Disruptive Technologies Signal Wild Ride Ahead for Business

CHICAGO, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a future where a consumer scans an item through a window display and purchases it without entering the store. Groceries are ordered at a kiosk for delivery within the hour. Human voice assistance is a standard part of the online shopping experience. Predictive analytics help retailers anticipate a shopper's behavior. All are examples of how technology will dramatically alter the relationship between business and consumers in the coming years.

A new report, "Business on Demand", is a comprehensive survey of technology innovations that are igniting this lightning pace of change.  "Business on Demand" is the product of a collaborative research effort between CBD Marketing and Kent State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Research included interviews with industry experts and a panel of senior marketers.

"We're at the beginning of a very predictable technology lifecycle," notes Gina Miller, CBD Marketing's Vice President, Director of Customer Experience and Demand Management. "Technologies, ideas and models that are just emerging today are laying the foundation for a profound revolution. These innovations will converge and redefine entire industries."

Because the retail industry is central to economic health, CBD leads the report with a look at a "frictionless future" in which barriers to a retail purchase are all but eliminated. The paper discusses technologies that will create new shopping and transaction channels and tools, such as mobile payment, virtual reality, digital watermarking and artificial intelligence.

The report reviews dozens of interruptive technology breakthroughs for several other industry categories including manufacturing, banking, construction and education.

"A company needs to identify the opportunities that technology advances will create and the innovations they need to adopt to lead. It's not easy, but we're at the cusp of yet another tech revolution that will change everything . . . again," Miller concludes.

"Business on Demand" is available as a download from the CBD website.

About CBD Marketing: CBD Marketing is an award-winning, creative, integrated marketing agency in Chicago. National and global clients in manufacturing, energy, food, building products, education, retail and other industries count on CBD to Market What's Meaningful—building more intimate and profitable relationships in both emotional and rational ways.

About the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication: Now in its 77th year, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University offers majors that prepare students for careers in the rapidly changing media and communication industries. The school emphasizes relevant training at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that balances both conceptual and practical courses, professional opportunities and multiple internships. Kent State's core curriculum gives students a strong background in the liberal arts to complement the School of Journalism and Mass Communication's professional training. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/jmc.

Contact: Jean Ban, [email protected], 312-661-1050

SOURCE CBD Marketing