Part 3 in a media tour series for my 2016 keynote at Digital Business World Congress (DES) in Madrid, Spain. This interview is with i9 Magazine, “O mundo digital visto por peritos internacionais.”

 

Digital Transformation Through a Global Lens

Digital revolution is happening. What are the buzzwords we must follow? Big Data, machine learning, smart cities, IOT, 4th industrial revolution,….?

The digital revolution is has been happening for decades and it will only continue to change how we work, learn, communicate and connect. The biggest trends that I’m following include an incredible array of disruptive technologies such as AR/VR, AI/maching learning, autonomous vehicles, IoT, 3D printing, wearables, et al.

In your opinion, are people becoming more digital followers or revolutionaries?

Digital consumers are revolutionaries by default. I refer to this phenomenon as digital Darwinism. As technology evolves, so does its impact on society. Simply by how people adopt and use technology, tech are changing the way everything will work. Then there are the true revolutionaries, those who design future tech and influence market trends.

What are the 2018 business trends we should watch?

2017-2018 business trends are all over the place. We’re going to see advances in AI/machine learning in CX. We’ll see fintech have an impact in the finance sector among enterprise organizations, not just startups. But more broadly, we’re going to see businesses more widely advance digital transformation efforts. I define digital transformation as the realignment of, or new investment in technology, business models, and processes to create new value for customers and employees and more effectively compete in an ever-changing digital economy. In fact, you can track the evolution of digital transformation using this maturity model.

What do you think about portuguese enterprises? Are they becoming digital or still have to do more?

I’ve been to Lisbon once and during that time, I met with several startups and enterprises. The truth is that every company can be more aggressive in their quest to compete in a digital economy. This is true for companies all around the world.

Nowadays, what is the secret for a product to succeed?

Everyone talks about three things, awareness, adoption and traction. But more importantly, a product must deliver value beyond making existing tasks or routines efficient or scalable. Products need to go beyond iteration which is doing the same things in better ways. They must think about innovation, doing new things that creates new value.

Are you coming to Portugal, to the Web Summit?

That’s up to Paddy Cosgrave. We are overdue for a conversation. Maybe everyone in Europe can let him know that they want me there!

Part 1 – Stop Talking About a Customer-Centered Culture and Build It Already (Más Movilidad)

Part 2 – Is Technology Creating a Narcissistic Society? (Expansión)

Part 3 – Digital Transformation Through a Global Lens (i9 Magazine)

About Brian

Brian Solis is principal analyst and futurist at Altimeter, the digital analyst group at Prophet, Brian is world renowned keynote speaker and 7x best-selling author. His latest book, X: Where Business Meets Design, explores the future of brand and customer engagement through experience design. Invite him to speak at your event or bring him in to inspire and change executive mindsets.

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