What's in Store for Websites in 2011

From mobility to scalabilty, here’s a look at the top trends in ecommerce for the coming year.

What’s in store for online businesses in 2011? There are several changes on the horizon, but one common thread through them all is the need for flexibility. Your customers are accessing information in more ways than ever, and their expectations are high. To meet them, you’ll need to be nimble.

From mobility to scalability and security, here’s my take on the most important trends influencing online business technology in the coming year and what they could mean for your website.

Mobility

The use of mobile devices will continue to grow. Your customers may be reading your emails and visiting your website on smart phones, netbooks or iPads. Are you meeting their needs?

It’s time to start planning for a mobile rollout for your website. First, identify the types of information your customers want to access on the go. These are likely to include your home and contact pages, but each business is different. Restaurants, for example, may want to consider making their menus and events pages accessible. Online stores may consider a mobile commerce version. If your clients are business customers, you may consider offering support and other resources from a mobile device.

Next, find out which mobile browsers and screen resolutions that visitors are using by analyzing your website traffic data. Use this information to decide on the various options for your mobile version. You’ll generally want to roll it out in phases and make time to test your updates. Eventually your entire website will need to comply with common standards, but tackling the project in phases will help you budget and gain customer feedback.

Continues at: What’s in Store for Websites in 2011.