I’m old enough to remember a time (not too long ago, by the way) when companies considered mobile non-essential in their advertising and marketing efforts.
To be fair, it was the very early years of smartphones but industry analysts and tech trendsetters understood how mobile technology would revolutionize business and, more fundamentally, our lives. Given that smartphone penetration in the U.S. went from 15% in 2010 to over 50% just three years later, I doubt that even early evangelists could have predicted just how quickly mobile would gain traction. Nearly ten years later and some big businesses are just catching up. Meanwhile, start-ups and smaller, nimbler companies pulled out in front long ago.
In the (almost) decade that has passed, we have seen advances in technology fundamentally change the way we live. We arguably spend more time on our phones than we ever have in front of the television or listening to the radio or reading books. Having access to our digital world 24 hours a day has been a game-changer. Where do we go next?
Without sounding too philosophical, we are firmly in the 4th Industrial Revolution and — depending on who you ask — are dipping our toes into the 5th. One byproduct of our current Industrial Revolution is data. So. Much. Data.
(Wrong kind of data.)
This data allows businesses to strategize and personalize in ways that were never before possible. With the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), these data sources are going to grow exponentially. Data is one of the most valuable assets a company owns. And yet, the idea of “Big Data” seems as nebulous as mobile once did. For this reason, many businesses — particularly small businesses— don’t make the most of the data they have.
Time to get educated! Tabor Consulting has created a quick primer on Big Data and how small businesses are in the perfect position to take advantage of it. Data is growing exponentially every day. Don’t get left behind!
Check out our report here.
Author’s note- As a researcher, I know “data” is a plural noun but “datum” is a weird and pretentious word. This isn’t an academic document, so chill out.
