CES, one of the largest tech conferences in the world, wrapped up this past week. Thousands of exhibitors descended upon Las Vegas to showcase the latest in everything from drones to wireless chargers to micro LED TVs. If you think the mega conference is only a consumer goods show, though, think again. There are many key enterprise tech and MarTech trends that emerged from this year’s conference, including several that will impact marketing plans and budgets in 2018 and beyond. Here are the top five trends from CES that CMO’s can’t afford to ignore.
- The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) means more sensors, more data, and more customer insights. Fueled by the speed and computing power of 5G (more on that in a minute), the IoT can essentially turn anything into a technology product, gadget or no gadget. Big-picture, the IoT—which Gartner projected to boast 8.4 billion connected things in 2017, up almost a third from that same number in 2016—is changing every industry, from retail to healthcare to finance. Each one of those devices provides data and analytics about customer usage, preferences, habits, and more—in short, it’s a marketing goldmine.
- Edge computing is critical to leveraging the swarm of potential IoT insights. I just mentioned the huge number of IoT-connected, sensor-driven devices we had in 2017—a number that is sure to rise again this year. All that generated data has to go somewhere, and the edge streamlines the flow of all that traffic, avoiding slowdowns caused by data pooling and providing local, real-time analytics. At this year’s CES, we saw the IoT edge get even more robust. Current edge options often focus on one or two specialties, such as the security or processing of incoming data. At the convention, we saw those functionalities—and many more—become more integrated and scalable.
- 5G increases speed and connectivity—and the importance of keeping up when it comes to user experience (UX). The benefits of 5G go beyond speed. As I’ve said before when I covered the ways 5G will change the world, one of my favorite explanations is that “moving from 4G to 5G is like moving from a typewriter to a computer.” Think about that. A typewriter and a computer have completely different levels of functionality. 5G is the same in that it will enable faster and more reliable connections, even for large-scale applications like autonomous vehicles, AR, and VR. Now, apply this thinking to your mobile strategy: When such powerful connectivity is faster, more functional, and has fewer delays thanks to 5G, customers will come to expect the same from their mobile experiences with brands.
- An omni-channel experience is more important than ever. I’ve been writing about the importance of an omni-channel experience for some time now. Sometimes, when CMOs (or anyone, for that matter) hear a word repeated, it becomes less of an actionable strategy and falls into the buzzword zone. This is absolutely not the case with omni-channel; customers need a consistent, fast, user-friendly experience with brands on every device and every channel. No exceptions. CMOs have the chance to jump out in front of this trend and make it a reality in 2018—no more lip service.
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are reshaping the customer experience (CX). CMO’s should keep their eyes on VR and AR not only as a means to entertain customers, but also as a means to create memorable, immersive experiences that build brand awareness and loyalty. Specifically, think about creating content both in and out of brick and mortar stores. What if, instead of a video talking about new features, a company utilized AR and VR to allow customers to go behind the scenes into the making of the product, leaving them feeling more connected and invested—or, at the least, more inclined to share. This is just one example of how brands can leverage VR and AR’s powers of storytelling and immersion to reshape the CX and drive engagement. As these tools become more affordable and accessible in 2018, CMO’s should be looking for new and innovative applications.
What’s Next?
CMO’s know that to remain competitive, it’s not enough to promote features and benefits alone. Customers today demand and expect experiences and interactions with brands to bring added value at every turn. The five trends above all speak to that core truth: that CX and UX—and the MarTech that enhances them—are what CMO’s should be paying attention to and budgeting for now and in the future.
