7 Trends That Are Going To Be The Future of Web Development

Keeping up with the ever changing web development changes is getting on the nerves for many.  While some of the changes are temporary and short lived, many of the others have a dramatic change prevailing the notions.

For example, Flash took the web development ethics to entirely a new horizon when it was initially introduced. But today, it’s just a design option.

While traditional web developers might see themselves getting out of fashion, the upcoming trends in web development will certainly bring in a new revolution. The following trends are worth our attention and how they are going to change the face of traditional web designs.

1. UI Animation

UI animations, or commonly referred as motion UI, is a SaaS library that’s used in custom CSS.  Although responsive web designs have been making around for quite some time, what everyone expects in the near future is something larger than just responsive.

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UI animation allows web developers to create a more interactive, animated and unique transitional design that adds value to your website. The technology is busy finding newer methods to implement motion UI in a more easy and efficient manner.

2. PHP 7

PHP, has far by now remained the most preferred language for backend of web development.  The language has improved a lot more than anyone can imagine with its latest release of version 7.0. It is recognised as one of the latest trends for web development in 2018.

The Laravel 5.x, the framework used in PHP 7, offers you with ready solutions that make working with complex tasks a lot more easier than before. The open-source framework has a large online community, making you worry less for any problems with your web app.

3. Virtual reality WordPress site

We have already placed our foot in the world of Virtual reality(VR), which always fascinated us with its research, and the same is seen in the case of web development methodologies. VR changes the way we communicate and interact with the technology world.

Implementing VR to the world of web development demands support from a huge library. E-Commerce websites have already enabled their customers to interact with the products and create an all new experience for them. With WordPress bringing in support for VR content in their sites, we expect to see widespread use of VR in web design.

4. Card Designs

Use of card based designs, a fundamental material principle from Google, is a piece of content which includes a text, image or video, is broken down into separate cards which allows a user to navigate through a site.  The UI cards can show a larger amount of data just on a piece of card.

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Also, the UI cards also blend well with mobile responsive designs and works best on tablets and various browsers. Cards also allow businesses to build robust systems which develop and organises data, which includes various filters and sorting options, to cater to specific needs of users.

5. Automated Coding

Believe us, automated coding, which is based on the principles of artificial intelligence can do wonders to developing your web strategy. Due to the much talked hyped about AI in web development field, many companies have now launch a DIY website builder, which builds you website with just a few inputs from you. Doesn’t that sound interesting!

But many of the researchers say that using AI in the field of web development can prove threat to developers. But that is not proved yet. Do you think artificial intelligence and automated coding can replace the human intelligence and design?

6. SaaS

Creating a code free website with the help of tools has become a trend nowadays. Companies offering these tools promise a breath-taking user experience that doesn’t require you to know coding and programming. You may only require to know a few basics of photo shop or any photo editor.

SaaS is a cloud based subscription model entity that can access your data via any browser.  Instead of downloading a product, installing it on your machine and then running the program, you just visit a SaaS site through your browser and access the product with their login details.

7. Conversational E-Commerce

Popularly known as Chat-Bots, this are computer programs that work like humans with the help of machine learning and natural language processing (NPL). They can communicate with the customer; get the message across giving illusion to the customer of being a human being. Chat-bots are widely used in E-commerce applications.

The Bot revolution has already taken the place of humans and only time can tell how far its going to take this trend. Lots of conferences and research paper are going deeper into the evolution of chat bots.

Conclusion

As long as the web lives, new trends will come and go.  Seeing the current trend, web developers need to look ahead and redirect their approach with new business ideas. The need to re-invent you will continue, especially for small enterprises.  All the web development trends above are going to help you stay competitive in the market work wonders.

Bitcoin-Based Web Development – An Insight

Bitcoin development is all the rage right now in the world of technology and innovation

Even though, Bitcoin rates are heavily fluctuating at the moment. Experts are saying it will soon rise as cryptocurrencies are the future.

If cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the future, Wallet apps for them will also have equal prominence.

To substantiate, Bitcoin Wallet App has been adopted by several business giants such as Amazon, Paypal, Subway and Apple’s app store for accepting online payments. It is motivating other businesses to follow their footsteps. It also helped many companies to make a massive profit out of it.

What is Bitcoin Wallet App?

Bitcoin Wallet Application in simple terms is similar to the conventional bank account that allows you to send, receive and store bitcoins securely. There are two types of Bitcoin wallets – software and hardware.

You can choose whatever suits your requirement, or you can even opt for a customized bitcoin app development to fulfill your business needs also.

How To Become a Bitcoin Developer?

There is often a misconception that you must be an advanced coder to be a bitcoin developer. It is not entirely right as you can build on its utility and accessibility with specialty developers.

The path to development of bitcoin starts at leveraging Blockchain’s API a simple donation widget to develop your first bitcoin web app from scratch. This API is free, and it doesn’t require a key to use it.

  • Choose a code-friendly text editor- For windows; you could just use your notepad while for a Mac you can use TextEdit or Sublime Text.
  • Add whatever text you would like to in your blank text document.Type in a new and fresh bitcoin address that you can get from your Blockchain Wallet and copy and paste it just below the text you typed earlier.
  • Generating a QR code would be the next step. It is so simple since Google offers a free charts API that transforms URLs into QR codes, and we can use that to turn our bitcoin address into an easily scannable QR code. Just paste this URL in front of your bitcoin address http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=125×125&cht=qr&chl=
  • Next, you have to open and close HTML tag for the text you’ve typed with <html> at the start and </html> at the end. Also in front of the URL add <imgsrc=” and at the end of your address, write: “>.
  • Now save your entire work as an HTML file and then run it. It will produce a QR code for your bitcoin address.

Benefits of Bitcoin Wallet App For Your Business

Businesses have now started broadening their horizon and have begun to accept cryptocurrency as a form of valid mobile payment. Following are advantages of Bitcoin Wallet app for your business:

  • No Chargebacks

Usually, credit card transactions can often take quite a bit of time to get sorted and go through which locks up the funds. It can also impact your business as you can get hit with chargeback which can turn out to be costly.

But this is not the case with Bitcoin Wallet app. Unlike Credit cards, there is no charge back or returns in Bitcoin Wallet Payments.

  • Security and Protection Against Fraud

With any online transaction, it is always important to ensure security and safety of the customer’s information. Bitcoins enables its users to make mobile payments without the requirement to give any of their personal details for it to go through.

It acts as a medium or as a third party between consumer and business and adds an extra layer of security ensuring a smooth and peaceful transaction on both ends.

  • Foreign Payments Made Easy With Lower Transaction Fees

For any business going global high foreign transaction fees presents a nightmare. This is where Bitcoin comes to the rescue. A great benefit that bitcoins offers to such businesses is that you don’t have to worry about paying any additional transaction fees.

This makes it easier for business to expand and venture beyond its own border without worrying about costly consequences.

  • Decentralised

Your bitcoin balance is untraceable and tax-free since it is anonymous. Generally, during the time of an economic crisis in any country, the banks take back all the uninsured deposits, which may hurt the people.

It is however not possible with Bitcoin as it is decentralized which again is a huge benefit.

  • Protected Against Inflation

One of the significant upsides to having bitcoin is it does not come under the influence of any government.

The government neither holds the right over Bitcoin nor can print it as their wish similar to paper currency making it lose its value. In this way, Bitcoin is protected from inflation.

The Bitcoin has made amazing accomplishments and has cleared new ways for Cryptocurrency development services. A few Cryptocurrencies have been created since the dispatch of Bitcoin and new ones keep coming up often.

Bitcoin is the world’s first digital currency and has been an immensely successful endeavor that is encouraging many to tread this path. Also, since it is open-source, it gives the opportunity for anyone to use the same to create and develop another Cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin has seen a tremendous response from all over the world. Following the path of Bitcoin, numerous associations have prepared their own specific propelled tokens.

No other Cryptocurrency is even close to what Bitcoin has achieved in such a concise time frame. The bitcoin blockchain is what most of the Crypto Currencies or Altcoins are making use of while there are few like Ethereum that have their specific blockchain.

10 Best Ecommerce Platforms In 2020

With Amazon grabbing 55.4% of US e-commerce sales and Holiday e-commerce sales growing up nearly 37.7% in 2019. There is no wonder why every business would love to set up their store online. According to reports, this dominant e-commerce industry is expected to make sales worth $4.479 trillion by 2021.

With the number of e-commerce solutions available in the market, it becomes difficult to pick a right one that suits our business needs.

Read Also: How To Make Ecommerce Website Like Amazon

We have listed few of the best eCommerce platforms for businesses planning to launch their official website/ online store.

1. PrestaShop

PrestaShop-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

PrestaShop is one of the industry leaders among the e-commerce platforms. It is widely known for its rich feature-set and functionalities. Prestashop is available for free in two different choices namely cloud-based Prestashop and a downloadable form.

Advantages of PrestaShop

  • Use of Smarty, web template system written in PHP makes PrestaShop the first choice among designers and programmers.
  • PrestaShop inbuilt functionalities make it easy for beginners and non-technical people to quickly set up their online store.
  • Compared with other platforms, PrestaShop offers an intuitive admin panel, which is easy to explore.

2. Magento

Magento-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Magento is a powerful, open-source e-commerce platform owned by the eBay group. It is one of the growing platforms offering cutting-edge solutions for businesses who are aiming to make a significant impact on their online eCommerce store.

Widely known for its scalability and reliability, Magento host nearly one-fourth of the e-commerce websites in the market. It is indeed a market leader when it comes to enterprise-level e-commerce platforms.

Advantages of Magneto

  • It offers an easy-to-use user interface
  • It facilitates extensive customization due to open source platform
  • Supports over 9000 plugins/extensions to extend its functionality
  • Extensive online community and resource library

3. Shopify

Shopify-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Shopify is one of the popular e-commerce platforms and is known for its smooth setup, loading speed, customizable templates, and secure payment gateways. Shopify hosts more than 3 lakh online stores and is more focused on social and mobile shopping.

For SEO enthusiasts, Shopify offers provision to include Meta tags, auto-generated XML sitemap along with 24/7 customer support via chat, email, and phone, to help the business run their online stores smoothly.

Advantages of Shopify

  • Shopify offers more than 100 templates and themes
  • Contains 1000+ plugins/extensions for extended functionality
  • Enables you to connect the online store with social media pages and sell directly from them
  • Packed with mobile-friendly shopping cart and mobile app for all sellers
  • It provides 24/7 live support along with comprehensive resource library and online community

4. BigCommerce

BigCommerce-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Launched in 2009, BigCommerce host more than 50,000 online stores including Toyota, Martha Stewart, etc. Offering pretty much similar features as of Shopify, also BigCommerce provides more built-in features along with unlimited storage & bandwidth.

Advantages of BigCommerce

  • It offers powerful built-in marketing features such as newsletters, coupons, analytics and more
  • All themes both paid and free are responsive and provide a seamless mobile experience
  • It enables online store integration with social media such as Facebook, eBay, Google shopping and product comparison sites
  • Offers tutorial videos, guides, and live support

5. Zen Cart

Zen-Cart-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Developed by experts, Zen Cart offers the most flexible and secure platforms among its competitors. The multi-language support and secure payment gateways make Zen Cart one of the most trusted platforms for various businesses.

Read Also: 15 Best Online Shopping Websites

Advantages of Zen Cart

  • Offers highly reliable platform and secure payment gateways.
  • It needs only basic programming skills for setting up and fulfill the demands of the end users
  • Zen Cart is highly customizable and provides wide range of features

6. WooCommerce

WooCommerce-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress developed by WooThemes. With the easy to install interface, WooCommerce offers you all benefit associated with building a WordPress website.

Since its launch in the year 2011, WooCommerce has supported nearly 1.5 million online e-commerce stores across the globe. The highly customizable, and user-friendly experience, makes it the ultimate choice for startups to start their online venture.

Advantages of WooCommerce

  • WooCommerce is a free and open source e-commerce platform with an extensive range of features.
  • It provides high flexibility, easy customization options, in-depth analytics and a vast number of extensions.

7. OpenCart

OpenCart-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Among all the available shopping carts OpenCart is known as one of the top-end solutions for its flexibility, simplicity, and functionality. Although new, it has managed to gather extreme popularity among both well-established brands and start-ups.

Advantages of OpenCart

  • It is a lightweight e-commerce solution offering high performance and usability features.
  • It offers multi-store functionality which helps merchants to manage their multiple stores from one admin panel

8. Drupal Commerce

Drupal-Commerce-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Drupal Commerce, one of the leading open-source eCommerce solutions tightly integrated with Drupal and enables to build robust online stores. It is the most preferred platforms for merchants who tend to give majority priority to Search Engine Optimization(SEO).

Advantages of Drupal Commerce

  • Tight integration enables Drupal Commerce takes full advantage of all the functionalities of Drupal
  • It acts as a reliable content management system and highly flexible e-commerce platform
  • Offer more accessible options to manage SEO, CRO and web analytics

9. osCommerce

osCommerce-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

Also referred as open source commerce, osCommerce offers a wide range of features and flexible shopping cart solution. osCommerce offers 7000+ free add-ons and modules and backs robust community support.

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Advantages of osCommerce

  • Os Commerce uses PHP and MySQL and provides a versatile open source shopping cart
  • Use of indexed database enables it to handle a large number of products
  • Supports wide range of popular payment methods

10. Big Cartel

Big-Cartel-Best-E-Commerce-Platforms

As its tagline says – “We Believe in The Artist”, it proves to be a perfect e-commerce platform for artists, designers, and companies in the creative business. Right from its launch in 2005, Big Cartel has helped many artists and designers sell their creation online.

Read Also: How Much Does it Cost to Build an Ecommerce Website?

Advantages of Big Cartel

  • It is straightforward and easy to setup and manages an online store through Big Cartel.
  • It offers eye-catching themes for the online stores.
  • Provides tutorials, FAQs, guides, support via email, and Big Cartel’s social media accounts.

Web Design and Development Company vs Freelancers

Website design and development is an essential investment for businesses, which is why business owners make sure that they derive the maximum benefits out of their investment for online presence. But, the correlation between investment and quality of service may not be similar. This is why you have to invest money in the right resource for developing your site.

Your business can gain the upper hand when you have an excellent website and online presence. Make sure that you work with the right technical team to build your business platform. However, deciding between the well-organized activities of a web development firm and a freelancer with tremendous flexibility can be difficult.

Web Development Company or Freelancers

We have listed out the differences between the Web Development Company and freelancers to clear all your confusions before taking the right decision.

1. Technical Skills and Experience

If you are hiring a web development company for your project, you will have a vast team of technical experts with top-notch skills at your disposal. You will be able to interact with a tester, a project manager, a developer, a designer and other experts to cater to your diverse needs.

If you are hiring a freelancer, you will have only one person handling all the tasks of your project. So, it means a single person will be doing all the functions such as testing, designing and developing. Will the output be better than a team of specialists? Obviously questionable.

When your project demands some complex and diverse tasks, the web development company with several years of expertise in handling similar projects comes in handy. With the support of numerous resources, they can quickly sort out all the issues that arise during project development.  However, same expertise can never be expected from a freelance web developer.

2. Quality Testing

It is true that it is essential to have a good business website and applications to stay successful in the long run. The online platform that you own must be both attractive and responsive to make your customers stay hooked and explore the products/ service offerings.

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Even though both the website development firm and the freelancers will meet the project requirements, the website development firm will have the advantage of QA testers to identify the bugs and remove it whenever needed. So, it is wise to opt for their services instead of a freelancer.

3. Meeting Project Deadlines

The web development company usually considers the deadlines with utmost importance, as it can go a long way in maintaining their reputation among their clients and contacts. So, they ensure that the project gets delivered much earlier than the given deadline.

If a technical expert in their team is sick, he or she will be replaced immediately with another techie to assure continuous backup while working on your project. On the other hand, when you work with a freelancer python your project deadline has to be extended if he or she falls ill, which can affect your business.

4. Effective Communication

When you avail the services of a web development firm, you need not have any worries regarding the progress of your project, as they are equipped with a well-organized team. The web development firm will have a project manager who will lead the technical side and maintain internal communication. It helps them to communicate about work progress, perform corrections if required and monitor the changes.

If you are selecting a freelancer python for your project, you can contact him or her directly. But, if your project is a bit complex then you will be working with several freelancers at the same time and should explain the changes in the concept to each one separately. It can also be a time-consuming process.

5. Advanced Security

When you are developing a digital platform for your business, the first significant point that comes to your mind is security. When you have an online store, you must have a highly secure online platform to gain the trust of your customers.

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Web development companies will be able to meet all your security requirements, as they continuously stay updated about the latest vulnerabilities, security threats, and evolving technology.

A freelancer will face difficulties in catering to your high-end security requirements, as he might not have access to advanced security solutions like a web development company. The web companies have the responsibility to take care of the safety of their clients’ businesses and focus on offering superior encrypted security solutions.

6. Customer Support

A web development company will have a well-maintained customer support team that will resolve all the client queries before the launch of the website. When you work with them, they are responsible for taking care of any issues or challenges arising out of the project.

Most of the companies involved in web development also offer services with a warranty to make their clients stay assured that any problem related to the online platform will get easily handled. However, a freelance developer will not be able to offer similar full-scale customer service.

7. Project Costs

Web Development Company can be very expensive to work with when compared to the freelancers, which attracts the business owners towards them. When you wish to develop an online platform that supports several services and has complex requirements, then you must avail the services of the web design company to get better value for your money.

If you are interested in hosting a world-class website to reach out to your international clients, then a web design firm must be your priority, as they are efficient in offering appealing, smooth and swift solutions.

 

In the end, the answer to the question Web Development Company or freelancer depends mainly on the expectations you wish your website would achieve. You can hire a freelancer if you want a simple site just for presentation along with a quick deadline. If you want a website that will host product/ service to cater the needs of the global audience, then you will need the services of a web development company.

How To Build An Ecommerce Website [Step By Step Guide]

It has been a while since online sales are registering more traction when compared to physical sales. Sparing you the physical effort and strain of running from pillar to post in search of your choicest merchandise, you can now order any product under the sun from the comfort of your living room; all in a jiffy.

All thanks to a host of e-commerce websites that attract online shoppers through attractive themes, product listings, offers and discounts that you can make the most of online shopping.

If you as a digital marketer are planning to host your e-commerce website, here is a 10-pointer step-by-step guide that will handhold you to build an online shopping interface that will boost your bottom-line.

Step 1. Select And Book a Domain Name

First and foremost, it is important to choose a perfect domain registrar. You should keep in mind that the domain name will remain the same and that you cannot change it in the future just like you wish to change the theme of your website. So it is very important to be choosy with the domain name.

It is not an overstatement to quote that the domain name is the visiting card of your e-commerce website. Meaning, you as an online salesman will make your presence felt in the online shopping sphere only by virtue of your domain name.

Hence, you need to come up with a domain name that is easy and unique. Care should be taken to keep the name as short as possible, avoiding the use of hyphens in between. Short names are easy to recall. Customers who visit your online store will find it easy to locate your website with a short domain name.

Step 2. Scout For Server Space For Your Domain

Your next step to building an online store will be to trace out web hosting options and service providers that will offer a server space for your domain. It pays to make a right choice in selecting a befitting server for your e-commerce site.

It is important to select a server that can be scaled to your requirements. You should strike a deal with a web hosting services provider who guarantees you 24/7 technical support.

You know for a fact that a minute of downtime to your e-commerce website can cost you loads of money and reputation as well.

Hence it calls for a great deal of forethought to pick a provider who promises you a good connectivity speed; a feature that does not drain your customers’ time and patience with a slow-loading website.

You can check out the dedicated hosting option to that of a shared hosting option and pick the one that suits your requirements.

Step 3.Choose a Website Developer

Website developers are a dime a dozen. Hence, it pays to exercise caution while signing up with a website developer who has the power to make or mar your e-commerce website.

You need to take into consideration a number of functional and technical parameters that will help you zero in on a good e-commerce website developer.

You need to identify the most promising source that is backed up by professional qualifications and previous experience of churning out e-commerce sites to other clientele.

The number of years of experience in e-commerce website building can also become a yardstick for selection. Every website designer has his own style. Alongside checking out his style, you can delve deep into his programming capabilities.

A website designer who is abreast of the latest technological trends in website building can be your top choice. Identify his strengths with regard to SEO and whether he can build a responsive site that can be viewed effortlessly on any smartphone.

Pricing is another parameter that you should look into along with the hiring cost of engaging a copywriter who delivers crisp and attractive marketing content. It is important that you strike a deal after understanding the payment terms between you and your developer after assessing his ongoing support capabilities.

Step 4. Simulation of Your E-Commerce Site

After you have developed your online shopping interface by a professional source, the next step is to check out the functionality of your website. You can simulate your online store by placing a couple of demo products while setting up product options.

You can append discounts and coupons along with the operations of shipping and payment gateways. Additionally, you can also incorporate and check whether your site is delivering notification alerts.

Step 5. Get Into the Shoes of  Your Potential Customer

This is another test for your e-commerce site to familiarize yourself with the website layout. This step will acclimatize you to your online store functions.

Step 6. Website Aesthetics – Attach a Logo and a Banner

This step is all about providing an aesthetic appeal to your e-commerce website. You can avail the benefits of a various open-code CMS themes that promise you a multi-functional online store.

You can select and place a befitting logo on your website while you extend efforts in matching the colors in the logo to the layout of your website. Banners can attract the attention of online customers.

You can go ahead and standardize the layout of every page whether it is your home page, your category page or the product page. This way, customers will find it easy to navigate to the page of their choice without any hassles.

Step 7. Backup Your Entire Website Building Project

It is recommended that you take a backup of the entire website building project. When you do this, you will be able to retrieve your website along with your demo products and all the basic steps that were initiated earlier.

Step 8. Edit Your Website

Editing your website is the next step that features in the step-by-step guide to help you build an e-commerce website. Under this step, you will have to remove and replace all the demo products with your original online merchandise.

You can use the export/import feature to feed your original products and categories and then your website will feature your online offerings.

Step 9.Market Your Website with SEO

Now it is time for you to promote your e-commerce website. Promotions via Google Adwords in the form of banner ads, video ads and search ads will fetch you more customers. You can also resort to email and SMS marketing while focusing on SEO.

Step 10. Initiate Marketing Automation Strategies

After completing the above mentioned 9 steps, your e-commerce website reaches a stage when it starts accumulating orders from online shoppers. This should ring the bell that the stage is not set to initiate the procedures of business automation. How do you do this?

You can bank on a plethora of marketing automation tools that are not only powerful but also easy to use. These tools help you enhance your digital presence through well-chalked out marketing campaigns that you can run online and reap the benefits of a customer-centric and sales-oriented e-commerce site.

Closing Thoughts

As a digital marketer, your primary responsibility would be to develop, implement and manage marketing campaigns that will enhance the online presence of your company’s offerings.

And the pre-requisite to help you deliver your responsibilities in the best possible manner is to have an e-commerce site that speaks volumes about your brand equity.

The above 10-pointer guide thus handholds all digital marketers to show up effective and aesthetically-designed e-commerce websites for their employers alongside simplifying the lives of online shoppers in more ways than one.