Technology

The Role of Technology in Business: Examples of Ways It’s Changing the Workplace

Almost half of all businesses plan on increasing their technology expenditures in 2020. The reason being that many have identified tech as the most efficient way to get out ahead of the competition and ultimately, boost profits.

If you’re a business owner that’s looking to make key technological investments, you may find yourself quickly overwhelmed by all of the options you have.

“Which technology in business investments make the biggest impact?” “Where would I be best served to invest my limited capital?”

These are questions we hear all the time as owners of small, medium, and even large companies fumble through how technology is being applied to today’s marketplace and what that could mean for them. To help bring some clarity to your technology questions, below, we walk you through key ways technology is being integrated into company settings in hopes of inspiring you!

1. Improving Accountability

Whether you mean to or not, it can be easy to get complacent when you’re working 5 days a week, 8 hours per day. That complacency often leads to falling behind on projects and costly overtime requests.

As a business owner, it behooves you to know how efficient your team is being and where improvements need to be made. Companies are investing in tools like time tracking software that can analyze employee’s activities throughout a shift and share detailed reports on what’s working and what isn’t.

These reports are instrumental in determining who needs assistance staying on task and who is providing the most value to your organization.

2. Enabling Collaboration

Business success rarely emanates from a single individual. Success almost always comes from a collective of talent that has been assembled and allowed to work together to do incredible things.

Technology in business has made that kind of special collaboration much easier over the last decade.

Several cloud-based applications let employees work on the same files at the same time. Furthermore, sharing files has become as easy as directing team members to a communal “share folder”.

That has eliminated the need to email attachments and manually track updates.

3. Keeping Data Safe

Imagine if all of your company’s key documents, intellectual property data, and customer information were saved on a single computer. Now, imagine that computer was destroyed in a fire.

How would your company recover?

For many, that question is one they’d prefer not to answer and as such, they’ve invested in technology that automatically backs up their systems to on-site and off-site servers. Today’s best backup technology automatically runs backups across all of your company’s machines so team members don’t have to bother with engaging backup mechanisms manually.

4. Getting Paid Made Easy

Sending out invoices can be a hassle. A lot of that hassle comes from having to manually itemize charges in a template, emailing that template to clients, and hoping to receive a response.

Today, companies can integrate with bookkeeping software that lets them invoice straight from within the application. Those invoices are pre-generated per charges you enter into the system and can be tracked to see when they’ve been opened.

Even better is the fact that clients can pay your invoices with their credit/bank cards straight from your digital invoice!

5. Paying the Government Made Easier

No matter how much technology you throw at filing taxes, managing that task is likely to remain a headache. Still, technology has made accurately filling out and filing taxes more streamlined.

Technology in business has integrated bookkeeping and tax filing solutions into all in one systems. That has allowed businesses to use tools like a receipt scanner to automatically track expenses and deduct those expenses from tax documents as well as manage other typically time-consuming tasks.

Even filing your taxes with federal and state authorities can be as simple as pushing “send!”

6. Breaking Down Commerce Barriers

Brick-and-mortar operations used to be limited to selling to people in their immediate vicinity. That’s no longer the case!

eCommerce makes it so even the smallest of businesses can develop a robust online presence and sell to customers all over the globe.

That reality is becoming increasingly important to a company’s bottom line as competition gets to be more global and local consumer saturation starts to be a problem.

7. Engaging Customers Like Never Before

Imagine a world where you’re able to market to a customer based on what they purchase, where they live, and their spending habits? This kind of customized, high conversion marketing is 100 percent a reality.

Over 60 percent of the customers you engage expect personalization to be part of their shopping experience. By investing in technology that enables that end, you’ll meet expectations. You’ll also give yourself a great chance of heightening consumer engagement.

8. Your Office Everywhere

Never before has being able to access your office remotely been more important. Several tools that allow chatting, file sharing, accessing desktops remotely, and more work together to make your office available to your team members no matter where in the world they are.

If you want your company to make it through today’s challenges and tomorrow’s, you’d be well served to have an excellent work from home plan in place. That plan should be powered by cutting edge digital tools.

Technology in Business Defines Success

Companies that embrace technology in business give themselves a much better opportunity of growing and surviving adversity. Keep that in mind as you juggle what your technology budget might look like this year and beyond.

Technology solutions are in a constant state of evolution. Feel free to keep up to date on all things new by browsing the content available on our blog!

Technology for Kids: Understand the Pros and Cons

Did you know that an estimated 85 percent of kids use gadgets like phones, tablets, and computers?

While many of them use these devices with their families, kids also frequently use them in their schools or even have their own.

With this rise of use comes concerns about the good and the bad of technology for children. While gadgets can offer much in terms of education and entertainment, their use can come with negative effects on children’s health and behavior.

Read on to learn about the good and bad when it comes to technology for kids.

Benefits of Technology for Kids

Technology can offer kids much in terms of communication, health, education, and development.

Kids can use mobile devices to call, video chat, and message family members who live far away. They can also use the devices to stay in touch with their teachers in online classrooms and complete projects with classmates.

If you want to motivate kids to move around more, smartwatches can help them become more physically active and healthy. As a side benefit, these watches can help parents monitor your children’s location and keep them safe.

When a child uses technology, they can access instructional materials that help them develop skills and learn better. For example, schools sometimes use online textbooks with instruction manual drawings that help kids learn visually. Kids can access such materials and even full online courses through their tablets and phones.

Screen time can also help kids become better coordinated, improve their language skills, and lead them to become creative problem-solvers. 

Downsides of Too Much Screen Time

While technology for kids offers many benefits, problems can happen when kids get too much screen time.

Instant gratification through gadgets can cause kids to become impatient and have a worse attention span. This can hurt them in school and in their future careers.

Kids may also lose some of their creativity when they use gadgets too much. Rather than coming up with their own ideas and projects, they may use technology as a crutch to entertain them.

Technology use can also potentially harm kids’ health. They can become less active if they spend hours a day on gadgets rather than regular play. Eye issues can also become a problem.

Kids’ socialization skills could also decline with frequent screen time. While gadgets allow kids to communicate with others, they still need to spend time with people in person for the best development. 

Further, technology use comes with the risk of addiction even with kids. This can mean a spike in anxiety and behavioral issues when kids can’t use the devices.

Have Kids Use Technology the Smart Way

To help get mainly just the benefits of technology for kids, you can take steps to plan for healthier usage.

For example, you should come up with limits for your kids’ screen time and closely keep an eye on the sites and apps they use. Encourage plenty of offline activities too such as board games, outdoor play, and art projects.

For more technology tips for your family, check out our other posts.

The speed with which advances in technology are moving is faster than ever. We are now in the midst of the fourth Industrial Revolution, and companies and individuals have to keep up to remain relevant. 

Technology is changing by the day, and the change is affecting our lifestyle in equal measure. All aspects of our day to day lives have been affected, including sports, health, food, and education. Online transactions are becoming the norm with digital currencies like cryptocurrency slowly making their way into our lives. The health industry has also been positively affected by diagnosis and treatment, becoming more accurate.

Without an understanding of the key trends in technology, individuals and companies will not be able to prepare and seize opportunities properly. 

In this article, we discuss the seven most imminent trends that you should prepare for in 2020.

AI-as-a-service

One of the most transformative technological advancements of our times is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Companies all over the world are harnessing the power of AI to enhance their customer experience and restructure their business processes. 

In 2020, most people will become more used to working together with AI. Designing and deploying your own AI-based systems will remain expensive; therefore, companies will rely on providers of AI-as-a-service platforms.

These platforms allow companies to feed their own data and pay for algorithms as they use them.

5G Data Networks

Another technology to look out for in 2020 is the fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity. The network is synonymous with super-fast download and upload speeds and more stable connections. 

Although the 5G network became available in 2019, they were expensive and restricted to functioning in confined areas. But, in 2020, the 5G network is expected to start to spread out. 

The spread will be facilitated by more reasonably priced data plans and much-improved coverage. Increased network speeds will make it easy for users to stream movies and music. Also, the Internet of Things and smart machinery areas will advance.

Autonomous Driving

Even though we might not exactly see the autonomous vehicles in 2020, they will continue to generate a considerable amount of excitement. We expect to see a fully autonomous vehicle this year as well as the number of cars with the ability to operate with a lesser degree of autonomy like automated braking and changing lanes. 

Additionally, 2020 will also see other in-car systems that are not directly linked to driving, such as security and entertainment, become more automated. They will also be reliant on data capture and analytics. 

The technology will also be seen in trucking and shipping. Regulations and legislations will also accompany these technologies. The infrastructure will also be affected.

Personalized and predictive medicine

Technological advances have greatly transformed the healthcare system. Wearable devices like smartwatches have made it easy to capture data; hence it is easy to predict and treat health issues.

There will also be a more personalized approach to treatment, which is also known as a precision treatment. Doctors will be able to apply medicines and treatment more precisely due to a data-driven understanding of the effectiveness of the treatment to an individual. 

In 2020 we are likely to see new predictive healthcare applications and the introduction of more personalized and effective treatments.

Computer Vision

Vision in computing terms refers to systems that can identify items, places, or people from visual images. This is the technology that allows your smartphone camera to determine which part of the image it is capturing. 

In 2020, we are likely to see more tools equipped with computer vision. For example, in autonomous cars, it will be exciting to see how they navigate their way around danger. Computer Vision will also be used in production lines to check for defective products and equipment failures. 

As the use of computer vision grows in 2020, there will also be increased debate on how to limit its use so as not to infringe on privacy.

Extended Reality

Extended reality (XR) refers to technologies like virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. Virtual reality (VR) offers an entirely digitally immersive experience where you access a computer-generated world using headsets that blend out the real world.

Augmented reality (AR), on the other hand, superimposes digital objects onto the real world through smartphone screens. On the other hand, Mixed reality (MR) is an extension of AR. Here you can interact with digital objects placed in the real world. 

Although the technologies have been around, in 2020, businesses are expected to make use of the possibilities offered by XR.

Blockchain Technology 

Blockchain is a digital ledger used to record transactions that are very secure due to its encrypted and decentralized nature. Despite receiving criticism, investments in the technology are likely to bear fruits in 2020.

More companies are expected to join the fold, and it will be exciting how this technology unfolds.

How Much Do IT Jobs Pay? A Guide on Information Technology Salaries

Research shows that the average salary for someone working in the IT sector is around $82,860.

If you want to give your salary a boost, you might be interested in working in the IT sector. However, before you make the leap, you might want to learn a little bit more about the kinds of salaries people earn within this industry.

Read on, and you’ll learn everything you need to know about salaries within the IT sector. Finish this post, and you should be able to answer the question, ‘how much do IT jobs pay?’

Let’s begin!

1. Understand That the IT Sector Is Huge

Before we get into this, it’s important to note that there are many different jobs within the IT sector, and there isn’t really a single ‘IT job.’

The nature of these jobs varies a great deal, and your earning potential is typically associated with the niche you choose.

For instance, if you work a basic computer support role, you might earn around $53,470. However, if you work as a software engineer, you could make roughly $103,620.

Therefore before you decide to work in the IT sector, you might want to learn more about the industry as a whole. In doing so, you will be able to identify a sector that will be a good fit, both in terms of pay and the kind of work you will do.

2. You May Need Training

If you want to earn a lot of money in the IT sector, you’ll need to have some specialized skills. The kinds of skills you need will depend on the specific niche you’ve chosen within the IT sector.

For instance, if you want to be a programmer, you might need to learn a specific programming language such as Java. If you’re going to work in cybersecurity, you might need to understand the basics of network security.

Now you probably don’t have these skills at the moment, and that’s perfectly fine. You can just take some IT training courses and pick up these skills over the course of a year or two.

That said, it’s important to note that the IT industry is constantly changing. It’s because of this that you will probably have to take multiple courses throughout your career.

So, How Much Do IT Jobs Pay?

Upon completing this post, it should be easier for you to answer the question, ‘how much do IT jobs pay?’

As mentioned, salaries can vary significantly in this industry, and this is something you need to be aware of ahead of time. If you don’t do enough research, you might select a career path that doesn’t allow you to join the top 1% of earners within the IT sector.

That said, skills in the IT sector are generally transferrable, and you can always join another part of the industry, later on. To begin with, though, you just need to get started, so that you can quickly join this growing industry.

Do you want to read more content like this? If you do, please check out the rest of our blog to see some of our latest posts.

Blockchain technology has transformed traditional business models in the last few years. It provides a secure, traceable, and transparent network in which two users exchange Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Its online presence is influencing many industries, including Government, Finance, Healthcare, and more, as it has redefined the way people transact.

Blockchain technology today is doing much more than managing virtual currencies. It supports a wide range of applications such as supply chain tracking, product quality identification, peer-to-peer transaction, and lot more across various industry verticals. Here, we will look at the essentials of Blockchain technology and its impact on the event industry.

Essentials of the Blockchain Technology

Blockchain is about storing digital information (block) in a public database (chain). Since its conceptualization in 2008, Blockchain has been evolving across multiple channels.

Initially, Blockchain technology helps manage Bitcoin, an electronic currency. It uses a distributed database for allowing a safe, quick way to users for verifying vital information and build trust. In simple terms, Blockchain enables users to manage electronic cash without the involvement of a central administrator.

In 2014, a project called Ethereum played a significant role in allowing vast improvements in Blockchain technology. Today, Blockchain provides numerous benefits to different domains, including:

• Digital signature and encryption for a high level of security.
• Banks and clients get convenient and transparent transaction process.
• Maximum fraud control as digital data is stored in various places.
• Different accessibility levels for users in public and permission-based Blockchain networks.
• The need for the cash/credit card payment system is eliminated, which makes the transaction process faster and reduces operational costs.
• A decentralized system makes users worry-free from paying any fees to mediators.
• Participants can quickly check and confirm the validity of the previously made transactions.

How Blockchain Technology Influence Events Industry

1. Prevent Unethical Ticket Sales:

   Many event organizers keep the event ticket price low to attract a significant number of participants. They use multiple platforms and take services from various vendors to sell or resale the tickets. However, such practices sometimes pose a challenge of financial loss.

   Because of the lower ticket rates, automated bots, or even some vendors may buy tickets in bulk and create a ‘sold-out’ scenario. It may result in low participation, which can affect the success of the event, or the participants may have to pay higher prices for the tickets purchased from such vendors.  

   To avoid this, many event professionals today use Blockchain technology that helps to create entirely secure and authenticated transactions from real users. They can set rules for the ticket purchase, reselling, and setting the limits for the number of tickets that a single user can purchase. A tool powered by Blockchain technology will ensure that once a user transfers Bitcoin amount from his address to another, he/she cannot replicate the purchase.

   Moreover, the Blockchain security allows the attendees to use their digital identification number to register for the event, instead of filling out lengthy forms.

2. Linking Cryptocurrency with Ticket Sales

    Many companies today accept cryptocurrency as a mode of payment. Basis of the various advantages of cryptocurrency as a payment method; its use has become an eternal trend.

    Unlike credit card transactions, which use pull mechanisms, Blockchain uses a push mechanism. This method helps to limit the details passed onto the receivers. Besides, a peer-to-peer network manages the payment system instead of a centralized body.

    Event planners can implement cryptocurrency payment methods in their event ticketing systems, which will make the transactions absolute and counterfeit-proof once done. This feature can become invaluable for them in handling sales.

3. Hassle-Free Venue Management:

   The decentralized transaction system helps event managers to connect with various venue owners and book a suitable space for their next seminar, conference, award ceremony, or any other type of event. The use of Blockchain technology will enable event managers to make fast & secure transactions and eliminate administrative hassles.

   Besides, event sponsors can utilize Blockchain technology to set an automatic search for events as per their interest. Further, they can give additional sponsorship support through value-based connections.

4. Fraud Prevention:

   The security of any financial transaction is an essential aspect of any event planning. Factors such as settlement time, currency denomination differences, the influence of intermediaries, and more may complicate the financial transactions.

   With the use of Blockchain, users can share real-time information and update the transaction records after all parties agree. As a result, event planners can prevent loss due to fraudulent activities even before it happens.

5. Manage Suppliers and Attendees:

   Through the Blockchain-powered tool, event planners can manage different vendors providing services such as catering, audiovisuals, maintenance, security, and more. By confirming the authenticity of these suppliers, event planners can book their services and make payments instantly.

   Further, the Blockchain tools enable to create of a point-based system. It helps event planners to reward attendees for doing particular activities, including taking part in surveys, provide feedback, and more. They can avail of these reward points for services such as free food or accommodation, travel expenses, and others. Such a system will motivate participants to take more interest in events and help organizers to create an interactive event environment.

   Moreover, Blockchain technology helps event planners to centralize the ticketing system that creates a uniform and transparent process for ticket sales. Further, it enables organizers to accept cryptocurrency as a payment for providing various services, including tickets, food, accommodation, and more. As this process is secure and efficient, it eventually lowers costs for multiple operations related to event management.

Conclusion

The proliferation of the Internet, along with a rapid increase in smart devices, has revolutionized the way managers organize and run events. Besides, Blockchain technology helps to build trust, transparency, and security among the entities and people even if they do not know each other. It enables companies to build a robust solution for planning & managing events that improve the attendee experience as well as reduce operational costs.

Although the Blockchain-powered tools are still evolving for the MICE industry, they will soon become the modern industry standards with the potential in offering better control, higher security, and efficient management for small to large-scale events.

8 Top Technology Jobs That Can Make You Astonishingly Rich in 2020

As of this year, the technology industry has swelled to be worth over $3 trillion. That number has gone up every year since 2016.

Per that reality, technology has become the industry of choice for job seekers that are looking for a sure-fire payday.

Just because you have a job in tech doesn’t mean that you’ve got the right job though. There are plenty of jobs out there that were hot for a while but are now dropping from a salary perspective (we’re looking at you, web developers).

To keep you in the know as to which jobs are most worth your time, not only right now but well into the future, out team has compiled a list of the top technology jobs that all career shifters in the year 2020 need to keep a close eye on.

1. Software Engineer

At the core of technology is the software engineer. This person is able to write the code that powers just about every technological tool/program on the planet.

There’s no single skill that a software engineer needs to possess. This job requires a multitude of skills in order to find success.

A qualified engineer is well-organized, willing to commit long hours to their craft and is capable of coding in a variety of languishes including C, C+, Java and other niche dialects required by specific employers.

Mastering the role of a software engineer takes time. Once you’ve learned the ropes though, you’re going to be paid handsomely for your effort.

2. Data Scientists

Today’s businesses run on data. Right now, every keystroke that you type in online or post that you like on social media is being logged.

After those actions get logged, they eventually end up in data aggregating applications like Google Analytics where businesses have to make sense out of everything in order to steer themselves in the right direction.

That’s where data scientists come in.

Data scientists are masters at translating data sets, both quantitative and qualitative, into actionable advice that business owners can use.

If you love research and are a master at distilling complicated information, this top technology jobs suggestion is for you.

3. Security Engineer

Cyber attacks cost the average business $3.9 million in damages. Millions of cyber attacks are carried out every day.

If you add those two things together, you understand the importance of businesses being proactive in protecting their systems against breaches.

Security engineers take point on these efforts by making sure that a company’s digital setups are protected on a day-to-day basis.

4. Network Administrator

Companies that operate out of large buildings communicate internally on intranets. These nets connect every computer and server to one another through a complex connection of Ethernet cables and WIFI.

That sophisticated setup doesn’t just pop into existence. It’s manually pieced together and maintained by a group of people called network administrators.

A good network administrator knows how to securely connect hundreds of devices and has great troubleshooting skills to manage problems as they arise.

5. Solutions Architect

The world of technology is constantly changing. As it changes, businesses need to understand what advances have been made and how those advances might serve to further their company.

Solutions architects are the people that lead these discussions and help to carry out proper courses of action.

We love this top technology jobs choice because it’s a job that is not only compensated extremely well but one that enables creative tech-savvy people to exercise both the left and right sides of their brain.

Finding a job in RPA (robotic process automation) or in other cutting-edge tech niches is a great choice for imaginative solutions experts.

6. UI Designer

Some of the most brilliant tech experts in the world don’t know the first thing about presenting their innovations to consumers. Thankfully, great UI designers are there to step in and make things more accessible.

UI designers take complex applications and figure out how to best present them to people in ways that are intuitive and valuable.

UI design is a great pick for people that want to get into the tech industry but are more artistically inclined than technology talented.

A UI designer for a large firm could be responsible for creating everything from mobile application interfaces to installation interfaces in enterprise-level software.

7. Cloud Solutions Specialists

Cloud solutions specialist are similar to solutions architects in that they both advise on and help carry out technology-focused solutions to common business problems.

Where a cloud solutions expert differs is that cloud specialists are called on when businesses want their solutions to exists offline or “in the cloud”.

Cloud computing is becoming more popular as many companies are ditching their office spaces and their desire to house all of their data on problem-prone physical servers in their building.

The outlook for cloud specialists is enormous going forward and features growth opportunities that are more staggering than what other jobs that we’ve mentioned might offer.

8. Mobile Application Developer

Over 80% of the American population have a smartphone sitting in their pocket. That makes phones one of the best ways to facilitate the distribution of software to the consumer market.

While there is some speculation that the app developer salary bubble might pop, as of right now, people that are outstanding coders in this profession are making outstanding money.

Wrapping Up Our Top Technology Jobs That Can Make You Rich

2020 is right around the corner and with a new decade comes a new wave of people that want to switch careers.

If you’re one of those people, our recommendation is to flip your career into any one of the top technology jobs that we’ve just shared with you.

If the jobs that we’ve mentioned don’t resonate with your sensibilities, that’s OK too. There are more jobs where these came from, many of which we discuss extensively on our blog.

To learn more, check out additional content on our site today!

E-Commerce Technology Trends That Let You Run Your Business From Anywhere

Unless you live in a remote town, you’ve seen your local community embrace e-commerce. A busy hub town is empowering – it’s filled with small businesses peddling their goods. You may have seen these physical shops go empty as well.

E-commerce is the modern version of a busy shopping hub these days. It has become ubiquitous, so much so that it commanded a monstrous $1.3 trillion value industry in 2014. Expectations for the e-commerce industry predicts a $4.5 trillion explosion by 2021.

How did e-commerce grow this fast? It’s in the technology tools which have been available to people. E-commerce technology creates opportunities for businesses to improve.

Want a piece of the pie? Then ask this: what are the e-commerce tech trends which can help you run your business? Here’s the low-down.

Product Visualization Technology

Here’s the problem e-commerce business owners encountered over the last decade. It’s making the most out of the shopping experience. Unlike brick-and-mortar outlets, buying online composes of a few processes.

Find a product you like, click the cart, and check out. This offers no ability for interaction at all. No matter how HD your picture is, people will not believe it’s an accurate representation.

Product visualization technology is becoming necessary. It’s a step up from today’s buying experience. Some of these online retail giants have come the way of virtual reality (VR).

The integration of VR and augmented reality is empowering. It can result in a near life-like shopping experience. All your customer needs is their smartphone.

Another visualization tech tools for business owners is the use of 3D images. Facebook rolled out their 3D image technology letting users take 3D photos and see the subject in a 360 view.

The potential for 3D images is endless. This can provide e-commerce business owners the ability to show off their products.

3D can show accurate product visualization. It can show your product’s craftsmanship. It can increase customers’ confidence in your products, more than any 2D image out there.

How does product visualization help you run your business away from home? You run it and go away. It can reduce the need to keep convincing the buyer into the authenticity of your products.

Chatbots

Chatbots are fast-becoming a solution of choice within e-commerce tech trends. Their relevance is greater now more than ever due to the level of technology available. These tools for business owners improve product delivery systems while cutting down costs.

Their current use, however, is logistics. Chatbots can solve many logistical issues in small businesses.

You can use chatbots as customer service funnels. They provide advantages that your average human CSR will take time to do.

Bots can provide a personalized sales experience per customer. They can browse customers’ personal order history and make suggestions. Bots can provide branching resolutions to common product issues.

In the future, bots as technology tools can do more things. They can even answer calls. Chatbots are there to work when you’re away.

Improved Payment Processing

Here’s another of the e-commerce trends business owners can expect. It’s easier payment processing.

In the front end, e-commerce seems to be easy. In the backend, however, payment services need many steps to process.

Tax documentation. Inefficient payment schemes. These make the viability of online commerce a headache.

Emerging technologies push for a streamlining of the financial processes in e-commerce. This not only reduces workforce cost – but it also removes the headache of complicated financial hoops you need to take care of.

One such technology is factura electrónica or electronic billing. Simplified electronic invoicing can help businesses focus. Instead of handling payment processing, they can focus on their products.

There’s also a growth of alternative payment methods you can add during website building. Digital gift cards and e-wallets come to mind.

Once it takes off and stabilizes, Bitcoin can be the future of electronic payments as well. Bitcoin has much promise as a cryptocurrency but it’s unstable and unpredictable. This makes it one of e-commerce tech trends that are great in concept but has many real-life issues.

Regardless, payment processing technology makes it easier for your business to run. It will run without the need for you to take care of every financial decision.

Personalization Technology

Personalization and personalization technology. It is fast becoming one of the e-commerce trends experienced now. This technology makes shopping experiences more individual-based.

Some of these technology tools include social media analytics tools for niche marketing. There are also machine learning programs.

Netflix is a good example. It has added machine learning in their algorithms. This is to provide customized recommendations to their users.

How does it work? It takes into account viewing habits and past customer history. This can then predict customer preferences and give products catering to it.

Amazon has been using personalization algorithm as well. What they did is they studied their customers’ buying behavior. Taking this data, they leverage their customers’ order histories and recommend products.

The recommended products are a literal upsell. They come in the form of the “Bought With” and “Customers Who Viewed This” tabs.

Personalization technology runs in itself. If you’re away from home, you don’t need to spend time providing product recommendations. All you need is an algorithm to take care of it.

Artificial Intelligence

There’s zero doubt now how valuable artificial intelligence (AI) is. Among e-commerce business owners, artificial intelligence suggestion parsing is invaluable. For customer service, they are essential innovations in technology.

For starters, Amazon Echo acts as an assistant handling all purchases on a consumer’s behalf. It can provide suggestions, give fashion advice, and influence buying cycles.

AI has the potential to help with adaptable, data-driven targeting. These make them superb tools for business owners

The buyer persona processing can improve. It can add more variables to it.

Once optimized, the buyer persona can then dictate the right pitch. It can create a more appealing marketing strategy.

Artificial intelligence relates in efforts towards personalized buying experience. This provides a lead-up to you, as a business owner, for one-on-one lead conversion and scale this en masse.

Streamlining Supply Chain

E-commerce tech trends extend not only to the handling of consumer-related activities. Technology is also essential to streamlining logistical challenges.

Critical parts of logistics like inventory management, warehousing, and product delivery are emerging. Most of these technologies come in the form of better current technology.

Low-cost RFID technology for inventories. Drones for deliveries. High-speed product transfers for warehousing.

Investments in warehouse automation, for example, offer lower-cost solutions in scaling production. This can then underscore competitive advantage and, in the end, maximize the bottom line.

An excellent example of this, again, is Amazon. By using drones to perform same day deliveries, they can improve KPIs. These include customer satisfaction and product happiness.

This level of optimization ensures efficient and faster delivery. Faster delivery means speedier turn around times, which translates to more profit. Their pioneering work in forwarding e-commerce solutions made them the top business on a global scale.

Blockchain

In a world where e-commerce trends go toward empowering consumers, the blockchain touts much potential. It gears towards improving the ethical landscape of companies. The blockchain is democratic and transparent.

Data processed within blockchain receive timestamps. These can then verify the claims of business owners. This level of transparency is supply chain auditing.

Supply chain auditing makes sure that distributed ledgers only contain verifiable information. This data will then provide evidence of ethical business practices.

How do you take advantage of this as a business owner?

By having your supply chain audited by blockchain, you can create a “seal of trust”. This seal of trust is a branding strategy ensuring quality standards are up to spec without expensive authentication from standard-setting bodies. Add this to your PPC promotion strategies and you should be golden.

Multi-Channel E-Commerce

Here’s a word that is familiar for any e-commerce business: touchpoints. Touchpoints are an annoying but important part of the e-commerce business owners are growing. The primary problem about touchpoints is unification.

The need to combine many touchpoints into a single, unified technology is pervasive. If done right, it is among the valuable tools for business owners. Enter multi-channel e-commerce.

Multi-channel e-commerce is the ability to be ubiquitous on almost all touchpoint platforms across the internet. Because shoppers tend to shop in multiple touchpoints, a multi-channel infrastructure gives you more places to sell your goods.

You don’t have to get stuck in an online marketplace, an online store, in social media or brick and mortar business. Multi-channel e-commerce tech trends can put you into all these touchpoints.

This means more chances for you to sell. This means whenever someone wonders where a product is from, you can offer yours. Provide the one you have up for sale.

Multi-channel tools for business owners are not even simple ideas. They are, in actuality, available now as e-commerce visibility strategies. Comprehensive reports on multi-channel e-commerce are there to help you win out, too.

The Future of Running Your Business Anywhere With e-Commerce Technology

Running your business from anywhere requires sophisticated technology. To be able to run your e-commerce business, you need technology which reduces the steps necessary to do so.

Automation’s design is to take away specific steps to make the entire process faster. By utilizing e-commerce technology, you make the whole cycle shorter.

Shorter logistics. Shorter product turnarounds. Quicker delivery.

All this equates to more profit and less work.

If you need to add a content strategy to your superior e-commerce technology, then you need Article City. Article City provides digital marketing and content strategy solutions that work.

We use data-driven analysis to confirm topics in your industry that work. We’ll bring in results. More targeted traffic, more content-driven conversions.

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6 Innovative Examples of Technology in Marketing You Should Be Aware Of

Small businesses spend almost 700 billion dollars on new technology every single year.

Why?

Because a business’ willingness to invest in technology today will have a profound impact on the success they experience in tomorrow’s outrageously impacted marketplace. This is particularly true when it comes to marketing efforts.

Over the last two decades, we’ve seen first hand how tech has revolutionized the way we draw consumers to our products, track their behaviors, and how new tools have leveled the playing field for businesses of all sizes. To celebrate the impact technology in marketing has had on the business landscape, our team has put together this article.

In it, we outline 7 of the most impactful examples of technology in marketing.

1. Big Data

Big data is perhaps the biggest innovation in marketing we’ve seen technology bring us.

Data powers Internet of things companies. It lets us get in-depth information about our customers in a variety of facets. It ultimately allows us to create products and experiences that connect with our market on unprecedented levels.

Small companies have benefited particularly from big data in that the insight they can now use allows them to create more effective products without guesswork. This reduces the volume of failed attempts at penetrating a market which is imperative to organizations with low cash flow.

Look no further than the customized ads that pop up in your web browser to see an example of big data at work.

2. API’s That are Customizable

API’s (application programming interfaces) are what let brands visualize and analyze marketing data across all of their acquisition channels. The recent customization of API’s and their ability to now service data from anywhere you are has leveled the playing field for small teams who were previously only able to market across a limited number of channels due to personnel issues.

Now, no matter how small a team is, they can tailor API’s to their ambitious marketing strategies. This allows them to maximize multiple avenues of marketing effectively.

3. Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Allowing a consumer to experience a product from the comfort of their home used to be a technology in marketing pipe dream only seen in the movies.

Gone are those days.

Now through virtual reality available on headsets like Oculus or HTC’s Vive or through augmented reality available on most cell phones, customers can get up close and personal with many products prior to purchase.

This innovation has led to more buyer satisfaction. It has also created more mobility for new products to make an impression on customers who otherwise wouldn’t have given such products a second look.

4. Bots

There is always a sale to be made, always a customer question to be answered, and always an opportunity to do business. In order to take advantage of “always” however, you always need somebody on your team working.

That is until bots revolutionized the way we operate.

Through bots, users can now have somebody to chat with on your website and ask questions to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These questions are often answered in full with personalized responses. If they can’t be answered, questions get directed to customer support without any effort on the part of users.

Beyond answering questions, bots have helped direct our customer’s experience on our websites. Bots guide customers to content they appreciate and nudge them towards purchases without the need of a salesman.

5. Mobile Devices

Mobile devices have taken eCommerce to levels that were formerly thought impossible. While eCommerce had been relegated to people sitting at home on their computer’s, now, the world has a market in their pocket thanks to mobile.

Given that reality, marketers can take advantage of unique tactics like SMS and MMS marketing. They can also track a customer’s location and push them offers that are of high value to them based on purchase opportunities in their vicinity.

Mobile device marketing is a technology in marketing example that has created a more intimate relationship between businesses and consumers. The value of that relationship cannot be understated.

6. Voice Computing

The next frontier in how users interact with businesses seems to be voice. Look no further than Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home as proof of that statement.

Through voice, users can seamlessly place product orders and inquire about daily deals. All of that ultimately allows products to further integrate into a household’s routine.

The value of that integration is immense.

Imagine being the product that the head of a household knows to ask for by name. That action, having your product’s name requested verbally over the course of years, would be a continuous reminder to everyone in earshot of what your product is and it’s importance to the family.

Wrapping Up Examples of Technology in Marketing

Technology in Marketing has revolutionized the way that many businesses engage with consumers. Beyond that, it has given smaller companies ways to simulate the productivity and visibility that formally only large companies were able to achieve.

Look no further than the examples above, from custom API’s to Voice Computing to see the present value technology in marketing has brought to organizations and draw inferences on where we’re headed in the future.

Are you looking to leverage today’s technology to take your business’ marketing efforts to the next level? If so, our team can help.

At Article City, our team focuses on leveraging search engine behemoth Google’s data and crafting outstanding content for your company’s website with it. This content targets keywords and phrases that will help push your business towards the top of search engine results.

Our inbound marketing content is well-researched. It’s written by English speaking professionals. It will not only help you boost your Google ranking but will also help you become a source of qualified information your customers’ trust.

To get started learning more about the value inbound marketing and our team can bring to your bottom-line, sign-up with Article City for free today!

How Technology is Changing the Industrial Manufacturing System

Today technology is the force that is radically transforming the industrial manufacturing system.

The transformations taking place are so radical, in fact, that sources claim we’ve entered a fourth industrial revolution. And, at the center of this revolution, is the rise of manufacturing technology.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways that tech is disrupting the industrial manufacturing system.

3 Revolutionary Manufacturing System Tech Trends

1. 3D Printing

3D printing has made it possible for innovators and inventors to broaden their reach and manufacturer their products globally.

Products are first created using 3D technology, which allows for greater precision, less waste and shorter lead times. 3D printing has quickly escalated and is now able to produce using complex materials without depending on complex machinery.

Its abilities include using human tissue, acrylics, stainless steel and even human tissue.

It has also given consumers greater control and input by fostering co-creations with manufacturers.

3D printing is now revolutionizing processes in a variety of industries. Its abilities are changing everything from how toys are made, to giving the medical industry ways to advance surgery and make diagnoses earlier than ever before.

2. Injection Molding

Injection molding is a process that was first patented in the late 1800’s. It was tweaked and grew in popularity after World War II.

But today’s manufacturing advances have made it more popular than ever before. Not only does it have the ability to create complex shapes, but it’s cost effective, economical and exact.

The trend towards sustainable manufacturing methods has made it even more popular. Because the process produces little scrap, and what scrap it does produce can be melted and reused, there is a minimal environmental impact.

High precision plastic injection molding has become a preferred manufacturing system. It produces practically no waste, can be molded into a wide range of forms and is efficient and less expensive than alternatives.

3. Robotics

Robotics has long been a revolutionary force in the world of manufacturing. For example, the use of robotics has revolutionized the auto industry for years. But never has robotics been as prominent as it is today.

With the rise of more precise and efficient smart robotics comes a rising concern over job security fueled by notions of machine learning. However, some believe that those fears are sensationalized to some extent.

Although it is true that robots can work for more extended periods than people, reduce human error and have greater precision, and are more cost effective, they don’t eliminate the need for humans altogether.

Smart technology is dependent on humans, but it relies more on our intelligence, rather than labor. And this is why education has become an increasingly competitive necessity to building your value in the workplace.

Robots are making many jobs, in the home and the workplace, easier and more efficient than ever before. And because of this, you are likely to see the reliance on robotics continue to thrive.

What’s Next for the Industrial Manufacturing System?

Although so much growth has taken place in the manufacturing industry, we are still on the edge of even more booming transformations.

As human and technological intelligence continues to pair up, there is no limit to the possibilities in manufacturing.

Click here to learn more about how technology is changing industries all around us in amazing ways!