In recent years the market has undergone major changes in a short space of time. The pandemic, the global economic crisis, and the new health safety measures have shaped a new scenario and changed consumption trends.

With these changes in consumer habits, companies needed to adapt, especially small and medium-sized businesses that need to reinvent themselves to survive.

To better understand the main changes in the consumer scenario and the new consumption trends, read the following article.

Online sales

After the arrival of the pandemic, in the first half of 2020, those who were already using the virtual environment as a point of sale needed to increase this strategy, and those who were not yet using it needed to open up to this possibility.

In 2020 virtual shopping increased and online sales became a reality not only for large companies, but also for small and medium ones.

With this need knocking at the door of entrepreneurs, marketplace platforms and companies that outsource services such as deliveries through apps had a huge growth.

Essential items

With the financial crisis and instability, many consumers have reduced their consumption of superfluous items and have focused their income on buying only essential items.

The high prices of essential items also greatly reduced the purchasing power and some sectors showed large drops, such as the clothing sector, which fell 25%.

Conscious consumption and appreciation of the small business

For middle class consumers who did not have a very significant reduction in income, the idea of conscious consumption increased.

The concern with the environment, as well as with social causes, leveraged the sustainable sector and the small and local businesses.

Local businesses have been valued, allowing small entrepreneurs to get through this period with the support of local consumers.

More than service, attention

With the ability to search the internet and find cheaper product offers, face-to-face businesses can no longer just offer good service, they need to offer attention, capable of generating a customer experience.

When a consumer chooses to pay more for a certain product or service, instead of going online, he is looking for an experience that must be offered through excellent attention from small businesses.

Hygiene and safety first

Finally, it is impossible to think about consumer trends without taking into account the customer’s concern for hygiene and safety.

Health safety is a must, with businesses that offer a clean environment and follow safety protocols being preferred by consumers.

Data security has also been a major concern, so offering more technological payment methods and guaranteed data protection is a differentiator for businesses that want to survive this period.

Conclusion

The transformations in consumer trends have emerged quickly, but they don’t seem to be going away post-pandemic, so adapting to them is essential.

Companies that do not worry about meeting the most demanding demands of consumers who are tuned in to the news may be left behind and unable to survive this period.

If you are an entrepreneur or a customer, you must already be familiar with these transformations, but seeing them as definitive is essential to understand the movement of consumer trends.

Entrepreneurship in the 21st century without having technology as an ally is something practically impossible, besides being unproductive. 

More than just facilitating day-to-day processes, many technologies can be the basis of a business, especially when we think about the most modern business models, such as startups.

The entrepreneur who does not incorporate technology into his process is not open to the possibilities of current times, so it is important to know the available technologies that can boost entrepreneurship.

Below, check out the technologies that drive entrepreneurship and how you can enjoy them for your career.

Technology for project management

Project management is always a challenge, whether it is done face-to-face or facing the challenges of remote teams. 

To facilitate the daily routine of teams, technology already offers several ways to improve interaction and performance.

Through project management, organizations can optimize processes, improve their performance, and move closer to excellence.

Using project management software is one of the best ways to help managers work more efficiently and effectively.

Among the advantages of this type of technology is the possibility of interaction between team members, mutual collaboration, and optimized problem solving.

The technologies behind this type of software involve cloud storage, the ability to access data and process that data quickly and effectively.

Technologies for operational management

Operational management of a company is now easier thanks to technology.

Financial control, greater access to suppliers and customers, more possibilities of means to make and receive payments, are just some of the facilities that technology offers to entrepreneurs of the 21st century.

Finance

The financial management of an organization is readily facilitated through applications that allow the recording of capital flow, offering a broader and more detailed view of finances.

The effectiveness of this type of technology already allows the entrepreneur to access data such as profit rate, tax costs, among other financial indicators.

Payments

One of the main technological facilitators for entrepreneurs today is the possibility of relying on payment intermediaries.

Facilitating the payment processes for customers is an excellent way to win new customers, but mainly to retain old ones.

Innovation and technology

With technology opening every day a wider path for innovation, entrepreneurship gains many possibilities for growth.

New technologies that accompany the growth of Industry 4.0 such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data, among others, enable the growth of entrepreneurship.

The entrepreneur who can visualize technology as an ally for his business can experience faster and more efficient growth, as well as explore new possibilities.

 

Research by Intel has shown that about half of all technology professionals believe that their own equipment is better than that offered by their employers.

While some use the inferior equipment offered by the company, some don’t give up their personal equipment.

This movement has a name: Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD for short. Understand below how it works and what its advantages and disadvantages are.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BYOD method

The acronym BYOD stands for “Bring your own device and, if on the one hand this method can bring facilities for employees and company, on the other hand, problems can occur for the management of work routines when this movement runs into complications with the company’s networks. 

Advantages of BYOD

Economy: By placing the responsibility of paying for work equipment on the employee, this movement represents an economy for the company. 

Less IT problems: By being familiar with the devices they are using, employees tend to have fewer problems that require IT attention.

More productivity: Besides the comfort of knowing the machine they are working on, the BYOD method allows employees to work anywhere with internet, 

Mobility: The employee can be in a hotel, airport, client’s office, or even at home or abroad and answer their company phone extension on their own cell phone or notebook.

Disadvantages of BYOD

Security conflicts: Personal devices may have been exposed to malicious software, such as viruses, and put the network’s security at risk.

Problems with operational systems – because they are developed with different characteristics, some software may have problems working the right way on specific cell phone or computer systems, making it difficult to access the tools needed in the work routine.

Conclusion

Between advantages and disadvantages, the BYOD movement can be beneficial for both companies and employees, on one hand giving flexibility, on the other allowing greater efficiency for both.

Distance from the workplace can have positive effects for both the employee and the employer, impacting each in different ways. 

The requirement for “residents in the area” appears several times in job postings, but with remote work, distance has increasingly become an employee choice.

To better understand the impacts of nearwork and how it can become a reality for many people, follow the text below.

Advantages of nearwork for the employer

Punctuality is one of the most important factors for an employer, which is why the distance an employee travels to get to work is so important when choosing a new employee for a team.

Several factors can interfere with the employee’s commute time to work and, for this reason, most companies give preference to hiring employees who live nearby.

With the possibility of remote work, the employer can count on a larger number of candidates for a job vacancy and does not need to be tied to people who live close to its headquarters.

Advantages of nearwork for the employee

There are many people who are willing to travel long distances to get to work, because the most important thing for them is to work.

However, a long commute time interferes a lot in the employee’s quality of life and in the long run can have negative impacts in the life and professional performance of this person.

Therefore, having the possibility of having a job that can be done remotely can have a very positive impact on the employee’s quality of life and significantly increase his or her professional performance.

Conclusion

In summary, if there is no need for timely intervention, the distance from the workplace matters for the employee due to the extra time it takes to get to the destination and the increased costs due to the longer trip.

For the employer, being able to choose their employees without geographic restrictions and not having to deal with problems of their employees being late or worn out on the commute to work.

In general, it seems that the best choice is to restrict the area in which to consider applications only in cases where immediate action is required and leave in all other cases freedom for the employee to decide whether to make a longer or shorter trip or look for a job closer to home. 

Human relationships are changing every day, and technology is one of the main drivers of these changes. So regardless of what your career is, building your image on social media is key.

When you are self-employed this need is even greater, after all, before hiring you for a job, the client will certainly look for references and previous work.

A profile on social networks in which people can interact with you and follow your day to day enables your future clients to build trust, respect, and admiration for you and your work.

If you want to build an image in the digital world, here are some tips that can help you in this mission.

Tell your story

Showing your followers who you are goes beyond writing your profile, it is something constant that you can build every day.

Even if you don’t want to expose your whole routine, showing the challenges of your career, how you overcome them and, especially, the results you achieve is an excellent way to tell your story.

Use strongs images

How many times have you heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words”? Certainly many, isn’t it? That’s because it’s true, images fill people’s eyes and grab their attention in a matter of seconds.

Write interesting captions

As important as images are, the way you talk about your work is also crucial.

Whenever you produce content to post, create eye-catching text so that your post is more than just visual, but really tells a story.

Also, search for the most used terms in your niche and use hashtags, to get your photos found in searches.

Encourage interaction

One of the most important points for your social network to grow is that there is interaction between you and the people who follow you.

This interaction is essential for the algorithm to recognize that your followers are interested in your content and spread it to more and more people.

And to make this interaction happen, you can and should encourage people to interact with your content through comments, shares, and saves.

Conclusion

Don’t ignore the trends, no matter how much you have offline channels to promote your work, building an image on social networks is essential and will certainly make a difference for your career and your business.

Another year is coming to an end and you are looking for ways to get out of your comfort zone and grow professionally?

The fear of taking risks can cause you to get stuck in what you have achieved so far and not be able to take the next step to grow.

Getting out of your comfort zone is not easy, but if fear is holding you back, your chances of growth get smaller and smaller.

If you want to start 2021 taking a leap in your career, take note of the following tips. But here’s a spoiler: there is no miracle, you will need to get out of your comfort zone.

Have a motivation

Do you want to make more money? Work fewer hours? Do what you love?

Find a goal, so you have motivation to get out of your comfort zone and a point on the horizon to reach.

Identify your comfort zone

Identifying what you’re comfortable with and what you’ll need to let go of in order to leave it behind and take a step toward growth is key.

What is holding you back?

This is the time to be honest with yourself and answer “what is stopping you from leaving your comfort zone”.

Looking for justifications to stay professionally stagnant is one of the main reasons people don’t grow professionally.

Therefore, identifying your attitudes that need to be changed is your next step towards professional growth.

Look for references

Identify in your daily life professionals who have the qualities you hope to have in your professional change and notice what their attitudes are.

People who have already left their comfort zone are usually competent, daring, creative and enterprising. Surround yourself with good examples to trace your path.

Lose your fear

Finding out what your fears are about stepping out of your comfort zone to grow professionally, and then mapping out a strategy to get rid of them is your next step.

To accomplish this, it is essential that you define what advantages you will gain by facing your fears and how you will benefit in the future.

Change some habits

People who are in a comfort zone often have habits that don’t move them forward.

Understanding what changes you need to make in your routine to grow professionally is one way to get out of your comfort zone towards your new goal.

Be ready to make mistakes

Overcoming a moment of stagnation and moving towards growth can lead you to make some mistakes.

These mistakes can be seen as failures or as lessons, and the only way for you to get through them and come out stronger is to see them as lessons and learn from them.

Conclusion

Deciding, being persistent, and taking action is the path you will need to follow to get out of your comfort zone and grow professionally.

To help you in this new stage of your life, count on Easy Work Space, a place with all the infrastructure you need to dedicate yourself to your work and put into practice your actions to grow.

A digital nomad is a professional who works online and does not need his presence in an office.
With a good connection, he can do his work from anywhere in the world. It is a great option for those who work with digital marketing, design, photography, content production, writing, and freelance professionals because it is not a conventional work routine.

You can work at your home, at the beach, at a café, as long as you have a good internet connection.

The digital nomadic lifestyle is also a good choice for those who give private lessons or online courses. A musician who teaches guitar playing, a financial management class, language teachers, who can even interact with students from all over the world.

In spite of the works mentioned above, there is no limit to enter this market. The newest video calling and instant messaging services – like Skype and Zoom and WhatsApp – provide a space to serve your customers and manage a job without you having to be physically present at a specific location.

Advantages of being a digital nomad

Freedom in routine and lifestyle

The flexible routine of the digital nomad brings much happiness and quality of life to these workers.
Many professionals in this market only work in areas of their interest.

Digital nomads can do their own programming.  For example, people who prefer to work at night can do their work at the time of their choice as long as they meet their deadlines.

Work from anywhere

Your only limit for choosing where to live is good internet access. Your work can be done in the heat of the coast or in a large urban center. The location of these professionals does not matter, so nomads can live anywhere in the world.

Make money on the internet

With experience, it is possible to have good productivity and earn more and more.
The more qualified your work, the higher your income.

Disadvantages of being a digital nomad

Hard work and unstable life

Particularly at the beginning, you will encounter many difficulties. The nomadic work is not a vacation period or a sabbatical retreat.  To earn some money you will have to work many hours a day.

Most digital nomads do not have a permanent contract. You will always have to win new clients, because the income will never be guaranteed. Every month is a different situation and you will have good and bad periods.

The same goes for accommodation and housing, so it is important to have a reservation.

Social life

If you change constantly and meet new people all the time is very good, but of course, you will also be saying goodbye to people often. Besides often staying away from your family, the digital nomad doesn’t have much time to establish solid relationships and friendships.

Benefits of a permanent contract

The digital nomad works in complete solitude, there is no substitute for example if he is sick to work, or an agreement offered by the company. It’s you for you.

Are you interested in working with more freedom and meeting new people and places? Be a digital nomad.  Start with small experiences, and adapt to the best routine model for you.

The technology is more and more modern and the internet is getting faster, which allows virtual meetings to be made through videoconferences with applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Hangout.

We are in a reality of working more and more at home or remotely, and in the rush of the day at work is meeting after meeting.

Even though virtual meetings are becoming more and more common, working at a distance is every day an adaptation.

Here are some tips to make your virtual meetings more productive.

Attention to details

Before you start an online meeting, always check up on your transmission equipment: camera, microphone, lighting. Be clear in the microphone and always be a little more whimsical in your diction and always announce your arrival and be clear when you are leaving.

Schedule the meeting well in advance

With so many people working remotely, the meetings are fundamental organizational items in the company’s operations and meetings of different teams and several projects are happening at the same time.

So, make sure in advance that all the employees you need to be present at the meeting have their agendas available.

Create meeting rules

In meetings at a distance with several participants, it is easy that the meeting ends with lost people, parallel conversations, or even unintentionally interrupting themselves.

To avoid these setbacks, create a list of agendas or topics that follow a logical and clear order, to help the organization, you can also create roles among members.

Straight to the point

Don’t be late and during the virtual meeting always keep an eye on the clock. Think about your arguments before the meeting to get to the point quickly.

Divide your arguments into, presentation of the problem, expose your proposals and alternatives and finally ask for the opinions of other collaborators to help you in your solution. Talk less to tell your ideas.

Have proactivity

During the meeting take the initiative to start talking and break the silence. Without taking the chance of anyone speaking and exposing your ideas, it is possible to take the lead as a kind of mediator or teacher, especially if it is a meeting presented or taught by you.

Call the other employees to speak and ask for opinions, be aware of the signs that the other wants to speak, establishing a fair and relaxed environment, fluid, and without embarrassing silences.

Give everyone a chance to speak

Not always the participants of the online meeting are visible and, many, participate only by audio, so it is normal for these people to be more silent and get lost more during the meeting.

To make sure everyone participates actively in the meeting, create a list of everyone present, be aware if someone has not had their chance to speak and share their points, expose their ideas and suggestions, and make sure that this person receives attention and gets their opportunity to speak as well.

Start the meeting with relaxing and connection

In the physical office, it is very common that people together in the meeting room have a moment of relaxation, and in remote work, it is good to start the activities with a little proximity and joy.

Relaxing in the initial moments of the meeting, besides uniting more employees, also causes much more engagement in the meeting that is about to happen.

Use those initial minutes for light subjects that would physically happen on the way to the meeting or at that time of the coffee.

As we have seen, to hold a productive virtual meeting, some care must be taken.

The most important thing is to hold your meetings in such a way that their content is being used to the maximum to develop the agenda or train the workforce.

These tips can help your team to concentrate more and get the best out of online meetings and especially optimize time in your company.

If you work remotely and are looking for the ideal environment to develop your activities, get to know Easy Work Space, a company that offers all the infrastructure and exclusive services to make your business take off.

With the arrival of the Corona Virus pandemic, relations between employers and employees changed overnight.

Changes that were taking place at slow paces have now become a necessity and are beginning to be implemented quickly.

Understanding the individual needs of each team member has become a must for leaders.

Factors such as mental health and well being become more relevant and confidence needs to be strengthened by both parties.

Other issues related to the reduction of bureaucracy and the use of technology have also become essential.

Finally, mobility also tends to be optimized, leading employees to work at a distance as a way to reduce circulation in large centers.

Although it is still a little early to know everything that will happen in the future of work, we can already foresee some factors.

Technology as an ally

The technology within the work environment was already used in several areas.

However, remote work was gradually beginning to be implemented by many companies.

The well-known home office made a few times a week became permanent and everything indicates that after the pandemic it should become more and more frequent.

Reducing distances

Working in shared offices in areas closer to homes is also a measure that should be increasingly adopted.

Working at a distance is one of the trends that several professionals should adhere to after a pandemic.

Opting to work in a shared office can provide the employee to move between their home and their place of work on foot or bicycle.

This can decrease the traffic of people in large urban centers when moving between work and home, avoiding agglomerations.

More united employees

In the face of difficulty, the best way to face it is to join forces and face the challenges as a team.

To overcome a difficult moment like a pandemic, mobilization must be joint.

Establishing measures in partnership with co-workers should be a priority to protect each other.

This rapprochement and the established trust will be carried forward by bringing co-workers together for future moments.

Better prepared leaders

The relationship between leaders and employees should be tested in times of difficulty like a pandemic.

In the face of crisis, the potential for leadership is put to the test and only the best-prepared leaders resist.

Knowing how to manage a team in the face of a crisis is the final proof that a manager knows how to fulfill his duties and take good care of his employees.

New career opportunities

The crisis caused by the Corona Virus pandemic triggers a wave of innovations capable of reorganizing career opportunities.

New positions begin to emerge and those who seek new paths may find unprecedented employment options.

Professionals capable of reinventing themselves and offering companies practical solutions are highlighted in the job market and better opportunities.

Conclusion

Difficult times are always drivers of innovation and with the crisis that is rocking the world today, it is no different.

At first, the difficulties tend to speak louder, but in the future, the relations in the business world will experience new possibilities.

Are you ready to face this new normal? Count on Easy Work Space to build a successful career.

Social networks are platforms for relationships between users that have become part of people’s daily lives and soon proved to be very important as a work tool for companies.

They are essential in the promotion of services and products and also serve to bring the brand closer to its customers through engagement, so if your company is not yet present in social networks you need to consider placing it right now!

Advantages of social media

There are several reasons for your business to be present in social networks, knowing some strategies and ways to use them you will have many advantages in the mission of getting closer to your audience and attract new customers.

Before starting your brand’s virtual presence you need to be aware of some factors, when disclosing content they need to align with your company’s values, this way you will get closer to your audience showing what are the objectives of your organization.

With the internet you considerably increase the communication channels and the interaction with your customers, from this, you will create a link with your audience.

Through the engagement the ideas, products, services, and promotions that you offer start to spread quickly, generating a viral effect, that’s why it’s so important that through its contents you captivate your consumer.

Another important resource that the Internet provides to your business is the ability to measure and analyze the company’s engagement with the networks and thus know what is pleasing or displeasing its customers.

With exorbitant numbers of users, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are essential fields for the work of advertising and marketing, knowing the best way to master these tools will put you ahead of the competition.

Optimizing the use of social networks

Being present on social networking platforms is not enough, it is necessary that the content of your company is thought in such a way as to attract your customers in the most diverse ways, for this it is necessary knowledge and the use of techniques.

Know your audience

Having made clear who your consumers are and, above all, what their habits are, their way of thinking and their lifestyle is the first step towards getting closer to him, because in this way you can create a voice for your brand that speaks the same language as him.

This voice needs to be carefully planned from what generates likes and shares for your audience, i.e. the way you communicate needs to be familiar to your audience.
Understand each platform

In each of the social networks, there is a profile to be followed and a language more conducive to the consumer approach, so the way you will produce your content may be better suited to one network or the other.

Therefore, understanding the proposal of each of the social networks is essential to discover which one is more and less important for your business and mainly, through which one you will be able to communicate better with your consumer.

Content X Advertising

Remember that just talking about your products or services is not the best way to attract your audience, it is important to understand the pains of your consumers and offer content that helps them heal them.

This way your customer will understand you as a friend and trust your speech, engagement is your main goal when putting your business on social networks, because it is from it that you will gain the affection and respect of your consumer.

If you don’t have a page of your company yet, know that you are wasting time, take the tips you just learned and start planning the best way to talk to your customers, so you increase your chances of closing new business.