Small businesses tech trends for 2023 and beyond

By Troy Marchant, Director, Adviceco Chartered Accountants

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you may not be at the forefront of developing technology, but tech still plays a vital role in your business’s growth and efficiency. Given how much things have changed in the past year, small business technology trends will only become more important throughout 2023.

While new infrastructure like 5G will continue to gain traction, established markets such as employee monitoring software will also have a greater impact on small businesses.

Here are 7 small business tech trends for 2023 and beyond.

1. Artificial intelligence will become more widespread.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have been hot tech topics for years. This could mean a wide range of implementation scenarios this year, such as voice assistants, personalized customer

2. The 5G rollout will ramp up.

The business implications of 5G are significant. The adoption of 5G technology began in 2019, but the pandemic significantly delayed rollout domestically and internationally. Still, the benefits of adopting the fifth generation of cellular capability include significantly faster data transmission speeds than 4G networks can provide. According to cell phone manufacturer Huawei, 5G also promises little or no latency, or delay in data transfer.

3. Employee monitoring software adoption will continue for hybrid teams. Hybrid and remote teams are here to stay, which means employee monitoring software is too. Although many businesses have already adopted these tools, expect more to join their ranks as the realities of managing remote workers set in.

4. Remote onboarding will be perfected. As more businesses embrace the hybrid working model (and the potential savings that stem from shedding office space and freeing up employee commuting time for additional work), they will rely more on technology to handle a successful onboarding process for remote employees.

5. Tech-assisted retail shopping will expand.

In a bid to cut costs and boost profitability, major retailers have been accelerating their rollout of mobile and social media shopping to create a contactless shopping experience. Small businesses will begin to follow suit as the price point on some of these technologies becomes more manageable.

Mobile payments have grown to include QR codes, mobile terminals and mobile wallets. Shoppers are increasingly comfortable with these ways to shop and pay, making them viable investments for small businesses with limited staff.

6. Superapps will emerge as the next generation of business software. Gartner predicts that 2023 will usher in the start of widespread development and use of what it dubs superapps. These apps will allow for the combination and unification of disparate app services into one easy to use interface. Small businesses can benefit from using these apps to better streamline operations for employees and vendors.

7. There will be an increased focus on cybersecurity.

The shift to new working practices has spawned new forms of fraud, with malware evolving in response to greater virtual communication and the rising domestic use of workplace hardware.

However, this sense of risk hasn’t trickled down to businesses. According to research from BullGuard, nearly 60 percent of small businesses think it’s unlikely they will be targeted in a cyberattack.

However, cybersecurity company Check Point found global cyberattacks in the third quarter of 2022 were 28 percent higher than in the same period in 2021.

Other tech trend areas which will also grow and become a focus for small businesses:

(i) We’ll see a big focus on big data.

(ii) Businesses will place a greater emphasis on automation.

(iii) Influencer marketing will remain popular and narrow in focus.

(iv) Social media advertising will continue to grow.

In summary, Tech trends can shift rapidly based on a multitude of factors, including the state of the economy, the availability of skilled labour and user response to the deployment of technologies.

With that in mind, be aware that the outlined technologies are likely to continue to grow throughout the year and into the coming years based on their increasing adoption, return on investment, and consumer behaviour.

Feds announce Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized

The Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Round 1, were announced by the Federal Government in early March and will support businesses to upgrade or replace inefficient equipment to improve their energy efficiency.

These upgrades will enable industries to reduce their energy use and manage energy cost volatility in the long term.

The grant opportunity provides small and medium businesses up to $25,000 to replace or upgrade existing equipment to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Applications close Wednesday, 19 April 2023

For more details visit: www.gov.au/ grants-and-programs/

Website - Central Coast Chronicle - (www. centralcoastchronicle.com.au) is relaunching with MORE offerings for local businesses to promote themselves to the Coast community.

The Chronicle offers businesses the opportunity to connect with other companies and the general public through editorial profile opportunities, social media content and the website itself, which has just been relaunched with an array of new services for members.

The new Chronicle website offers a dynamic database and features the general public can engage with, including a planning calendar, a classifieds section and news updates.

The Chronicle website comes from PR professional Brooke Simmons, Founder of

Pursuit Communications.

“In my fourteen years of running a PR agency, I saw an opportunity for businesses to have a one-stop platform to promote their business, connect with others and collaborate for future activities; consequently, the Chronicle was created.”

Businesses can take advantage of the Chronicle’s services from as little as $36 per month as part of their business membership package.

“The Chronicle aims to help businesses with three key areas when it comes to online networking and building awareness of their business; offering an increased visibility platform that’s not only cost-effective but also time-efficient and allows for easier follow-up with the people you directly want to do business with.”

Local Business Owners in Top 50™ People in E-Commerce

Local entrepreneurs, Melissa Wilkinson and Matthew Mosse-Robinson who founded Personalised Favours at West Gosford have been named in the Top 50 People in E-Commerce by Inside Retail.

Starting Personalised Favours from her garage back in 2009, Mel began making personalised wedding and engagement gifts when she couldn’t find any to her liking for her own wedding.

Fast forward to 2023, and Personalised Favours offers personalised gifts for all special occasions and is the flagship brand of the Foresight Online Group, which has grown to incorporate six successful e-commerce businesses.

Based in West Gosford, they now employ over 50 staff and dispatch more than 100,000 orders across Australia, Asia-Pacific and the US every year.

In 2021, Ms Wilkinson and Mr MosseRobinson were named in the Australian Financial Review Fast 100 list. They continue to innovate and grow in the online space and are a true local success story.

Six String Brewing celebrates 10 years and announces new growth plans

The first boutique craft brewery and restaurant to be established on the Central Coast celebrated its 10th birthday this month.

The brain child of former policeman, Adam Klasterka and Chris Benson an IT Server Engineer, both of whom grew up on the Central Coast and had a passion for craft beers.

Since then, Adam Klasterka has moved on but brewer, Chris Benson with his wife Sharon have persevered and created a brand that is almost synonymous with the Central Coast.

Today Six String has cemented its place in the craft beer culture on the Central Coast and has become a popular dining and tasting venue from Wednesday to Saturday each week. The Bensons had planned on it also being a popular music venue as well, except that was stopped when a few locals who lived nearby complained.

That will all change when Six String opens their new landmark brewery and restaurant at The Sawmill site on the corner of Central Coast Highway and Avoca Drive, Erina towards the end of this year.

The new venue will allow Six String to increase production from 400,000 litres to 1 million litres and more annually and accommodate 150 people in their new restaurant which will feature live music.

“Music, food and beer is what craft brewing is all about,” says Chris. “I learned that while travelling through the UK years ago and it has become my passion.”

And passion is what it is all about, as Chief Brewer Chris Benson is constantly developing new products. From their flagship Dark Red IPA to their Coastie Lager and Pale Ale to their popular seasonal releases which keeps the Six String fans rolling in.

Six String is certainly a local brand, 90% of their production is sold to restaurants, bars and a few hotels on the Central Coast and now into the Hunter Valley.

Mr Benson said that during Covid they developed a strong online customer base and this continues to be part of their marketing efforts which will be expanded once they move into the new premises.

Asked about competition from the other craft breweries that have set up in recent years Mr Benson said they are an important part of the craft beer market. “Customer want variety, so we all work together and we are creating a strong craft beer following.”

Meanwhile, to take the business to a new level the Bensons have recently appointed a General Manager with the aim of expanding across the East Coast.

Brent Adams joins Six String after a twenty year career at Coca-Cola Amatil that included three years as General Manager of Samoa Breweries Ltd finally as State Manager of CCA.