place June 11-14, 2016 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
MPI is seeking new technologies that support the Meeting Professional to be showcased at the 2016 WEC in Atlantic City. If you have a technology-based product that is new to the market, please let us know and submit a proposal! The submissions will be accepted through March 25, 2016. Only sessions submitted via MPI's online proposal form will be considered for the World Education Congress. Multiple proposals for multiple product showcases may be submitted.
Please reach out with any questions you have!
Download Tech Trends 2016 full report by GfK
MPI Europe Team