It’s that time of the year when we look back with mixed feelings. I have been doing the same for the past few days but rather than brooding on personal feats and blunders, I have been noting down the happenings that influenced the internet in 2015. By happenings, I mean:
- Industries that emerged and soared
- Products that excited us
- Updates that changed internet as a whole
I’m not going to chirp about popular news stories that got us talking. The likes of Mashable and TechCrunch are doing that already. Instead, I have listed the things that only excited web nerds and online entrepreneurs.
Enough of the small talk. Let’s begin!
#1. Mobile became more important
Old story, right? Wrong. 2015 witnessed radical announcements related to mobile. The biggest one was obviously the Mobilegeddon. The update that made each webmaster’s heart sink with its formidable name arrived on April 21, 2015 with the promise of giving ranking advantage to mobile friendly pages.
Google’s App Indexing also got more firepower by covering iOS devices as well. At the time of its launch (in 2013), it was only equipped to furnish results related to installed apps. This year, it has grown to include uninstalled ones as well.
In short, mobile is the future. Capture it if you haven’t done it yet.
#2. Reviews are driving sales
Everyone who shops online knows that reviews are important but a recent study conducted by MOZ supported the fact with data. 67% of the respondents stated that online reviews influence their purchases. The research work also threw light on the importance of product or company search results on Google pages.
MOZ says Google+ local reviews are more popular amongst shoppers as compared to reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp. However, the two cannot be taken lightly. They have high authority on search engines.
So, spend some minutes every week scanning Google search results for relevant company and product search terms.
#3. Interesting products appeared
From VR products to hoverboards, 2015 was abuzz with few game-changing innovations. The internet also witnessed its share of products but I will mention only the most radical ones. First is my favorite, Twitter Polls. It gives users the power to create polls and seek opinion from followers. It has great potential from marketing and feedback point of view.
The second is Youtube Red. Google has finally made up its mind to monetize the video sharing site by adding value rather than pushing ads. While it’s too soon to say if Google has made the right move with the subscription service, the value addition certainly makes it worth a mention in this list.
#4. P2P marketplaces flourished
People driven ventures have been around for some years now, and their growth continued in 2015 as well. This year, various such ventures emerged and scaled up. From equipment rental to car sharing and selling handmade goods to healthy meals, P2P platforms made news every other day.
I think such platforms have strong growth potential and will occupy the imagination of investors for years to come. So, if you are planning to launch an online venture, give some thought to P2P as well.
#5. Startup funding didn’t stop
It’s still not late to grab funding for your ‘hot’ startup idea. The startup funding trends were strong across the globe in 2015, and they are likely to continue in 2016 too. Check out these Q2 facts and numbers borrowed from Gust to get a better idea of US funding.
Indian startup landscape is also massive with 2015 funding of around $7 billion (in first 3 quarters). In fact, the country is the third largest startup destination after the US and the UK.
The question now is- What are you waiting for?
#6. Multivendor shift was noticed
I keep a watch on Quora and other platforms to see what people are curious about nowadays. In 2015, I noticed that there was a lot of buzz around the multivendor model. People have been trying to sell online for a long time but now they seem to be more concerned about profit generation.
Personally speaking, multivendor store does make more sense.
- No need to stock products
- No product addition and hassles of updating
- Focus only on growing your store
Certainly, the regular online stores will always have their place on web. What I mean is that multivendor stores are occupying the minds of entrepreneurs.
#7. Turnkey made an Impact
Time is probably the most precious commodity when it comes to internet. Today, online stores can be set up within minutes. Unique websites can also be created in no time. In concluding year, I noticed many entrepreneurs evolving products, which automate website setups and minimize investment.
In short, entrepreneurs as well as development companies are eliminating the need of knowing code to get started online by evolving turnkey solutions for different industries.
To put it simply, going online is easier than ever.
Of course a lot more interesting things happened online in 2015. I personally loved the arrival of Periscope, the Apple App of the Year.
Are you familiar with any other tech phenomena of 2015 that deserve a spot in this list? Let us know in the comments section and let’s see how it fascinates others.
