The Web’s Future: Peering into the Crystal Ball
Last Wednesday I made my way to the Javits Center on Manhattan’s West side to peer into the Internet’s future. As I was checking in for the Future of Web Design Conference, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many familiar faces from Webgrrls, which was one of the event’s media sponsors. We were all there to catch a glimpse of the digital future.
I heard some smart, inspiring speakers, but overall I felt the conference played it a little safe and didn’t lean forward enough to look over the cutting edge. Presentations focused on topics such as:
- How sites are now utilizing AJAX to allow for more dynamic interactions without page refreshes
- How we can design better sites for mobile devices, which are sweeping the globe at a surprising rate
- How user-generated content like blogs, tags, and comments are taking over online spaces
I felt they were filling in the details of a landscape that had been growing on the horizon for a while. I went home that night dreaming of uncharted territory, of things that are still beyond the next hill. I want to throw aside technical and design constraints and brainstorm about what the Web might look like a little further out.
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Deck the Site With Boughs of Holly
Yes, it’s getting to be that time of year. People are making plans to get together with family, children are writing out their lists, and department stores are adding holiday trimmings to their window displays.
Have you thought about jazzing up your storefront in celebration of the holidays? Just because it’s a virtual store doesn’t mean you can’t add a festive touch. It’s a great way to remind your customers that there are thoughtful, real people behind the site and it’s not just some technical façade. Keep in mind that customers who come to your site are not just contributors to page view statistics; they are individuals who respond with human emotion each time they visit your store.
These tiny accents can make customers smile as the page loads. By evoking positive emotions from those who visit your site, you help solidify a positive image of your brand.
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Social Networks and Online Shopping Collide to Create “Social Shopping”
I work in e-commerce, and recently I’ve been fascinated to watch the industry scramble to react to a new phenomenon: the collision of social networks and online shopping, which has opened up a new frontier of social shopping. This post explores the past, present, and future of social shopping.
The Past: Online Shopping Develops Independently of Social Networks
In the last few years, companies have pioneered new ways of selling products that their physical counterparts haven’t done: they allowed customers to contribute to the dialog. They started by allowing customers to rate products (like 3 our of 5 stars), but then they opened it up even more by allowing customers to individually voice what they think about a particular product by writing personal review–both good and bad. Still, customers had to seek out the e-commerce store, navigate to a particular product page, and scroll down to discover what others thought. Continue Reading “Social Networks and Online Shopping Collide to Create “Social Shopping”"
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