13 Top Business Trends 2023
Just because things are back to normal this isn't a time to take your foot off your business brakes.
Why?
Sitting, studying and reading online facts at Google and other fact-filled suppliers - everything has changed and everything has changed massively with GEN Z now fully in control of your business destiny.
2023 can be the year when you leap further ahead of any of your competitors. It can also be a year where you will be seen, remembered and acted on.
But it depends on how much action you take and the changes you make.
What you are about to read is a summary of the masses of data collected. If you want to know more and need help to create exponential growth, awareness, and ideas in 2023 you can get me here. There are things you can do here.
01: UNCERTAINTY IS OUT
Uncertainty out, growth and survival is in. Uncertainty is the mass conversation. You must push past that and create more certainty. Survival is the new black. Growth is the result.
Strategies that you possibly haven’t thought about or considered before must be in place now. Waiting for something to happen or hoping something will happen is a route to eventual failure.
This means thinking differently or taking new advice.
The world has changed. If you are doing business like you were
Pre pandemic
Pre GEN Z
Pre The Great Resignation
Pre WFH
Pre Mass extinction fears
You WILL lose out. You might even close.
Do you need to bring in new thinkers?
According to online data, you need to take action now to create a better 2023.
02: THE BRAND
Due to the speed of online users, attention deficit and a thirst for fast connection (or disconnection) a brand is more critical than ever before. Incredible that most businesses do not manage, manipulate or build their brand. They still treat their brand like a label.
To make a brand successful brand designed to stick deeply into the mind, catch the eye quickly, be in tune with psychological triggers, needs, and wants and a brand that rarely changes is the making of a successful brand.
A brand can be a colour
A font
A shape
An abstract
But it must be in tune with the target user. If not the brand can fail. Your brand has to become a focus for you next year.
The brand must represent everything the company stands for.
If a viewer sees your brand they must know instantly.
If you are overlooking or neglecting your brand now is the time to make the changes you need to make to create a lasting purposeful brand.
03: INCLUSIVE
It’s a conversation that is now everywhere. Buyers want to see themselves in your company. That means they want to see themselves in your images. This means images that they see and their mind agrees that they are seeing themselves.
We all have to reflect on new realities and create an inclusive culture at some level.
04: WFH
People did a mass resignation and never went back. Working from home is a new reality your company might be facing.
In 2023 you must
Put your people first
Build a strong communications network
Build team cultures
05: AUDIT THE OLD AND PREPARE FOR THE NEW
When is the last time you carried out a full audit of your media and conversation planning? 2023 demands that you do this. What you were saying yesterday or presenting yesterday is - YESTERDAY and probably no longer relevant to today.
Are you reaching your audience? Probably not.
Are you speaking a language they understand? Probably not.
The conversation has changed dramatically. Has yours?
Do you know where your targets are hanging out and how to connect with them?
2023 demands you make these changes because everything has changed.
06: PURPOSE
The one overriding thing consumers now want is sustainability.
That means sustainable businesses and sustainable choices. Do you have a sustainable manifesto built into your business?
Your consumers expect you to make an impact as a business. They are looking at ways to reduce their own impact. Are you serving their demands?
If you are not they will go elsewhere.
Can you create videos about what you are doing?
Cat food brand SHEBA are doing and telling what they are doing incredibly well.
Your purpose must be authentic, long-term, and supported by actions beyond words. Beware of anything fake as consumers are savvier at spotting it than ever.
07: PRIVACY
The online world has now become - the world for most. Take the cloud and your history in photos as an example.
Consumers want privacy and they demand Tony tell them how safe and private their details are.
08: DIFFERENT
Standing out and being different is not the same. Being different tastes, looks feels and almost smells different. 2023 demands you have the plan to differentiate your business from your competitors. It demands you are different from the packs. To be successful, to create raving fans or super fans you have to be different.
Be different as the market is uncertain. You must differentiate yourselves from the crowd as this will create certainty
You must tell them you are different but that announcement must be daily and not a one-off slogan. Being different should be measured continually.
09: GEN Z THE BRAND
This is the first generation to have fully grown up with the internet — and the way they navigate and interact online keeps evolving. The most relevant platforms for this generation today are those that are dynamic and highly visual, meeting their ever-changing needs in new and innovative ways. Gen Z expresses where — and how — they want to engage by showing up where it matters to them most.
#SEARCHTHATTHING hashtag from google allows users to use Google Lens to find what they see fast.
Do not try and drag them into your world, they do not want that. You must go into theirs. This means you have to fully understand their changing mindset and adjust accordingly.
Be
Relevant
Authentic
Diverse
Homogenous
The interesting thing with GEN Z is the changes through a single conversation usually driven by algorithmic conversations online.
Have you changed your company is in harmony with this biggest group of consumers? 2023 demands you understand them.
10: ONLINE SHOPPING
The pandemic took 7 years of expected online growth compressed into months. The changes have been huge as I am sure you have personally experienced.
The pandemic also surged online shopping. Those companies were always opposed to online shopping and had to force changes.
Augmented reality
Buying glasses ZEELOL great example.
You take a photo of your face and try on the glasses.
QR codes are great but not enough when there is far more available to brands.
11: SNACK VIDEOS - SHORT REELS
People of all ages sit and scroll through endless videos. Some stick and share the message. These become viral. Most vanish very quickly. But the numbers are staggering
30 billion daily views.
There are rules to getting seen
Forget the intro
Forgot the premise
No need to establish a story
Just jump in on the action and be quick. Video is showing exponential growth. Are you using video?
Google tools
YouTube tools
Instagram tools
Tell you everything you need to know. But do you know what you need to know? 2023 is demanding that you use video to see more connection with your consumer.
12: LONGER THAN LONG VIDEOS - FILM
The Football world cup is an example. There might be 0 minutes of play but the build-up is hours long. YES, they do get watched by BILLIONS.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/gen-z-long-form-videos/
As long as it is topics close to the viewer’s hearts the long videos are loved.
61% of viewers claim to be huge super fans of something and will watch a long video. Long videos can go into dozens of hours of film.
13: 2023 DEMANDS CHANGE
If we fail to make changes, investigate the changes we need to make or simply assume things will turn out ok this is a dangerous and huge mistake. The pandemic can no longer be considered an excuse for anything. 2023 is a time when we can establish our brand, create more purpose, make more connections, become more relevant, build a super fan base, create more experience and become more authentic.
Doing this can take time and investment ye that time and investment can transform your business.
If you would like to speak to me further about your changes for 2023 you can grab me at the following.