Top web development trends in 2021 to scale your E-commerce online business

 
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 With the impact that Covid 19 has had on world markets and economies in the past year and a half, it seems incredible to think that while all other industries have struggled to sometimes even stay afloat, there is one industry that has not only amply survived but, in many cases, thrived. It’s not difficult to guess that this industry has something to do with getting people closer even though physically there have been standard advisories issued globally with regards to distancing. We are talking about technology and the advancements in the tech industry of course and one career that has suddenly come into infinite demand is a skilful web development function.

With over 1.88 billion websites active on the internet and close to about 4.6 billion people surfing every day either to connect, learn, purchase, or all of the three at the same time, it is the unassuming web developer who has shot to prominence in the year 2020 and continues to orchestrate even more demand in the year 2021.

Why Web Development is Integral

The digital industry has seen staggering growth ever since the first computer was released and the internet became a reality. This is not a sudden phenomenon and has in fact been recorded for the last 3 decades now. But to truly understand how much more the demand for digital practices has risen, one has to just wind back the clock a couple of years. Since 2019 and the outbreak of Covid 19, web design, web development, and digital marketing are growing at a rapid pace because businesses have been forced to adopt the online method of reaching, connecting, and making sales to their target audiences.

There has been a sudden upturn in the emergence and resurgence of what used to be neighborhood mom and pop stores into small E-commerce online businesses and all these online businesses need a good web development function to reach their customers virtually. Covid 19 and the subsequent lockdown has made this a mandatory feature thanks to restrictions on physical interaction that continue to be in place even today.

In 2010, the number of new business applications came in at 2.50 million. This figure in 2020 jumped to 4.35 million applications submitted. That’s a whopping 74% higher. It is also a 24.19% rise from 2019 and the biggest increase of the past decade by a mile.

Web Development - The most in-demand Tech Skill

While the internet and online usage hardly needed an additional or external stimulant, the emergence of Covid 19 as a factor has most certainly ushered in a new era in digital practices, especially for E-commerce online businesses. The need to shift entire physical ecosystems online is now the requirement of the hour and without doing so businesses run the risk of being ruined and even complete shutdowns and subsequent insolvency. 

Government institutions, medical records, school and education qualifications, and even our digital footprint via social media have seen the upturn towards an online environment already. To facilitate any kind of structure online the first statement of intent is to be able to build and sustain a quality website. Since the turn of the decade in the year 2000, website growth has accelerated rapidly. In less than twenty years, the total number of websites globally grew from 17 million to 1.6 billion. This accounts for an increase which is over a hundred times. As of January 2021, with more and more businesses investing in their websites, this number crossed 1.85 billion.

We now understand just how much the citizens of the world depend on an online infrastructure to connect with each other. However, web development and digital marketing also go hand in hand with functions such as blogging and social media to create brands and these brands need to sell from their E-commerce online stores to a larger target audience devoid of any geographical or logistical obstacles. This is why we believe that the discerning web developer of today is about to catapult in the next decade as one of the most important and in-demand tech skills into the future.

Web Development in 2021

Technology as we know is ever-evolving. There are constant transformations that happen on quite literally a daily basis in the tech world and these changes happen across the spectrum of functions. Web development is no different in this regard. Every day developers are progressing in their respective skill sets and finding us newer and more innovative ways to simplify and encourage our presence and our digital footprint online.

So, while it would be relatively impossible to keep up with this ongoing everyday development, it would be very much more possible to understand the few that become trends within the span of a year. And while we have only just completed about 3 quarters of 2021, there are some web development trends that have shown the potential to develop into a trend that will be accepted even after the year has passed. Let’s have a more in-depth look at the trends that have positively disrupted the world of web development in the year 2021.

Progressive Web Applications [PWA]

A PWA is simply an application that works the way a website would, complemented by an almost entire native mobile app experience. A PWA has the ability to run independently of any particular web browser while also interacting with prospective target customers as their primary native application. Efficient PWA development has advantages such as reduced development and support spends, smooth installation and quicker distribution, an almost instant launch in the market, and also the propensity to save device power and storage. PWA technology allows both small and big E-commerce online businesses alike to stay competitive and level the playing field in an ever-evolving technological environment.

Artificial Intelligence Bots [AI]

When we talk about AI we are usually transported into a sci-fi environment shown to us mainly in the movies and on web shows nowadays. But there is so much more intricacy to this particular technology which makes it a top trending web development trend in 2021. AI assistants or bots as they are referred to usually, have the ability to do more than just interact with you. They also have the technicality to learn, collect data, or solve difficult issues at the back end of the system. The community demand for AI-enabled communication is only expected to progress in a more widespread manner through the year 2021 and into the future.

There are already so many AI chatbots and virtual assistants that are known to us and on whom we have become dependent as well. Alexa, Siri, and Cortana are just the more popular ones. AI technology allows businesses to engage and upgrade human interaction at a fraction of the cost of actually placing a warm body in a workplace setting. AI chatbots are also more capable of enhancing the overall digital customer experience.

Voice Search Ability

For the longest time since the inception of the first computer interaction with the machine has always been through the ability to type or click using the keyboard and later the mouse. Voice Search is a developing 2021 trend that has disrupted this monotony and has brought the digital experience even closer and made it more personal.

A study by Juniper Research has predicted that by the year 2022, 55% of all homes across the globe will be powered by voice assistants. Voice assistants are not integral only to virtual home assistants such as Google Home, Alexa, or Siri. Advancements in the area have suggested that voice assistants are also now important for the most advanced optimization for websites as well. Most E-commerce online stores and digital agencies feel the need to upgrade their technological game in a bid to stay relevant amongst their consumers. Voice search is a technology that will allow them to enhance their digital capabilities and products.

Serverless Architecture

Due to Covid 19, the year 2020 was marked by a once-in-a-lifetime event known as the lockdown. This meant an enforced work-from-home setting and the need to maintain social distancing from even our closest human connections. But this pandemic has led to the expansion of cloud SaaS solutions and catapulted it into a trend for the future.

As a direct result of this phenomenon, there has been a documented and significant increase in the demand for serverless architecture. A progressive report by Flexera has stated that 98% of enterprises use at least one public or private cloud. Serverless computing, being one of the most interesting current web trends, can boast of many benefits. These include enhanced scalability, faster time to the market, higher cost-effectivity, and the advantage of delegated maintenance.

Motion UI

Motion UI is a web development trend that falls within the design of web products. According to an informative Salesforce Report, 84% of customers consider the website and web designing as important as the actual product it offers and the sales that the website brings in. To a large extent, web design is not always about great-looking pictures or simple templates. True web design is all about capturing the essence of the brand that it represents and creating an intuitive and responsive interface that helps delight the end-user.

Motion UI is a powerful front-end tool that helps the web developer to create a customizable animated UI for the website. Some of the features of motion UI include modular scrolling, background animations, animated charts, etc. All of these and many other fun yet interactive elements help your website and the brand to exert a recognizable and unique style that doesn’t just keep your target audience entertained but also fosters higher brand recall. Motion UI is a field based on extensive research with an eye for future development, and when used effectively has a direct and positive impact on-page conversion rates and subsequently the bottom line. Motion UI also helps to boost web app rankings in the search results as well.

Blockchain Technology

This is another technology that started making waves almost a couple of years ago but has continued to prevail and stay relevant all through the effects of Covid 19 and beyond as well. Blockchain technology is a phenomenon that provides a two-sided narrative to any transaction event. Put in simpler words, this means that any online transaction needs to be and is verified by a decentralized distributed network. The greatest advantage of this feature is that your data points for your E-commerce digital business will always be verified by an objective central institution hence greatly enhancing its accuracy.

Blockchain is a rapidly emerging technology across the spectrum of web development. Its benefits and advantages on offer include a marked decrease in financial business expenditure, the number of transaction contracts, and an enhancement of cash flow backed by transparent data points. It also facilitates a smart prediction system for the website, higher page interactivity thanks to verified data points enhanced data security which leads to safer online transactions.

Single Page Applications [SPAs]

Single-page apps are one of the most relevant and important current technology trends in the world of web development. A SPA is nothing but a JavaScript-based web application that avoids loading separate HTML pages from a server to show a certain page to a visitor. In a fast-paced world when users only want to see specific information that they search for, a SPA loads only markup and data to dynamically render them on a single web page.

Using this latest website development technology, visitors feel like they browse a single page for all their needs. Some of the more popular single-page applications include Gmail, Google Drive, Facebook, and Twitter. The advantages of SPA technology include simplified and streamlined development, increased performance, and reduced interferences related to page reloading.

In our earlier blogs on “Give your E-commerce online business the Digital Business Consultancy advantage” and “The New Normal for businesses in COVID 19 times,” we have spoken definitively about the advantages of understanding current trends and putting them to better use to enhance your E-commerce online business. We have also stressed how web development is a function that should preferably be outsourced to experts. The reason behind this is highlighted in this current blog because someone who is not directly linked to this field will not have the same insights and progressive knowledge on these emerging and evolving trends in the industry. AmareSol Global is a digital business consultancy creating innovative change through a team of talented designers, developers, and strategists creating digital experiences for brands and companies around the world. We are continuously fueling growth across constantly changing and advancing digital landscapes, by seeking and formulating newer and better ways to service clientele on a global scale across industries. Look up more about us at www.amaresolglobal.com.

 
 
 
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