If you are a proud owner of a small business or you have the ambition to start one in 2015, you need to go through the most influential small business trends for the next few months. Next year might not be as challenging for small-sized enterprises as 2014. However, there will be many new tendencies, which, if not harnessed in their early stages, can easy become a problem of a gigantic scope for small business owners.
Social Media Becomes Bigger and Stronger
That may not come as a surprise to those with experience in the sphere. After all, social media websites have been influencing consumer-driven industries for the last few years. So, how will 2015 be different then? First of all, big social networks like Facebook and Twitter are planning to introduce new options allowing users to shop directly from their timeline. That will quickly make social media platforms a key factor in consumer spending. In addition, more and more businesses have started to invest in social media advertising, after many social networks decided to limit the visibility of unpaid ad posts.
Recommendations by Friends More Powerful Than Ads
Companies’ heavy investing in social media ads will have an opposite effect in some cases, as people would get annoyed by the countless ads they encounter on the web. Consumers will become more likely to buy things and use services, which their friends or family has recommended to them. Therefore, small businesses will need to find a way to balance their online presence in way that will make it effective, yet not too aggressive.
Millennials Become Main Consumer Group
In 2015, millennials will become an attractive consumer group for many companies. In many large markets, they already make up nearly 30% of the population. This consumer group is characterized with its openness to social media and online shopping. In addition, most of them are well-educated and information-hungry. Small businesses will need to find ways through which to attract millennials.
Mobile – Worth Investing In
When businesses first started to rely on social media to reach their consumers, the majority of them were not willing to invest money into social network platforms. Instead, for a long time, companies preferred to stick only to the free advantages of the social media advertising world. That, however, will not be the case with mobile. This is mainly because, developing a mobile app or making a website mobile-friendly is not as simple as updating your social media status. In addition, companies have finally started to realize that best things do not come for free. That is why, in 2015, small businesses’ investments in mobile will reach record levels.
As you can see, small business in 2015 will be greatly connected and dependent on technology, as well as on a newly-rising consumer group that, ironically enough, is technology-obsessed for its most part.
