One of the best parts of working at MERGE is having conversations that exchange ideas, both with clients and internally, of trends that will inevitably influence business today and in the near future.
As we inch toward a new quarter and a New Year, we’ve reached a tipping point. Tremendous acceleration has pushed us forward in the past year and three key areas rose to the top that will no doubt continue into the future.
Acceleration of TRUST
Simply put, deliver on what you’ve promised. Keep your messaging and customer experience consistent so that your brand can be relied on. The pandemic has affected consumer sentiment requiring brands to quickly shift, change communication tactics, and immediately respond to audiences.
81 percent of consumers have said personal vulnerability due to the pandemic (around health, financial stability, and privacy) is a reason why brand trust has become more important.
In summary, keep messaging consistent and show you can be relied on by your audiences. A 360-degree, end-to-end customer journey is mission critical in building that trust — if one part of the journey fails, trust is lost.
Acceleration of INCLUSION
Troubling times provide opportunities for conversations that foster learning. Simply increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups is not meaningful if those employees do not feel included and valued. Business has the transformative power to change and contribute to growing a more open, diverse and inclusive society. At MERGE, we are opening discussions about how identity groups shape employees’ experiences inside and outside the organization and framing those experiences as a valid source of ideas for enhancing work and culture. Each company’s initiatives look different, with different approaches, and should be maintained and nurtured to guarantee effectiveness.
Acceleration of DIGITAL transformation
Transformation is not only imaginative innovation but is also the concrete ability to connect the dots and have the grit to build structure that gets you there. To survive, businesses don’t need to overcomplicate, but they should reprioritize what they already do well and build around emerging consumer behaviors, needs, and values. Leaders who want to succeed must continue to reevaluate their digital agendas to meet new customer needs, operationalize efficient stakeholder buy-in processes, and integrate tech stacks to operate at the highest effective speed.
If one thing is certain about the future, businesses must stand ready to adapt to accelerating market dynamics in a constantly changing world.
Interested in how to get there? We can help! Let’s have a conversation about your goals for the future and learn more about how MERGE combines storytelling and technology to help brands adapt and quickly prepare for what’s ahead.