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2019 Trends and Predictions from the Media

Hotwire Global

Now that 2018 is behind us, it’s time to look at how technology will continue to change the way the world operates in 2019. We turned to the experts – the reporters covering these issues every day – to find out what trends, technologies, companies, and topics will be top of mind for media in 2019.

Here’s a look at what media across various technology sectors are predicting will be the hot buttons for 2019.

ADTECH / MARKETING

The Drum, Ginger Conlon, US Editor: “The reality is, many marketing trends are cyclical. Data, for example, has long been a marketing staple. But how much marketers focus on it and what they consider important waxes and wanes. In 2018, for example, there was a return to emphasizing data quality — an evergreen concern — driven by issues such as customers’ expectation for relevance, GDPR and the demand for transparency, and the need for clean data to feed machine learning and AI tools. I predict that this focus will intensify in 2019 as an increasing number of marketers look to build or solidify a competitive advantage through more personalized interactions across channels, update their data management processes, and add or do more with machine learning and AI.”

E-COMMERCE

CNBC, Eugene Kim, Tech Reporter: “Some of the biggest trends we’ve seen this year and will likely continue to see next year are:
• Online to offline: More and more e-commerce companies are going offline, establishing brick-and-mortar stores across the country (Amazon w/ Whole Foods, Go, 4-star…plenty of other startups too).
• Amazon exodus: Amazon has become a popular poaching ground for many startups (not necessarily e-comm)…it’s lost dozens of VP or higher execs this year, a higher number than in previous years. (For example).
• Niche market: Although Amazon’s a dominant force in e-comm, a number of startups are finding success by targeting a niche audience (Stitch Fix, FarFetch, Wish, etc)
• More Amazon marketplace sellers: More than half of all products sold on Amazon are coming from third party sellers and their share is likely going to grow. But that’s also causing all kinds of issues like counterfeit products and fake reviews.
• More Amazon private label brands: Amazon has significantly increased the number of its private label brands and plans to double down on it. That means Amazon is the biggest marketplace for many third party sellers but potentially their biggest competitor.

CONSUMER TECH

Tom’s Guide, Sherri Smith, Senior Editor: “I think we’re going to see some new CPUs and GPUs on the mobile front, so there are a going to be a slew of new laptops. I’m particularly excited about gaming laptops, as they continue to get slimmer and lighter. Oculus and HTC will continue to make the case for virtual reality, offering truly wireless solutions with high-definition graphics at affordable prices.”

SECURITY

eWeek, Sean Michael Kerner, Senior Editor: “At the beginning of the year every report I saw talked about unauthorized cryptocurrency mining (usually Coinhive) and that was one of the biggest early trends of 2018. At the end of 2018, I don’t see that so much anymore, as the value of bitcoin and monero has collapsed. What I do see is an endless stream of advanced phishing attacks, Business Email Compromise (BEC) attempts and other sorts of social engineering. Phishing and BEC are not new issues, but I expect that once again, they’ll be top of mind in 2019.”