#1 Chatbots: New opportunities for customer service

Almost a quarter of the German population can imagine using chatbots to communicate with companies. Service and research enquiries in particular are among the favoured areas of application. Chatbots offer added value for clients and customers, especially in the customer service and support sector.

Companies benefit from the use of chatbots. As a communication tool, they are particularly suitable for strengthening existing customer relationships and acquiring new customers. By using chatbots, companies can be reached anytime and anywhere and can thus offer their customers an ideal service. This freedom created on the consumer side offers companies decisive competitive advantages, as customers have easy and convenient access to service and advice.

After chatbots were still somewhat on the test bench in 2017 and the industry was still trying out a lot, chatbots are also taking off on a broad scale in 2018 and creating noticeable synergies.

#2 Website-Performance

A fast mobile site is now not only an absolute must for websites from the user’s point of view, but is also worth hard cash. Every second of extra loading time costs valuable conversions – improving loading time by one second can increase sales by up to 20 per cent. In order to keep up with the fast-moving online world and its competitors, all websites should guarantee immediate and fast access to all services and content.

A content delivery network can help with long loading times. CDN solutions contribute significantly to the success of websites by speeding them up worldwide. Large amounts of data such as videos and images in particular should be delivered via CDN, as they can be delivered much faster and the loading time is reduced enormously.

If you want to take the digital world seriously, you need to keep an eye on your website’s performance in 2018.

#3 Mobile only is the order of the day

Mobile First was yesterday. Today is mobile only. Anyone who thinks mobile first in 2018 is generally regarded as innovative. In reality, however, this approach is already considered outdated. Today, mobile only applies.

Mobile devices have evolved from second to first screen. Users are always online and always available. Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are always at hand and in constant use, making them the first port of call for the majority of users when searching for information, communicating or shopping online.

Mobile devices will lead the way in the future, so think now: mobile only. If you want to be successful, go mobile.

#4 Storytelling – With stories to success

In times of mass content and a flood of news and information, how do companies still reach their target group and how can they convince them in the long term?

A successful digital campaign activates, emotionalises, inspires and engages. And it relies on the power of storytelling. The better the story is told, the more likely it is to reach the target group and the better the recipient can identify with the brand, company or product and remember what they have read. The aim of storytelling is to meet consumers at eye level and inspire them with your own values, ideas, products, services and visions.

Storytelling is digital communication that goes beyond the bare facts – this applies to B2C companies and, in 2018, increasingly also to SMEs in the B2B sector.

#5 Videos

Videos are the backbone of content marketing. Videos are easy to consume content and you can see this every day: millennials produce, consume, share and comment on masses of content every day and video accounts for around a third of this. Moving image content is becoming increasingly important online – especially in marketing.

Videos are well on the way to becoming the main medium. User and information needs are satisfied in a quick and easy way. Companies should definitely utilise the potential of video marketing to position themselves as a brand and their own products.

The mobile sector should not be ignored here either, as almost half of all video views on the YouTube channel take place on mobile devices. Videos and moving images must therefore be optimised for mobile.

The good thing about 2018 is that the production costs of a video can no longer be compared to the costs previously incurred. Modern tools and workflows make this medium a communication medium that is affordable for every company.

#6 Voice search and voice assistants: The future of search queries

20% of all search queries on Google are made via voice search. And the number will continue to rise. Voice search works quickly and easily. It takes four times as long to enter a search phrase into the search mask on Google instead of simply saying it out loud.

Voice search is an important trend, especially in the area of local services or local SEO, and one that can no longer be ignored. Local companies must ensure that these intelligent services consider information about their brand as the one best answer. To do this, information about locations, products and employees must be prepared accordingly and disseminated on all relevant platforms. Prepare for voice search now and secure a competitive advantage.

The issue of accessibility also comes into play here. Voice search is an ideal solution for people who have problems entering search terms correctly.

#7 Automated marketing & artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence and machine learning will continue to characterise important trends in 2018. Marketing and our everyday lives are changing. Algorithms are improving software, chatbots and machines, content can be played out in a more personalised way and advertising can be distributed to specific target groups according to personal interests.

With the right tools, every customer interaction via a website, email or social media can be recorded and used for optimisation. Using AI algorithms, it is possible to record real-time data and personalise the customer experience accordingly. This effectively replaces static profiles.

The result of these techniques and tools are personalised customer experiences in real time, which generate far lower costs than conventional campaigns with high wastage and make it possible to play out individual, relevant content for fragmented target groups in the first place.

#8 Safety First: Web Security

Security on the web is a much-discussed topic – on the one hand, it is about the security of users and, on the other, about the security of websites.

SSL encryption

Since the beginning of 2017, SSL encryption has been mandatory for all websites on which data is collected via forms. Anyone who does not comply with this can be penalised with fines based on a legal basis.

Online security has always been relevant, but Google has also been pushing this topic more strongly in recent months: SSL encryption of websites for the best possible protection of customer data. Websites without SSL encryption are flagged as insecure in common browsers, and encryption is also a relevant ranking factor in Google searches. It is becoming increasingly important for company websites to take care of the security of their customer data.

Web-Application Firewall

Web Application Firewall (WAF) is an application designed to protect against attacks via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Most Internet users use web applications – user profiles for online shopping, e-mail accounts or social platforms. Every user hopes that their own data is safe here and many companies endeavour to ensure data security. However, various factors influence or compromise the security of user data.

Compliance with the countless, complex and regularly changing data protection guidelines requires companies to provide the appropriate personnel. Or working with a partner who has an overview of these issues. WAFs can prevent web-based malware from gaining a foothold and protect against security vulnerabilities in web applications.

#9 Smart Home & Internet of Things – the intelligent home

The market for smart homes and the Internet of Things has developed extremely dynamically in recent months. The Internet of Things is becoming increasingly important in many companies and knows no boundaries.

In companies, the automation of work provides enormous relief and greater accuracy as well as continuity, security and efficiency. The opportunity for digitalisation for companies often lies beyond their own portfolio. IoT can provide food for thought here to expand your own offering or build an ecosystem.

In the private smart home, too, automation makes life easier for many people in terms of convenience, energy efficiency and security.

#10 Augmented und Virtual Reality als Smart Assistance

Modern smartphones and other mobile devices as well as data glasses are so technically advanced that they offer the best conditions for augmented and virtual reality. Whether in marketing, at trade fairs, in sales, in production planning or in quality management: augmented reality makes information visible exactly where it is needed.

Virtual reality will support more complex sales processes in the future. All explanation-intensive processes, services or products are ideal examples of virtual reality. Customer meetings when selling high-priced products, machines or systems can be simulated virtually.

Augmented, mixed and virtual reality: as a digital agency, we have an overview of the market and trends. We are happy to advise you individually and accompany you on the path to digital transformation.

#11 Top user experience

User experience deals with the question of how satisfied customers and visitors are with a website. How easy and intuitive is it to use the website? Are all the expectations of website visitors met? Which target group is being addressed? What features and functions should a website have?

When designing a website, these questions should be taken into account so that visitors and customers can easily find their way around and find what they are looking for. The focus of any website should be on user satisfaction.

The user experience will also play an even greater role in the evaluation of a website from an SEO perspective. In recent years, the quality of content on many websites has declined massively due to abusive measures such as keyword stuffing. Google is taking action to increase content quality again. In future, in addition to the factors of loading time and structure, Google Analytics data such as bounce rate, dwell time and conversions will be monitored more closely and included in the evaluation of a website. These figures give webmasters and, of course, Google the opportunity to assess the benefit of a page for the user and to position it accordingly in the organic search results.

Especially in times of mobile only, it is advisable to revise the user experience and adapt it to the changes. In order to remain competitive and interesting for consumers, it is essential to follow new innovations and trends and thus improve the customer journey for all existing and potential customers. schalk&friends is the ideal partner when it comes to taking the first step towards digitalisation, web security, user experience and mobile optimisation.

There are certainly more digital trends to come in 2018 – from our experts’ point of view, the trends listed here are the most relevant in 2018. It’s worth taking a closer look at these trends.