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Development
5 min read

Top 10 Contentful Alternatives to Use in 2024

Contentful CMS is a leading headless CMS that is well-known for its strong customization capabilities and scalability. However, some users have faced challenges, such as a not-so-user-friendly interface, significant developer resource requirements, and unpredictable pricing models. You are in the right place if you seek an alternative to Contentful that better suits your needs. This blog will give you the top 10 Contentful alternatives for 2024 to help you find the ideal content management solution. How to Choose the Right Contentful Alternative? The best Contentful alternative for you depends on your specific requirements, such as: Features: Consider the features offered by each CMS, including content modeling, API flexibility, and integrations. Scalability: If you anticipate significant growth, ensure the CMS can handle your future needs. Cost: Evaluate pricing models and consider factors like usage-based pricing or upfront licensing fees. Ease of Use: Consider the learning curve and user-friendliness of the CMS. Community and Support: Look for a CMS with a strong community and active support forums. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select the Contentful alternative that best aligns with your organization's goals and requirements. The Only Contentful Alternatives You’ll Ever Need 1. Storyblok Storyblok is a great alternative to Contentful, offering an easy-to-use, cloud-based content management system (CMS) that works well with any website design tool or software. Its main advantage is that it lets users easily put together and change their website's layout without needing to start over. Due to its simple drag-and-drop editor, it's perfect for people who need to be tech-savvy. One of its unique features is its ability to handle multiple languages easily, making it an excellent choice for global businesses. Furthermore, its transparent pricing model helps companies better plan their budgets. Storyblok has earned significant recognition for being user-friendly and offering a great return on investment, especially for small businesses. Users also rank it highly in industry reports, positioning it as a leading contentful services platform. 2. Hygraph Hygraph is a headless GraphQL content platform that offers a seamless experience. Hygraph's intuitive interface and efficient data retrieval through GraphQL make it a strong contender in the headless CMS space. Hygraph's versioning system ensures that content management is organized and efficient, while its flexible architecture allows for easy integration with various technologies. However, users unfamiliar with GraphQL may face a learning curve, and pricing can vary based on usage rates and included features. Despite these challenges, Hygraph is a powerful tool for prioritizing a streamlined content management experience without sacrificing flexibility. Set up triggers to identify abandoned carts and initiate a recovery sequence. Create a series of reminder emails, starting with a gentle nudge and potentially escalating to a special offer. Experiment with different channels like email, SMS, or web push notifications to determine which works best for your audience. Use dynamic content to display the abandoned items and make it easy for customers to complete their purchases. A/B tests different message styles, timings, and incentives to optimize your recovery rate. 3. WordPress WordPress is a well-known open-source CMS that offers an accessible alternative to Contentful. While WordPress is traditionally a monolithic system rather than headless, it still provides a high level of customization through its vast plugins. This makes WordPress, a great contentful alternative, as a versatile option for users who want to maintain control over their content while benefiting from a user-friendly interface. WordPress is an open-source platform, and this is one of its major strengths because developers can modify it significantly. However, this can also introduce security concerns, as users must rely on third-party plugins that may not always be up to date. While WordPress is free, users must set a budget for hosting and other associated costs. WordPress is widely used by businesses, especially those that require flexibility and simplicity in their content management systems. 4. Ghost Ghost is a CMS designed with simplicity in mind. It offers a clutter-free interface and powerful blogging capabilities, making it ideal for content creators who want a straightforward platform without unnecessary complexity. While Ghost excels at blogging, it may not best fit more complex content management needs. Achieving advanced functionality may require integrating additional tools, which could increase the platform's overall cost and complexity. Nevertheless, Ghost is an excellent choice for users who prioritize a clean, user-friendly interface and a focus on content creation. 5. Typo3 Typo3 is a powerful and scalable alternative to Contentful. It offers a highly flexible CMS that caters to a wide range of needs. Its multilingual support and customizable architecture make it a powerful tool for companies operating in diverse markets. However, Typo3 is a contentful alternative with flexibility that comes with a steep learning curve, particularly for new platform users. In addition, it requires more server resources than some of its simpler counterparts, which could be a consideration for smaller businesses with limited technical resources. Despite these challenges, Typo3 remains popular for enterprises requiring a highly customizable and scalable CMS solution. 6. Umbraco Umbraco is an open-source CMS built on the .NET framework that offers a flexible and scalable alternative to Contentful. It is a developer-first platform that provides extensive customization options for businesses that require a tailored content management solution. Umbraco's open-source nature allows for extensive customization, but it also means that non-technical users may need help navigating the platform. This makes Umbraco a better fit for companies with dedicated developer resources than those requiring frequent updates from non-technical staff. For businesses prioritizing flexibility and scalability, Umbraco is a strong contentful alternative that offers a high degree of control over content management. 7. Kontent.ai Kontent.ai is a cloud-based headless Content-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform that excels in omnichannel content delivery. Kontent.ai's flexible pricing and established partner program make it a compelling alternative to Contentful for businesses that need a scalable and adaptable CMS. Kontent.ai's architecture supports multi-environment setups, making it ideal for enterprises with complex content delivery needs. However, similar to Contentful, the pricing structure can become unpredictable depending on the project's scope. Despite these considerations, Kontent.ai is a powerful platform for businesses that require a robust and scalable content management solution. 8. Strapi Strapi is a headless CMS powered by JavaScript that prioritizes a developer-first approach. As an open-source platform, Strapi offers a high degree of customization, making it an attractive alternative to Contentful for businesses with specific technical requirements. Strapi's flexible architecture and active developer community make it a versatile platform for building custom content solutions. While it may not offer as many plugins and extensions as some competitors, Strapi's user-friendly interface and ease of use make it a popular choice for developers who want a balance between customization and simplicity. For businesses that value a developer-friendly CMS that focuses on JavaScript, Strapi is a solid alternative to Contentful. 9. Joomla Joomla is another open-source CMS that offers a user-friendly alternative to Contentful. Joomla's active user community and extensive library of extensions make it a versatile platform for businesses of all sizes. While Joomla is more accessible than some of its open-source counterparts, it still presents a learning curve for new users., as with all open-source CMS platforms, security vulnerabilities can be a concern, mainly when relying on third-party extensions. Despite these challenges, Joomla remains a popular choice for businesses seeking a flexible and customizable CMS accessible to technical and non-technical users. 10. Contentstack Contentstack is a headless CMS designed for enterprise-level projects. It offers multi-environment support, flexible content modeling, and scalable architecture, making it a powerful alternative to Contentful for large-scale content management needs. However, Contentstack's complexity means that users may need to invest in developer resources to fully leverage the platform's capabilities. Contentstack is a top choice for enterprises that require an advanced and scalable content management solution. Conclusion: What's the Best Contentful Alternative? Choosing the best Contentful alternative depends on your specific needs, whether that’s ease of use, scalability, pricing, or a particular feature set. Each platform listed above offers unique strengths that make them suitable alternatives to Contentful for different use cases. Take advantage of free trials and demos to find the CMS that best aligns with your business goals.

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Development
7 min read

How to Automate Your Marketing with Chatbot Automation?

Using chatbots only resulted in 80% consumer satisfaction since most chatbots are programmed to deliver accurate results. Businesses face increasing customer demands for instant responses and round-the-clock availability in this fast-paced world. Chatbot automation has emerged as a pivotal solution, allowing businesses to efficiently handle customer queries, streamline operations, and drive growth. This comprehensive guide explores the essentials of chatbot automation, its benefits, types, implementation best practices, and future trends, including how chatbot marketing can drive growth and customer engagement. What is chatbot automation? At its core, chatbot automation involves deploying AI-driven bots to automate tasks traditionally handled by humans. These bots simulate human interaction, offering solutions ranging from customer service to lead generation. By automating routine inquiries and tasks, chatbots free up human agents to focus on complex issues, enhancing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Implementing a well-structured chatbot marketing strategy is crucial for achieving marketing goals, as it helps increase customer engagement, boost sales, and provide 24/7 support. Integrating this with comprehensive marketing automation services can enhance its effectiveness and efficiency. Types of chatbots 1. Rule-based Chatbots Rule-based chatbots operate on predefined rules set by humans. They excel in straightforward interactions, such as answering FAQs and scheduling appointments through chatbot conversations, but lack adaptability beyond programmed scenarios. 2. Smart Chatbots Smart chatbots leverage machine learning and AI to improve over time by learning from interactions. They offer more personalized responses and can handle more complex queries than their rule-based counterparts. Additionally, smart chatbots can gather customer feedback to improve their responses over time. 3. Hybrid Chatbots Hybrid chatbots combine elements of both rule-based and AI-driven bots. They offer flexibility and personalization while adhering to predefined rules, providing a balanced approach suitable for diverse business needs. Additionally, hybrid chatbots can be leveraged as part of a marketing automation strategy to deliver personalized experiences while maintaining structured and efficient interactions. How Does Chatbot Automation Work? Chatbots utilize AI and machine learning algorithms to understand user intent and deliver relevant responses. Natural Language Processing (NLP) enables bots to interpret and respond to human language naturally, thereby improving user interaction. Chatbots streamline data management and enhance operational efficiency by integrating with existing systems such as marketing automation tools, CRMs, and support tools. Additionally, chatbots for marketing utilize AI and machine learning to automate marketing interactions, promote products and services, and increase customer engagement and sales through conversational marketing. Key benefits of chatbot automation Enhanced Customer Support and Engagement Chatbots provide instant, 24/7 customer support. They efficiently resolve inquiries and reduce wait times, improving customer satisfaction. Chatbots enhance the customer journey by providing instant support, improving customer experience, and streamlining interactions. Increased Sales Chatbots engage potential customers and contribute to higher sales conversions and revenue growth by assisting in product recommendations, handling queries, and facilitating purchases. Operational Efficiency Automating routine tasks reduces operational costs, boosts productivity, and allows human agents to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth. Chatbots assist the sales team by handling routine tasks and freeing time for strategic initiatives. Personalized User Experience and Customer Feedback AI-powered chatbots learn from interactions, delivering personalized responses tailored to individual customer needs and enhancing overall user experience. A marketing chatbot can enhance this by providing personalized responses tailored to individual customer needs. Common use cases for chatbot automation Customer Support Chatbots handle customer inquiries, troubleshoot issues, and escalate complex queries to human agents when necessary, providing seamless customer support. Additionally, chatbots engage with website visitors to provide seamless customer support by offering instant responses and relevant updates. Sales Enablement with Marketing Chatbots They assist customers with product information, suggest upsells or cross-sells, and reduce cart abandonment through proactive engagement. Additionally, chatbots deliver marketing messages directly to users, encouraging sales and reducing cart abandonment. Lead Capture and Qualified Leads Chatbots collect customer data, engage in chatbot conversations to qualify leads based on predefined criteria, and route them to relevant sales teams for further nurturing. Helpdesk Support They provide initial IT support, resolve common technical issues, and give users access to knowledge-base resources for self-help. Chatbots also gather customer feedback to improve helpdesk support by addressing customer responses and providing personalized experiences. Social Media Monitoring Chatbots monitor brand mentions, engage with customers in real time, and manage brand reputation on social platforms, ensuring prompt responses and customer satisfaction. Chatbots on Facebook Messenger manage brand reputation and engage with customers in real time. Want to reduce your CAC to half? Book a strategy call Essential features of chatbots Omnichannel Support Chatbots integrate across multiple platforms (website, social media, messaging apps) to deliver consistent customer experiences. Choosing the right chatbot platform is crucial for ensuring seamless omnichannel support. Integration with Existing Systems They connect with CRMs, support ticketing systems, and other tools to streamline data management and ensure a cohesive customer interaction process. Integrating chatbots with these systems can significantly enhance the overall marketing strategy by automating interactions, personalizing experiences, and improving customer engagement. Sentiment Analysis Chatbots analyze user emotions through sentiment analysis, adjusting responses to maintain positive engagement. This helps enhance the customer journey by tailoring interactions based on user emotions, thereby improving the customer experience and streamlining the process of generating qualified leads and closing sales Machine Learning Capabilities Continuous learning enables chatbots to improve performance, refining responses based on user interactions and feedback. Machine learning capabilities also help generate qualified leads by refining chatbot responses to collect information better, personalize interactions, and guide visitors toward specific actions. Know the challenges for chatbot automation Despite their advantages, chatbots face challenges such as public perception, nuanced understanding of human language, and cybersecurity concerns. Implementing chatbots requires careful planning, user education, and ongoing optimization to maximize effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Natural Language Understanding Limitations: Despite advancements, chatbots often struggle with understanding complex, nuanced, or ambiguous language, which can lead to misinterpretations and less effective interactions. Integration Issues: Integrating chatbots with various systems, such as CRM platforms or other business tools, can be challenging. Ensuring smooth data flow and functionality across different platforms requires careful configuration and ongoing maintenance. User Experience Consistency: Maintaining a consistent and high-quality user experience can be difficult, especially if the chatbot's responses are not well-calibrated or issues are frequently encountered. Handling Unexpected Queries: Chatbots may struggle with unexpected or highly specific queries outside their predefined scripts or training data, leading to frustration or inadequate user support. Data Privacy and Security Concerns: Ensuring the security and privacy of user data handled by chatbots is crucial. Compliance with regulations and protecting sensitive information from breaches require robust security measures and continuous monitoring. Addressing the needs of potential customers is crucial to overcoming these challenges and ensuring successful chatbot implementation. Want to reduce your CAC to half? Book a strategy call Best practices for chatbot automation success 1. Understand Your Audience Tailor chatbot interactions based on customer preferences, demographics, and pain points to provide relevant and helpful responses. Gathering customer feedback helps in tailoring chatbot interactions based on customer preferences. 2. Develop Bot Personality Create a conversational tone and personality that aligns with your brand identity. This will make interactions more engaging and memorable for users. A well-developed bot personality can also deliver marketing messages more effectively, ensuring users stay informed and engaged with your brand. 3. Set Clear Objectives Define specific goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure chatbot performance and ensure alignment with overall business objectives. Setting clear objectives helps refine marketing strategies and measure chatbot performance effectively. 4. Test and Iterate Conduct thorough testing to refine chatbot responses, identify gaps, and optimize user experience before full deployment, ensuring smooth operation and user satisfaction. Examples of successful chatbot marketing automation workflow include automating customer service, improving the customer journey, aiding the sales team, providing real-time support, encouraging sales, facilitating appointment bookings, promoting products and services, and sharing company news and updates. Future trends in chatbot automation As technology continues to advance, several key trends are shaping the future of chatbot automation: Advanced Natural Language Understanding (NLU): Future chatbots will leverage sophisticated NLU to understand and interpret nuanced human language better, allowing for more accurate and context-aware interactions. This advancement will enhance their ability to handle complex queries and deliver more personalized responses, integrating seamlessly with email marketing automation to provide a cohesive communication strategy. Seamless Integration with Omnichannel Platforms: Chatbots will increasingly integrate with various communication channels, including social media, messaging apps, and email. This omnichannel approach will ensure a consistent and cohesive customer experience across different platforms, facilitating effective email marketing automation and seamless CRM and marketing automation integration. Enhanced Personalization through AI and Machine Learning:AI and machine learning will enable chatbots to provide highly personalized interactions by analyzing user behavior, preferences, and historical data. This will allow tailored recommendations, proactive support, and more relevant engagement strategies, integrating smoothly with email marketing automation to create a unified customer journey. Chatbot marketing will drive customer engagement and business growth by streamlining customer care, boosting sales, and providing personalized interactions. How Saffron Edge can help? At Saffron Edge, we specialize in developing and implementing advanced chatbot automation solutions tailored to your business needs. Whether you want to enhance customer support, streamline sales processes, or improve operational efficiency, our expertise in AI, machine learning, and omnichannel integration ensures seamless deployment and measurable results. We also specialize in developing marketing chatbots to enhance customer engagement and sales. Contact us today to learn how Saffron Edge can modernize your customer relationships and marketing efficiency approach.

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Development
8 min read

Enhance Product Discovery: Best Navigation Tips to Improve UX

What makes navigation an important factor? Have you ever felt that you wanted to reach a particular page on a website but could not or said you got lost? This is where navigation comes in and helps you easily navigate through the numerous pages of the website. Implementing optimal E-commerce Navigation UX helps users easily navigate the website's various pages. Businesses can improve their overall UX by incorporating simple pathways, smoothly designed menus, and a user-friendly interface. Most of all, a well-structured navigation system easily guides a potential customer through the ocean of products, fostering a positive user experience and increased engagement and purchases. According to research, only 30% of the users rely on search input, while 70% prefer navigating directly. This blog will discuss the importance of navigation and the rules for designing an effective navigation. What is Ecommerce Navigation Design? Ecommerce navigation UX design focuses on creating, analyzing, and implementing effective ways for users to navigate online shopping platforms. This specialized area of navigation design is integral to the success of ecommerce websites, as it directly impacts how users interact with and explore the vast options of products and services. The primary goal of e-commerce navigation is to provide a smooth and positive journey for users from the moment they enter the site to the completion of a purchase. This involves the strategic use of UI patterns, including links, labels, and other elements, specifically tailored to enhance the ecommerce user experience. The advantages of an e-commerce navigation UX design are: Enhanced User Understanding: It helps users quickly understand the structure of the ecommerce platform, making navigation and product discovery easy. Increased User Confidence: A user-friendly navigation offers credibility and authority, which makes users confident about the product, encouraging them to browse and make purchases easily. Credibility: The navigation design contributes significantly to the credibility of an ecommerce platform. The design patterns for navigation UX are diverse and dynamic for e-commerce. Different businesses need different navigation patterns; there is no such thing as one solution that fits all. Each chosen design pattern must be carefully evaluated and tested to ensure it aligns with the ecommerce platform's specific requirements and the target audience's preferences. Adopting a user-centered design perspective is essential. Understanding online shoppers' distinct preferences and behaviors allows for creating navigation that optimizes the ecommerce platform and resonates with the users, ultimately contributing to a positive and rewarding online shopping experience. The Importance of Navigation Design More than 5.5 million apps are on platforms like Apple and Android collectively. Now, think of these maps as the navigation design of each app, determining how easy or frustrating it is for any user to find what they are looking for. Every product needs a smooth path, whether it's buttons, menus, or dropdowns, for a user to achieve their goals. If this path is confusing or poorly designed, that person might leave and abandon the app. That is why navigation design is crucial it works like a friendly guide, helping them explore and enjoy what an app offers. In 2001, tech expert Alan Cooper highlighted, "A good design should be crystal clear. Users shouldn't waste time figuring out where things are hidden.” Here’s why navigation design matters: Reflects Your Brand: A well-designed navigation system makes a positive impression, shaping how users see the app. Communicates User Location: Navigation acts as a GPS, which helps you know where you are in the app. It's like a friendly guide saying, "You are here," making your experience smoother. Provides Access to Information: Navigation is the key to finding your need. A smart navigation system ensures you can easily access the information or features you are searching for. Good navigation design is not just about buttons and menus; it is about making the user's journey through an app enjoyable and hassle-free. What are the rules for Designing Great Navigation? Prioritize Consistency Inconsistencies in navigation can arise when content does not align with the predefined sections of a website, leading to its separate listing. Alternatively, there are situations where users require quick access to elements residing deep within the website, prompting site owners to add quick links in the navigation. However, some alternative approaches aim to sidestep the practice of making irregular additions to the navigation.1. Subpages and Landing Pages Achieving consistency needs transparent decision-making. All navigation elements should display subpage links or none of them. Displaying subpages for specific sections may mislead users, creating the impression that sections without visible subpages lack them. If subpages are not featured in primary navigation, employing consistent secondary navigation across all sections is crucial. For example, When a visitor hovers over any section in the menu on the Nashville Zoo website, the corresponding subpages for that section become visible. Similarly, all primary navigation items should consistently link to landing pages or serve as section headers for secondary navigation links. Inconsistencies such as only some items being linked can create confusion among users. Additionally, when a primary navigation item is a link, clearly indicating the related action through verbiage or visual design is essential. This ensures users understand how to navigate to the desired content. Let’s look at an example: In the Fairfax County Public Schools menu, users can reach the Careers landing page by either clicking on the text "Careers" or clicking on the arrow to explore the subpages. 2. Call-outs and Feature Blocks Call-outs or feature blocks on the homepage or section landing page may be best for content requiring easier access. These visually appealing elements capture user attention without disrupting the overall site navigation. 3. Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs act as effective navigation aids for users arriving from external sources. Ensuring accuracy in breadcrumbs is critical for effective user orientation. While smaller websites with two levels may not necessitate breadcrumbs, consistency is key when implementing them. By adhering to these principles, websites can establish a cohesive and user-friendly navigation experience, allowing users to explore content with clarity and effortlessly. Design Clear Interactions User confusion often arises when visitors struggle to identify interactive elements or anticipate specific actions. To overcome this challenge, it is imperative to design functional and crystal-clear interactions meticulously. Clarity through Visual Changes Visual changes convey the nature of interactions on a website. An example is the smooth transition from an expand icon to a collapse icon, signaling a change and providing users with a straightforward guide on how to undo the modification. The absence of such visual updates may result in users overlooking these crucial changes. Use of Labels with Icons While icons can effectively replace text links, introducing a label significantly reduces ambiguity. For instance, rather than relying on the widely debated hamburger icon, adding a clear "Menu" label alongside it improves user understanding. This practice proves valuable for other commonly used icons, such as "Contact" or "Login." Designing Interactive Icons The differentiation between icons serving as links and those employed for informational or categorical purposes is critical to user understanding. A strategic approach involves assigning the link color specified in the style guide exclusively to icons designed for interaction. Decorative icons adopt a distinct non-link color to maintain clarity. A study by NNG underscores the impact of varied visual indicators. Users show a 37% increase in speed when locating items within a web page list where color and icon variations complement the text. By implementing these principles, websites can serve user-friendly experiences, ensuring visitors confidently navigate and engage with the intended interactions. Avoid Deep Navigation To create a perfect design, aligning the information architecture (IA) and website hierarchy with this goal is crucial. When constructing a sitemap, aim for a "flat navigation" model, enabling users to reach the deepest pages within one or two clicks. While flat navigation is an ideal solution, it is a misconception to believe that limited short-term memory necessitates short menus. The Nielsen Norman Group advocates for menus that allow users to "rely on recognition rather than recall." Thus, menus should be short enough for easy scanning yet long enough to maintain clarity. Limiting the Number of Levels The site hierarchy defines the number of navigation levels. One or two clicks should quickly lead users to their desired destination with minimal confusion. As the Nielsen Norman Group noted, deeper hierarchies can disorient visitors. Most websites maintain three or four levels of hierarchy, balancing accessibility and avoiding overly broad navigation. To determine the right number of levels, separate the current hierarchy into different groups and assess whether these groups can be brought next to a higher-level grouping. This may involve: Updating section labels Creating new sections Adjusting how sections relate to each other Consolidation or removal of content needs to be considered as well. Current trends for truly flat navigation lean towards full-page designs where all pages reside on one level. Unique Visual Design for Each Level Navigation should enable quick scanning, distinguishing the primary, secondary, and tertiary links. Consistent visual design elements such as font styles, sizes, weights, and colors should differentiate between navigation levels. If secondary navigation is present, it should clearly distinguish between parent/child and sibling links while aligning cohesively with the primary navigation. Use Location Indicators Similar to breadcrumbs, location indicators within the navigation assist users in orienting themselves within site, especially when navigating deeper levels. Clear visual cues signify the section a user explores, enhancing overall navigation understanding. Design for Responsive Compatibility A good navigation system should be user-friendly on all devices that includes your computer, phone, or tablet. Create a navigation that looks and functions the same way on different devices, or consider having two similar navigations so users don't get confused when switching between their computer and mobile. No More Hovering on Mobile When you hover over a menu on your computer, it shows more options. But this doesn't work the same on phones. If you have something you can click on your computer by hovering, find a way to make it easy for mobile users, too. Have a text link that takes you to one place and a little button you can tap to see more options. Design for Each Device Designing the navigation differently for computers and mobiles is better. Each device is different, and designing for its unique features and screen sizes makes the experience smoother for users. It is like having a separate design for each device to ensure everything fits and feels right. Conclusion Designing navigation is a basic step to foster user engagement and convert users into buyers. Navigation emerged as a key factor shaping user perceptions, reflecting brand identity, and ensuring users quickly access the information or features they seek. As users increasingly rely on navigation rather than search inputs, businesses benefit from investing in optimal navigation design. If you are struggling to create an ideal e-commerce navigation UX or unsure where to initiate this crucial process, Saffron Edge is your trusted partner. Our expertise lies in optimizing websites, explicitly focusing on enhancing the user experience for online shoppers. Let us guide you in creating an e-commerce navigation design that not only meets but exceeds your objectives, driving engagement and conversions effectively.

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Development
9 min read

.COM vs .ORG vs .NET vs .CO vs .IO – Which Domain Should you choose?

Choosing the right domain name registrar extension is crucial in establishing effective connections with potential customers, as it facilitates seamless discovery and accessibility of your website. However, given the vast array of available options, along with the emergence of new extensions, determining the most fitting choice for your business becomes a critical challenge. How can one navigate this landscape and identify the one domain registrar extension that aligns best with their business objectives? While the .com domain remains the prevailing choice, accounting for nearly half of all registered domain names, it is crucial to delve into the substantial popularity and devoted user base of alternative domain types within specific geographic locations and industries. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the unique attributes and significance of these domain extensions, we can gain a profound understanding of their respective roles within the digital landscape. This knowledge can assist businesses in making informed decisions about their online presence and potentially guide them towards employing SEO services , hiring SEO experts , implementing eCommerce SEO , or leveraging Custom SEO solutions. Domain Name: A Gateway to Your Digital Presence A domain name is a distinctive web address that serves as the digital identity of a website. It is paramount in search engine optimization and significantly influences search rankings, ultimately affecting how people discover your website. A domain name comprises a domain extension (such as .com, .org, .net) and a domain label (the website builder chosen name). Domain names are prominent for establishing a polished online presence, enabling trust, and facilitating the effortless discovery of specific web pages or services. When selecting a domain name, it is imperative to opt for a pertinent, concise, and unforgettable choice that resonates with your brand and target audience. The registration process entails acquiring the rights to utilize the website address designated web address for a specific duration through authorized domain registrars. The Significance of Domain Name Extensions: The Power of Top-level Domains (TLDs) A top-level domain (TLD), also known as a domain name extension, refers to the last part of a domain name that comes after the "dot" symbol. It represents the highest level in the hierarchical domain name system and categorizes websites based on purpose, industry, or geographic location. Common TLDs include .com, .org, .net, and country-specific extensions like .us or .uk. Significantly important in web addresses, the top-level domain (TLD) plays a critical role in distinguishing and categorizing websites. It conveys valuable information about a website's nature or geographic origin, aiding users in identifying and navigating to relevant online destinations. Making an informed choice of TLD empowers users to seamlessly connect with desired websites while establishing a professional online presence. The Diversity of Domain Extensions: Exploring the Three Types - Generic, Sponsored, and Country Code Domains Domain extensions are essential in defining the purpose and identity of a website. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of these three types of the domain names registered extensions—website purpose, target audience, and geographic scope—enables website owners to make well-informed decisions when selecting the most appropriate extension for their online presence. Choosing the appropriate free domain name or extension enables businesses to effectively communicate their purpose, industry, or target audience, ultimately enhancing online visibility and establishing a strong brand identity. Generic Domain Extensions (gTLDs) Generic domain extensions or gTLDs, hold significant recognition and versatility. They encompass highly popular extensions including .com, .org, .net, and .info. What sets these extensions apart is their ability to transcend specific industries or geographic locations, making them well-suited for a diverse range of websites spanning various sectors. Sponsored Domain Extensions (sTLDs) Sponsored domain extensions, known as sTLDs, net extensions that are specifically tailored to serve particular industries or interest groups. These extensions are carefully overseen and regulated by specialized organizations. Prominent examples of sponsored extensions include .gov for government websites, .edu for educational institutions, and .museum for museums and cultural institutions. Country Code Domain Extensions (ccTLDs) Country code domain extensions, also called ccTLDs, are associated with specific countries or geographic regions. They utilize two-letter country codes, such as .us for the United States, .uk for the United Kingdom, and .de for Germany. These extensions are commonly adopted by businesses or individuals who aim to target specific local markets within those respective countries or regions. The Hidden Language of Domain Extensions: Exploring the Significance of Different TLDs .com Initially originally intended only for eCommerce purposes, the .com extension has evolved to be extensively employed by various websites, including commercial ventures, personal websites, and blogs. As a result, it has expanded beyond its original association with commercial entities, indicating its versatility in the digital landscape. .net The .net extension, denoting "network," was initially designed for network-focused technology websites such commercial organizations such as ISPs and email services. Over time, it has gained significant popularity among net domains and is now frequently adopted as an alternative to the .com extension. Its usage has expanded beyond its original purpose, making it a viable choice for various online ventures. .org Although initially reserved for non-profit organizations, the .org extension has undergone an expansion to encompass foundations, charities, educational institutions, and other extensions of not-for-profit entities. While the .org domain extension is presently accessible for registration by a wide range of individuals nonprofit organizations and businesses, its association continues to convey a non-commercial connotation. .co The .co extension represents "company" or "corporation" and has gained popularity among online businesses. It is acknowledged as an alternative to traditional extensions like .com and .net and is frequently combined with country code extensions. .biz The .biz extension primarily caters to business and other eCommerce sites and websites. It falls within the category of generic domain extensions and provides a cost-effective choice net domain name for businesses. .io The .io extension was initially designated for the British Indian Ocean Territory. Nevertheless, it has garnered substantial popularity among technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. This is due to its association with "Input/Output" and its availability as a strategic branding approach. Comparing .com with Other TLD Extensions: A Comparative Analysis As the digital landscape evolves, the choice of domain extension has become more nuanced. While .com has traditionally been the preferred option, other TLD extensions offer compelling alternatives. Here we will conduct a comparative analysis of .com with popular TLD extensions such as .net, .org, .co, .biz, and .io. Examining the unique attributes and implications of different net domain names and extensions, we aim to provide insights into the considerations for selecting the most suitable net domain extension for your online presence. .com vs .Net The .com extension is synonymous with commercial websites and is widely recognized globally. It is a popular choice for businesses seeking a broad online presence. On the other hand, other domain extension .net is primarily associated with network-related technology and services and internet service providers. It is often chosen by businesses in the IT and networking sectors. The choice between .com and .net hinges on the specific characteristics of your business and the desired brand image you wish to project. .com vs .Org The .com extension highlights commercial activities, while the .org extension was originally designated for non-profit organizations. Despite the expanded usage of .org for various entities, it retains its fundamental association with non-commercial endeavors. If your website represents a non-profit organization, charity, or similar cause, opting for a .org domain would align more effectively. Conversely, for commercial ventures, the .com extension remains the customary and widely recognized choice. .com vs .Co While the .com domain extension maintains its dominant position, the .co extension has emerged as a popular alternative for commercial websites. Often viewed as a shortened version of .com, .co is favored by businesses seeking a concise and memorable domain name. Despite the continued dominance and higher recognition and trust of .com, .co can serve as a viable alternative business websites, especially in cases where the preferred .com free domain name registration is unavailable. .com vs .Biz The .com and .biz extensions both cater to businesses; however, they vary in terms of popularity and perception. The .com extension has solidified its position as the global standard for commercial websites, while .biz is less widespread and is sometimes seen as a secondary choice for profit companies. If the .com domain you want is already registered, you can consider using .biz as an alternative. However, it may require additional effort to have net domain name establish recognition and credibility compared to the widely recognized .com extension. .com vs .io The .com and .io domain extensions serve different purposes. While .com is free domain typically associated with commercial ventures, the .io extension has garnered popularity among the tech and startup communities. It is commonly utilized by companies engaged in technology, software development, and input/output operations. When making a choice between these two extensions, it is essential to consider your business and target audience. Analyzing the Superiority of .com over .co, .net, .org, and Other Noteworthy Domain Extensions The reliability and remembrance of domain extensions go beyond the .com extension, which has traditionally held a strong reputation. This research substantiates the superiority of the .com domain extension over choices net domain extensions such as .co, .net, .org, and other noteworthy TLDs. Key findings from the study: Websites with a .com extension are approximately 33% more memorable than those with alternative domain extensions. People are 3.8 times more likely to assume a website's domain ends in .com, showcasing the strong association between .com and websites in users' minds. .com is widely regarded as the most trusted domain extension, followed closely by .co. Selecting a .com domain extension provides businesses with a memorable online identity and enhances user trust. Domain Extensions and SEO: Dispelling the Myths and Misconceptions Domain extensions have no direct influence on SEO rankings, as confirmed by prominent search engines like Google. These search engines have explicitly stated that they do not consider domain extensions as a factor when determining search rankings. Instead, search engines prioritize factors such as relevant content, high-quality backlinks, user experience, website speed, and mobile-friendliness. To improve your SEO performance, it is important to focus on on-page optimization techniques, enhance user experience, and implement off-page optimization strategies like building quality backlinks and utilizing social media promotion. For specific SEO needs, you may consider professional SEO services, such as eCommerce SEO and Custom SEO solutions , which can provide tailored strategies to optimize your own website further, increase organic traffic, and enhance online visibility. Having a clear understanding that domain extensions do not directly impact SEO rankings allows you to allocate your efforts toward other vital SEO practices, thus maximizing your website's rankings and ensuring long-term success in the digital landscape. Choosing the Right TLD Extension for Your Business: Factors to Consider When choosing the right TLD extension for your business, several factors come into play. Credibility and recall are important considerations, with the .com and .co extensions known for their higher levels of credibility and memorability. The versatility of the .com extension allows for greater flexibility in representing diverse entities. For non-profit organizations or charities, the .org extension may be more suitable for effectively conveying their mission. Pricing is also a factor, with the .biz extension offering a more budget-friendly option compared to .com. By evaluating factors such as credibility, recall, versatility, industry relevance, and pricing, you can make an informed decision about the best TLD extension for your business. In addition to selecting the right TLD, it's worth noting that professional SEO services can significantly enhance your online visibility and improve search performance. These services can assist you in optimizing your business website's content, structure, and other elements to increase organic traffic and improve your ranking on search engine results pages. Transform Your Online Presence with Saffron Edge: Expert Website Development Services As an expert website development service provider, we at Saffron Edge possess extensive knowledge and experience in assisting businesses in finding and developing the most suitable domain for their online presence. We deeply understand the significance of selecting the right domain extension that aligns with your business goals and target audience. Our tailored solutions carefully consider factors such as credibility, recall, versatility, industry relevance, and pricing, ensuring that you can make well-informed decisions regarding your TLD and other domain extensions. At Saffron Edge, we utilize our expertise to help you establish a strong online identity and enhance your brand recognition. Through our professional website development services, we can assist you in maximizing your online potential and achieving long-term success for profit businesses. Ready to establish a strong online presence and maximize your business's potential? Contact us at Saffron Edge today and let our expert website development team assist you in selecting the perfect domain and creating an impactful online identity. Take the first step towards long-term success by reaching out to us now.

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Business
4 min read

Endless Aisle: How Can You Implement Real-Time Inventory Visibility In Your Retail Business

Retaining loyal customers to sustain a profitable business becomes crucial with the changing marketing landscape. But sometimes, it gets difficult for retailers to manage their inventory, which affects their sales and brand reputation. If customers find that the product is out of stock in a retail store, the chances are that they might go further to a competitor's store, which is not a good sign. A report reveals that 7% of small businesses don't track their inventory. And that's why they are struggling to boost their sales. There might be many reasons why your physical inventory might not have the products your customers want, but asking them to wait for a few days is not viable. Are you also facing the same problem? Don't worry. There is a solution to this problem, i.e., Endless Aisle. It helps businesses provide more flexibility and room to showcase products that are usually not in inventory or out of stock but can be arranged to be delivered. It allows retailers to provide their customers an opportunity to browse through your entire offline and online inventory and purchase the products they want virtually. Read on to know how Endless Aisle can help you increase your inventory without actually spending lots of bucks on their purchase and storage. What is an endless aisle? Endless aisle is a strategy that many offline retail stores often use to expand their inventory without physically maintaining it. It combines virtual as well as offline inventory present in the store. Once a customer walks inside a store, they can browse through the physical inventory and virtual inventory using a kiosk or tablet, or a mobile device and choose what they want and order the merchandise presented in the form of virtual products. Source: Unsplash This way, instead of shopping bags in hand, customers would leave stores with delivery tracking details and receive the products from the stores! Endless aisle helps retailers enhance customer experience by delivering a hybrid of online and offline shopping experiences. It allows businesses to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase products that are currently not available in their stores. It offers an easy selection of products, and provides quick services to customers. Firms can also plan and schedule deliveries aptly and keep track of shopping trends through an endless aisle strategy. Also, it allows organizations and retailers to reduce their physical inventory to save floor space. Take an example of car showrooms: When you go to a car dealership to purchase a car, the customer assistant will show you a car through a virtual medium that is out of stock. And then they will ask you to book your car in advance. What are the advantages of the endless aisle? Source: Unsplash Enhance customer experience and service By incorporating Endless Aisle in your brick-and-mortar business, you can give your customers the freedom to choose from your entire product selection and catalog. This reduces the challenge of retaining customers and increases the possibility of purchase. If your customers find the product they are looking for in your store, they might always choose you for the same product line. With Endless Aisle, upselling and cross-selling get better. The Endless Aisle allows retailers to sell additional accessories to the primary intended purchase. You can give them an array of options virtually. Since the Endless Aisle strategy allows you to always have full shelves, you don't have to worry about in-store stock. This will make purchasing and selling tasks easier for you and your customers. Increase your inventory without increasing the floor space Usually, if you want to have a large inventory, you need to rent additional floor and shelf space to accommodate the stock. With Endless Aisle, you can expand your inventory by adding your products to digital platforms .That means no need for additional space and expenses. Give your better customers insights. One of the essential things that every retailer needs is customer data, which helps them know what their target audience likes and what new item is trending in the market. The data helps you understand your customer's requirements and gives you an edge over your competitors. Endless Aisle helps you capture real-time customer data as they scroll through your virtual platform. You can determine what your customers want to buy to arrange your virtual inventory accordingly. Also, it helps you provide a more improved customer experience. Implementing an Endless Aisle in your store The most common way of implementing endless aisles is Kiosks. You can also choose smartphones and tablets based on your daily customer traffic and business requirements. Add the entire product range of your store to your digital platform to showcase your customers. The kiosks should be handled by store reps and distributed across your store. Ensure that kiosks have a search bar and accessible listing of your products to provide your customers with a hassle-free shopping experience. With these kiosks, your customers are not overly dependent on in-store assistants to help them find what they are looking for. Since your customers can easily get all your products through kiosks, the possibility of purchase also increases. Use a powerful POS (point-of-sale) software that enables customers to browse through your catalog. The POS software is cloud-based that helps you centralize your inventory. It allows you to showcase your entire product-range on a single platform. It also helps the cashier keep a tab on the stock at other locations and place an order accordingly. Takeaway! Endless Aisle is an efficient marketing and sales technique that enables retailers to provide their customers with the option of purchasing products that are out of stock and not commonly found. This helps retailers save huge bucks, which they might spend on renting large warehouses. If you are also planning to incorporate an endless aisle strategy in your retail business, reach out to us. Our team will give you a glimpse of our services and help you combine offline and online inventory to maximize customer retention and revenue. Contact us now!

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Development
4 min read

Reasons Why Mobile App Consulting Service Is Getting More Popular In The Past Decade

Until a few years ago, a business that hoped-for success was necessary to build a website for themselves. This was because companies had to stay abreast of technological trends brought about by the internet. This would ensure they remain relevant and reachable to their customers. Today, this trend has further evolved. Now companies have also adapted themselves and maintain both a website and a mobile application to be able to attract and retain customer interest. Today mobile applications or 'apps' are the best means to stay connected to customers. Apps have steered the future of commerce. Mobile application development plays a pivotal role in success in this digital era. Reasons behind the increasing popularity of mobile apps Gone are the days when people used mobile phones to only make or answer calls. Today, an average user checks their mobile phone every 18 minutes. Be it for reading notifications, playing games, or checking updates. And all this happens on apps! It's 2020, and we all know the benefits of having a mobile app for your business. Let's have a brief look at the reasons behind their increasing popularity Connecting with the customer Although not everyone owns a laptop, today, almost everyone owns a smartphone. So, mobile apps have become a way to stay in touch with customers. A customer is more likely to stay connected to your business if you reach them through an app. For today's digital citizen buying from an app on the mobile phone is more convenient than waiting to connect with the company through a website on the bigger screen. Simplicity Placing an order, tracking the delivery, and staying posted on various product offerings is straightforward and efficient for a customer. This way, the customer is in control of the entire process, which makes them comfortable and allows them to stay loyal to your company. It makes life easier Mobile apps have given users a smart and straightforward way of doing things. There is an app for almost everything, from booking tickets to making financial transactions, connecting with friends/ strangers to assisting in educating your child, checking directions to reach a place to get a weather update. All such apps make life easier by giving information with a tap of the finger! Mobile App Development Consultants Having a mobile app alone is not enough to save your business. It can just ensure you are future-ready and have a strong presence of your brand in the industry. Today the app store is flooded with unlimited mobile apps for every walk of life. People want more and more of these apps and seek for regularly updated versions. This would mean app developers and app developing companies have always to be thinking out of the box to be able to create better and updated versions of apps. And building a mobile app isn't easy! It requires a thorough understanding of several coding languages and business platforms. And apart from that, one also needs external information like market trends, marketing strategies, in-depth knowledge of the business and its requirements; the list is not exhaustive! So, to be able to create useful apps, it is recommended you hire the services of experts. Multiple reasons have contributed to the burgeoning popularity of mobile application consulting services. What do mobile app consultants do? Clients intending to develop a mobile app can seek assistance from mobile app consultants in each phase of development. They act as a bridge between buyers and sellers. Not all companies can afford to have in-house consultants. Usually, they hire specialized consultants when required. They guide professional app developers to set the standards for each aspect of app development. How can mobile app consultants assist you? Mobile app development consultants have knowledge of the right trends, methods, and codes. With input from them, the app developer is sure to develop the best app that would give a profitable outcome. Their specialization ensures they understand the core needs of the company and appropriately suggest the best matching user interface, code, designs, navigation techniques, integration methods, etc. that should be incorporated in the app. Design all-important requirements of the app like features, functions, notifications, buttons, alerts, notifications, table/grid, indexing, and search tab placement, etc. A consultant has an important role to play in each phase of the app development process, right from the conception to end delivery of the app. Let's go through the stages of app development where consultants have a pivotal role to play App development and strategy planning stage The expertise of consultants helps them lay out a strategy of the app based on specific business needs. An app that is designed based on the particular needs of the business turns out to be better than a generalized app. App platform Choosing the right platform for your app is equally important. A lot of factors go into making the decision between choosing iOS or Android or both as a platform of your app. The expertise and knowledge of an app consultant ensure you end up doing the best for your company. Data Security The security of data has become a significant concern with each passing day in this technologically advanced world. Having a dedicated consultant expert in the area can ensure higher security of data. Enterprise app distribution With assistance from an experienced consultant, the distribution phase will go smoothly. App Marketing Lastly, success is not only when you can develop a robust app for your business. App marketing is an equally important factor that helps convert casual visitors into customers. The expertise of consultants ensures your app and business get access to the right marketing strategies hence ensuring success. Conclusion Once you understand what exactly a mobile app consultant can do for your mobile app, and ultimately to your business, you would be able to comprehend the reason behind their growing popularity amongst businesses who wish to launch/maintain a mobile app. Mobile app consultants hold your hands from the commencement to completion of the app development process. They ensure the app developer creates a user-centric app that is delivered to you on time. Their presence may not be noticed, but they add a lot of value to each process of app development like cost-effectiveness, quality standard, smart & user-friendly app, timely delivery, proper execution, and implementation. They are a guiding light to businesses and their app developers!

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Development
4 min read

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Altering eCommerce For Better - Learn How

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the hot selling topics of this century. Although AI has been around since the 80s, it has found exciting applications in this decade only. AI has grown on such a magnanimous scale that analysts hold the view that it will touch the $120 billion mark by 2025. AI has crawled into various sectors, like automation, marketing, analyzing, and e-commerce. The e-commerce sector has undergone a complete transformation by incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has even influenced custom eCommerce development. Consumers often get confused with the bewildering amount of products and brands available on the internet and thus cannot find the product matching their exact preferences. AI solves this problem by gathering user data, analyzing the consumers’ taste, and presenting the options accordingly. This also creates an environment where only the brands delivering quality products and services can sustain and thrive to grow. On the other hand, consumers get better products for their money. AI is altering the e-commerce sector in the following ways: Personalized Recommendations The famous pay per view service provider Netflix made a breakthrough in its business when it rolled out the feature of personalized recommendations. It started recommending movies and TV shows to its users based on the users’ previous choices. The IT giant Amazon then followed this model and reported a 28% growth in its user base. Netflix also got the recommendations right 80% of the time. These companies were able to succeed in their ventures because the consumer feels targeted when brands use traditional marketing techniques. Instead, brands are now using AI algorithms to study consumer behavior and track patterns in it. They then suggest products based on this pattern, and the chances of customers buying a product from these suggestions are quite high. The personalized recommendations help businesses, as well. There are several AI search engines which provide data reflecting the various touchdowns of user data. The businesses then use this data to provide a seamless user experience. eCommerce businesses incorporating AI have reportedly shown a 60% growth in their sales. Chatbots Another innovative application of AI in the e-commerce sector is chatbots. Imagine yourself walking into a store and rummaging through each section to find what you need. It would be tedious work, whereas it would be a lot easier if a store guide helps you pick up what you need. A chatbot is your online store guide. With the evolution of AI, chatbots have also become much more advanced. In fact, industry experts claim that by 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be handled by chatbots only. Chatbots are wildly successful among the customers as they provide a personalized experience. In fact, 64% of people claim that they have a hassle free and personalized experience with the chatbots. The business also finds chatbots quite cost effective. Statistically speaking, the companies who use chatbots have a 43% higher customer retention rate than the companies who do not. Stronger Website Ecommerce websites need a good digital marketing strategy to stay ahead of their competitors. The implementation of AI can achieve this. A good digital marketing strategy usually contains trending hashtags and trending topics. Developers can use AI to build custom eCommerce algorithms that traverse through the trending topics and hashtags. The results from the traversing then can be incorporated into designing and building SEO friendly websites. In a survey, 40% of consumers claimed that they switched alternate websites because the initial website was slow. Another way in which AI can help in building better websites is by making websites faster. This can be done by training the AI models to detect the touchdowns of a website where the underlying code can be optimized, thus resulting in faster websites. This is known as code crunching. Marketing Assistance AI can be a useful tool for e-commerce business. With the use of AI algorithms, e-commerce sites can gain insights into user data and thus build better marketing strategies for their targeted audience. According to Gartner's leading global and research firm, 40% of sales processes will integrate AI in their workflow by 2020. This surge is because AI helps you to market your product or service to a much refined targeted audience. The goal is to sell the right thing to the right audience at the right time. As the targeted audience is refined, the chances of selling the product or service also increase, thus leading to a better CRO. This is most commonly used in facebook audience targeting. Also, as you know your customer, it will help you to design your products and services according to their needs. AI also helps to predict marketing trends according to the current market data. Conclusion Artificial Intelligence is still in its early evolving phase. Each day new breakthroughs are being made in the field of AI. Developers around the world are finding new and exciting ways to implement AI in various sectors of our day to day lives. The eCommerce section has also experienced a colossal impact on the integration of AI. This is the right time to get accustomed to these revolutionary tactics that have the potential to yield tenfold success results. We have already witnessed the success of giants like Amazon and Flipkart. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. With each passing day, AI is becoming a necessary tool in the e-commerce industry, which benefits both the buyer and the seller. So, utilize this tool to get the very best out of it. You can implement AI in your e-commerce business in the following ways. Using AI tools develop a custom eCommerce environment that is personalized for customers. Deploy chatbots on your website as well as on your company Facebook page Integrate AI in your sales and marketing process. Engage in customer retargeting. Over 40% of businesses have increased their sales by potential retargeting customers. Maybe the second time's the charm. Also, another advantage of AI is its uniformity. Whether it is big business, medium sized business or a small scale business, AI tools, when used as per your business, are guaranteed to yield results. The only drawback of AI is that it is still in its early phases and not fully developed, but for some, this may appear as an opportunity. They can reap the early-bird benefits. Click here to hop on this bandwagon of success.

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Development
3 min read

Top 5 WordPress Themes For Healthcare Institutions

Coding a website from scratch is a thing of the past! You don’t need to be a professional web designer to build a website for yourself, not anymore! If you are looking to quickly get a beautiful website that goes well with your health or medical practice, pre-built WordPress themes can come to your rescue! A while back, we extensively talked about how choosing a niche WordPress theme cuts your efforts of setting up a website in half. In this post, we will be listing the best 5 WordPress themes that bring a ton of website functionality to healthcare professionals minus the hassle of coding - 1. Doctor+ From the creators of AitThemes, Doctor+ is a modern and informative theme that will give a truly doctor-y feel to your healthcare website. Other than having a striking color scheme, this theme catches the attention of a visitor like no other with its pleasing design and easy navigation, ask from the 105,000+ happy professionals that are using this theme to convert patients every day! And with WooCommerce plugin integration, fully responsive design, built-in multi-lingual support, and appointment scheduler integration, this theme scores a home-run in functionality as well. To play with its design, you can try from a number of header types available and choose the one you like. Along with that, you get revolution sliders, info-panel, and 70+ themes to choose from. You can get your on this theme for free. But to get all the 70+ themes and plug-ins, you’ll have to lighten up your pockets with $99. Want some more information about this theme? You can get it here. 2. Clinic Pro The developers of Clinic Pro are well aware of the power of white space! And the best part of this theme is its healthcare specialized demo content. If you need a website for your healthcare practice up and running in no time, Clinic Pro is your best bet! This stunning theme promises to deliver a sharp, premium look to your website with all the needed functionality. Fully optimized SEO, mobile responsive, blazingly fast, e-commerce integration, and advanced pro design customization options make this theme the best out there! You can not put a price on the benefits a good website can bring to your practice but this theme will cost you around $59. For more information, you can have a look at their product page. 3. Regina Pro With a full-featured booking form accessible straight from the home page, no other theme out there places a direct focus on making conversions than Regina Pro. With proactive email support from the theme developers, they also keep rolling out frequent updates for the theme to provide better security to their users. Probably, the reason Regina Pro is the best-selling theme on our list. Regina Pro is also one of the best-looking WordPress healthcare themes in the market and scores well in both design and functionality. For $59, you can forever play with the fonts and color scheme of this theme but to get additional in-themes you’ll probably have to spend some extra bucks. Get more information about this speedy, SEO-optimized theme at MachoThemes 4. Medic --> The developers at Medic believe in making awesome first impressions and that’s exactly what they have done with this theme. With an option to choose from 4 beautiful, distinct home pages, you can choose to display what your heart desires on the homepage of this theme. Most of the professionals go with displaying their services but you can display patient feedback, success stories, and head doctors as well. You also get easy shortcodes for almost all the important website elements - boxes, carousels, tabs, buttons & icons, lists, tables, circles, and more to attractively display all your content. Shortcodes for essential medical widgets such as appointment scheduler & ‘Find A Doctor’ are also included in Medic. $34 is the usual price of this theme but currently, it’s up for grabs at a discounted price on Themeforest. 4. Accalia If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant website theme that doesn’t compromise on functionality, look no further than Accalia. Mainly based around the niche of Skin Care, you can freely customize it for any healthcare niche with ease. Packed with a powerful admin interface, screen responsiveness, SEO optimizations, and pre-installed WooCommerce integration, the theme is extremely versatile and edgy. You can buy it on Themeforest for $56. Consider these 5 WordPress healthcare themes for your website and get your healthcare establishment online with just a few clicks.

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Development
2 min read

5 Benefits of Hiring Mobile Application Developer for your Business

Mobile Application Development in today’s digital era is essential for an overall successful business growth. The constant advancement in technology has made digital presence equally crucial as your tangible presence. Having a digital presence on all digital platforms is vital for a business and additionally for potential customers. Mobile Applications have become a necessity for new as well as established businesses. They are a useful marketing tool for various platforms, promoting a faster business growth, brand promotion, product exposure and attracting and retaining potential customers. They are also helpful in improving communications, boosting productivity and maintaining coordination within the workplace and between customers, staff members, and overall management. If you also own an established business or have just started off with new business, getting a mobile app developed by hiring Mobile Application Developers can offer you many multiple benefits including: 1. Expert services This quality is a crucial factor in the Mobile App Development. The Mobile App Development Companies have several years of experience in the same field. Their highly skilled developers can provide you quality product and services. Their proficiency and years of experience give them an added advantage to know what’s best for whom. 2. Business Analysis These skilled developers understand and analyze what you want for your business, and what you aim to achieve through the app. Once you get the right developers, you can accomplish your desired business goals. The developers are experts who observe market trends, best designs that appeal to your business type to develop a pleasing yet error-free device application. 3. Control over quality When you hire a team of developers for your business project, their primary goal is to deliver the kind of work that appeals to you. You are in direct contact with the developers and can coordinate and interact with these techies on a regular basis. You can do a quick check up on their work and get updates from them. You can also get them to make required changes according to your choice and test the quality of the app. Your regular interaction can also help in developing the device on time and within the budget. 4. Getting the job done When you hire a team of developers, it is upon them to get your project remitted within the right time and budget, as guaranteed. Their primary goal is to get the job done, and working as a team helps them work on different aspects of the app together, keeping the progress going. 5. Completely secure The respective developers undertake the responsibility of your mobile application's security. Your data and project are secured and protected by applying internet safety protocols as well as latest security features that use mobile devices. To sum it up, these were only some of the benefits of hiring Mobile Application Developer for your business. At Saffron Edge, our highly skilled iOS and Android developers design and develop qualitative mobile apps to offer a new platform and increase the online presence of your business. If you have any queries related to Mobile App Development, get in touch with us!

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Development
3 min read

Why Should a Startup Outsource their Software Development

To start your own company it is really not necessary that you should have a technical background, it is a challenge these days to find a technical co-founder for many companies or finding some good talent to turn a fantastic idea into a reality. This the reason, many founders or visionaries just stop ideating at this point and we believe that’s where they are making a huge mistake! In B-Schools around the world mentors tell the first time founders: “ Focus on your idea and let the things you’re not good at in the hands of the experts in this field. But be sure to be able to monitor the progress of their work.” One very popular example of a company with non-technical co-founders: Airbnb: Brian Chesky Brian chesky earned a B.F.A in industrial design, from the Rhode Island School Of Design where he met Joe Gebbia who later became the co-founder at the firm and CHief Product Officer of Airbnb. As of March 2015, Airbnb had raised a new round of funding which brought the company’s valuation at around $20 billion dollars. As is evident both were non-technical founders and sure did outsource their software development work to concentrate on rather core operations of the company. It is indeed a common opinion that having a good tech person in the company assures that a startup can have a successful exit. But, besides knowing how to code, founders should rather concentrate on other tasks like marketing and sales to excel in the industry. To find out about the best practices of outsourcing your IT services. We’ll give you some convincing reasons why a startup should outsource their IT resources development: Reduced Cost The stage when you have an idea in your head and money to bootstrap, you are able to find some professional engineers who you can contract per agreed price. In the case of outsourcing you do not need to dive into the pool of talent or even worry about additional expenses like: staff insurance, admin costs or payroll taxes. It is also a well known fact that sometimes by outsourcing the development work you might attract more skilled pros at a much lower rate. Freed Up Time By documenting the contracts of IT development, strict deadlines are already agreed upon and a lot of time is freed for founders to concentrate on more core areas. All you need to do is control those dates and monitor the work being done by individuals or by the agency. More core areas left to concentrate upon are to spread the word about your product in the market and promotions. IT Consultation While outsourcing your software development work, you get to meet people like business analysts, who might take a closer look at your product and suggest the best way to complete your task(better logics that were thought about before, approach, tools etc.). They might be able to add up an improvised revenue model to your existing project. Testing Services Included Hiring a team of software engineers might and expect them to deliver a robust software project as well as test it requires too much overheads and a lot of work for the same team. While outsourcing the same job to an agency ensures that project is delivered on time, works seamlessly and you do not have a headache of testing it ‘n’ number of times before a perfect product is delivered to you. Technology partner for life It is very difficult for a company to find a techie who understands your company’s objectives and goals , is reliable and dedicated. Having been in a contract with your firm for maintenance services, the outsourced firm has to be responsible for providing the software upgrades as and when required and the expertise you can trust. Getting access to exclusive tools Hiring engineers is not enough, but there is also a cost associated with providing your in-house team with appropriate tools, which by the way can be really expensive. Why would you buy such tools that you know, are going to be used once in the life-cycle of your software product. While outsourcing the project not only did you save the cost on not hiring engineers in-house but also got access to the best tools used in the IT industry to develop a software. As we saw that not only did we save the cost by outsourcing our IT project, but hiring that extra engineer force and the cost overheads that came along with it were avoided. So it is clearly understandable that to be a successful founder of tech startup, we neither need to be technically equipped nor do we require the help of a technically sound co-founder. All that is required is the right idea and to transform it into a reality.

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