One technology that had a lot of hype in 2007 is destined for great things next year. Research firm Gartner predicts that virtual worlds will have a significant impact on the retail industry.

It says that, by 2010, 20 per cent of global top-tier retailers will have some kind of marketing presence in virtual worlds and online games.

This is not surprising considering that Gartner published an emerging trends report earlier this year which predicted that 80 per cent of active internet users and Fortune 500 enterprises will have virtual world presences by 2011.

We have already seen many retailers dip their toes into social networks — including one of the most popular social networks, Second Life. And Gartner predicts that we will soon no longer be making distinctions between the technologies used to facilitate these spaces.

The report cites US speciality retailer Brookstone, which showcases high-end 'toys for boys', gadgets and other collectables as an example.

The company launched its Kinset store in time for Christmas this year.

It created a 3D immersive online store that allows people to shop inside a virtual store that stocks a full inventory and has the look and feel of one of Brookstone's real shops.

Social shopping networks like Kaboodle, ThisNext and Stylehive, that were built as visual social sites in which shoppers use social bookmarking, also get a mention. With a social bookmarking system, users save links to sites or images they want to remember or share.

Stylehive is now offering Nectar Hives, allowing retailers to create specific social shopping communities around their own brands. H&M set up shop in SimCity.

If you have read past columns about The Sims, you will know that this is exciting news for me.

Shoppers create a personal avatar — a virtual representation of themselves — with which they can try on fashion items before buying.

And H&M is using Facebook as a marketing channel.

US retail giants Sears and Circuit City are both experimenting with virtual-to-real retail via IBM in Second Life and in-game advertising and product placement is already rather old hat for them.

Gartner encourages retailers to expand their definition of customer touchpoints to online games and virtual worlds and also mentions the mobile shopping web as a big growth opportunity.


Other technology predictions for 2008:

Continued growth in social networks
Pundits predict that Google will push OpenSocial to compete with Facebook. Social networks will see an increase in adoption, concerns about privacy will continue and we will see increased integration with desktop applications, mainstream media and mobiles.

Power at the core
Plans are a foot that will see Quad Core processors becoming a standard for desktop computers and maybe even in some high end laptops in the coming year.

Going offline
As more applications become available offline, expect to see the more of the likes of Google Gears to support offline mode for Google Docs, Calendar and Gmail. Zoho already offers this feature along with Google Reader. Microsoft will probably offer similar service for its Office Live range soon.

Tough times
Technology analysts IDC predict that growth in worldwide IT spending will decline — particularly in the US. Note that is a decline in the growth of spending, not a decline in spending, so we can breath a bit of a sigh of relief.

Mobile VoIP mainstream
Mobile service providers will start to offer Internet plans with VoIP. Competitive pressure from the likes of Skype and Jajah will leave them no choice and we, the consumers, will benefit from reduced costs.

Going green will grow
IDC says that green computing will take deeper root and move across markets. Its analysts say that interesting acquisitions lie ahead as key green players shore up positions in small and medium-sized enterprises, emerging markets, SAAS, information management, and location-based services.

From Tech Talk, and everyone at Strive Public Relations, we'd like to wish all everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

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>>Sherrilynne Starkie is the managing partner of Strive Public Relations, a communications consultancy in the Isle of Man. She provides her views on business and technology each week in Tech Talk. Visit her business blog Strive Notes for frequent updates.
www.strivepr.com