A few weeks ago Deloitte predicted UK telecoms trends for 2018. Everyone is talking about it. Experts have even held numerous discussions to try to explain how these trends will affect our daily lives. But wait!

As a business owner, have you asked yourself what these trends mean for you and your business? Like most business owners, you are probably ignoring these because of one reason: trends come and go; they rarely stay on the list for long. There will always be new trends, and focusing on them is a waste of time, right? You are certainly wrong! Trend predictions are important and powerful because they draw a picture of how the world will be in future. They tell us what people interest and intentions will be in future. So, what do these predictions mean for business owners and businesses?

Smartphone Penetration Will Increase

Smartphone penetration in the UK and developed markets has been growing rapidly over the past few years. In their 2017 report, Deloitte predicted that more than 85% of UK adults will have a smartphone in 2018. We are not even halfway through the year, and this prediction is already coming true. Deloitte now predicts that in the next five years, 92% of adults in the UK and 90% of adults in developed markets will have a smartphone. What does this mean for your business?

• Instant Contact

With a 92% smartphone penetration in the UK and a 90% smartphone penetration in developed markets, communication between you and your investors, employees, customers, and potential customers will be easier in the next five years. Your contact will always be a touch away from you. This means that you will able to discuss business with anyone, from anywhere and at any time. Better communication with your employees, investors, clients, and potential clients will make it easy for you to run your business and propel it to new heights.

• You Need To Move Your Business to The Internet Now!

The more the number of smartphone users, the higher the number of internet users. This means that in the next five years, businesses with an online presence will have a better chance of uplifting their revenue than those that don’t. Therefore, if you have not taken your business to the internet, you should do it right now. This will help make your company future ready and also ensure you don’t lose clients and millions of pounds to your rivals. If you don’t embrace the internet, you can be assured that your business will possibly be dead in the next five years.

• Penetrating New Regions Will Become Cheaper and Easier

Expanding to new markets can be an effective way to grow your company. But let’s face it; penetrating new markets has not been easy for most businesses, especially because of financial and technological constraints. But that will change in the next five years. With the help of smartphone apps and other powerful features, you will be able to know more about your target audience, and this will help you come up with innovative ways of interacting with them at a personal level. Penetrating new areas will be easy and cheap, thanks to the increasing number of smartphones.

Technology Will Be Embraced by All Generations

According to Deloitte, the use of smartphones among baby boomers will double in the next five years. It is estimated that more than 85% of people aged 55 and 75 will have a smartphone by 2023. What does this mean for your business?

• Your Business Needs to Start Targeting Baby Boomers

Like most businesses, your business is probably focused on attracting millennials because they seem to be the only generation that has embraced technology fully. However, given fact that technology will be fully embraced by all soon, you should rethink your marketing strategy so as to attract all generations.

More and More People Will Embrace Augmented Reality

Deloitte predicts that AR will become bigger. More AR technologies and apps will be launched, and more and more people will embrace augmented reality. What does this mean for you as a business owner?

• Your Business Needs to Embrace AR

You need to come up with new strategies that will ensure your business embraces this emerging technology. With AR, you will be able to share information quickly. You will also be able to attract and retain employees. AR has so many benefits, and you should not miss out. Embracing AR is also a certain way of ensuring your business survives in the future.

Yes, these are just predictions and may never come pass. However, you should note that experts spent a lot of hours doing in-depth research before they made these predictions. You should, therefore, take them seriously. Considering these predictions when coming up with strategies will transform your company into a future-ready company and give you a competitive advantage.

Want to stay informed on the latest changes in the telecoms industry? Number Supermarket provide telephone systems and services to organisations of all sizes, as well as giving advice to the general public through their advice centre. One of the most popular articles on their site, for example, is about Non-Geographic Numbers, and what exactly they are – including breaking down 03 numbers against their 08 counterparts. They provide cloud-based telephone numbers of all ranges - and make sure to keep their customers up to date with any changes in legislation that will effect them or their customers. Any questions? Call today on 0330 332 0400 to speak to a member of their customer service team.

You can read the original Deloitte report here.