Big data has had a profound impact on numerous sectors today including the marketing space. Marketers across the world are leveraging the power of data analytics, thus using insights to generate tailored marketing messages.

So, how do data analytics and big data help marketers develop targeted campaigns based on specific consumer behavior? Do you stand a chance to leverage existing data and understand customers better? Let’s find out!

Knowing the concept

Before we dive deep into the discussion, it’s high time to develop a comprehensive idea of big data. The term ‘big data’ refers to a collection or a database of complex data sets. Although it has a lot of potentials and can be used for dynamic development, you can’t extract it with conventional methods.

If you are operating in the marketing sector, customer information, notes, and behavioral patterns will be of paramount significance for you. These are the resources that help you take informed decisions. But you need to organize, arrange, and curate the data to understand your customers better!

The real scenario

Cut-throat competitions and steep growth curves are giving birth to new challenges. Every business wants to stay ahead of the growth curve, and big data seems to be the only way out. Since data analytics helps you develop clear ideas of consumer preferences, purchase behaviors, and decision patterns, it becomes imperative to take note of it.

However, you should know the art of extracting useful data as that is the key to gaining crucial insights into customer behavior. It’s here that consumer personas emerge as a significant point. Here’s what you need to know!

Understanding consumer personas

If you are on the other end of the sales process, you will surely come across numerous consumers. Without specific demographics, it will be tough to identify their individual behaviors. Here are some of the crucial parameters:

• Identifiable and direct: Identifiable demographics include age, marital status, ethnicity, income level, and employment status.
• Non-identifiable: When it comes to identifying the non-identifiable parameters, you will get parameters like preferences, lifestyle, personal objectives, influences, and interests.

How Big Data helps?

Based on the demographics and personal behavior patterns, big data helps marketers develop assumptions about their consumers. While a majority of organizations consider their customers’ spending power as the biggest parameter to be the MVP or ‘Most Valuable People, that shouldn’t be the case. These customers don’t score high in terms of brand loyalty and can shift their interests over time.

By leveraging these parameters, big data helps you come across crucial metrics related to consumer behavior. Here are some of those important metrics:

• Consumer acquisition costs
• Customer retention costs
• Lifetime value
• Customer satisfaction and happiness
• Average purchase amounts and behavior

Signing off

Marketers can develop a deep understanding of these metrics thus correlating them with customer information. Once they know their buying trends, it will be easier for them to match the results with specific consumer personas, thus devising targeted marketing strategies.

When you know what your target consumers like and spend on, you will surely stay ahead of your competitors in the market.

The web development arena has undergone a massive transformation over the years. Developers are utilizing leading frameworks for creating functional and scalable websites. Ruby on Rails happens to be a worthy inclusion in this list of functional frameworks. With a majority of developers opting for it, Ruby on Rails has long enjoyed great popularity in the tech world.

That brings us to a major point of discussion. Do developers like Ruby on Rails? Or they don’t want to use it? Here are our views on this topic.

Understanding the framework

Ruby on Rails is beneficial in ways more than one. Compared to some of the most popular and widely-used frameworks, Rails seems to be a much better option. Check out the following aspects to know about what makes Ruby-on-Rails so effective.

1.     Mature framework

We all know the importance of a robust framework for a web development project. Ruby-on-Rails is based on reliable, robust, and solid foundations. If you are working on solutions built on strong codes, Ruby-on-Rails will act as the perfect support system.

The mature framework ensures other benefits too. Developers will enjoy access to open-source and powerful freebies that cut down costs to a great extent.

2.     Creating robust and powerful codes

Ruby-on-Rails is a dynamic framework which helps you create strong codes. Unlike PHP, Rails offers a dynamic yet strict coding structure. While making alterations or scaling up the program, developers won’t have to deal with bugs or other issues.

3.     Not-so-easy-to-learn

Now, that’s confusing! When a particular framework is tough to learn, developers won’t like to work on it. However, things are a little different here. Every developer can’t master the art of using Ruby-on-Rails. The ones that can do it successfully are high in demand.

If you are comfortable working on Rails, you will emerge as a highly efficient, skilled, and credible developer. That’s a huge boost to your image and portfolio!

4.     Clean and elegant

Developers like to use Rails as it has a clean, uncomplicated, and elegant coding structure. It is extensible, which is the key to creating scalable codes. If you are working for a client, you can be sure of delivering highly scalable, clean, and extensible codes.

5.     Reduced development time

With reduced development time, developers can execute numerous projects within the shortest time span. You can handle bulk projects at a time, thus delivering quality work to your clients.

6.     A strong community

Ruby-on-Rails receives the best maintenance. A community of skilled and dynamic developers make Ruby on Rails the best framework to work with. With an expressive language, pragmatic framework, and active community, Rails has everything that a developer can wish for.

Final thoughts

There’s no denying the value that Rails provides for your web development project. With numerous users relying on this framework, it is surely heading towards a bright future. As of now, we can say, Ruby-on-Rails is far from being a nightmare. At least, not for developers!

Pokemon Go marked the first blockbuster success of Augmented Reality (AR) going mainstream. Since then, the entire tech world is striving to accomplish numerous breakthroughs in AR. The technology aims at merging our real existence with the digital world, thus unlocking new avenues of growth and development. Most importantly, augmented reality has transformed lives and processes across industry verticals. From the business world to healthcare sectors, AR is revolutionizing numerous industries in an innovative way.

So, that brings us to a crucial question. Is AR the next big thing in the tech world? Let’s review the question and find out an appropriate answer for it.

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Ripples across sectors

Augmented Reality is finding application and implementation across sectors. Technologists, business owners, and data scientists are identifying new possibilities for AR, thus taking each of them to unmatched heights of success. We can just breeze through some of these possibilities and find out what’s happening around.

1.     The education sector

There has been a massive rise in investments in the education sector. Technologists and educationists are trying their best to implement AR thus unlocking new learning opportunities for students. From viewing the formation of geological concepts and geographical landforms to creating real-world structures, students will experience integrated and experiential learning. Here’s how students can benefit from the technology:

• Students can leverage AR for recreating the historical era.
• AR will also help them rearrange graphs, draw molecular structures and data points within a traditional classroom setting.
• Students can learn in real-time, which is a major step towards collaborative studies.

2.     The professional world

AR also introduces numerous opportunities in the professional world. The emergence of Google Glass is one of the most remarkable incidents in this context. By facilitating processes and enhancing their speed of occurrence, AR is revolutionizing the professional world in ways more than one.

3.     Possibilities in the sports sector

There’s no denying the multitude of possibilities that AR brings to the sports sector. If you take a look at the recently concluded Olympics, you will come across the emergence of new sports accessories like lighter shoes, uniforms, jerseys, and bikes. The prime emphasis is to ensure speedy execution of processes. AR Glasses take this revolution forward in the following ways:

• Athletes can develop clear ideas of the environment in the field
• Ideas about weather conditions such as wind, temperature, humidity, and wind directions

When players get such detailed reports about the environment they are playing in; their performance levels shoot up. That ensures immense satisfaction for both the players and spectators.

Concluding note

These instances and glimpses will help you develop crystal clear ideas of the current scenario. Whether it’s healthcare, sports, education, or business, Augmented Reality has the power to transform things for the better. The creation of real-world environments within a physical setting leads to unsurpassed growth and development across sectors.

Most importantly, this particular technology is introducing a new age of learning for numerous people. From students learning their lessons in an innovative manner to sportspersons enhancing their gaming skills, AR is instrumental in a myriad of such innovations!

Traditional work cultures have undergone massive transformation in recent years. The 9-to-5 work vertical no longer exists in the corporate landscape, and remote operations have taken the lead. No matter where you are, you can still stay connected to your workplace, employees, and processes. All you need to do is get a Smartphone, or a smart watch or tablets to embrace mobility.

Well, here’s the term we have been waiting for! The emergence of enterprise mobility is a remarkable incident in the business landscape, which has the power to revolutionize operations. The trivial fact is that most of the people consider mobile technologies and mobility to be similar concepts. However, the reality is different, and that’s what we aim to find out.

Working on the differences

A majority of enterprises today strive hard to develop a dynamic and robust mobile strategy. They are making dedicate efforts towards strengthening their IT departments and devising effective mobile approaches.

Maybe that’s not enough to thrive and flourish in this age of cut-throat competitions. What you need is a dynamic mobility solution that helps you perform seamless operations across devices.

With that introduction, we can develop a basic idea of what differentiates ‘mobile’ and ‘mobility.’ Have a look!

• Mobile: It is a technology that connects devices. Quite a few business organizations and enterprises use connected devices, and mobile technologies play a pivotal role in this context.
• Mobility: Quite unlike mobile technologies, mobility is a trend that has the power to transform work cultures. Mobility can change according to contextual differences, and that’s where mobile technologies also transform to suit those contextual scenarios.

What is what: Identifying mobility trends and mobile technologies

Mobility brings connectivity, which is undoubtedly the key to improving processes and functions across industrial sectors. If market reports are anything to go by, 45% of employees in the United States work in traditional settings. Now, that means the majority likes to embrace mobility trends and work in mobile environments.

As an entrepreneur, you will surely want to optimize production. Giving your employees the liberty to work according to their convenience will be the first step towards achieving that.

The need for a dynamic mobile strategy

From colossal enterprises to small-scale ventures, every business organization is embracing mobility like never before. We are living in a dynamic world, where static approaches won’t help you survive the competition. A robust mobility strategy is the need of the hour and here’s how you should plan it.

1.     Fitting your work culture

If you want to ride the change, you will have to prepare your workplace first. Make sure your office is ready to accept the changing environment and employees are willing to work remotely.

2.     It’s more than relocation

Embracing mobility doesn’t mean you are just shifting your workplace. It’s more than relocating your office from one location to another. Mobility is connected to employee retention, metrics, ROIs, and cost savings. While making your business future-ready, you should keep these aspects in mind.

Welcome the future

Although there’s a difference between mobile technologies and enterprise mobility, there’s no denying the interconnection between them. There’s a common point of similarity amidst all these differences, and that’s their contribution to scale up your enterprise!

Across the span of diverse industries, disruptive technologies like Internet of Things are helping organizations stay ahead of the growth curve. Current market trends show how IoT can be transformative and fuel the growth of new processes, dynamic technologies, and exciting products.

However, this unsurpassed growth and rapid adoption of IoT can lead to severe security issues. According to data presented by Gartner, the IoT market will experience a remarkable expansion with 26 billion IoT units by the end of 2020.

That clearly explains the need for a robust security strategy. Internet-Of-Things shares integral connections with a company’s IP or intellectual property, which makes effective security ll them ore critical for an organization.

Identifying the security challenges

That was just a prologue to what the Internet-Of-Things does for various organizations. If you are planning to leverage this dynamic technology, security will emerge as the need of the hour. Although it’s a ubiquitous term for a range of integrated systems and internet operated devices, IOT is a tech innovation. Rapid expansions lead to a gamut of security challenges including:

• Replication Attacks

  The design and development of an IoT device take place just a single time. Once these devices get produced, mass replication occurs, and millions of replicas come into the market. Quite naturally, that increases the possibilities of security attacks. If hackers succeed in attacking a single device, the others with similar system integrations will fall prey to such attacks.

• Connectivity issues

  Connected devices control a multitude of systems and core processes including utility grids, communication systems, and transportation infrastructure. A major attack on these systems will lead to a mass catastrophe.

• Non-updated systems

  Most of the times, connected devices and systems aren’t updated and run on the same software installed during the development process. That hampers their capability to fight security attacks thus making the entire system highly vulnerable.

These are some of the critical challenges faced by connected devices and IoT-enabled systems. With these aspects in mind, it’s high time for you to implement the right security strategies.

How to secure systems in Internet of Things?

If critical data threats or malicious software affects your set of connected devices and systems, here’s what you can do to save them:

1.     Secured boot and access

It is better to begin right from scratch and achieve secured boot. Let the manufacturer come up with ‘cryptographically-signed’ code that offers secured access to these systems.

2.     Data encryption

Your IoT devices deal with optimum data encryption. Protect confidential data and make it a point to offer secured access to users.

3.     Password authentication

Those failing to provide the authentication password won’t gain access to the IOT system. Password authentication is a highly crucial security measure as it restricts user entries.

4.     Fighting cyber attacks

You will get the chance to fight cyber-attacks on your IOT systems with embedded firewalls. Firewalls offer access to authentic hosts and block hackers, thus ensuring optimum protection for the system.

Concluding note

With Internet of Things turning out to be the future of integrated operations, it is high time secure it against critical security issues. Implement these security measures and be on the right path to growth using IoT.

The Charm Of Virtual Reality

From manufacturing and production to core services sectors, tech advancements has led to advanced functioning, improved productivity, and higher efficiency. Virtual Reality (VR) is one such technology behemoth that lends immense opportunities for multiple industry verticals. The idea of virtual reality and the creation of a near-real world is undoubtedly a step towards innovation. With some of the market giants embracing and promoting the VR technology, it becomes imperative to take note of it.

Since its inception and emergence in the tech arena, VR has become a buzzword. From leading tech biggies to startup ventures, VR is embraced, promoted, and popularized by every organization. The good news is that the VR technology has become accessible to common users. Whether you give a jolt of freshness to your marketing campaigns or wish to drive unmatched user experience, VR is right here for you.

VR for common public

Although a lot has been said about the VR technology, not much of it has gone mainstream. A considerable number of users are still unaware of VR and its stunning effects on various processes. A quick look at statistical data will reveal the actual scenario. Between the period of 2015 and 2016, the number of active VR users have reached an all-time high. Data suggests that there has been a twofold increase in the numbers, which clearly represents and indicates why VR is important.

After gaining such immense popularity amongst users, the VR technology is finding application across sectors. Quite naturally, the pioneering tech giants are coming forward to promote and popularize VR amongst general users. In simple words, Virtual Reality is becoming more accessible to masses. Let’s find out how leading tech companies are taking this revolution forward.

Efforts by Samsung

The VR headset launched by Samsung is one of the biggest discoveries in the present times. As a global tech force, Samsung understands the importance of making VR affordable and accessible. That’s the prime reason for Samsung lowering its price to $99. Compared to the other market biggies, Samsung happens to have a more consumer-centric approach.

It is perhaps the sole creator and developer of a consumer VR device. While Oculus Rift, HTC, and Sony are for hardcore gamers, Samsung’s VR headset is the best gift for general users. Quite naturally, this particular device will increase VR adoption rates to a great extent.

Google’s Cardboard

With Samsung taking the lead, Google isn’t far away from making a fruitful initiative. The company has come up with Cardboard, which is an effective counterpart of the highly expensive VR headsets. The main constituents or construction materials used in the manufacture of Cardboard are quite cheap, which makes the entire device highly accessible to users. With an innovative Smartphone, this particular device can create immersive and stunning experiences for users. Its accessibility makes it the perfect innovation for users!

Parting thoughts

VR is the future, and there’s no denying the fact that it creates an entryway for next-generation technologies. With this effective initiative to make the technology accessible to general users, VR seems to have a bright future!

In the emerging trends, Internet of Things (IoT) is the most discussed technology that has impressed users across the globe by transforming the way they complete their daily tasks. As per Juniper’s recent report, the IOT connected objects, sensors, devices, and actuators are expected to reach over 46 billion in 2021(approximately.) Since a lot of new advancements will be experienced in ‘smart’ devices, apps and products, UX designers may experience various challenges while coping up their products and services with this technology. Read the article below to know about some current problems that every UX designer is facing while making products and services available for the future:

1.     Challenges While Designing the Application

It is important to keep in mind while creating IoT products that they are the dumbest versions of modern devices. Incorporating artificial intelligence and an argument for adopting the change are the two prime concerns that aren’t easy to resolve. Product designers may get stuck while crafting something that can work as per the main functioning of an application.

2.     Usability Concerns

IoT is automating monotonous tasks to enhance user efficiency and effectiveness. One of the biggest challenges a user experience designer faces is – IoT being in its infancy stage. Since no OEM has developed a product individually, most of the marketed gadgets lack usability. Another major constraint is that these products aren’t using traditional approach because the current knowledge and experience aren’t applicable at all. Gadgets can be only optimized and improved basis research, and it will take some time.

3.     Device Connectivity – Are We Prepared?

If IoT is the future, then it is imperative to consider that the future devices will be of no use if they aren’t connected to the network. Since the entire process works on transferring data without human intervention, it becomes a mandate for users to stay connected over the same network. Laptops and Smartphones facing network issues is quite common, what if your hundred dollars smart device also displays the same error? The biggest question is – are we ready for this? The answer is No. Developers will require discovering newer ways to handle such situations on IoT devices as they won’t be online all the time.

4.     Glitches – Something You Can’t Ignore

The IoT brings new and exceptional challenges for UX designers. We are entering the world where the poor web or mobile UX may survive, but the poorly functioning smart object with delayed experience could be problematic. A burnt toast or breakfast will never be welcomed with a pleasing smile; however, a delayed web page experience can be tolerated for some time.

5.     UX Should Be a Priority

While making products for the future, the user experience designing should be the priority because a single issue in the product or its features may ruin the entire experience. The principle for designing IOT’s product is – make it work, incorporate efficiency, add security, and bring on the innovations.

Conclusion

Working on the core principles of ensuring task handling processes faster and comfortable, the technology is creating endless possibilities for making everything connected over an app. Since many users may not adopt IoT empowered devices quickly, designers and manufacturers must incorporate certain features in them to compel users for choosing the smart devices over traditional ones.