From its early reputation as a provider of content creation tools, Adobe has now transformed itself into a solutions provider, penetrating diverse market sectors. Regarding the recent digital transformation, including trends like the Metaverse, what key insights have Adobe observed? In a recent interview with Wu Zhenzhang, Managing Director of Adobe Greater China, the author clearly emphasized the necessity of digital transformation.
Wu Zhenzhang said that Adobe used to focus on content creation and entered the Chinese market in 1998. About six years ago, it began to vigorously develop digital experience applications in Greater China. In addition to the familiar services such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro, it will also provide services such as Analytics to meet the needs of enterprises. Through the three major clouds of Creative Cloud, Documents Cloud, and Experiences Cloud, it meets the market's digital application needs.
In the past two years, due to the impact of the epidemic, we have observed that many companies have an urgent need to change their operating models. Therefore, we believe that it is appropriate to discuss the necessity of digital transformation now.
Enterprises face challenges in digital transformation
The challenges most companies face in digital transformation are mostly changes in their native operating methods and data usage patterns.
Among them, native operations may face changes in the original corporate culture and partner interaction model, such as whether to allow employees to work remotely and whether it can be adjusted to a hybrid office model. At the same time, how to maintain collaboration with the original work team and external partners in this situation, and keep the workflow and productivity at optimal state.
On the other hand, how to maintain data security in the new working model, and how to extract useful data content or make use of data will also become challenges for enterprises during the transformation process.
Adobe's digital trend report for 2022 shows that 42% of companies hope to achieve a transformation towards consistent data experience. At the same time, more than 50% of companies will increase investment in data technology and management systems to promote digital transformation. Adobe's services such as Document Cloud will help companies easily carry out digital transformation, and there are even more services that can help companies manage data applications more easily.
Taiwan is moving faster in digital transformation
Based on his past work experience, which mainly focused on business development in Asia, Wu Zhenzhang believes that the pace of digital transformation in the Taiwanese market is much faster than other Asian regions. There are many high-tech companies and importers and exporters in Taiwan, as well as many contract manufacturers that are highly connected to the global market, making digital transformation important.
In addition, government agencies and financial institutions have also been affected by changes in business models, which has led to a higher demand for overall digital transformation. In the past two years, the epidemic has changed lifestyles, making many small and medium-sized enterprises face the urgency of digital transformation. When many companies ask for digital transformation-related solutions, they are no longer based on questions of "why", but are actively seeking solutions of "how to change".
Wu Zhenzhang said that currently as many as 88% of companies in Taiwan have adjusted their operating models to varying degrees, indicating that digital transformation is no longer just a slogan but is now underway.
Taking Taiwan's numerous manufacturing industries as an example, their operating models have changed significantly during the epidemic. Not only do they negotiate business with customers directly through online interactions, but they even go further and communicate directly with consumer market demand, transforming from the original B2B business model to B2B2C, thereby gathering more market development opportunities and making business development more diversified.
Hybrid work is already the norm, and the pace of transformation will only accelerate in the future
Wu Zhenzhang believes that the future work model will not return to the past, but will be more inclined to embrace hybrid work, remote work and other models. He even emphasized that many reports point out that when workers have greater time flexibility, their work efficiency can be increased.
However, in addition to facing changes in corporate culture and data digitization, many workers believe that the biggest challenge facing companies in digital transformation is whether the relevant technologies are in place for hybrid working. In particular, more young workers hope that the company can have sufficient resources to support hybrid and remote working models.
Wu Zhenzhang expects that the hybrid office model will continue to develop, and even give rise to more diverse work styles in the future, and operate through more digital platforms. Therefore, it will be difficult for most companies to return to the previous office-based work model, and may even accelerate the transformation at a faster pace.
Plays an important role in the development of digital assets, NFT, metaverse and other applications.
Regarding the recently hotly discussed digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs, as well as the development of Web 3.0 and metaverse-related technology applications, Wu Zhenzhang expects these to be future trends. Among them, the application of blockchain technology and Web 3.0 will provide Adobe services with greater application development opportunities. For example, it currently provides relevant design tools for VR and AR content, and has even cooperated with Apple to develop the USDZ file format for use in VR and AR content.
In the future, Adobe anticipates that brands will increase their development in the metaverse by creating more immersive and richer content interactive experiences. Consumers will also have higher expectations for the virtual world experience. Therefore, when brands create such immersive experiences, the "first impression" will become particularly important, otherwise it will affect the willingness to use it later.
Therefore, Adobe will play an important role in driving technology development, enabling businesses to easily create virtual interactive experiences that are close to reality, such as quickly creating 3D objects through mobile phone scanning, while also helping businesses enhance the experience of online interaction in the virtual world.
For trends like the Metaverse and Web 3.0, Adobe will work with key partners to promote market norms and thereby drive the growth of such trends.
