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Accelerating Out Of The Crisis
In the wake of profound disruption, the future came into focus. Changes long in the making for some firms were implemented overnight. Agility, creativity, and customer obsession showed the way forward. These principles will continue to guide companies as we enter the next normal.
2021 will mark a turning point. The business landscape has fundamentally shifted. Success will depend on firms’ ability and willingness to harness disruption to drive meaningful change.
Read our 2021 predictions to learn how to meet the moment and forge a successful path in the year ahead.
Blog
Predictions 2021: Technology And Customer Obsession Help Firms Emerge From Crisis Mode
It has never been more important for organizations to anticipate change, strengthen resilience, and become truly customer obsessed. Heading into 2021, technology — both new and existing — will help firms achieve these aims and emerge from the crisis on sound footing.
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Predictions 2021
Discover the most critical business trends of 2021 and how firms can accelerate out of the crisis.
Customer Experience
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Predictions 2021: Trust, Safety, And Inclusion Will Be At The Core Of Customer Experience
In 2021, the pandemic will affect customer experiences and the CX profession even more than it has in 2020, especially in terms of trust, safety, and inclusion. Get a preview of our customer experience predictions for 2021.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Remote Work, Automation, And HR Tech Will Flourish
Employee experience in 2021 will be defined by long-term remote work and crisis management. Success will depend on the strength of an organization's employee experience strategy and technology investments. Learn more.
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Predictions 2021: It’s All About Empathy, Digital, And Virtualizing Customer Care
The purpose of customer service is no longer just to alleviate run-of-the-mill inconveniences; it is to provide fundamental and necessary services for consumers devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how customer service will evolve in 2021.
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Predictions 2021: Customer Insights Practices Continue To Evolve
Firms have gotten better at acting on customer insights. So, what will customer insights leaders do in 2021 to ensure that this improved understanding moves the needle on CX? Something new and different. Learn why in our customer insights predictions for 2021.
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Predictions 2021: Divided Consumers Will Wrestle With Escalating Individual, Community, And Global Tensions
Escalating tensions will influence consumer behavior in 2021 as we move beyond crisis mode and see the new patterns forged from the current crisis. Read our consumer predictions for 2021.
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Research Reports
Predictions 2021 Research
Technology
CIO
Did your organization scramble to apply short-term fixes this year or did you fully adapt to the shifts causes by the pandemic? Watch this video to hear VP, Research Director Matthew Guarini discuss how your organization’s pandemic response could impact its success or failure in 2021.
Blog
Predictions 2021: Winning CIOs Get Future Fit
In 2021, we predict CIOs will act more locally when it comes to tech selection and develop better employee experiences. Learn more in our 2021 CIO predictions.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Software Developers Face Mounting Pressure
As executive teams put more pressure on internal teams to speed digital transformation in 2021, how will software developers respond? Find out in our 2021 predictions for software development.
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Predictions 2021: Technology Diversity Drives IoT Growth
In 2021, demand for IoT devices and services will be driven by a variety of technology applications. Find out what Forrester predicts for IoT in the coming year.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: “COVID Wrote The Business Case — Our Future Is Digital”
In 2020, digital shifted from nice-to-have to must-have. In 2021, companies will accelerate their digital transformation with a focus on customers and what, where, and how to serve them.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Blockchain Is A Tale Of Two Speeds
In 2021, Forrester predicts 30% of blockchain projects will make it into production with the majority of those run on enterprise platforms. Find out more in our 2021 blockchain predictions.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Edge Computing Hits An Inflection Point
In 2021, more firms will leverage edge computing technology as a way to accelerate recovery out of the pandemic. Find out more in our 2021 edge computing predictions.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: The Path To A New Normal Demands Increased Cybersecurity Resilience
In 2021, culture issues, budgets, and vendor shifts will be top priorities for cybersecurity leaders. Learn more in our 2021 cybersecurity predictions.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Cloud Computing Powers Pandemic Recovery
Get a deep-dive on Forrester's prediction that cloud computing will help companies around the world accelerate pandemic recovery in 2021.
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Predictions 2021: The Time Is Now For AI To Shine
In 2021, business and IT leaders will be forced to tackle some long-lingering AI challenges head on to successfully emerge from the pandemic. Read Forrester's AI predictions to learn more.
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Predictions 2021: Automation Becomes A Business Imperative
In less than a year automation moved from a long-term goal to a short-term necessity. Find out what Forrester predicts for the automation market in 2021.
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Research Reports
Predictions 2021 Research
Predictions 2021 Online Event
Dive deep into the dynamics that will generate obstacles and opportunities in 2021.
Marketing & Sales
B2B Marketing
The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked B2B marketing’s shift to digital. Where will the path lead in 2021? VP, Principal Analyst Lori Wizdo explains.
Blog
Predictions 2021: Agencies Swarm Talent With Technology
Agencies in 2021 will begin to resemble software companies, offering combinations of creative and media products bundled with the services to manage them. Read our predictions for agencies in 2021.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Welcome To The Year Of Pandemic Advertising
It’s been a rough year for advertisers, and 2021 will bring new challenges to a weary and quickly evolving industry. As advertisers attempt to reckon with the impending upheaval of data deprecation, they’ll be forced to divert attention toward more pressing — and distracting — issues that have emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forrester […]
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Predictions 2021: Privacy Becomes An Imperative In A Year Of Transition
Learn which three privacy-related concerns will underpin organizations' transition to the post-pandemic new normal in 2021.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: B2B Marketers Build Digital Pathways To Distanced Businesses
The events of 2020 have dramatically accelerated the digital destinies of B2B buyers and marketers. The transformation will continue in 2021 — and marketers who plan for these five shifts will gain an edge.
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Predictions 2021: Grounded Sellers Fly In The Face Of Old Norms
COVID-19 has accelerated the digital next normal for B2B sales. What lies ahead? Read an overview of our 2021 B2B sales predictions.
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B2B Sales
Hear Principal Analyst Mary Shea explain how AI and automation will help B2B sellers forge more meaningful connections with buyers.
Blog
Predictions 2021: B2C Marketing Goes Local And Retention-Based
B2C marketing in 2021 will take a decided turn toward retention and localization. Read on to discover how B2C marketers will adjust in the face of a post-pandemic world.
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Research Reports
Predictions 2021 Research
Industry
Blog
Predictions 2021: Insurers Find Opportunity Amid Chaos
As insurers contend with an unpredictable virus and its economic consequences, promising pathways to prosperity will reveal themselves.
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Predictions 2021: Digital Goes Mainstream As The New Normal Sets In For Healthcare
The forced digital transformation of 2020 was just the beginning for the healthcare industry. In 2021, transformation — and not just digital — will continue on a grander scale.
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Blog
Predictions 2021: Retailers, Brand Manufacturers, And Mall Operators
In the wake of the pandemic's deluge of disruption, retailers, brand manufacturers, and ecosystem players such as mall operators are entirely rethinking their businesses, heralding much change ahead. Read what we predict for retail in 2021.
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Europe Predictions 2021: Manufacturers Will Accelerate Their Digital Transformations
In 2021, European manufacturers will leverage emerging technology to accelerate the digital transformation efforts.
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Predictions 2021: Banks Will Need To Get To Know Their Customers (Again)
The COVID-19 crisis has upended banks' understanding of their customers. In 2021, banking executives will need to pivot accordingly.
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Predictions 2021: Wealth Management Firms Embrace Digital To Thrive
The events of 2020 exposed both weaknesses and opportunities for wealth management firms. In 2021, forward-thinking firms will not only meet these challenges, but will move beyond them.
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Research Reports
Predictions 2021 Research
Asia Pacific
Asia Pacific
Forrester VP, Research Director Ashutosh Sharma discusses 2021 Predictions for the Asia Pacific region.
Blog
Predictions 2021: Asia Pacific Will Lead The World Out Of COVID-19
Forrester analysts from across the Asia Pacific region provide insights on what to expect in the year 2021.
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Europe
Hear from Laura Koetzle, VP Group Director as she shares the true value you can harness from the 2021 European Predictions Resources as a Technology Leader planning your 2021 strategy. See all related resources below.
Blog
Europe Predictions 2021: With Volatility Comes Opportunity
European organizations can expect consumer contradictions, regulatory upheaval, and more cross-border remote work.
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Europe Predictions 2021: Digital Leaders Widen The Customer Experience Maturity Gap
In 2020, for the first time in more than five years, we saw two financial services companies achieve an “Excellent” score in our Customer Experience Index (CX Index™), which measures how successfully a company delivers customer experiences that create and sustain loyalty. But even as these digital leaders begin to pull away, the mainstream banks […]
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Europe Predictions 2021: Marketers Must Craft Experiences To Retain Contradictory Customers
Every autumn, Forrester looks ahead to predict the major consumer, business, and technology trends that will shape the marketing landscape for the following year. 2020 has been a year of unprecedented political, social, economic, and healthcare disruption — and 2021 shows no signs of any of these trends slowing down. How, then, should European consumer […]
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Europe Predictions 2021: Disruption And Opportunity For Technology Leaders
Every autumn at Forrester, we look ahead to predict how we think the world will unfold in the coming year. It’s that time again now. The art of prediction isn’t new, and as Europeans, we’ve excelled in it for centuries. Millenia even. Kings and queens, chieftains and war leaders would consult the wise, hoping for […]
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Europe Predictions 2021: Digital Acceleration In Financial Services
2020 has been a challenging year for financial services. First, COVID-19 hit insurers with business interruption and travel insurance claims. Then, banks’ profits took a hit as banks set aside billions for loan loss provisions. Given this and the protracted period of low interest rates, investors have taken a dim view of the industry’s prospects, […]
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Europe Predictions 2021
Discover the major dynamics that will impact European business leaders in 2021.
Predictions 2021
The business landscape has fundamentally shifted. Success in 2021 will depend on firms’ willingness and ability to harness disruption and drive meaningful change. Read our Predictions Guide to learn how to meet the moment and thrive.