Author: Pamela Swift

Categories
Technology

The Future of Business Technologies

Nobody can predict the way the IT business will look like in the future. However, based on how things evolved in the recent years and the overall trend of developing breathtaking technologies, some predictions can be made.

There’s no denying that technology and good decisions are the most important factors when it comes to business development, however, what can we really expect in the following years? Here are some thoughts:

Data analysis

You might think this is not such a big thing of the future since this has helped businesses grow since the Internet came around. Well, it’s not the same data analysis as it was in the past. Today we have so many devices and things inter-connected and such a huge amount of data that needs to be analysed.

In fact, predictions are that we’re gathering too much data and we’ll end up drowning in it. We look forward to the future to bring advanced analytical solutions to be able to process the huge volume of data and learn how to use it properly.

Relevant info needs to be extracted from the data we possess and things are already moving in that direction. There’s a certain company that created a software which gives you data-driven suggestions to enhance the performance of your website or blog. Such a thing would cost several thousands of dollars just a few years ago.

Smart machines

Somehow connected with the first point in our discussion, analytics don’t just make businesses grow, they can make machines smarter at the same time. Recent times showed a big increase in artificial intelligence in the business sector and it’s clearly growing bigger and bigger. A very good example in this direction is the product developed by IPSoft that can handle emails, instant message conversations and even emails. This allows other employees to be more focused on creative tasks and develop better strategies for the future.

Another great example of smart tools that are being developed to make our office lives easier and businesses more intelligent is the chat program Slack. Well, it’s not only a chat program as it can do a lot of stuff, almost entirely replacing the email system. Also, it can be integrated with other programs which make it even more powerful. Predictions are that such smart tools along with machines will take 70% out of the workload of the employee.

Interconnected devices

Businesses do not exist only online so we also have to take into consideration how everything will affect the real-life merchants and businesses.  The already emerging technology of 3D printing is already changing the way small and big offline businesses develop. This comes to complete the array of sensors and beacons like RFID and NFC that already play a huge role.

Bottom line is that the speed with which technology evolves makes it very hard to accurately predict what is going to happen and what will be the next big developments when it comes to businesses. However, perhaps the biggest development and the game changer is exactly this increased pace that makes everything else possible.

Categories
Technology

The Best New Technologies to Get Your Startup off the Ground

Article Contributed by Dan Razak

Starting a new business endeavor is a strain in every conceivable sense. It takes hard work, plenty of money and a lot of courage and can-do attitude. Finances are often one of the key stumbling points – finding investors is tough, and money is almost always tight in the beginning. Another problem point is how to differentiate your company among a sea of others. What can you do to stand out and attract clients? Luckily, the right tools for success are out there. Your own unwavering determination and a great product or a quality service are your foundation, but there are ways new technology can help you build on them to achieve success.

Better yourself

Education is a process that never stops even if you only want to maintain status quo, let alone go forward. Technology is changing at a breakneck speed, and keeping up is necessary to stay in the game. Luckily, there are plenty of apps, libraries, tutorials and platforms where you can find everything from books, videos, frameworks, online classes and even mentors.

Manage your releases

Release management has come a long way, and it’s an integral part of the production and release process that ensures the best results. Transparent communication between members of the same team, as well as between several teams working on different aspects of the project, secures optimal results in a minimum amount of time, with little to no idling. As the date of release draws closer, versatile test management software can be used to check for any bugs. That way, when your release date comes, you can rest easy knowing that no unforeseen situations will arise.

Embrace the cloud

Cloud computing is not the future – it is already here. On-site hosting is slowly but surely going the way of history. While it used to be normal for a company to own its own servers, companies are finding that working in the cloud has many benefits – the most important and convenient ones are probably scalability and lower costs. However, let’s not dismiss increased flexibility, easy remote access, and even – why not – less negative impact on the environment thanks to the sharing of resources and their complete utilization.

Utilize analytics

Big data is one of the fastest growing fields right now. Given its usefulness, that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Proper analytics can change the way you do business and make decision making easier – almost foolproof. After all, numbers don’t lie. Big data is used for everything nowadays: the placement of products in supermarkets; production in all kinds of industries; healthcare; marketing – particularly targeting clients; scientific research; optimal performance of automated processes and machines; finances and budgeting; improving living conditions – the list goes on and on. In business, big data can take the guesswork out of decision making, thus minimizing risk.

Be part of the community

The IT community, unsurprisingly, has a very strong web presence. Whatever your niche, there is no doubt that you will find your tribe online. There are plenty of social networks, maps and global communities devoted particularly to startups, entrepreneurs, programming languages, freelancers, and any other community you can think of. The global think tank is extremely useful, as sites like Stack Overflow can help you solve any problem you might be encountering. Creating connections with like-minded individuals who are in the same business as you might also provide interesting opportunities for cooperation.

The world is changing rapidly. Technology is transforming faster than ever, and those who learn how to utilize these new developments first are the ones who will reap all the benefits.

About Author

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.

Categories
Online Business

How to Sell Anything on Any Website

If you’re in the retail business or if you are just thinking about becoming a business owner for the first time, you might be hoping to utilize the World Wide Web as a means of boosting sales. Selling things online can be highly beneficial for your business; it can be a great way to reach a much larger audience, for example, and it can help you cut down on the time and cost of renting a store. However, you could be concerned that you will have trouble making a lot of sales online. Luckily, if you follow a few tips, you can help ensure that you can sell your products well on the World Wide Web, regardless of what those products might be.

Make Sure the Site is Secure

First of all, you should know that many consumers take security and privacy very seriously when they’re online. This is a good thing, since there are a ton of scams out there. However, because of this concern, it’s important for you to make sure that your site is as secure as possible so that potential customers will feel comfortable buying with you. Make sure that you use a secure shopping cart server, and consider working with a website developer who can assist you in taking steps to make your site more secure.

Add Lots of Photos

When shopping online, many people like to see as many photos as possible. After all, since they aren’t buying in a more traditional environment and can’t actually see the item that they are thinking about buying in person, they often want the next best thing. Investing in a decent camera and practicing your photography skills can help you get good at taking pictures for your website. Some people also find that it’s worth it to hire a professional photographer to assist with this, although this does add to your company’s operating expenses.

Consider Adding a Video

Just as people often like to see a lot of pictures when they are thinking about buying online, many people also like to see a video. Nowadays, many digital cameras have videoing capabilities, so this might be easier for you to pull off than you think.

Provide Good Customer Support

There might be time when your customers will have questions, such as if they want to know more about the products that you sell or if they want to inquire about shipping or billing concerns. If you do not get back with your customers quickly or if you do not make it easy for them to contact you in the first place, it could make potential customers become uneasy and could cause them to go elsewhere to buy whatever it is that they’re looking at. Therefore, making an effort to add a live chat option and to make email contact easy is important. Many people also feel more comfortable if there is a phone number that they can call for support as well.

Charge Reasonable Prices

Comparison shopping and finding good deals online is very easy, so your customers probably aren’t going to want to pay inflated prices. Whether you’re selling vape mod batteries or teddy bears, make sure that you do your homework and that you’re charging reasonable prices. Of course, it’s important to make a profit for yourself, but keeping things reasonable can help you make a lot more sales and can actually boost your profits overall. You might also find that offering coupon codes and other discounts periodically can be a good way to bring in business.

Selling things online can be a lot easier than many people think, but it does take some effort. Luckily, following these tips can help you be as successful as possible at selling items and running your retail business online. In time, you might find that your new business becomes more successful than you ever thought it would be.

Categories
Starting Up

Establish the Building Blocks So Your Startup Is Solid

Article Contributed by Sia Hasan

Starting any business may be challenging. Just as the construction of a physical structure requires a firm foundation, so does any company you wish to build. You want to set your business up for success. For example, if your business is going to rely heavily on technology, then it may be worthwhile to consider contacting an IT staffing agency. Tons of information saturates the web about how to start a business. Below are some essential tips that seem to be universal and may help you have a prosperous venture.

Let Your Business Be the Answer to a Real Problem

You want to address a consumer’s need. The ability of your company to do so will give it industry relevancy. Ask yourself if the problem your business can solve is an issue for anyone other than yourself. If so, then do a little research and see if another business is operative that is meeting the consumer need. If so, can you do a better job of solving this problem or addressing the commercial demand than potential competitors?

5 Characteristics That Great Entrepreneurs Possess

Patient – With the tumultuous ways things can happen when starting a business, it is almost mandatory for the maintaining of your sanity to have patience. You may have many deadlines you need to meet. These may get extended or shortened. You may have to rely on people that are unpredictable, and it might not help things to get done properly or promptly if you are not able to wait at times or deal with frequent changes.

Passionate – Having passion is the fuel which can drive you as you run your business. If you lack passion, the chances you have at succeeding will be slim. Having a passionate connection to your startup is more than excitement; it drives determination.

Personable – By possessing excellent communication skills and a charming personality, you may probably attract more people who will want to work for you and those who are willing to do business with you continually.

Goal-oriented – Being goal-oriented signifies that you have a grasp on what it means to set up goals and follow through on them. You can set up long-term and short-term goals with discipline.

Tenacious – There is sure to be obstacles and inevitable setbacks threatening the successfulness of your business during its infancy stage and throughout its growth and development. Having tenacity means approaching each problem as they come with the mindset that it is not going to break you. It may be overwhelming at times, but you must rise above challenges.

Take Advantage of All Resources

Being a resourceful business owner means finding a way to make things happen when options are limited. Sometimes this may involve money, and there will be times when resourcefulness has no monetary benefit. In instances where something needs to get done with limited or no funds, you may have to be creative. If you can find a way to produce the intended outcome with access to little capital, then you have made a convincing demonstration of your ingenuity which could serve as strengthening for your foundation.

Choose the People You Let in Your Inner Circle Wisely

Chances are you will not know the answers to everything, what decisions to make all the time or sometimes if you need to ask for help. That is why it important to surround yourself with not just positive people but wise individuals who are business-savvy from whom you can learn. It is nice to have mentors whom you consider to be leaders in the industry. Also, you want to have a network of people working alongside you who have goals aligned with your own. The goals may not be identical but having similar ambitions might be able to keep everyone focused on the bigger picture.

When starting a business, many variables are unpredictable. Unfortunately, no crystal ball can tell you if your business will be successful or not. However, building your company with the right mentality, relevancy to a consumer need, network, and creativity could be just the building blocks you need to have a stable and firm support for your startup’s future success.

Categories
Online Business

How a Mobile-First Approach is Changing Website Design

It’s no secret that people are accessing websites on their mobile phones in ever-increasing numbers. Website designers initially responded by optimizing websites for reading on mobile and rearranging the existing elements of the page. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t address the way in which people view pages on their smartphones. Each page felt like it was shoehorned into the limited screen space of a smartphone. Now, designers are focusing on creating smartphone-friendly websites for viewing on both the desktop and phone. Following are some of the ways this approach is changing website design.

APIs That Speed Up Checkout Processes

API, or application program interface, tells software components how they should work with one another. They’re also used in the programming of graphical user interface components such as buttons you click on. Mobile sites rely heavily on APIs instead of links to pages. It’s far easier to click on a button than it is to zoom in on a tiny hyperlink and try to get it to respond on the first tap. This is true even when using a larger smartphone such as the LG G6 on T-Mobile’s reliable high-speed network. Phone size can’t easily overcome tiny text and hyperlinks, and APIs save the day by making it easier to move from page to page.

Responsive Design

Websites with responsive design deliver a stripped-down version of the main website to the mobile user. The site has programming to detect when the user is accessing the page from a smartphone and sends out only the most vital elements of the page for viewing. If the user feels that they need more of the page, they can click a link to use the desktop version instead. The only downside to this is that the desktop version may not be easily viewed on the smartphone.

This type of website design requires the site owner to decide what information gets delivered and what’s left off. Prioritizing information may not always be advantageous, as people looking at the site may not dig deeper for more information.

Fewer Elements on a Page

Websites used to trend toward having multiple, feature-rich design elements on their landing pages. The thought process was to make a site as interesting as possible to keep the user involved and not leave the page. That line of thinking has largely disappeared as mobile browsing has taken over how people interface with websites. Designers now think of the mobile user first and how they can deliver targeted information with rapid loading times.

One of the issues that site designers face is the fact that not everyone is using the latest and greatest smartphone with the fastest processor. A graphic-heavy site takes longer to load on a slower phone and is more likely to cause the user to leave the page. Designers are now stripping down websites to the necessities. Fewer images to load and easily digested content in chunks have become the norm. The sites still fill up the browser on a smartphone, but load quickly and present relevant information up front.

Graceful Degradation

Similar to responsive design, graceful degradation is an approach that involves taking the original desktop design and purposefully reshaping it to fit different mobile devices. How is this possible? When a mobile user accesses a website, the phone browser sends out a notification to the website that it’s being accessed from a mobile device. The website has programming to recognize this notification and respond appropriately. Instead of replying with the desktop version of the site, it will deploy the mobile version instead. The user has little clue that they’re receiving a website that’s designed specifically for their phone unless they notice the “m.” in front of the URL that denotes the mobile version of the site.

These are some of the ways mobile-first is changing how designers lay out websites. While it is a response to how people access the internet through their smartphones, it’s also a new stage in the evolution of how people look at websites in general.