It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Steve Adams, CEO of Mattress Online.
From a retail perspective Google local search will continue to be an important tool for businesses – making sure the page is updated and correct is key – and having reviews feeding in to elevate local visibility. It’s essentially free exposure, and I see brands making the most of that in 2024.
Along with that, I predict that we will see more hybrid retailing in the coming year, primarily online businesses coming offline and taking steps to invest back into the highstreet through bricks and mortar roll-outs.
For e-Commerce I think we’ll see AI and PMAX almost running online paid visibility by the end of 2024 and working to maximise content for Google’s EEAT policy (Enterprise, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness). The two need to work in harmony, so I see teams placing focus and capacity on those elements of their strategy, as it will be crucial for online businesses to get both right.
