2018 was a year when many things were established – and new epic things started stirring.

2019 will be a year of innovative, disruptive change for a range of industries across the globe.

With the unvarying increase of accessibility to technology and ‘explosive’ globalization, there is a rapidly developing increase in competition for business worldwide. As millennials grow up, we will experience a shift towards the conscious, effective, problem-solving relationship between nature and technology. Coupled with the unvarying increase of accessibility to technology and ‘explosive’ globalisation, there is a rapidly developing increase in competition for business worldwide, which is not only changing but completely revolutionising the way things are done.

2019 will host some of the most innovative and technologically disruptive times yet. And all industries will have to adjust.

What will be the five major innovation trends for 2019?

Let’s explore.

1. Maximizing Collaboration With Start-Ups To Achieve Business Goals.

Companies are acknowledging the power behind specialized, successful start-ups – particularly their predictive potential, given the set of obstacles today’s starting businesses face: large corporations understand that they will too face similar challenges in, the foreseeable, above stated, ever-so-competitive-future.

“In 2017, the PWC Global Fintech report found that 88% of legacy banking organizations feared that the emergence of new financial technology companies would lead to a significant loss in revenue in areas such personal loans, money transfers, and payments. As a result, 82% of these organizations stated that they are undertaking steps to increase collaboration with emergent fintech companies. The sentiments were also shared by major financial service firms, 50% of which expressed a desire to harness the predictive and disruptive capabilities of fintech startups by acquiring them directly.” – Qmarkets.

In 2019, expect a rise in venture capital investment, especially in fintech companies. This will set the precedence for an increment for/ within B2B relationships and potential.

2. Constant Mobile-centric Innovation and Re-innovation.

Research companies have confirmed what we all suspected – the majority of our research is done on our mobiles. Today, our cell phones have become just as essential as our any other needs. Companies are adjusting to our way of living by making sure that they have a strong mobile presence.

In terms of this particular aspect “innovation-on-the-go” is the keyword.

Digital transformation strategies for large-scale enterprises are taking over – this has given and will continue to give mobile-focused ideation software to dominate. Before we looked at cell phones as a distraction, now we are looking at them as means to increase productivity and workflow.

“More than 80% of organizations recognize the impact of mobile transformation on internal and external stakeholders and have created dedicated teams to work on solutions.”

3. Phygital Development For Marketing

Whilst an increase in IoT, has been a definite, and to many degrees, intrusive trend – the next trend? Phygital.

Phygital Marketing is exactly what it sounds like- a combination of physical and digital marketing. It is a relatively new way of engaging with customers (both in-store and online simultaneously) that has many potential applications for brand engagement and business growth.

Innovation leaders should pay close attention to this trend.

It is set to revolutionize the way we recruit, train and develop B2C relationships. Augment reality, ubiquitous AI and an empathic ‘market of one’ approach will be central to this year’s business success.

“Tiffany & Co, for example, has released an Engagement Ring Finder app, which allows shoppers to use the camera in their mobile device to preview how different rings will appear on their own hand.”

4. Prevent & Exceed Expectations Through Empathic Understanding Of Clients.

Technology has allowed us to buy and sell objects and services with more ease than ever before in history. What does that mean in conjunction with mass economies and more& more specialized, personified commodities coming along?

It means that across various industries, we are now facing a surge in what is referred to as a buyer’s market. Digital Empathy Mapping is the system used by corporations to understand users’ sentiments in reaction to given marketing stances. People are more curious, critical, demanding and impatient than ever – therefore it is imperative to make your brand have an original, innovative feel.

Empathic Mapping has always been seen, as really, the first step to strategic thinking when it came to B2C interactions – in 2019 it will be a primary consideration, to innovate as we go. Online collaboration tools, crowdsourcing projects and other ways of getting instant, efficient feedback will shape the way we do marketing, design, and business – in an attempt, to collect accurate and useful data.

5. Re-usable is The Future.

The plastic problem is real, and more and more companies are taking notice and updating their corporate social responsibility agendas in accordance.

Ever heard of biomimetic approaches? It’s in the name – the idea is to mimic nature to find solutions to human problems. Similar to Leonardo Da Vinci’s, or ancient cult’s approaches, in 2019 businesses are realising that nature has all the answers – and they are making use of technology to better understand how to implement them in the artificial world.

Biodegradable plastic solutions and waste reducing models will play a pivotal role in the way corporates strategies this year.

2019 will be about looking outside ourselves for answers, empathy, and phygital thinking. Ultimately, it will be about creating fresh opportunities that can be easily innovated, survive and develop integrally in the current, ever-changing society.

2019 – The Disruptive Year – Phygital, Innovation & Tech Like Never Before