{"id":6100,"date":"2019-10-17T13:14:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T13:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kolabtree.com\/blog\/?p=6100"},"modified":"2024-05-28T07:25:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T07:25:11","slug":"top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 Small Business Technology Trends for 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_45_1 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69f294af39de6\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69f294af39de6\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/#1_Outsourcing_eCommerce_Efforts\" title=\"1. Outsourcing eCommerce Efforts\">1. Outsourcing eCommerce Efforts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/#2_Automating_Low-Value_Tasks\" title=\"2. Automating Low-Value Tasks\">2. Automating Low-Value Tasks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/#3_SEO_for_Voice_Search\" title=\"3. SEO for Voice Search\">3. SEO for Voice Search<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/#Future_Tech_Trends\" title=\"Future Tech Trends\">Future Tech Trends<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With remote capabilities and automation sweeping the globe, the way the world does business is changing at a rapid pace. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don&#8217;t have to have a multinational corporation to benefit from the latest IT trends. Small businesses worldwide are realizing the power of ecommerce, AI, <a href=\"https:\/\/kolabtree.com\/blog\/seven-data-analysis-benefits-for-small-business\/\">data science<\/a> and SEO. Here are some of the best tips and practices that your small business can use to take your tech game to the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Outsourcing_eCommerce_Efforts\"><\/span>1. Outsourcing eCommerce Efforts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small businesses across industries are looking at ways to offer eCommerce options to their clientele. Restaurants are taking custom orders online, grocery stores are accepting orders for pick-up, and even bakeries are taking a slice of the eCommerce pie.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, setting up and managing an <a href=\"https:\/\/seo.london\/ecommerce-seo-consultant\/\">eCommerce<\/a> site isn&#8217;t as easy as it looks. Sure, there&#8217;s been a lot of user-friendly packages released that create an environment anyone can use. For small businesses, however, taking the time to manage an eCommerce site is challenging.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outsourcing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightvessel.com\/wordpress-woocommerce-website-management\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eCommerce website management<\/span><\/a> can help you easily navigate this process, attract more customers and scale your business. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Handing over the reigns to a contractor or service provider who is already comfortable with the ins and outs of online shopping technology improves the return on investment. Small business owners will also appreciate the opportunity cost implications of not having another iron in the fire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-6102\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-300x294.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-1024x1002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-1536x1503.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-1080x1057.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-300x294@2x.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/work2-48x48@2x.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Automating_Low-Value_Tasks\"><\/span>2. Automating Low-Value Tasks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI and automation have created incredible opportunities for small businesses to compete with larger organizations. Small business owners who have a lot on the go can reap significant benefits from automation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Automation is best for low-value daily tasks. It&#8217;s important to understand that a low-value task doesn&#8217;t mean that it should be ignored. In this context, low-value tasks refer to things that need to be done in a business but don&#8217;t generate income. For example, a business owner who spends a lot of time doing scheduling and processing payroll must complete these tasks. However, the time spent working on them could be spent growing the business and generating revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another form of automation and capitalizing on the accessibility of AI is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/due.com\/blog\/chatbots-business-benefits\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">incorporating chatbots and autoresponders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. What was once a luxury limited to only large businesses with resources to support the technology is now readily available to the masses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chatbots and auto-responses give your customers the instant gratification they desire in a society with a short attention span. Furthermore, it allows you to answer frequently asked questions (business hours, for example) without repeating the work for every inquiry. Yes, it may only take you two minutes to stop and answer, but that time adds up and disrupts your concentration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By automating daily tasks using AI, things like scheduling, bookkeeping, social media scheduling, etc. are handled while the key stakeholders are doing what they do best: running a business.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_SEO_for_Voice_Search\"><\/span>3. SEO for Voice Search<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many small business owners are vaguely aware of SEO and what it can do, without understanding the depths of the subject. One significant tech trend for both small businesses and large organizations is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffbullas.com\/voice-searches\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">optimizing for voice search<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As smart technology becomes more commonplace in society, businesses have to meet customers where they are. More consumers are using smart assistants, from Siri on their iPhone to Alexa in their home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does this mean for businesses and SEO? When someone types a Google search, the sentence structure is often fractured. When someone asks a smart assistant to conduct a search, they typically frame it as a question. &#8220;Best Irish pub Seattle&#8221; becomes &#8220;What is the best Irish pub in Seattle?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This change in long-form keywords creates a subsequent shift in the content Google looks for when ranking a website. By incorporating content that optimizes your website for voice search, you can get an edge on the competition and bring your small business into the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Future_Tech_Trends\"><\/span>Future Tech Trends<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the rapid evolution of technology has created a paradigm shift in IT and small business operations alike, these three areas are a smart starting point.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set goals to incorporate these trends into your small business operations. Ensure that you&#8217;re doing each task well before adding another change. By structuring these adaptations in a sustainable way, you&#8217;ll get a lead on the competition and take your business to the next level with ease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Need an expert to help you with your small business idea or product innovation? Consult 10,000+ <a href=\"https:\/\/kolabtree.com\/?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Post&amp;utm_campaign=SMBTechTrends\">freelance scientific experts<\/a> on Kolabtree.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With remote capabilities and automation sweeping the globe, the way the world does business is changing at a rapid pace. You don&#8217;t have to have a multinational corporation to benefit from the latest IT trends. Small businesses worldwide are realizing the power of ecommerce, AI, data science and SEO. Here are some of the best<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":6101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[317,247,433],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.1 (Yoast SEO v20.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Top 3 Small Business Technology Trends for 2020 - The Kolabtree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ecommerce, Automation and SEO. Implement these small business technology trends to stay ahead of the game and compete with the big players in your industry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/top-3-small-business-technology-trends-for-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 3 Small Business Technology Trends for 2020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ecommerce, Automation and SEO. 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