2022 Will Be When Digital and Physical Worlds Collide

This post is part of G2's 2022 digital trends series.

Introducing G2’s trends 2022

I am delighted to introduce our Trends for 2022, an annual series of thought leadership from G2’s team of analysts highlighting some of the key trends shaping the future of B2B software. Trying to predict the future is always challenging, yet experience, data, and intuition combined can highlight some of the pivotal trends forming to shape what that future could look like.

The global challenges of 2020 and 2021 continue to make their presence felt, and whatever your interpretation of “normal” is in business and work, it’s likely that it has at least been modified, and perhaps radically so.

It has become clear that it is not just software that disrupts traditional business models—the physical world has considerable influence over the digital world. For example, the impact on international trade of the 1,300 feet long container ship, Ever Given, becoming stuck in and blocking the Suez Canal for several days is an unfortunate demonstration of the power the physical world can have over the digital one. On the opposing side, at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, for those lucky enough to be able to work remotely, office productivity software, video meetings, and home broadband internet connections allowed millions to work from the safety of home, but also left many physical offices and city centers empty.

As a theme, it is fair to say that the boundaries of digital transformation are being tested by the constraints of the physical world.

G2 analysts consider the future of B2B software

Our analysts have dug into this reshaping, considering what it means for their area of software and business expertise. I invite you to take a moment from your busy days to invest the time to ponder their analyses and, more importantly, how those predictions could help you make better business decisions.

• Aaron Walker examines enterprise solutions for multicloud security and the rise of secure access service edge (SASE) as an industry standard.
• Adam Crivello digs into DevSecOps as the answer to the security concerns created by rapidly delivered applications, informing us that development teams must refocus on building secure by default.
• Anindita Sengupta provides insights into business needs for remote support software as many organizations navigate hybrid work practices.
• Anthony Orso takes a closer look at the links within the supply chain and how he believes data, analytics, and AI will help professionals in this area build greater resilience to growing challenges.
• Brianna Bajwa considers work’s move to remote and hybrid options, predicting that employers will need to invest in solutions that enable collaboration and communication for better employee experiences.
• Dominick Duda predicts that nonprofits that embrace digital tools and contactless experiences as a core component of their fundraising strategy will see continued success in 2022 and beyond.
• Emily Malis Greathouse dives into retail media ad platforms, an area she predicts will grow in 2022, unlocking new data cooperation opportunities as retailers switch to privacy-friendly channel monetization.
• Gabriel Gheorghiu provides a window into hybrid shopping, and the options it brings but also the complexity that comes with them. He concludes that this trend, paired with supply chain challenges, will negatively impact customer loyalty, and new innovations will be required to keep customers.
• Matthew Miller declares that contrary to common wisdom, data isn’t the new oil at all, but rather will be considered the brain of a company in 2022.
• Merry Marwig examines new privacy-enhancing technologies which may be the answer to enterprise-scale companies’ data privacy woes.
• Nathan Calabrese opens up digital wallets, a result of the increasingly cashless, and contactless world we live in; concluding that their rise shows no sign of abating.
• Patrick Szakiel predicts that banks will make AI-powered digital banking products a part of their core strategy in 2022.
• Preethica Furtado offers her predictions for cloud computing, calling out growing use of cloud cost management tools to better manage IT budgets and an acceleration in edge computing.
• Priya Patel considers the vast amounts of digital content available to businesses, highlighting the need for software solutions to help businesses focus on effectively using the right content to create value.
• Rachael Altman explores the topic of hybrid healthcare, concluding that it’s here to stay after the huge increase in the use of virtual care ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Shaun Bishop sheds light on fast-growing HR capabilities such as talent marketplaces that he believes are helping businesses adapt to the changing world of work.
• Stephanie Graham brings our attention to the need to bridge the gap between in-person and virtual events, highlighting how event management software will help event organizers create engaging and memorable hybrid experiences.
• Tian Lin draws the line between the growth in SaaS and the growth that is powering SaaS spend management; cautioning sellers to address low adoption rates and focus on increasing returns on investment.
• Victoria Blackwell takes a closer look at the emergence of easier and more efficient content production and publication software. She suggests automation of the content itself may be on the horizon as AI-powered content creation heads to the forefront of digital marketing.