5 Biggest Business Trends for 2021
1) Work from Home. . .For Real!
When employees were under lockdown orders due to COVID, companies had to quickly adapt operations to a remote workforce. Now that there are some distance and lessons learned from that initial experiment, most businesses are now rethinking their entire business model. Are offices still needed? Some companies experienced an increase in productivity when their workforce went remote. However, working from home wasn’t ideal for others. Therefore in 2021, businesses need to reimagine their own workspaces as well as provide the proper support for people working from home, such as outfit them with the right office equipment, mental health support, and more so everyone can work from home comfortably.
2) Data as an Asset
Over the last few years, data volumes have grown massively. The businesses that leveraged this data to better understand their customers and to improve their decision-making are clearly the ones that are outperforming everyone else. Cloud solutions allow us to access data from anywhere. Businesses need to protect and secure data just as they would any other asset. Another important thing for businesses to consider is how to boost data literacy in their company in 2021 in order to glean decision-making insights from it. This also requires an investment in systems that can efficiently and effectively process, analyze, and store the data streaming into the organization.
3) Business Model Innovation
In 2021, every business leader needs to reflect on what they’re offering customers and how they operate as a business. There were lots of industries that were completely transformed in 2020, such as the hospitality and events industry. The businesses that are currently thriving even during a pandemic are those that reacted quickly to the changes. For example, restaurants that pivoted to enable expanded take-out abilities or Formula 1 companies that were producing ventilators altered their typical operations to ensure survival. Although businesses have always had to think about how the market is shifting and what transformations that means for business, it will be more important in 2021 to innovate your business model.
4) Automation
Another top business trend in 2021 will be automation. Businesses will evaluate their business processes to see where they can take people out of the process when they aren’t adding any true value. There have already been quite a few shifts in this direction from warehouses, supply chains, autonomous vehicles, trucks, and ships, as well as chatbots that automatically take over customer service inquiries. In 2021, I expect that white-collar automation will be a trend as we consider what bits of a lawyer, doctor, or other white-collar professional’s jobs can be given over to computers and smart robots and delivered through automated interfaces.
5) Decentralized Finance
As a result of the economic turmoil COVID-19 left in its path, capital markets continue to be nervous. This creates a challenge for businesses that want to raise capital to expand or start a new business. One solution for raising capital has been crowdfunding, blockchain technology, and other decentralized finance options. This will be a big trend in 2021 that will allow businesses to acquire capital easier than through traditional channels.
