How the Business World Has Changed Over the Years

Finnegan Pierson

With constantly advancing technology and new business tactics, the business world is always changing. What used to be effective even ten years ago may be considered obsolete today. Next year begins a new decade, and with that comes a lot of promising changes. Here are a few of the trends you will see continue into next year.

Robots Doing More Jobs

From a self checkout lane in the grocery store to heavy labor, robots can perform a great variety of tasks. There are several reasons why robots can be an appealing choice for business owners. It reduces the number of employees, some companies are required to have for certain tasks, which helps with the budget. Robots can often perform tasks that might be considered too dangerous or risky for a human. An example of this would be a robot who goes into a building to check for a possible bomb. A robot also doesn't have emotions, which means that they are less likely to get bored of repetitive tasks, and their quality of work won't be influenced by how they are feeling that day. In the future, robotic machines will continue to advance, which will increase the list of jobs they can perform.

The Age of the Internet

These days, you can do just about anything from the comfort of your own home, thanks to the internet. You can find out the daily news events via an online newspaper or your local news' website. Because of this, many consider newspapers obsolete, and there's a good chance that they will soon become a thing of the past. Home delivery is also a very popular option for many people. Instacart Headquarters is an example of a company who will deliver groceries and other necessities right to your door, which can be helpful for those with small children, someone without a working vehicle, or someone who simply decides it's too cold to leave the house that day. Many businesses use the internet for advertising, selling, and posting new job opportunities.

Social Media

Along with the internet comes the use of social media. Most major companies in the US have a Facebook page, Twitter account, and/or Instagram page. This is a great tool to advertise deals, products, or services. You can pay for ads on social media as well, and since the average person spends nearly two and a half hours a day on social media, you can imagine how much this can benefit a business.

With social media also comes a difference in customer service. People can now easily publicly express grievances online for the world to see. Oftentimes, these complaints will become viral, and this can lead to a huge headache for the business owner. Some small businesses have shut down due to a simple complaint on their social media page.

3D Printing

One of the newer business trends is the use of 3D printing. This is a process that uses a printer to recreate a 3D image of a product, by printing it one layer at a time. Many of these processes are in their beginning stages, but researchers are hopeful that one day, 3D printing can be used to create human tissue, bones, or muscles for a patient in need. In addition, 3D printing will likely one day be used for things like the manufacturing of shoes, bike parts, and even prescription drugs. With the hope of prescription drugs being manufactured with 3D printing, it may be easier to find the perfect dosage of a medication for a patient, and provide that dose for them with the use of a 3D printer.

As you can see, technology has taken us a long way in the business world. There are many promises for an improved quality of life for people, but it also means that robots can slowly take over jobs that humans currently perform. Either way, it is likely that these trends will continue, and by the end of the next decade, the business tactics used in the past will seem completely obsolete.