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It is that time of the year to look forward at the top 10 key trends that will drive technology adoption in 2014:

2014 Technology PredictionsSuccessful technology deployments focus on strengthening the brand

According to Deloitte, brand value declined in 2013, for the third year in a row. To win in 2014, companies will need to go back to basics by selectively deploying technologies that protect and grow global brand value.

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$19 Billion Market Opportunity by 2018

Have recently become fascinated by the early market examples of wearable technologies and their future possibilities for improved Next Tech Waveprofessional and personal productivity. Leading the pack:

Google has an entire web site dedicated to Google Glass. In a highly graphical fashion, Google asks you to imagine that next bike ride, creating that perfect meal, instant visual language translations, picking the ideal golf club for the distance, and composing that perfect song.

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The first weekend of November happened to be in my Italian hometown during the annual tradition of memorializing fallen soldiers The Power of Traditionsand civilians from past wars. November 4th, which is now celebrated on the first Sunday of the month, has dual significance for the Italians. It is known as the Holiday of National Unity and also the day to recognize the Armed Forces. Historically, this date celebrates the Italian victory over the Austria-Hungary Empire in 1918, unifying and ending World War I for the country.

Early that Sunday morning, the sound of the marching "Bersaglieri" military band piqued my interest. On this day did not expect to become a witness of emotional traditions celebrating the past which very quickly translated into new lessons for the future.

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Product or service differentiation has always been a strategy adopted by the retail industry towards finding that winning formula for differentiationgrowth. Differentiation can take many forms and include price, product quality, store decor, targeted consumer audience, and the business model itself. Two recent examples of successful retail differentiation:

Zara and Fast Fashion

Forbes Magazine recently recapped the successful Zara business model. A team of designers and product managers in Spain oversee design, sourcing and production of specific apparel categories. These individuals monitor closely the sales process of each apparel collection -- from the time the merchandise reaches the stores to the real time customer response.

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-- How Piggly Wiggly Built Today's Self-Checkout Legacy --

 "An invention acts rather like a trigger, because, once it's there, it changes the way things are, and that change stimulates the Retail Techproduction of another invention, which in turn causes change, and so on. Why those inventions happened between 6,000 years ago and now, where they happened, and when they happened , is a fascinating blend of accident, genius, craftsmanship, geography, religion, money, ambition..." (1) -- James Burke

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Fortune magazine recently published the 100 fastest growing companies. (1) Analyzing this year's list:Where's Retail? - The 100 Fastest Growing Companies

Revenues for the top 100 global fastest growing companies totaled over $627 Billion, up from $390 Billion a year ago. Apple, which was part of this group, had revenues of $169 Billion and profits of $39.7 Billion.

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"Emotion is contagious" (1) is a quote from the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. On the book cover, the author added theEmotion Drives Action subtitle "How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference". The premise of the book is that social epidemics have a tipping point, a moment where they go from negligible unseen trends to the next intense wave of popularity.

As one of my favorite books, the concept of a "tipping point" has been a key driver of my life, both personally and professionally. In business, truly lasting success is built on incremental relationship improvements that over time increase the level of contagious emotion. At its most basic element, business is about people relationships.

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Earlier this year Frost & Sullivan published a presentation titled "Bricks & Clicks: Next Generation Retailing" which highlighted the Frost & Sullivan Bricks and Clicksfollowing retail industry trends for the year 2025:

Nearly 20% of retail will happen online. In countries like the UK and USA online retail will be a quarter of the total. Everything from the product to the in-store experience will be customized and personalized as retailers increasingly offer "real time customization tools" to their customers. Multi-line retailers will reduce store size by 15%-20% and in larger formats create interactive customer experiences. Manufacturer retailers will open more "connected flagship stores" that are designed and created to support the brand image. The aim will be to make the brand stores a destination rather than a retailing zone. The gap between an order and a delivery will decrease as new services such as "same day shipping" become more affordable.

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"We are witnessing the birth of a new breed of shopper. They float seamlessly across mobile, online, and real-world platforms as theyFuture of Real Time Retailing travel up and down the purchase path and in doing so, exert tremendous influence over the ways that brands may interact with them and their peer groups. The ways in which they consume information, discover goods and make purchases has forced retailers to contemplate a new mix of transactional, behavioral, and social behaviors to remain competitive." (1) – Pier Fawkes, PSFK

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"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other Find your voicepeople's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."  - Steve Jobs

According to a just published study by the Center for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, human happiness peaks at age 23, hits its low point at

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