If you’ve been CFD trading for some time now, you may want to consider what type of trading strategy to use to maximize your gains. One trading strategy we recommend is the Bollinger Bands Strategy.

In this article, we’ll take you through the Bollinger Bands Strategy in detail and help you understand how it can be used in CFD trading.

What are Bollinger Bands?

Bollinger Bands are a type of trading technical analysis tool. They were developed in the 1980s by American financial analyst John Bollinger to track the changes in prices in stocks during trading.

What is the purpose of using Bollinger Bands in CFD trading?

At its core, Bollinger Bands can help a trader track the volatility in prices within the financial market. When you are CFD trading, you can use Bollinger Bands to measure how much increase or decrease there may be in a specific instrument’s price compared to how it previously traded.

One of the best features of the Bollinger Bands strategy is that it is a fluid technical tool that can be used to measure price changes in a variety of market conditions. Plus, they aren’t just useful in CFD trading. In fact, the Bollinger Bands strategy can be used for any type of financial instrument.

Calculating Bollinger Bands

Bollinger Bands are calculated on the principle of standard deviation. A simple moving average constitutes the average price of a particular instrument. On either side of the average are the “bands”. On the upper limit/band is the positive standard deviation, while the lower limit/band is the negative standard deviation.

By using the Bollinger Bands technical indicator, investors are able to:

· Track sudden changes in instrument prices.

· Identify assets that have been overbought or oversold.

· Find an optimal point of entry and point of exit for the instrument of choice.

When calculating Bollinger Bands, you need to follow a three-step process, which includes:

· Calculating the central/middle simple moving average of the closing price of the instrument.

· Calculating the upper band by adding the standard deviation to the middle moving average you have calculated.

· Calculating the lower band by subtracting the standard deviation from the middle moving average you have calculated.

In terms of formulate:

Middle/central simple moving average – MA(TP,n)

Upper band – MA(TP,n)+m∗σ(TP,n)

Lower limit – MA(TP,n)−m∗σ(TP,n)

[MA=Moving average

TP (typical price) = (High price + Low price + Close price) ÷ 3

N = No. of days in smoothing period (usually 20 days)

M = No. of standard deviations (typically 2 days)

σ[TP,n] = Standard Deviation over last “n” periods of typical price ]

Advantages of the Bollinger Bands strategy in CFD trading

Bollinger Bands offer numerous benefits to traders. Some of these include:

· They allow you to monitor the volatility in prices.

· They can show the direction in which the CFD prices are heading and what the future prices may be. (However these indications are never guaranteed).

· They can help traders see which trading trends are ending and which trends are beginning. The bands also showcase signs which indicate possible investing fads that won’t last.

· They are extremely easy to use and are ideal for all levels of traders.

Disadvantages of the Bollinger Bands strategy in CFD trading

· These bands might be powerful, but they’re not set in stone and are vulnerable to uncertainties that other technical indicators are too.

· They don’t indicate changes weeks in advance and traders may not get much insight about the far future of the instrument in question.

· This technique – according to the creator John Bollinger – is not of real value as stand-alone measures. Instead, they must be used along with other technical indicators in order to provide real insights to traders.

Other indicators to use alongside Bollinger Bands

· %b Indicator

· BBTrend Indicator

· RSI Indicator

5 top Bollinger Bands strategies to use

Now that we know how Bollinger Bands are used for CFD trading, let’s take a look at a few of the strategies you can use when using Bollinger Bands:

· Bands squeezing

In this strategy, the Bollinger Bands stop moving upwards or downwards. Instead, they move towards each other in consolidation. This indicates that the price of the instrument is no longer as volatile as assumed before and it could be a good time to either buy or sell. After the consolidation, the price of the instrument can move in either direction.

· Bollinger candlestick/pinbar trading strategy

This strategy indicates that a reversal in the current prices is imminent. So, traders can plan against the current pricing. If it’s a bullish candlestick/pinbar, traders may reject the lower prices. On the flip side, if it’s a bearish candlestick/pinbar, traders may reject the higher prices.

· Double Bands Strategy

In the double bands strategy, traders don’t just rely on one Bollinger Band for information about instrument prices. Instead, they use two Bollinger Bands to track price volatility. Here, the first Bollinger Band uses two standard deviations, while the second band uses just one.

· Snap Back to the Middle of the Bands Strategy

This technique is one of the safest strategies when using Bollinger Bands. Instead of waiting for the price to swing either upwards or downwards, traders wait for the Bollinger Bands to indicate the price is closest to the Middle/Central band. This is the period of the highest stability in prices and can offer consistent returns when invested or pulled out.

· Trade Inside the Bands Strategy

This Bollinger Bands trading strategy can be used when you want to trade within a specific range. Traders can use the upper and lower bands to determine a specific range for trading and only buy or sell within that range.

All of the above strategies can help traders identify the point of resistance and support. When it comes to Bollinger Bands, resistance is seen when the trend upward is condensed and a downward reversal is in the offing. Traders may notice support when a downward price trend slows down and the demand concentrates on a point higher than the lower limit.

 

The crowdfunding industry has experienced drastic growth in the past couple of years. Businesses and startups have seen the benefits of crowdfunding and have hurriedly welcomed the idea.

In this article, we will be speaking to a crowdfunding expert who works with the biggest crowdfunding agency, Ideazon.

When did the first crowdfunding campaign happen?

A British rock band was able to fund an entire reunion tour in 1997 entirely through online contributions from their fans. The band used the same tactic to finance their subsequent studio albums after raising a total of US$60,000 via the initiative.

The band had no idea that they were pioneering a modern fundraising concept at the time. The first successful online crowdfunding effort inspired thousands of others, paving the way for millions of individuals to successfully finance their own campaigns, a process made possible by the Internet’s accessibility and eventual technical advances.

Presently, where does the crowdfunding industry stand?

The crowdfunding industry has reached its pinnacle and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s difficult to predict what fundraising will be like in a few years.

According to a report from Technavio, the crowdfunding industry would rise by USD 196.36 billion between 2021 and 2025, with a CAGR of over 15%. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, as well as the new opportunities and threats that market players can foresee, are also discussed in the paper.

The influence will be major in the first quarter, but will eventually fade in subsequent periods, with only a minor effect on full-year economic development. The global crowdfunding industry was estimated at $13.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow tremendously by 2026.

As a crowdfunding expert in Ideazon, what will you say is the future of crowdfunding?

First of all, I predict that there will be a transfer of authority. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, and LendingClub, among the most common sites, should be concerned about the latest wave of platforms.

They’re developing brand-new approaches and will quickly catch up to the industry’s leaders. Also, Crowdfunding is used to represent the interests of small businesses and individuals who wished to try their hand at entrepreneurship.

From now on we can expect more major businesses and startups to use “the crowd” to try innovative market concepts and solicit input on future new goods.

What do you think the biggest challenges will be facing crowdfunding moving forward?

As companies began collecting money from Initial Coin Offerings, crowdfunding took on a new look (ICOs). Since Mastercoin’s initial coin offering in 2013, a slew of other cryptocurrencies has followed suit. These cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Telegram, Bancor, and a slew of others.

The potential of initial coin offerings (ICOs) has risen dramatically, especially in 2017, when projects raised massive amounts of money in a matter of seconds. I and the entire Ideazon team expect to see more of this in the future.

Do you see the number of people crowdfunding increasing?

If big organizations are looking into crowdfunding, then it is certain that the number of people, businesses, and startups that will start crowdfunding campaigns will be on the rise.

 

When coming up with a new product, packaging is probably going to be one of the key factors that you think about before your product is able to be put out on the shelves and brought to the market. However, your product packaging can play a bigger part in marketing and getting interest in your product than you might think. Along with offering a protective casing for the product and keeping different product parts and components in one handy place when the customer comes to purchase it, your product packaging can do a lot more for your brand. Here are just some of the factors that are influenced by your product packaging.

Reputation:

Your product packaging might often be the first thing that customers see about your brand, and can contribute to your reputation in a big way. Customers are likely going to make some assumptions about your brand itself when they see your packaging, which is why its’ so important to come up with a design that reflects your brand and what it stands for. If you want to appear cool and young, or high-end and expensive, your product packaging can make all the difference when it comes to the opinions that customers will form that eventually lead to your brand’s reputation.

Quality:

Your product packaging can say a lot about the quality of the item that is inside. Since it’s often the only thing that customer will see before they buy the product and open up the packaging to find it, your design can make a huge difference to the choices that customers make. Naturally, most of us want to purchase the best quality products at the best price, and your packaging can help the customer decide. Consider a high quality product that you have purchased yourself – chances are that it came in stunning and quality packaging, rather than something cheap and flimsy.

Aim:

The product packaging that you use can be a way to tell your customers more about what your brand aims to do. Along with including information about the product on your packaging, you could mention a charity that you support or something good that you do like offering a product packaging recycling service to improve your eco-friendly brand. You can find out more about designing the perfect product packaging, and obtain help with your product, at thepkglab.com.

Important Information:

Last but not least, your product packaging is an important part of making sure that the customer has all the information that they need about the product before they buy it. This could be telling them more about what’s included with a product that comes with different components or informing them of the ingredients used in food or cosmetics products, including any allergens that they will need to be aware of. Being as informative as possible with your product packaging is important since most people will want to ensure that they have all the facts before they buy.

 

Jacques Poujade is one of the top real estate investors and advisors of the time. With over 30 years of experience under his belt, Poujade is managing partner at LendsPlus, a real estate financing firm that helps homeowners make their property investment dreams come true.

There is no doubt that 2020 was an unusual year in the real estate world. That being said, we caught up with Poujade to get his insights on the current of the real estate market and where we might be headed in 2021

How did COVID-19 alter the course of the real estate market?

The global pandemic definitely changed how people lived. Overall, everyone is spending a lot more time at home due to remote work and lockdown restrictions. That being said, I still saw a big shift in the real estate market.

More people moved out of metropolitan areas and to more unique, exotic locations they couldn’t experience before because they were anchored to their office’s location.

Why is property investing a safe choice for investors even in uncertain times?

If you’re unsure about whether property investing is a good idea, remember that it is a lot more stable than the stock market. People will always need a place to live, even in the midst of a global pandemic.

You also have a lot more control with an investment property – you put in the work from renovations to marketing. In essence, what you give is what you get.

Will mortgage rates be on the rise in 2021?

With the pandemic, we saw mortgage rates hit a record low for the first time in a long time. This has been a blessing and a curse – it has allowed a lot of people to invest in properties they were never able to afford before.

Though the economy is expected to improve in 2021, we will probably see mortgage rates continue to stay on the lower side throughout the course of the next year.

Should people purchase a home in 2021?

Despite the low mortgage rates, home prices are still inflated. That means that the inventory on the market is limited and sellers are charging whatever they want.

However, if things really do improve in the next year, I think that 2021 will be a better time to make the purchase you’ve been planning for.

What is one trend you know will carry on into 2021?

I think so. The house flipping trend will carry into the new year. COVID-19 has forced people to get creative with making an income, and house flipping is a great way to do so.

I’m seeing a lot of millennials jumping on this real estate trend. Their creative spirit and work-from-home lifestyles allow them to pursue home-flipping as a side gig. This is also a more stable investment, especially if you’re young and don’t have a lot of money.

Related Reading:
Jacques Poujade: Millennial Real Estate Trends to Watch
The Best Way for Millennials to Start Investing in Real Estate in 2020

 

If you’re working from home, you’re not alone. In fact, more employees are working remotely now more than ever. Because of the benefits to both employers and employees, the number of employees working from home is likely to increase.

For example, employees save time and money when they don’t have to commute; they don’t spend as much on business wardrobes or eating at restaurants; and they have much more flexibility overall than if they had to travel to an office.

Many employees appreciate the greater sense of autonomy, the ability to control their work environment, and the opportunity to spend more time with their families. Remote employees also save their employers money. Smaller office spaces usually cost less than larger ones and overhead is generally lower as the number of remote employees increases.

While nearly all employees are happy to give up their commutes, there are tradeoffs to working remotely. It can be isolating for people — especially those who identify as extroverts. It can also be difficult to draw boundaries between work and home life. Many people are easily distracted while working at home — whether by family or chores around the house — and may find it harder to collaborate with or stay connected with co-workers.

Another issue that affects employers and employees is how to manage the performance of remote staff. When employees work on-site, it’s easier to keep tabs on what types of work they are performing, offer feedback, and stay connected. Managing the performance of remote employees may take extra effort, but it can be done efficiently and fairly.

For example, remote employees should be given specific work requirements so they know what is expected of them. That may include their daily schedule and hours (and whether or not those hours are flexible), and allotted time for lunch. Regular check-ins between managers and employees can help team members stay on track and allow managers to better assess the type of work employees are performing and the quality of that work.

Managers should also be proactive in giving feedback, recognizing that remote employees rely on it to judge their performance and progress. Regular communication can also help alleviate employees’ feelings of isolation and reduce work-related stress.

For more information about managing remote employees, check out the infographic below.

 

Author Bio: Sara Drake is Director of Marketing for Advanced Resources, a talent solutions organization headquartered in Chicago. Drake, who has 15 years of experience in the industry, focuses on talent solutions through staffing, consulting and workforce solutions.

 

While it is true that today’s employees put more stock in intangible things – like feeling valued by their bosses – a new survey confirms that benefits still play an important role in worker satisfaction. In fact, employee benefits keep workers in place. The survey suggests that a strong benefits package is one of the best ways to retain top talent.

Insurance brokers and general agencies have their work cut out for them as open enrollment approaches. Standard health insurance is still a top priority. However, ancillary benefits should play a larger role this year than they have in the past. Companies offering a larger basket of ancillary benefits should be better positioned to compete for talent.

Benefits a Reason to Stay

The previously mentioned survey, conducted by Prudential Financial, showed that some 77% of all employees consider benefits a key part of their total compensation. More importantly, 73% say that their benefits are a big reason for staying at their jobs. That is up from 59% one year ago.

Such a large jump may be partly explained by the coronavirus crisis. As people are fearful about their own health and that of their families, health insurance benefits become so much more important. Any additional benefits are icing on the cake. Employees do not want to lose those benefits, so they commit themselves to staying at their current jobs.

In terms of ancillary benefits, are there things employers can do to raise the stakes? Absolutely. It starts with contacting the company’s health insurance broker to find out what non-health benefits are on the table.

Financial Wellness Benefits

Among the most cited non-health benefits employees say could keep them at their jobs are those that somehow relate to financial wellness. In other words, employees enjoy peace of mind when they are protected against certain types of financial hardship. They are looking for benefits like disability insurance, life insurance, and retirement savings.

Disability insurance is a big one. We all know that government disability payments are not all that generous. Too many stories of disabled workers not being able to pay their bills leaves employees fearful of an accident or illness that would keep them out of work. Disability insurance can ease those fears.

Life insurance is another peace of mind benefit. Employees with affordable life insurance can protect their loved ones against lost income and high burial costs should they die before retirement age. Not having to pay the total cost of life insurance can ease financial stress as well.

Other Ancillary Benefits

Benefits like dental plans and disability insurance can be obtained through an employer’s health insurance broker via its general agency. But such benefits are not the be-all and end-all of ancillary benefits. Employers can look at other options that have nothing to do with insurance.

In a blog posted early in 2020, Dallas-based BenefitMall detailed a few of the expected trends in employee benefits for 2020. Among them is rising interest in student loan benefits. Employers wanting to give their workers something extra are offering to help them repay their student loans through payroll deductions and matching contributions.

A student debt reduction benefit is definitely a financial wellness benefit that can reduce employee stress. After all, how many employees worry that they will never get their student loans paid off? A benefit to help them do just that can go a long way toward improving mental health and productivity.

Employees stay at their jobs for lots of reasons. But there is no denying that benefits packages continue to be one of the most important factors. Workers say so themselves.

 

Sometimes aerospace sensors don’t do exactly what they should. Such is the case with some of Boeing’s angle of attack vanes, the sensors thought to be responsible for two 2019 crashes involving the 787 Max. Boeing could add new sensors to give the angle of attack vanes more redundancy, but they believe they have a workaround that is equally effective but less costly.

An angle of attack vane is essentially a wind vane that measures airflow and compares it against a fixed reference point. It is used in aerospace design to measure the amount of lift an aircraft is achieving at any given point during a flight. A lack of lift can be deadly.

Boeing’s Angle of Attack Problem

Boeing had trouble with the sensors on their 787 Max due to faulty readings that were warning of a nonexistent stall condition. Pilots, trying to correct for the false stall condition, can inadvertently put the aircraft into an uncontrollable dive. That is how the two 2019 crashes occurred.

Once the problem was discovered, the FAA implemented a new rule requiring all commercial airlines to address potential problems with angle of attack vanes. The system Boeing now proposes for the 787 Max has been tested and approved for other Boeing aircraft. Airbus has also used it on one of their planes.

Adopting the system allows Boeing to avoid having to develop more expensive sensors. The system relies on technology taken from drones and spacecraft. While simple in principle, it is somewhat complicated to implement. Still, Boeing thinks it is cheaper than developing new sensors to increase angle of attack redundancy.

A Ton of Signal Processing

The system Boeing wants to use is known as the synthetic air data system. It relies on existing sensors to collect data that is then fed into a computer system and analyzed by algorithms. Those algorithms return data similar to what additional sensors mounted on the aircraft would return. In essence, Boeing’s system is a software simulation of additional hardware sensors.

Boeing says the system would reap benefits over and above providing redundancy for angle of attack vanes. They say it would increase overall aircraft safety, especially in relation to problems caused by confusing signals in the cockpit.

What Boeing proposes is fundamentally a matter of signal processing. Rather than bringing more sensors into the equation, they want to take data they can already collect, run it through some advanced signal processing systems, and return more accurate data which ultimately makes planes safer.

Better Data to Prevent Crashes

The goal of the synthetic air data system is to provide better data to prevent crashes. According to California’s Rock West Solutions, signal processing goals are similar. Signal processing systems are continually improved for the purposes of generating better data. Perhaps better data could have prevented the two crashes that grounded the 787 Max.

Those two crashes were the direct result of poor data generated by faulty angle of attack vanes. Unfortunately, other on-board systems were not able to counteract that faulty data, leading pilots to believe they were at risk of stalling the aircraft. Perhaps they would have made better decisions had they been given better data.

Boeing now waits to see if they will get full approval to implement the system for the 787 Max. If they do, the plane could be back in the skies by the end of the year. If not, it might be back to the drawing board for Boeing engineers. They may be left with no other choice but to invest in new sensors to provide the necessary redundancy.

It’s a fact that the higher your website ranks in search engines, the more searchers will visit your site. Matter of fact, it makes sense that most clicks go to the site that is listed organically at the top position on the first page of a search. It’s also important to realize that searchers don’t typically click on subsequent pages beyond page one.

Why isn’t it enough to have a responsive website with really well written content. A fully responsive designed website is a must, but that is just one small part of organic search ranking on mobile devices. Data driven SEO agencies provide solutions for gaining optimal traffic that converts into clients and increases online sales. Here are some main reasons why an SEO agency can help your business improve its position in search and do so much more.

1. SEO Agencies are Experts at Search Engine Optimization

An SEO professional lives and breathes rankings. Backed by data, testing and experience they know how to deliver results. They have experience in determining which techniques work, which ones are outdated and which ones move the needle. When businesses try to do this without assistance, it becomes a hit or miss situation. The outcome isn’t reliable without the in-house resources, software and training. Selecting a third party to handle SEO becomes a smart business decision that is efficient and saves money. Business owners should focus on what they do best and on operating and growing their business.

2. Website Traffic Dramatically Improves

If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. That is unless you hire an SEO company with the skills, knowledge, and experience to help web searchers locate your site for key products and services. SEO professionals do more than look at keywords. They look at page analytics, coding, and other aspects to uncover what is missing. When your website becomes more visible and when rankings increase, traffic will also increase. But only if it’s done right. An SEO agency knows what your competitors are doing and can bring you steps ahead of them.

3. Return on Investment (ROI) is Always Higher


The ratio between visitors or client acquisition per investment spent on SEO is better than traditional marketing. The conversion from online advertising is much higher as users are actively searching for what they need at exactly that time. They are positioned to buy. SEO is really about building trust with Google and with potential clients. With trust and authority, a business can position themselves for growth. The value of reaching your customer acquisition goals is priceless.

4. SEO Specialists Fit Your Budget

A business plan typically contains a marketing budget that is rarely, if ever, flexible. The cost-effectiveness of outsourcing a website’s SEO needs is based on increasing marketing efficiency and reducing in-house costs. By contrast, a business will risk wasting both time and employee effort through lack of training, expensive software purchases, and mismanaging employee time. Specialists in SEO have a higher results-driven outcome based on data and years of experience. Higher rankings is how Google rewards businesses with a strong online reputation, authority, and trust factorsthat can be boosted with the use of an SEO agency.

5. An SEO Agency Can Help You Maintain Your High Ranking

After proven SEO efforts are put in place, there’s more to do. Algorithms change over time. It’s often challenging for businesses to try to improve their SEO on their own. Because of the difficulty in ranking web sites, it’s understandable that maintaining high ranking is no easy feat. However, for a digital marketing of SEO agency, this is what they do on a daily basis, they have all of the data, research and experience to follow changes and make edits necessary to maintain high ranking. It will be one less thing to worry about and to have to manage in-house.

6. Your Customers Will Appreciate Your Website’s SEO Performance

Customers can tell the difference between a website that is optimized for search engines and one that is not. They can tell the difference between quality web sites and ones that fall far short of industry standards. Very quickly a consumer will either trust a business of be turned off by their first impressions. Sites that rank high on Google look and feel more trusted as if they have passed the ‘Google Test’.

Running numbers for SEO expenses, results and ROI, the long term marketing solution that works the best for most businesses is to hire a profession SEO agency to perform services that efficiently rank a web site higher.

 

If you’re well aware that consumer habits have shifted dramatically as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and are interested in discovering innovative ways to increase your sales figures, simply continue reading. As you’ll discover how your businesses can thrive post lock-down and better engage with their customers.

Convince your customers that specific items are scarce:

Psychology studies into consumer habits have proven that if your customers believe that certain items are scarce, the items in question will sell out in a short space of time. As humans are hardwired to believe that scarce items are more desirable and that if items are low in stock, they should be purchased straight away, in order to avoid disappointment.

One way to convince your customers that particular items are scarce is to inform your online customers that there are only a few items of a particular product, in stock. For example, on a product page of a product that you’d like to sell, you may want to inform your customers that there are only 3 more in stock.

Run special promotions in order to entice customers to increase their spending with your business:

Recent psychology studies have also shown that consumers are far more likely to spend more money with a business, if they are promised a free reward. So you may want to think about offering your customers a free gift with purchases over a certain amount. As human beings love getting something for “nothing” and will jump at the chance to take up a free gift with purchase promotion.

Film product reviews in order to encourage your customers to shop with your business:

When it comes to business, the saying show don’t tell is still as valid, post lockdown as it ever was. In fact, as many individuals disposable income has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. So now, more than ever, potential customers are far more interested in purchasing products that they are confident will work, over products that they haven’t seen demonstrated.

One of the simplest ways to show your customers that your business’ products work is to film product reviews and demonstrations of your products in action. Which you’ll then be able to start promoting on your business’ social media accounts.

Align your business with a carefully chosen cause:

Another way to positively impact the way that customers see your brand is to align your business with a carefully chosen cause. Which your business’ target audience cares about. Some examples of causes which could appeal to your business’ demographic include the Black Lives Matter movement and cancer research. If you’re unsure of the causes which are important to your target shoppers, simply use a survey to find out more information about your customers.

Choose music which your customers will relate to:

Choose your business’ playlists carefully. In order to include tracks that appeal to your target demographic.

So if you’re looking to increase your sales post lockdown, it’s a great idea to get started by incorporating all of the business strategies which are listed above into your business plan.

The world of web development is always changing. Each year, new trends emerge that touch on innovation and provide an even more immersive experience for your users. Now that we’re well into 2020, we’re starting to see some great web development trends of 2020 that are shaping the digital space and transforming the way that businesses conduct their activities online.

From artificial intelligence to mobile-focused strategy, it’s important to stay on top of these trends to make sure your website is always ready to leverage growth and conversions.

Here are the top web development trends of 2020 your business should leverage for the rest of the year and well into 2021. Many of these trends can easily be implemented with the help of a knowledgeable web development team.

Chatbots

Last year, the world of web development saw the rise in the use of chatbots, and these numbers have only been growing since then. Chatbots are AI-powered automated messaging systems you can implement on your website to interact with your customers instantly, especially when an agent isn’t available at that moment.

Your customers demand answers, no matter what time of the day it is. The traditional business hours don’t really apply online, especially if you operate an ecommerce business. According to statistics, 50% of customers expect an online business to be open 24/7, while 69% of customers prefer chatbots because they provide instant answers. Further, many people prefer to interact with your business online instead of calling.

A chatbot is an effective way to give your customers answers right away to the most common questions, and it’s not super costly to get up and running. When implementing this function, be sure to include an escalate to agent option that can connect them to a real person if they have a very specific question.

Progressive Web Apps

Research for 2020 indicates that more mobile users prefer using a progressive web app (PWA) than a mobile responsive website. A PWA is a website or a page that utilizes APIs to create an app-like experience for users who view your website on their smartphones or tablets. It will make your user feel like they’re using an app, without having to make the effort to download one from the app store and use up storage space on their phone.

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/m_HRfLhgABo

Building a PWA is also a faster and more cost-effective way to give your users a mobile-based experience without building an actual app. You can collect plenty of data this way that helps tailor the experience to increase conversions and overall traffic.

Mobile Focused Design

If you don’t have the budget to build a PWA or mobile app, you need to make sure that your website is mobile responsive and tailored to mobile users. This is a trend that has been stressed for years now, but it’s more relevant than ever in 2020. Here are some current and emerging technologies you can leverage to increase mobile conversions:

• Accelerated mobile pages (AMPs): This is a key tool for creating an effective and mobile user-friendly experience in today’s world. Essentially, AMPs use HTML code to help your pages load faster and smoother on mobile than your regular web pages, so mobile users can get that instant gratification they’re already used to. As a bonus, AMPs can help improve your SEO rank because Google tends to favour websites that have quick load times.
• Text/SMS Marketing: Email marketing still works, but you can reach your customers faster if you implement a text marketing system. People are always on their phone, so your message can reach them more directly by SMS (especially for those who don’t always use their mobile data for Internet browsing) instead of waiting until they check their email.
• Mobile Push Notifications: Another way to leverage your mobile experience is to use push notifications for smartphones. This is a great way to reach those mobile users directly, while allowing them to forgo having to input their credentials in your site (like their email) to get updates on their favourite products.

Voice Search Optimization

More households are using devices like Google Home and Alexa to perform their daily activities, from listening to music to stocking up on household supplies. As these devices become more affordable, this trend has only continued to rise in 2020. Everything is about convenience, and it’s much easier to say, “Hey Google, search for pet supplies” from your couch than it is to open up your phone, open Google, and type in your search query.

Voice search optimization is a little different than your typical SEO strategy because people speak commands differently than they type them. A good web developer can integrate web speech API to work with voice data to give your website a stronger search presence in all areas.

Key Takeaways

No matter which of these web development trends of 2020 you decide to implement for your own business, here are some important points to keep in mind:

• Customer service will always be a priority, no matter what technology you use.
• Mobile experience is essential for the success of any online business.
• Be prepared for the continuous growth of AI and AI-based technologies.
• Today’s users love instant gratification, so give them what they crave.