Technology trends to look out for in 2019

CB Insights analysts identified the trends they believe will shape the tech industry in 2019.

2019 will be the year with new possibilities for personalization, monitoring, and marketing.

Through these tech-driven times, technology brands have expanded beyond their core products and turned into a lifestyle for customers, reshaping the way health is monitored and even the way we connect with our homes and families.

This is why CB Insights analysts looked back over a year’s worth of research briefs, data crunching, and reports to identify the trends they believe will shape the tech sector in 2019.

The hyper-personalization of everything: In 2019, we’ll see an increase in cross-industry collaborations to better understand users and offer them more fine-tuned products. For example, in September 2018, Spotify partnered with Ancestry.com to utilize DNA data to create unique playlists for individuals. Autonomous vehicles, for example, might use personalization data to offer responsive car settings.
Smart homes are targeting senior citizens: We’ll see smart home-based healthcare technology enter the senior citizen market in 2019 as a passive tool. Surveillance tech is rising. In October 2018, Amazon was granted a patent to detect “abnormal” voice conditions like coughing, sore throats, and even different emotional states like sadness and excitement. If a senior is coughing, Alexa might suggest that they order medicine. If programmed to do so, this coughing data might even go directly to a loved one or a care provider.
Malls are out, retail is all-in: Retail isn’t just moving online. It’s also starting to infiltrate other aspects of our offline world, like car rides. Major brands like Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola are already signing on to these new retail moments and using them as an opportunity to pilot and sell products. In the future, you might be able to pick up dish detergent on your way home from work at the Walmart pod that sits in your lobby.
Automated delivery… on the way!: The promise of autonomous driving hasn’t quite arrived, but last-mile delivery may be the first place where we see fully autonomous fleets deployed. It’s a massive industry with a lot of money to be made by solving its inefficiencies. In July 2018, Ford and Domino’s began a two-month partnership in Ann Arbor, Michigan where customers would order food and have Ford Fusion hybrids deliver it. In 2019, expect more companies to begin using autonomous vehicles in their last-mile deliveries.
Wearable technology: In 2019, we will see that the trojan horse into this industry is wearable technology. In general, 60.5 million people total will use a wearable device in the U.S. during 2019, a 9.2% increase in comparison to 2018. Some companies are moving into your dreams as well. Dreem, which has raised $58M in funding, sells a headband that customers can wear around their heads while asleep.
Evolving office spaces: Whether it’s home offices or coworking spaces, we’re seeing a new emphasis on comfortable, intuitive office spaces. The problem for the industry is comfort and the fact that it’s hard to define. No two people necessarily agree on what comfort looks or feels like. Wellness, mental health, and productivity are all top-of-mind.
Transportation and logistics go green: Buses, especially for school and public transit, will see increased electrification next year. Across the trucking industry as well, greener vehicles are gaining traction.