While many retailers have closed their brick-and-mortar locations due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, many are turning to their online presence to see them through these uncertain times. New research shows a 106% increase in online sales compared to last year from mid-February to March.1
The internet contributed $2.1 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2018, or about 10% of the nation’s GDP, and accounts for 4% of U.S. jobs.2
With web development, organizations can create websites and applications that help them offer products and services to their consumers even from a distance. Here, we’ll talk about web development, and how it can not just bolster your business now, but provide a great revenue channel in the future.
You should also know that, just because business and personal lives are shifting online, that doesn’t mean you have to wait to start developing your new product or service—virtual software development is very possible, because we’ve been doing it for almost two decades!
What is Web Development?
As with most things, it’s often best to start small. Let’s define what web development is and how it can benefit your current or planned business.
Web development is the work involved in creating objects for the world-wide web (also known as the internet) or for a private network (often referred to as an intranet). Web development includes things like creating a web application or a website. You can differentiate a web application from a website by whether it is informational or interactive.
A web application is interactive: with Google, you can type a query into the search box and pull millions of results as the engine tries to find an answer. We can also include mobile applications here, as more and more users are getting online via a mobile device like a phone, tablet, or smart device.
As of 2019, there were 2.57 million Android apps available on the Google Play Store. Apple’s App Store came in second with 1.84 million applications available for download.3
A website presents information, whether about a person, business, or other topic. Initially, that might not sound like much, but a website is an immensely useful tool for your business. It spearheads your marketing, and acts as a 24/7 hotline that can answer basic questions from customers.
Your website can streamline the purchase process and bring in new business. It’s how consumers can find you, and learn more about your organization. There are over one billion websites on the internet, and growing every day.4
Why is Web Development Important?
Web applications and websites have become the backbone of how we interact with the internet and with each other.
Have a question? The default response has become to search for the answer on the Google search engine; so much so that we don’t say we’re going to “search,” we say we’re going to “google” the answer.
There are 3.5 billion searches performed via Google every day, with about 40,000 on average performed every second.5
Google is just one (albeit very well known) web application. There are dozens of apps that many have come to rely on every day—social media sites ranging from Facebook to Tumblr, note taking applications like Evernote and OneNote, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
Users aren’t just using applications on their phones, either. Those thinking about web development should consider the fact that there are an estimated 31 billion connected devices worldwide,6 which means there are three devices to every one human. That could be mobile phones, tables, smartwatches, and many other wearables that are emerging into the market.
Developers should take “multi-experience” into account, especially when it comes to wearable devices like smartwatches. A multi-experience platform allows businesses multiple ways to interact with their consumers throughout the digital journey. Think about chat applications, voice applications, and many other types of interactions!
Business has moved online. While a good number of goods and services still rely on a physical aspect, the internet has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for both work and purchase.
As of 2018, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) reported $136.8 billion in revenue via advertisement through their various web applications. Microsoft reported $110.8 billion in revenue through product sales. Amazon reported $232.9 billion in revenue via retail.
Conclusion
Web applications and websites are just two examples ofweb development, both of which offer immense opportunities for business growth, increased market reach, and service scaling.
Web applications present a hugely profitable avenue of doing business, and websites can hugely impact your organization in positive ways. Curious about how to get started? Softjourn has helped numerous businesses get a foot in the door with web development.
Whether it's creating a new website from scratch, revamping what’s already existing, or helping entrepreneurs bring an idea to life, we can help you achieve your goal and bring new business in the door.
Softjourn has nearly two decades of experience in web development, including consultancy. We’re happy to discuss any of your ideas, questions, or concerns related to web development.
Contact us today to give life to your ideas!
1 Pearl, D. (2020, March 25). Can Ecommerce Carry the Retail Industry During Coronavirus?
2 Shepardson, D. (2019, September 27). Internet sector contributes $2.1 trillion to U.S. economy: Industry group.
3 Clement, J. (2020, January 15). App stores: Number of apps in leading app stores 2019.
4 Total number of Websites. (n.d.).
5 Google Search Statistics. (n.d.).
6 Statista Research Department. (2016, November 27). IoT: Number of connected devices worldwide 2012-2025.
7 Mozilla. (2019, June 07). How do the biggest internet companies make money?
