In this second installment, we propose six more key strategies to identify future trends in innovation. These techniques complement those seen in the previous post and provide us with additional tools to anticipate change.
Analysis of social networks and digital platforms: Social networks are a rich source of data on emerging trends and changes in consumer behavior. Analyzing this data helps to discover movements in real time and to detect opportunities for transformation and improvement that can hardly be reached through other means. With machine learning and artificial intelligence, these analysis processes are greatly reduced in cost, and it is worth implementing automatic diagnostic mechanisms in networks.
Investment in research and development (R&D): Continuous research not only drives internal innovation, but also allows us to stay abreast of external developments that can impact the industry. Public investment in R&D allows SMEs to access the generation of relevant knowledge that can determine their future.
Collaboration with universities and research centres: Linked to the above, partnering with academic institutions around R&D projects facilitates access to cutting-edge research that is not yet on the market.
Trends in policies and regulation: The regulatory environment has a direct impact on companies. Staying informed about legislative and regulatory changes, especially in Europe, allows you to anticipate necessary adjustments to products or services.
Participation in conferences and innovation forums: These events not only allow you to discover emerging technologies and practices, but are also a space for networking with other industry leaders, a space for sharing and collaborating.
Trend studies in specialist publications: Reading reports and market analyses published by research companies helps to identify potential trends early on and to understand how they are evolving.
These advanced strategies allow for a deeper understanding of the factors influencing change. Stay tuned for the latest post on this topic!