11 IoT trends that will define 2021

A year of unprecedented disruption and change has come to a close.

Ahead lies an exciting 2021 when life will presumably get back to something like normal and long-pent-up economic energies should burst forth to drive economic expansion.

On the tech front, the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to emerge as a transformative influence in how we live. It will play a role in restoring order after pandemic-induced chaos, help welcome customers and employees back to offices, and enable new smart city initiatives.

And that's not all. Here are 11 things we can expect from the IoT in the year 2021.

A COVID-19 recovery survey of 130 U.S. mayors found that most of them expect a long-term drop in retail shopping and that more than a quarter think restaurant dining will take a permanent hit. Retailers can better weather a potentially difficult recovery period by taking advantage of IoT services that promote both efficiency and safety—a classic win-win.
 

This will be particularly important in industries that are both essential and subject to tight margins, like food retail. Next-generation IoT-enabled lighting solutions will come to the rescue here.
 

On the one hand, they'll reduce overhead costs by putting to work energy-efficient LED technology. On the other, they'll power sensors that collect, and send for analysis, valuable consumer and other data. Such data will help managers generate more appealing store layouts and easier customer navigation schema, among other things—thus helping to protect profits.
 

The same IoT solutions can also enforce evolving safety standards for businesses that can't afford to close—for example, by keeping track of store occupancy levels.

Massive investments in new sustainable agricultural and manufacturing processes along with emissions containment and reduction are at the heart of the European Union's recovery plan. Given more investment than ever in climate change response and growing attention to biodiversity, this long-term budget will represent just one in a growing class of “green deals" worldwide.
 

The IoT plays a significant role in long-term implementation and monitoring of green deals, ensuring that real-world practices meet government expectations and fulfill business agreements. Expect to see numerous governments worldwide propose and adopt similar green deals.

Telemedicine went mainstream in 2020 as in-office visits were canceled, deferred, or discouraged. This year, connected medicine will have its day. Wearable monitors, sensors, and medication dispensers will help patients and providers collaborate on care at a safe, convenient distance. This will be a win not just for those looking to catch up on stalled treatment, but for consumers who have learned to appreciate expanded digital access to providers and less time wasted in waiting rooms.
 

Health care facilities will benefit from connected lighting solutions that integrate smart dimming and hue changing to promote well-being along with safety sensors including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Motion detectors can multitask as traffic monitors to improve building utilization, navigation aids to help patients and providers throughout the day, and early warning systems for potential safety threats.

Some of those whose jobs went remote in 2020 won't want to return to offices at all in 2021. Others will negotiate for reduced time on-site.
 

The post-pandemic workplace will look very different than it did before. IoT space management will help facilities managers and budget leaders revamp both the size of the traditional workplace and how it gets used. Environmental sensors and controls can help identify high-value meeting rooms and gathering spaces and improve safety for returning workers. Using motion sensors, the same IoT systems can identify low-traffic office areas for real estate expense reduction initiatives.

Large, inflexible, up-front investments lose their luster when tomorrow is uncertain. The pandemic caused tremendous economic turbulence and emphasized the need to scale both up and down, not to mention to redeploy resources quickly and frequently.
 

Beyond traditional IT services, companies will look for more ways to transform traditionally fixed costs into variable expenses that preserve cash and reduce hassle. IoT-driven solutions such as Light-as-a-Service deliver operational and financial benefits by reducing capital expenses in favor of operating expenses, promoting agility and freeing up more cash.

The IoT excels at pinpointing the location and movement of small objects in a confined space, whether that's a shop floor or a warehouse. That capacity has been paying off during the pandemic. As organizations innovate new ways to safely move goods with fewer handling steps at the same time as they're using a wider range of delivery methods (think of the expansion of curbside pickup as well as of the growing networks of crowdsourced delivery fleets made up of independent contractors), indoor location data will be indispensable to running an efficient and trustworthy organization.
 

And because indoor IoT-based navigation based on visible light communication is so accurate (usually within 30 cm, or 1 foot) it will grow as a method of in-store navigation to help retail customers find products and complete transactions faster. This gives supermarkets more freedom to experiment with merchandising and layout while helping customers find their old favorites more easily. In open-plan workspaces, visible light positioning can help improve productivity by ensuring that colleagues can find one another quickly, even when they lack a fixed workspace.