By 2023, 40% of the population will be tracked digitally to influence behaviours. According to Gartner’s annual technology trend report, more than 3.5 billion people will be directly impacted by the Internet of Behaviours (IoB). IoB will be a prevalent reality pushing digital boundaries and challenging what it means to be a human in a digital world.
So, what is the Internet of Behaviour?
Evolving from IoT into IoB
The Internet of Behavior extends from the Internet of Things, the interconnection of devices that results in a wide variety of new data sources. This data could be specific to you as a customer – data you’ve provided through a company’s app or website. But, the reality is that companies often gather non-customer information by “sharing” across connected devices.
A single device such as a cell phone can track your online movements as well as your geographic location. It is relatively simple for companies to link your phone with your laptop, your in-home voice assistant, your house or car cameras, and possibly even your phone records (texts and phone calls). With a few clicks and connections, companies can know a lot more about you—your interests, dislikes, the way you vote, and the way you purchase.
Businesses are exploring ways to leverage this data through targeted advertising, but it does not stop there. Data gathered from the IoT can be leveraged in a variety of other ways. Companies can test the effectiveness of their campaigns, both commercial and non-profit. Contentstack estimated the entire IoT in mid-2019 to include 27 billion devices.
Now consider the IoT as the bottom of a period, gathering data and possibly even converting it into analysis. The IoB then turns that data into knowledge that can be further leveraged.
IoB: A new type of influencer
As businesses learn more about us (IoT), they can influence our behaviours ( IoB). Currently, the core use of IoT and IoB is to observe and record our patterns which typically result in influencing our buying decisions.
Personalisation has been the key to the effectiveness of a service. The more effective and seamless a service, the more a customer will engage and adapt their behaviour because of it. The IoB influences customers’ choices but also re-engineers the value chain.
Some customers openly resist giving their data to companies’ for free’, – they get nothing out offering their data to the company (blogs, subscriptions, downloadable content). Other customers are happy to do so if they feel it adds value to their experience.
The IoT’s power is its scale, which is already enormous. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, more than 50% of the population will be subject to at least one IoB programme. IoB will offer businesses a holistic way of doing business, and engaging with customers in new ways, offering personalised and seamless experiences.
About Smartz Solutions
Smartz Solutions specialises in managing customer and employee experiences through our enabling technology. Our success is based on technological foresight and strong business knowledge, enabling us to develop integrated solutions that meet your business needs. Our power lies in turning insights into strategies and giving you the ability to make effective business decisions. Based on a wealth of knowledge covering multiple industries, we have developed a suite of products that include the entire customer engagement journey offering best-in-class, world-class applications in a single end-to-end CX and EX platform.