My Cloudy Crystal Ball for 2021

Every year, in January, I publish my thinking on what the new year will bring, as well as revisit the predictions I made last year to see how well they panned out. This year, I have done so in the video edition of my LinkedIn newsletter, “Imagine.” In it, you’ll hear my thoughts on the trends we are likely to see throughout the next twelve months. But before jumping into my new musings, let’s take a look at how clear (or cloudy) my crystal ball proved to be for the year 2020…And no, I was unable to predict COVID-19. I blame it on the crystal ball.

My predictions for 2020:

…on Retail:

• Omni-channel will take on a new meaning
• E-Commerce silo is not enough
• B&M Sidebar is not enough
• Innovative distribution strategies are the new frontier
• Human insight and real experiences will be more important than ever

…on Reading:

• Physical books will continue to sell in droves, as real or tangible experiences continue to surge in importance

…on Content & Video Streaming

• Channel confusion will continue to persist, eventually becoming more, if not as, expensive as cable once was
• Cut the cord, get strangled by the tangle
• Good content will dominate, no one has time or patience for subpar viewing material

…on Internet:

• No data is safe
• Fake news will continue to fuel revenue on social and is a growth industry
• Hate-fueled communication will spur action
• Employees of “Big Tech” will push back
• Amazon will continue their push for end-to-end

Tune in to view my predictions for 2021. And, in the meantime, let me know how I did on my 2020 predictions.

What do you think?