When we talk about websites, we are referring to sites with thousands of pages. Websites in 2021 are information platforms. Fully integrated, connected user experiences that cross Omni-channels define the web today. Soon, we imagine the word “website” will begin to lose meaning as digital experiences become indistinguishable across mobile and web.
A Great Digital Experience in 2021
Consumers, users, audiences, members, whatever you call your target are continually trained by major players like Facebook and Amazon to expect more from digital. When did you last consider how well the search features on Amazon work? When did you last consider LinkedIn’s ability to search people, jobs, companies, groups, events, schools, and courses? For most, the answer is, “I never thought about it.” Your audience probably never considers why or how they simply expect it.
Websites in 2010
- YouTube is growing fast
- Facebook is about 5 years old
- Responsive is growing but not yet a baseline expectation
- Search engines are present but limited functionality
- eBay and Craigslist are among bigger players in social e-commerce
- Amazon is set to dominate commerce and cloud hosting
Websites in 2021
- Video and other storytelling features are widely available
- Responsive is a baseline but users expect connected experiences
- Facebook and Amazon are synonyms for the internet for many
- Amazon, Facebook, and Google are truly omnichannel
- Youtube, Twitch, Facebook, and TikTok users are generating video content exponentially
Consider Facebook circa 2005. Today, Facebook is a fully integrated ecosystem of platforms. The Facebook roadmap from 2016 predicted its push into VR/AR, Connectivity, and AI.
Facebook in 2005
- Basic user-generated content
- Basic communities and “Facebook Pages”
- Rising monetization algorithms
Facebook in 2020
- Global Messaging
- Facebook Live
- User-Generated Video Content
- Social Commerce like Craigslist today but set to become more like Uber
- Single Sign-On powered by Facebook connects users across apps and websites alike
- AI powers many experiences including personalization and advertising
- 10 million advertisers are selling on Facebook platforms
- Analytics platform drive ROI for Advertisers
With the impact of COVID-19 Facebook pivoted to focus on Facebook Live, Messenger and WhatsApp, and stopping disinformation campaigns. But the Facebook advertising machine ended 2020 strong. Facebook is heading toward making commerce available to the masses with social selling. Imagine working for Facebook like working for Uber? It’s coming.
Amazon Dominating Digital
Amazon’s tremendous growth in the last decade represents more than market dominance. To us, it means the sheer force is driving user experience expectations.
User Experience Expectations in 2021
To compete today, it is critical to understand that UX expectations are mostly unstated. Your audience may tell you when they think your digital presence is very, very bad but are unlikely to articulate what’s bothering them. They likely won’t explain that they have learned to use the faceted search on Amazon.com to narrow thousands of possible results. They also were trained that a seamless search across major platforms is possible with LinkedIn.com and now expect your outlets to be connected by a single search box.
So how can you compete with Facebook, and Amazon?
Start with a platform that can get you there. A digital experience platform like Episerver (soon to be called only Optimizely) provides a backbone that allows brands to build connected experiences. Your audience expects robust search, personalized experiences, and experimentation that is constantly improving user experiences. You will also need a digital leader to guide you in creating user experiences that convert.
Image Credit: “A receipt for courtship LCCN96512570” by Fæ is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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