A new survey from Vodafone exploring the emerging needs of partners, their end customers and business technology strategies has found that 81% of end users said their interest in emerging technologies, such as AI, IoT and 5G has increased in the past six months.

Vodafone’s latest Partner of the Future study found that nearly all end users (96%) report that these emerging technologies will be part of their company’s vision of the future, with digital trends having the biggest influence on end users, even over cost pressures or slow economic growth.

Among the benefits end users are looking for in future tech investments are increased productivity (77%), quicker decision-making (65%), and more security (64%).

The impact of emerging tech on the channel is also being recognised by partners, with more than 70% saying they expect to have to remodel what they are traditionally known for, and 72% recognising that sales and marketing teams need to be more closely aligned to take advantage of new technologies.

Vodafone’s survey found that partners are already pivoting to meet the changing needs of their end users as they begin to demand more specialised and complex technologies, with 84% of channel partners agreeing they need to consider sector specialisation to remain competitive, and 74% of end users saying they prefer to work with vendors that specialise in their industry, whether finance, retail or automotive. 

The data shows that flexibility, education and innovation could be at the heart of future channel partner success, as nearly 80% of end users said they are aligning their business and tech strategies, which Vodafone said creates an opportunity for channel partners to provide strategic value.

Moving forward, more training in emerging technologies and education came out as the top priority for end users, while channel partners said they needed help from vendors to drive sales and marketing.

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Kathryn Platt, head of indirect business at Vodafone UK, said: “Now, more than ever, there is a myriad of technologies available, which can be difficult at the best of times to navigate.

“What is clear from this research is that partners are already doing a brilliant job, but the future belongs to the channel partners who can evolve their customer relationships and work in partnership with vendors to create solutions. 

“These solutions will combine new and mature technologies to support the growth of the channel partner and address the core needs of their end customer.”