Nick Powills: 5G is Going To Make Your Phone More Addictive. Businesses, Here’s What You Need To Know.

Do you ever get those alerts reporting your phone usage over the last week? Do you feel good when that percentage goes down? Well, get ready for it to skyrocket, especially with 5G here and growing.

And it won’t stop there – elementary learning would suggest there will be more counting: 6G, 7G, 8G, and more.

What this means for business is big, in several ways.

Think Mobile

Duh. And if you are not, you better start now. It won’t just be your website you will have to worry about, it will be your entire digital footprint.

Most of my purchasing decisions play out as such: I am interested in lunch --> I want to eat a burger --> What burger places exist? --> Who can get me my burger the fastest? --> Who has the best priced burger? --> What do the reviews say? --> Wait. there’s a pizza place nearby?

The buying process for myself and likely many others will only continue to become more complex. There will be more competition, including the largest restaurant brand in the world with the largest menu in third party delivery, more ways to get your order, more customer control through features like reviews… it just keeps coming.

People will spend more time on their phones because they will be able to do everything: Streaming, social, email, texts, calls, bookings, even function as a wallet. And in a world where we have a need for speed, 5G brings even more capabilities – even opening that door at your house to let your dog out, calling it back in, feeding it – while you are in another part of the world.

Texting and Inclusion

Texting is going to continue to include a legal balance. Customers will have to opt in – which many probably won’t because of privacy and spam issues. But, brands are going to have to figure this out. How do you text your customers without making them want to opt out? What will you have to give them? Will this look more like real people texting real people than robotic responses?

I doubt it will just be about couponing—consumer preferences will demand it’s more.

While people may interact with each other less in-person, digital interactions will continue to climb. How can you, as a brand, step out of the world of a brand and into the world as a person? Our agency is spending a lot of time thinking about this topic – and holding the possibilities close to our chest because we feel this is going to be one of the most difficult obstacles for brand communication to overcome.

Overall, though, people > brand. Engagement > initial financial earn.

Transparency

When buying a car, anyone will want the ability to compare other, similar cars – not just in price, but in regard to features, efficiency and safety. While it may seem crazy for a company to give customers full access to information on their competition to make a decision, they already have it. To them, you are simply trying to make them jump through a hoop to get it.

Am I paying a fair price? Does someone else sell the same thing at a better value? Questions like these all have immediate answers. Brands will have a chance to be more transparent – more so than through a BS statement that simply states as much – but in actuality, because consumers will search your reviews and find the truth anyway.

Connectivity

When I step into your place of business, whether in person or digitally, I am going to have an expectation of accessibility. I want to hear the music I want, have access to WiFi, and customize my product and experience—I expect the ability to have it my way, when I want it.

Give this to your customers. And include them in the conversation.

How many times have you walked into a place asking for the nearest outlet? With 5G, we will need more battery, so put outlets at every table. And make sure that outlet is compatible with USB chargers. In fact, put chargers at every table.

A brand doesn’t have to be game-changing to survive in the era of 5G – bring 5G-friends just means delivering customers what they so desperately want.