Looking Back On 2015 Web Predictions and Trends

Isaiah Bollinger

Isaiah Bollinger

Every year I write trends and predictions that I think will take place in the coming year regarding the future of the Internet and Internet based technologies. Here are last years web predictions and trends. Lets see what we thought was correct, somewhat correct, or just plain wrong.

WordPress Will Become More Enterpise Level

I certainly think WordPress has made major strides in this arena but I still think WordPress has a long ways to go in the enterprise market. We launched a major enterprise WordPress site at the end of 2015, Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Magezine website showing that WordPress can scale, handle complex content needs, and become a platform for growth for larger companies for the future.
However, with that being said, WordPress still has a long ways to go and struggles in the Enterprise market for both large business websites and eCommerce websites. Although Automattic did purchase Woothemes, most likely helping WordPress / WooCommerce grow, it has yet to gain major popularity among the top websites. Additionally, major companies are still using technologies like Sitecore, Drupal, and other enterprise CMS platforms.
WordPress has definitely started to move upstream but still has a long way to go before more major companies use it for their main business websites.
Correct: Yes & No

More Service Companies Will Transition to eCommerce

Overall, there were new services that become eCommerce capable so in some respects this is true but it still pales in comparison as to what could become an eCommerce service. Companies like Trunk Club, Talk Space, Birchbox, Dollar Shave Club, and many more have mastered the subscription eCommerce business model. It is only a matter of time before services like cleaning, accounting, and other non traditional eCommerce services become eCommerce, but 2015 was not the year the major shift was made in this space. This may take longer than expected and realistically happen more so in the coming years and beyond.
Correct: No

Software Integrations Will Become The Norm

As more and more companies rely on many different types of software such as accounting software, ERP, CRM, CMS, PIM, and other platforms, having them communicate properly between each other is essential to efficiency and ultimately business success. Therefore integrating such systems is now not only necessary, but the norm among most established businesses. Integration platforms like Mulesoft, Zapier, and many easily integratabtle systems have exploded in popularity in 2015. Platforms like Salesforce, Magento and other systems that make integrations a key part of their offering have become very successful.
Correct: Yes

Social Media Advertising Growth Will Outpace Search Advertising Growth

Facebook had incredible earnings in 2015 and its stock / market cap exploded to new heights. Facebook stock started the year in the 70s and finished above 100. Its market cap has almost reached 300 billion closing in on the likes of the other major tech giants like Google. Social advertising growth has massively out grown search advertising growth in 2015 as overall search usage growth slows down.  More and more users find their information via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin, and other social media sources, rather than through search engines.
Correct: Yes

Online Dating Will Become Normal

This I feel was certainly correct as dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel and more exploded in popularity. It is no longer taboo to meet someone online but just a normal part of life, especially for the younger generations. Gone are the days of not telling people where you met in fear of humiliation, for good and for bad…
Correct: Yes

Companies That Don’t Invest Online Will Start To Fail

I think many companies that did not make solid investments online have suffered and are starting to feel the pain of competitors who have better online presences. However that does not mean they are failing or are even losing major market share as many people continue to buy offline or utilize services they found through referrals and personal connections.
Correct: No

Mid Size Companies Will Move To Cloud Hosting

This I certainly believe is starting to happen but not at the shift I was expecting. It still seems to be mostly utilized by the major companies who need cloud hosting. Mid size companies still have a long way to go when it comes to growing their website traffic which might require them to move to cloud hosting so until that happens small and mid size companies will not have to move to the cloud just yet.
Correct: No

Foundation Will Become a Stronger Leader in Responsive Design Frameworks

Foundation has certainly gained momentum and with the launch of Foundation 6, it is certainly the best responsive framework on the market. Many major companies are moving to Foundation including tech companies and even non tech companies like Mens Wear House.
Correct: Yes

Mobile On Demand Services Will Become More Diverse

This I believe was certainly true as new services like Alfred, Luxe, Postmates, Washio, Exec / Handybook, Zeal, Style Seat, and Doordash gained traction. Mobile on demand services expanded beyond the major players Lyft and Uber into areas like house cleaning, food, parking, beauty and more. Although they have become more diverse I still think they have a long way to go in terms of the potential diversity of these types of services.
Correct: Yes & No

Web Design Trends Will Be More Visual and Less Text Content Oriented

More and more people avoid reading on the web, and 2015 was a major year in which websites transitioned more and more towards visual oriented content with less textual content. Many of the major sites have already done this but smaller businesses have started to follow in their footsteps updating their websites with more modern visual oriented sites including the team at Trellis!
Trellis Web Design
 
Correct: Yes

Digital Currencies Will Become More Mature

Although Bitcoin did recover in price to some extent in 2015 I think they have failed to improve the usability of the currency for the common man to the level needed. Therefore they have not gained the marketshare I was expecting and may never do so.
Correct: No

Magento 2.0 Will Be An eCommerce Game-changer

Magento 2.0 launched in late 2015. This was far too late for many companies to adopt with the exception of a few beta testers. The technology transition may take sometime in which 2016 will be a major transition year and 2017 will be the year more and more start to adopt. I was a bit too early on this prediction.
Correct: No

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