The effects of the global pandemic continue to be felt all over the world, and this has had a profound impact on the business landscape.
This has increased the speed at which some technologies have been adopted and are being developed, and there are other issues too which will color the way we live in the immediate future.
These are our top trends to be aware of as we look ahead to 2022.
Remote working
No longer simply a lifestyle choice, remote working became an enforced way of life for people across the globe as lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing made traditional on-site working impossible for many.
Any gaps in technology and provision quickly became apparent and risked slowing business down even more than the pandemic already had.
Moving into 2022, any technology and lifestyle solutions that will make homeworking easier and more efficient will continue to grow and thrive.
Environmental issues
Climate change and sustainability have been crowd-pleasing background issues for a long time, but have never been at the forefront of our minds in the way they are now.
This fever is only going to grow in the coming months and years. Businesses that offer effective and efficient solutions to environmentally- unfriendly old ways of working will find themselves in huge demand as the noise about the climate crisis becomes ever louder.
VR and AR
Sales of virtual reality headsets skyrocketed during lockdowns in many parts of the world, and demand for virtual experiences also grew as cultural events took their offers online across various platforms.
But virtual reality and augmented reality are also proving useful for work as well, with training and conferences delivered in virtual form.
Now that the technology is affordable for so many consumers, we can expect to see its usage grow and for both VR and AR to be applied to many more daily operations.
Personalisation and customisation
Subscription services both physical and digital are continuing to grow in popularity, and the pandemic has seen consumers ordering personalised services of all kinds to be delivered to their door or inbox.
Food, fashion, online classes, vitamins and health reports can all be customised to the individual, and this kind of niche service is becoming the norm.
As we move into 2022, people will expect to be able to apply this kind of personalisation to many services in their daily lives.