What Privacy Policy Stands in SaaS Application Development?

Recently, WhatsApp has updatedits user data privacy policy and this update creates so much hush between end-users.

Even tech giant Elon Musk also tweeted about it.

By the way, we do not want to make any comment on that nor want to make any comparisons.

But any user data of any application is a primary concern in today’s market. Service providers must satisfy their end-users by making much-required transparency of data privacy policies.

A few years back, there was only a fundamental shift in how companies do business online, and about data privacy. But after the intervention of cloud-based business strategy things have changed.

Now building credibility as a cloud-based business is harder than ever.

Let’s take the SaaS market. To make the subscription payments option available, the SaaS companies need a strong focus on keeping customer data secure and communicating that security to their users.

Just letting strengthen the privacy concerns are not enough though – the SaaS Application builders need concrete security measures in place that customers can easily understand.

Here we have put together some of the basic information and best practices on data security policies to help you get started with securing your SaaS application. Let’s dive in!

Basic things about SaaS security

SaaS security refers to the data privacy and safety of user data in subscription-based software i.e. Orangescrum, Wakeupsales, etc.

Each day, SaaS companies access, and analyze various data of customers. Even including the credit and debit card details.

As a SaaS founder, If you fail to keep those data safe, it will have a direct and lasting impact on your user retention and business growth.

With high-profile leaks like Cambridge Analytica happening more often, customers are increasingly concerned with their data privacy.

Concerning the customer data safety, different country’s regulatory bodies have issued various security guidelines like GDPR, EU-US and the Swiss-US Privacy Shield Frameworks, etc. These are mandatory to follow as a SaaS company.

And all these guidelines declares “Doing so ensures that whatever data your product has access to, it’s kept secure in a way that customers can understand—whether you’re dealing with internal or external issues.”

Also, the SaaS companies need to consider the data leakage.

As well as keeping secret your customer data you need to protect these customer data from outside attacks also. Or I can say you need to create a secure environment to run your SaaS application.

So, you need to make a dedicated strategy for your SaaS product during the development process.

The best practices to ensure data privacy and security:

Whether you’re developing a new SaaS product or rolling out a new feature, it’s important to consider how these changes will impact your SaaS Application’s security.

SaaS Secrity Layers
Image Source: Profitwell

Keep the following best practices in mind to ensure your data privacy and security.

Encrypt your data

Encrypting the internal or user data should be the top priority through every layer of your technology stack.

A proper encryption ensures that the customer data isn’t immediately out there for all to see.

And let this know to your customers that your product is always keeping all sensitive billing information safe by communicating your encryption policies.

Not to mention, there are many common encryption protocols to use, each ensuring that the data you rely on isn’t stored in plain text.

Make privacy a priority

Privacy and security statements are required by most compliance and regulatory protocols, but that’s not all they’re good for.

By creating a robust statement for your own product, it educates both your team and your customer in how to handle valuable data.

Work with your development and legal teams to define the specific information that should be included in your own privacy policy.

Educate your customers

According to Gartner research, customers will be responsible for 95% of cloud security failures by 2020.

Whenever you onboard new customers or push important updates to current ones, make sure that you’re actively reaching out to let people know how it will impact their security.

More and more SaaS companies are moving to an entirely cloud-based infrastructure and most customers don’t understand the implications of this move.

Make sure your customers know how to keep their information safe to minimize security issues.

Backup user data in several locations

Lots of businesses aren’t prepared for data breaches, which makes effective customer data management very important.

Backing up your data in several locations ensures that no single system failure will damage your security.

Many cloud platforms SaaS companies rely on will provide this functionality as a part of their product, but you need to be diligent with backups to avoid potentially disastrous losses of customer data.

Consult a cyber-security firm

Third-party security firms can provide valuable industry insight into what you need to do to keep your platform secure.

Their testing protocols ensure that your software, network, and infrastructure is kept safe at all times.

As you’re building out your product, these third-party providers can also help you create plans for if/when a breach occurs.

Require stronger passwords

Even when they understand the risk of this practice, many people still use the same password for every login.

Prevent users from making their data vulnerable by requiring strong passwords when they create accounts.

Consider setting up authentication protocols and case sensitivity guidelines.

As the subscription economy continues to mature, a focus on security will only become more important. Always evaluate your current protocols to make sure you’re staying compliant as your company grows.

Takeaways

With a strong focus on SaaS security, you build trust in your product and foster an ecosystem that customers feel comfortable using.

Andolasoft puts user data security first

At Andolasoft, we are compliant with EU and US privacy regulations, we never sell your valuable customer data, and regularly perform security audits and penetration testing.

Check out our security statement for specific information on how we keep our SaaS business secure.

As people become more well-versed in their personal security, more secure products will also be more attractive to buyers.

Want to discuss more on SaaS Application data privacy? Let’s discuss!

 

Why Developers Use WordPress For Website – 6 Important Reasons

Undeniably, when it comes to web development nothing can beat the popularity of WordPress. Most of the developers are obsessed with this platform. Even today, more than 43% and around 810 million of websites on the internet are built from WordPress only.

It’s a content management system (CMS) tool that lets you post a blog as well as develop a website. It makes web development as much as easy for beginners as well. It comes with a lot of functionalities which makes the development easy and quick.

It comes with a lot of themes that give your website an appealing look that helps in capturing the attention of people. For any type of website, you can get a theme.

For instance, to develop an online shopping website you can get plenty of the best wordpress ecommerce theme. You need to choose the one which suits the most as per your requirement.

Well, having a website is as important as logo design of a brand, you should never compromise with it. A well-developed website becomes the integral part of business.

Never miss an update from us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

Moreover, the plugins of it add the functionalities in your website such as security, SEO, performance as much more. Most of the free WordPress eCommerce themes let you integrate the plugin in it.

It won’t be a bad choice to use WordPress. So, let’s discuss why developers choose WordPress for your website.

1. Ready For A Responsive Site

One of the key reasons to use WordPress is it’s responsive for all sizes of screen. It can be the foremost requirement while developing a website.

Your website must give the same visual experience across all devices which includes mobiles, desktop, tablet. Even when it comes to online shopping sites, people would be more likely to use mobiles rather than desktops.

So, it becomes the developer’s responsibility to make the website for all the devices.

Ready For A Responsive Site

You may never know which device users will use to visit your website, that’s why you must have a prior plan for it. You should not lose customers just because of this reason, so use WordPress which has this feature inbuilt in every theme.

There are a wide range of the best wordpress ecommerce themes free available which is perfectly built for all sizes of devices. Hence, this is why the developer chooses WordPress to create a website.

Top Statistics that Show the Importance of Mobile-Responsiveness

  • Nearly 90% of the world’s population is on mobile devices.
  • Mobile devices generate nearly 60% of global website traffic.
  • Internet users spend half of their time on mobile devices.
  • Nearly 50% of Americans spend up-to six hours on their phones per day.
  • There are over one billion tablet users worldwide.
  • More than 50% of internet users use mobile phones to buy online.
  • Nearly 50% of smartphone users are more likely to use a mobile site when shopping online because they don’t want to download a mobile app.
  • Nearly 32% of small businesses already have a mobile app and 42% plan to build an app for their business. 
  • More than 70% of web designers think that non-responsive design is the primary cause of visitors leaving a website.
  • 64% of SEO marketers say mobile optimization is an effective investment
  • During the Covid-19 pandemic mobile website shopping increased by 48%
  • Reducing mobile site loading time by 0.1 seconds increased conversions by 8%

2. Better Performance

Choosing WordPress is never a wrong choice, it gives higher and better performance. Every Free WordPress eCommerce theme provides a wide range of features and functionality to make the website user-friendly.

Even the performance is something that keeps your user engaged with your website.

Moreover, it also gives you plenty of plugins which include additional functionality on the website to improve the performance. It can be for SEO, speed, and much more.

Based on the requirement you can opt for any of it. An experienced developer uses the plugin whenever required and the most suitable one for it.

Having a website with better performance is needed to drive more user traffic which will directly grow your business. Therefore, developers choose WordPress for web development.

Top statistics that show the importance of website performance

  • The first 5 seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates.
  • Website conversion rate drops by 4.4% with each additional second of load time.
  • The average mobile web page takes 15.3 seconds on load.
  • Nearly 70% of consumers say that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.
  • Off all the shoppers surveyed, nearly half said that they would be willing to give up animation and video for faster load times. 
  • The highest conversion rates occur on pages with load times between 0-2 seconds.

3. SEO Friendly

You may choose any Best eCommerce WordPress theme that will be SEO friendly. In fact, to rank higher and get noticed by the people, your website must be built with better SEO standards.

Even you can have the choice to add a WordPress plugin for SEO. There are multiple such plugins are available will make your site perfect for achieving better ranking.

The proper selection of keywords lets your site be visible ahead of others. The higher the rank you have, the more chances to get user traffic into your website.

That will directly affect your business growth. However, developers should know the myths about SEO, before implementing it for their site. A single misconception can divert you to the other path.

Top SEO optimization statistics

  • The #1 result in Google gets approximately 32% of all clicks.
  • Nearly 50% of marketers report that organic search has the best ROI of any marketing channel.
  • 53% of US consumers say that they research products online before deciding to purchase.
  • Nearly 60% of page rankings in the top 10 Google results pages are 3 or more years old. 
  • Google’s organic search is responsible for 59.2% of the world’s web traffic.
  • Nearly 75% of voice search results are from one of the top 3 desktop ranking pages for a given query.
  • Posts with videos earn more backlinks and see a 157% boost in search traffic.
  • After searching on smartphones for something nearby, nearly 75% of people end-up visiting the business within 1 day.
  • Nearly 30% of local searches result in a purchase.

4. Multisite Functionality

Another significant reason why developers choose WordPress for making websites. Multisite means from one central hub you can make multiple websites. In WordPress, by installing once you can make any number of websites for different purposes.

Multisite Functionality

This functionality allows you to create a private network for all of the websites you have. That’s why people include multiple sites from one platform.

When you expand your business by adding some new products and services at that time you need to add webpages. So, then it would be easier if you are using WordPress.

Thus, due to multisite functionality developers prefer to use WordPress.

5. It’s Open-Source

One of the most important reasons why developers use this platform is it’s completely open-source. The source code will be available to the developer without paying anything.

Users do not need to pay anything to develop a website from WordPress. It gives almost every functionality free of cost. Still, you can make the website for enterprise with all the necessary requirements.

That’s why many beginners choose this platform to initiate the development part.

Specifically, for small scale businesses, it’s really important. They might not be able to spend much money on website development. So, if there is any such platform free of cost, they will definitely go for it.

Are you looking for a WordPress developer

Contact Us

However, for some of the WooCommerce WordPress themes and plugins, you need to pay some amount but still, it’s very cheap.

Thus, due to it’s open-source it becomes the ideal platform for beginners and experienced developers as well.

6. Powerful Security

Security is always a point of concern for developers when they create a website. But when you use a ready-made best eCommerce WordPress theme then nothing to worry about.

A lot of information is being entered in multiple ways. It’s the developer’s responsibility to keep all of that in a very secure manner. A little bit of compromise in it will cost them a lot and makes a negative impression in front of the users.

Everyday a lot of cyber-attacks are happening so it becomes very crucial to have a website that is built with higher security standards.

However, it’s a complete misconception about WordPress that it’s not providing security. But the fact is that almost every theme is giving you a higher standard of security. That’s why developers use this platform as it gives powerful security to the website.

Wrapping up

There are multiple CMS available on the internet but developers prefer WordPress over others. It brings a lot of benefits for publishing blogs and making websites.

No matter what website you want to develop, it has a solution for all of that. The above-mentioned points clearly say why developers are using WordPress for web development.

How Automation can Robust your B2B eCommerce Business

A strong relationship with partners and customers is critical for B2B businesses. This needs to be reflected in the successful B2B eCommerce strategies.

Nowadays, the B2B eCommerce model moved beyond from just transactions to putting more emphasis on relationships and automated ordering systems.

With these relationship-centered B2B eCommerce models businesses are reducing their spending efforts on low-value tasks and focusing on Extended interaction with long-term business trends, multi-party deals, and on more complex transactions.

This new model has made numerous impacts on the eCommerce business. In fact, some of the techno giants are saying B2B is surpassing the B2C.

What is B2B eCommerce

Well, B2B eCommerce is the typical exchange of products and services between 2 different businesses or companies through the electronic platform. Or you can say, buying and selling the products on the web as the exchange media.

B2B eCommerce business is not limited just limited to selling and buying. It may cover many aspects like;

  • Business Relationship between 2 companies
  • Product information and research
  • Technical learning
  • Product Ordering & Tracking
  • Technical Support, Training and Services
  • Document exchange like User guide, etc

So, technically it brings a lot of value to this process.

Now see, where the “Automation” term is fitting in this process.

B2B eCommerce Automation

What comes first to your mind when someone says “Automation”? In general, it sounds like robots are assembling cars somewhere in factories. But in B2B eCommerce it is not an artificial intelligence SKY-Net-like program.

The “Automation” in B2B e-commerce context is the use of a computer programmed software tool to complete the tasks without human intervention.

Automation spot the patterns in data and make the decision in a fraction of a second.

Now come to the basic topic of this article. How this Automation can help the eCommerce business for a better result?

Benefits of B2B Automation

Let’s go through the five ways that automation can improve your B2B eCommerce business today.

Reduce Errors:

The manual data processing always makes a tiny glitch and these small errors can cost millions in a year.

Just an example: If a B2B seller would make a misenter in an amount at the time of creating purchasing orders, it can cause chaos for both.

To avoid such types of errors you can integrate an automation layer to your eCommerce Application.

So, the orders can be created and communicated without any risk of human errors or even without human introversion.

Basically, no manual intervention is necessary when the electronically generated documents are passed back and forth between seller and buyer.

Get rid of Workflow Friction:

In B2B eCommerce workflow, a great deal of friction is generated that involves manual moving of information from one end to another.

By the intervention of an automated eCommerce cart management system with the inclusion of invoicing programs can make the progress much smoother.

So, the waiting could be over for a work process like open, read and respond to the email, etc.

As both the buyer and sellers waste their time in moving the information between the system and associated people, an automated system can help them to do it faster.

Better Relationships With Customers

Business to Business buyers are decently becoming more enthusiastic about the benefits of integration and automation.

The integration of Automation creates a more intuitive and easier purchasing experience for buyers with automated catalogs.

Better Relationship

Image Source: FreePik

Relying on automated platforms, it is significantly more effective when B2B sellers offer a straightforward path to data exchanges such as order confirmations, purchase orders, shipping notifications, and invoices.

Get Paid Faster

With a manual workflow, the B2B sellers process invoices manually. A dedicated resource creates invoices manually and emails those to the buyers.

And on the buyer side, whoever is responsible gets around to opening the email manually, and getting approval for paying.

Automated Email

Image Source: FreePik

Whereas in the automated system invoices can be created and delivered automatically.

As a result, the buyers opt to pay automatically, and for the invoices, those are required oversight, the right person will see it and react more quickly.

Focus On What Matters for You

Somehow, people worry that automation is taking place in some jobs, and there is a kernel of truth in that.

The automation system will replace some human roles, but it will also encourage us to focus on what matters most for us and for our business betterment.

For example: The automation system will allow the salespersons to focus more on sales and upbringing new business rather than getting stuck in time and paper.

This will definitely reduce the cost while increasing revenue.

Conclusion

There could be many ways that workflow automation helps your B2B business right now. But the proper planning and execution of the strategies can make your eCommerce website a winner.

The eCommerce application development planning is not much exhausting work, but it requires proper knowledge and customer satisfaction points.

You should develop an appropriate site for online business in which users can easily manage their shopping items and place orders.

For a prosperous future of B2B eCommerce, businesses must have to work with the technology and data firms.

The SaaS Trends You Should Watch Out For In 2021

“Software as a service” (SaaS) is becoming an increasingly viable choice for organizations looking for the accessibility and versatility of software solutions and online data analysis tools without the need to rely on installing and running applications on their own computer systems and data centers.

Gartner predicts that the service-based cloud application industry will be worth $143.7 billion by 2022, which is a level of growth that will shape SaaS trends in 2021.

SaaS is a software distribution model that offers a lot of agility and cost-effectiveness for companies, which is why it’s such a reliable option for numerous business models and industries.

It’s also popular amongst businesses for its simplicity and user accessibility, security, and the widespread connectivity that serves to streamline business models, resulting in maximum efficiency across the board. Today, most companies are in the process of implementing various business intelligence strategies, turning to SaaS BI tools to assist them in their efforts.

2019 was a breakthrough year for the SaaS world in many ways. With a new year on the horizon, in this article, we’ll explore 10 essential SaaS trends that will stand out in 2021. But, before we do that, we will discuss the general characteristics revolving around the industry that will help put additional light on the SaaS industry trends for 2021.

Before we dig any deeper into our top ten SaaS industry trends for 2021, let’s dispel some common myths surrounding the industry.

Never miss an update for us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

The Key Characteristics

Before we explore our essential software as a service trends for 2021, it’s important to consider what defines SaaS as not only a technological development, but as a working business model.

Flexible payment options: Businesses don’t have to go through the expense of purchasing software and hardware. Instead, they have the option of utilizing various pricing structures. Flexibility in payment models, where they only pay for the resource usage they need, for instance, is attractive for many organizations in today’s competitive world.

Scalability: Cloud-based SaaS enables businesses to expand with ease due to its inherent scalability. Companies can be selective about the types of features and options they want.

Updates: SaaS providers handle the necessary software updates and develop new features over time, so businesses don’t have to invest ample amounts of time in this particular area of operation.

Accessibility: With SaaS, businesses have the mobility of accessing applications from any digital device and location, making it especially convenient for mobile platforms. Additionally, it boasts ease-of-use and is user-friendly.

Increased collaboration: SaaS developments enhance a business’s ability to promote collaboration across teams and departments due to the facilitation of file sharing, in addition to a distinct ease of reading and understanding across systems.

Security: Most SaaS models are known for their enterprise-level security, which is a more holistic approach to security than many centralized, on-premise solutions. In Cloud SaaS, per-existing disaster recovery protocols are in place to manage potential system failures. This means that your business’s data is available and secure regardless of a data breach or system failure.

As businesses continue to rely on innovative data discovery tools and technologies to increase both their productivity and their efficiency, and as new software as a service trends continue to emerge, this young, groundbreaking industry can only go from strength to strength.

Even if figures diverge somewhat, the many forecasts conducted on SaaS industry trends 2021 demonstrate an obvious reality: the SaaS market is going to get bigger and bigger.

Indeed, according to Bloomberg, public cloud platforms, business services, and applications (SaaS) will all grow at a 9% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) between 2019 and 2023, and worth $60.36 billion. A Betterbuys report reveals that the specific expenditure in the U.S. SaaS Industry is forecasted to reach $55 billion by 2026.

And according to Gartner, the global public cloud service market is projected to grow significantly in 2021 and beyond.

“Customers won’t care about any particular technology unless it solves a particular problem in a superior way.” – Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, one of the planet’s biggest SaaS providers

All signs indicate that this coming year is going to be an interesting, trendsetting year for the trends in SaaS industry. Of all the developments currently in the pipeline, these 10 SaaS industry trends, in particular, are showing signs of standing out as the most significant in 2021:

1. Artificial Intelligence

The first of our most impactful trends in SaaS is of the autonomous, self-learning variety.

Today, Artificial Intelligence is all over the place – it made the top 3 of our list of our business intelligence trends for 2021 – and next year, it’s expected to make some serious waves. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming more widespread; it’s becoming a game-changer worth $15.7 trillion.

AI optimizes business processes, increasing productivity and efficiency while automating repetitive tasks and supporting human capabilities.

Within business scenarios, artificial intelligence (as well as machine learning, in many cases) provides an advanced degree of responsiveness and interaction between businesses, customers, and technology, driving AI-based SaaS trends 2021 onto a new level. There are numerous features developed by modern software providers based on artificial intelligence such as data alerts.

With an AI algorithm using the most advanced neural network for anomaly detection, and a machine-learning algorithm for pattern recognition, these data alerts learn from trends and patterns and let you know as soon as something important happens.

That way, when a pre-set goal is met, or when something unexpected happens, you will be notified, enabling you to keep continuous control over your business.

Since it is often easy to lose track of what really matters when so many KPIs have to be monitored, an online reporting tool will safely keep an eye on your data and anticipate any fluctuation and change – and alert you when it veers off course.

Artificial intelligence is positioned to disrupt the SaaS landscape in a variety of ways, improving the key characteristics of the SaaS model across the board. When SaaS is combined with AI capabilities, it enables businesses to obtain better value from their data, automate and personalize services, improve security, and supplement human capacity.

How will AI improve SaaS in 2021?

  • Automation: Machine Learning, a subset of AI, is utilized in SaaS to automate responsiveness in customer service reports and applications, such as AI-powered chat operations with live chatbots.It will also automate the onboarding process of SaaS.
  • Personalization: Software is easier to use with technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), which automatically processes human speech patterns, and voice control. This can be deployed across customer service functionality to improve customization and better address client needs.
  • Speed: Artificial intelligence-enabled SaaS speeds up internal processes and operations, allowing businesses to obtain fast answers to questions, make quick forecasts, and speed up their overall level of responsiveness.
  • Security: Due to artificial intelligence-enabled automation, and the ability of machine learning to recognize patterns, SaaS security is enhanced by the quick identification and remedy of potential threats with built-in self-recovery.

Artificial intelligence-optimized SaaS solutions provide businesses with the ability to augment their internal processes with fast automation, more efficiently address customer service operations, and improve the level of personalization and responsiveness throughout their processes, which will remain one of the trends in SaaS to keep an eye for in 2021.

2. Vertical SaaS

Our second forecast for SaaS trends in 2021 is Vertical SaaS. Whereas Horizontal SaaS focuses on clients across any sector and industry, Vertical SaaS is completely customizable, targeting clients within specific industries and supply chains.

Some examples are healthcare analytics software, retail analytics, or modern logistics analytics. Companies who are looking to benefit from specialization are finding Vertical SaaS to be a cost-effective, industry-specific option that allows them to refine the customization of certain features.

Why the Vertical SaaS trends are going to have such an impact in 2021?

Vertical SaaS providers also have the ability to adapt features according to client demand and industry, and effectively address customer needs within their niche. This results in more flexibility and upselling opportunities, and lower customer acquisition costs.

Vertical SaaS also provides the following benefits:

  • Customer intelligence: Enables businesses to obtain industry-specific customer data and intelligence, which plays a critical role in gaining customer-focused insights.
  • Pre-defined metrics and KPIs: Vertical SaaS is already integrated with pre-defined metrics, KPIs, and analytics that businesses can utilize to assess and address daily and long-term processes and performance.
  • Business value: Software is designed to meet industry requirements; therefore, it provides a higher degree of business value for company operations and performance.
  • Improved data governance: Vertical SaaS is positioned to address data governance procedures via the inclusion of industry-specific compliance capabilities, which has the additional benefit of providing increased transparency.
  • A higher standard: In 2021, higher quality service from industry-specific vertical SaaS providers will emerge, as each developer aims to distinguish itself from the ever-increasing crowd.

3. The Growing Need For API Connections

The API (Application Programming Interface) has been a fundamental part of software development for years, and this is precisely what our third SaaS trend focuses on. With the explosion of SaaS solutions and adoption by the market, the need to integrate them into an existing business system appeared.

Some companies may want to migrate all their data to a cloud platform, but many actually would rather harmonize it with their already existing infrastructure in order to improve it – and this is where the problem lies.

At first, SaaS providers didn’t come with a complete integration solution. That failure served to complicate the work and caused them to disappoint their customers as a result

They would then redirect their clients to a third party to supply the specific APIs enabling the customer to integrate the cloud solution into their existing system.

It was indeed better for the SaaS developers not to reinvent the wheel, and to win some precious time and resources relying on third-party APIs. Their go-to-market time frame was shorter, and they could focus on their core capabilities to develop differentiated functionality.

However, more and more SaaS vendors tend to provide greater integration capabilities instead of redirecting their customers to third parties.

As Benoit Lheureux, vice president of research firm Gartner Inc., says to Tech Target: “redirecting your customers to a third-party for integration solutions when integration is a requirement in every IT project of substance is falling short of meeting your customer requirements.”

If you are looking to invest in a cloud vendor’s services, you should ask the following questions beforehand to ensure a seamless integration:

  • What capabilities is the provider offering me to integrate the SaaS within my existing business system?
  • Can this provider also integrate the legacy systems I use?
  • Is my data protected while the integration process is worked through?

4. Increased Thought Leadership

One of the most effective ways to serve the needs of your target audience is through equal measures of inspiration and education – and as more SaaS providers tap into this mentality, we expect thought leadership will become a prominent software as a service trend in 2021.

At present, only 24% of SaaS businesses publish content to educate or enlighten. Others are solely company-focused, and 11% of the primary players don’t even operate a blog, according to Callbox. Astonishingly low figures by all accounts.

But, as the landscape becomes competitive with more SaaS startups competing for the attention of savvy businesses like yours, there will be far more SaaS resources available in the form of videos, interactive apps, blog content, eBooks, and digestible whitepapers.

In turn, this will make software as a service even more widely accessible while offering businesses a wealth of new information about the industry, making it all the more transparent as a result.

While you’re waiting for this SaaS trend to blossom, here are two industry thought leaders you should follow:

  • Mamoon Hamid: A well-respected industry expert and board director on 16 SaaS operations, including Wave HQ and CloudOn.
  • Noah Kagan: A celebrated tech player and one of the web’s leading SaaS experts.

5) Migration To PaaS

As the software as a service industry evolves and innovation increases, many developers or providers will focus on customer retention on top of customer acquisition.

That said, in 2021, we expect to see SaaS migrating towards the realms of PaaS (platform as a service) – developments that empower businesses to build custom apps as add-ons to their original services. The likes of Salesforce and Box have recently launched PaaS-centric services in a bid to hold a strong market share in their niche, and we expect to see this SaaS trend become all the more prevalent this coming year.

To put the relevance of this trend into perspective, here are 3 key advantages of using a PaaS development:

  • The enhanced features, functionality, and ability to customize will enhance your overall business agility, giving you more time and creative space to innovate and focus on your core commercial initiatives.
  • PaaS offerings are, by their very nature, robust, flexible, and accessible which means you will be able to scale your business more easily by using a platform as a service.
  • Security is a distinct advantage of the PaaS model as the vast majority of such developments perform a host of automatic updates on a regular basis.

6. Micro-SaaS

The sixth of our software as a service trends comes in the form of a little something called micro-SaaS.

Like any innovative and invaluable industry on the rise, large numbers of players begin to enter the arena, saturating the market and intensifying the competition – which means in 2021, and beyond, SaaS companies will have to find new ways to innovate, offer value, and connect with new prospects.

In response to a new, more cutthroat climate, we expect to see more micro-SaaS innovations emerge from the woodwork this coming year.

Typically, micro-SaaS businesses are run by a small team, sometimes even by one or two people. Micro-SaaS products are usually complementary add-ons to existing platforms or developments, created with the aim of improving a missing feature or enhancing an existing SaaS product.

These more niche, more “miniature” SaaS offerings could prove increasingly valuable to businesses across industries in 2021, which means we can all expect a host of fresh micro-SaaS innovations over the next 12 or so months.

To clarify the meaning of micro-SaaS in a nutshell, here is a definition of the concept explained by Storemapper’s Tyler Tringas:

“A SaaS business targeting a niche market, run by one person or a very small team, with small costs, a narrow focus, a small but dedicated user base and no outside funding. Hence, micro-SaaS.”

7) SaaS Pricing Policy Change

The seventh in our definitive rundown of SaaS trends comes in the form of policy. Studies show that 98% of SaaS businesses earned positive results from making core changes to their pricing policy.

By reviewing every aspect of platform pricing, a host of companies across niches have grown their audience, connecting with a broader demographic of consumers. And this growing SaaS trend is set to evolve in 2021.

Traditionally, software as a service companies have built their business models based on flexible pricing structures. By offering flexible price points, it has been easy for vendors to drive revenue. But in a seismic industry shift, software-centric businesses have been forced to remold their pricing policies.

Stiffer competition, industry saturation, and the rapid development of SaaS platforms (improved features and functionality) mean that software as service players of all shapes and sizes are starting to reinvent their pricing models according to the needs of their clients or customers.

By leveraging business intelligence and analytics to drive their pricing structures, droves of service-based software businesses are developing more tailored pricing solutions, enjoying increased success as a result—a SaaS trend that is sure to shape the landscape in 2021 and beyond.

When looking for a potential SaaS service, value for money is best represented in a service that will meet your needs on a sustainable basis. Make sure you keep this in mind in 2021.

8. Platform Unbundling

One of the most disruptive SaaS trends in recent times, platform unbundling is set to dominate the landscape as we move into 2021.

Most traditional software as a service platforms are considered horizontal, offering every single feature or function imaginable in one single tool. But, as user needs become more complex, and the industry continues to evolve, platform unbundling is likely to become all the more prevalent.

Every business—depending on its size, sector, and culture—has a specific set of needs, which means that today’s vendors are beginning to realize that not all of the functionality on their platforms suits every prospective client or customer. That’s where unbundling comes in.

Unbundling is a term used in reference to the growing list of startups that provide software-based solutions packaged in the form of an API (application programming interface) rather than a typical ‘full-featured’ platform. Such businesses are on the rise and are expected to make their mark in 2021.

While this is indeed food for thought, it’s important to remember that not every solution will suit an API-based unbundling business model. For instance, when it comes to data analytics, ambitious companies across industries will look to a centralized solution that offers all of the insights, features, and functionality required for online BI in one place.

While it’s important to remain abreast of this most vital of SaaS industry trends, before looking at unbounded services or offerings, you must consider whether doing so will work for your enterprise and its ongoing commercial goals. If you’re looking to improve your data analytics processes, in particular, unbundling is unlikely to be the answer.

9. A Mobile-First Mindset

Number nine on our essential list of SaaS industry trends is centered around the topic of mobile. By the year 2022, experts project that around 72.6% of the world’s population will browse the internet using their mobile devices.

In our mobile-driven age, we’re free from the shackles of time or geographical location, meaning that people can connect with their peers and remain productive 24/7, 365 days of the year. We are in the midst of a portable age, and as more innovative software developers wise up, the mobile-first mindset will serve to shape the future of SaaS.

Increasingly, companies across sectors operate critical parts of the businesses from their tablets or smartphones. Moreover, more employees than ever feel empowered to perform their jobs better by being able to work with dynamic mobile dashboards and various tools.

More software providers will adopt a mobile-first mentality, optimizing their offerings to suit a host of mobile devices. This means we’re likely to see an even more impressive array of mobile features in 2021. Also, as we move towards a new year, increasing numbers of software as a service vendors will develop new solutions to meet this growing demand.

To cut through the noise and push yourself to the front of the pack, offering robust and reliable BI tools that work across desktop and a range of mobile devices is essential.

Mobile devices and screens require a unique set of features and functionality, and by placing their focus on mobile-first design & development, SaaS vendors are likely to enjoy a healthy return on investment (ROI) next year and long into the future.

Mobile-first is, without a doubt, one of the most integral SaaS industry trends for 2021. There will be more portable platforms available to your company’s disposal than ever before — don’t miss out.

I’ve worked with the team at AndolaSoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Enhanced SaaS Solutions For 2021

SaaS industry trends aren’t showing any signs of slowing down, and innovative SaaS solutions will only continue to grow in the coming years. Artificial Intelligence-empowered SaaS, Vertical SaaS, the growing need for and development of API connections, increased thought leadership, a migration to PaaS, a plethora of micro-SaaS offerings, mobile-first innovations are here—and these software as a service trends are shaping the future of SaaS.

“Dreamers are mocked as impractical. The truth is they are the most practical, as their innovations lead to progress and a better way of life for all of us.” – Robin S. Sharma, author & tech advocate

Above all else, these inspiring trends in SaaS are a testament to the enduring future of the industry and our increasing societal demand for robust software-centric solutions across the board. The revolution is here, and it’s digital.

We are in the age of digital transformation. As more companies migrate towards a cloud-based, data-driven existence, the scope for offering practical software innovations will continue to rise, and rise, and rise.

As data continues to be the driving force behind smart business strategies in a digitally dependent world, SaaS options are going to be an increasingly convenient and affordable option across industries, both now and in the coming years.

By taking stock of these essential SaaS industry trends for 2021, you will win tomorrow’s digital battlefield, pushing yourself ahead of the competition.

With these 10 trends in SaaS positioned to further enhance cloud-based solutions on the cusp of 2021, organizations, like yours, will have the technological capabilities to drive their business objectives towards successful outcomes.

For more digitally-driven insights, explore our guide to getting started with big data analytics and business intelligence for small business— or talk to our SaaS expert.

How To Choose JavaScript For Web & Mobile App Development

JavaScript platforms are probably the best frameworks for developers and businesses today. And frontend developers are having a hard time making up their mind on which one to stick to, especially for Single-page Applications as JavaScript framework constantly pouring in with new tech adoptions.

The most popular JavaScript frameworks (and libraries) on the web include Angular, React, NodeJS, Ember, and Vue among others.

Currently, JavaScript is used on both, client and server-sides. It helps design an enriched user experience with numerous features to modify web pages in real-time. JavaScript is the most preferred language for quick web-app development.

It serves as a perfect skeleton for single-page apps, which allows developers to focus completely on interface elements, allowing to expand JS capabilities.

The Advantages of Using JavaScript Framework

1. Cost:

Web apps cost a mini-fortune as most of the frameworks cost more than just a dime. However, most of the JavaScript frameworks are free of cost. This drastically lowers the web-development costs.

2. Safety:

Since these frameworks are in continuous iterations, they have a huge community of members who also act as testers. Also, the most-used frameworks are backed by security firms.

3. Efficiency:

As mentioned earlier, JS frameworks are cost-cutters. They are also time savers, thanks to the prebuilt functions for a faster web app development.

The entire web development community is highly agile; it keeps on updating continuously. A new framework keeps on releasing every month. The already released are constantly going under upgrades and rising with newer functionalities.

Our Products

orangescrum

Wakeupsales

We transform your ideas into engaging Web and Mobile Apps

andolasoft

Conclusion

JS frameworks are known for their scalability and effective compatibility across platforms. Newer ones with better performance and newer features and functionalities are constantly being developed. How would you keep a track of them? Keep an eye on Google search lists and open community forums!

Andolasoft is similarly, constantly evolving with the latest technology and trends. We believe in keeping ourselves updated with the best and dark-horse frameworks and provide its benefits to our customers.

Get in touch with us.

How To Launch Your SaaS Product With a Bang? The Checklist

You have a SaaS idea, and your developers have enough courage to deliver it. But you also have to remember, the market you are willing to enter with your SaaS business is likely to be populated by other SaaS companies. And those are more established and better-funded than yours.

So, standing out in the competition, you have to understand how you can fit your idea and business into the overall picture that makes you different and unique.

I have shared my 8-steps SaaS Development idea that could help even the most desperate entrepreneur.

Never miss an update for us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

If you’ve applied this framework, you can validate your idea and even have some pre-orders in your bank account.

As you are launching your product at the web market, you’re probably not rich enough to run off to the Bahamas directly.

But you have enough fuel to push your product to the next milestone of your startup journey i.e. building and launching the real product.

Here I come with the pre-launch checklist and I am going to discuss:

  • How to create a Go-To Marketing Roadmap
  • Build a successful landing page
  • Start conversations with your pre-launch audiences
  • Get traffic to your landing page

So, let’s get rocking!

1. The Go-To Marketing Roadmap

Here is the Go-To Marketing Roadmap (GTMR) that must be followed before launching the SaaS products.

Go-To Marketing RoadmapThe Go-To Marketing Roadmap which includes the Pre-launch marketing stage
Source: Encharge

The above GTMR can be used for launching the New SaaS products as well as launching new features and releases.

The main purpose of the GTMR is to:

  • To Provide an actionable plan of action that shows the possible ways of SaaS product development and marketing are likely to evolve.
  • To align your product development team and marketing team.
  • It helps to prioritize the marketing activities and provides a general continuity of purpose.

The Out Come of GTMR:

So, what can you produce through this roadmap?

Well, there are both quantitative and qualitative goals that you are in control of. While it is difficult to forecast the outcome but still it will give the outputs or the opportunity to be disciplined and achieve your goals.

2. Build a successful landing page

Actually, it depends.

The landing page depends on “how far are you with your SaaS product development?” On whether you have to show any screens, and whether you’ve to validate your idea or not.

Here I could tell you that letters matter more than pixels.

The main motto is “How” you can communicate the story and the “Why” your product can have a way of a bigger impact for a customer. You must consider your pre-launch success more than the look of your page.

Still, to increase the conversion rates, the landing page design must inspire trust. And forget the quick, unpolished landing pages.

Ideally, by the time you launch your SaaS, you’d have both a raving email list and people that have passed the walled test.

So, the target customer can easily understand what your product is all about.

I’ve worked with the team at AndolaSoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Clear CTA

A single and clear call-to-action immediately visible above the fold

Yes, you can use only a single call-to-action (CTA) on your SaaS landing page.

Whatever goal you set for the landing page, it’s important to have it mentioned in your Go-To Marketing Roadmap.

Next thing – putting the landing page together.

3. Start a conversation with your pre-launch audience

There is just one last thing you need to do before you start marketing your SaaS product.

And this is to set-up basic Welcome email automation that you got from your pre-launching marketing.

The main goal of this workflow is to start the conversation with your potential audience.

It’s also an opportunity to learn more about your subscribers.

On the conversation, you can use the following terms like:

  • We would love to learn more about you
  • Click “reply” to this email and let us know
  • What you are currently looking more?
  • What is the biggest challenge you are facing in your business?

And finish by setting-up the presumption for the following follow-ups like:

  • I am going to despatch one or two weekly updates with content about SaaS marketing, automation, and marketing news.

However, engaging first communication with the new subscribers or visitors’ expectations is vital. So getting them excited is the key.

4. Focus to get traffic at your landing page

It’s time to put our growth hacking tricks on and get some return with it!

Now you have the product landing page up and running.

Now it’s the part “driving traffic to your landing page and growing your list of sign up, orders whichever is your goal.

Many SaaS businesses have managed to gain hundreds or thousands of valid web traffic, so they must be doing something right.

And why do they generally?

Content Marketing: Start writing on Medium (the content marketing site) by using of “how-to” guides that are specific to the pain points of the targeted audience.

Social Media Promotion: Create audiences on Facebook/LinkedIn that match with your product’s interests. And post/boost articles on the Facebook page to reach these audiences.

Do Webinar: Do few webinars with describing the pain point solving pieces of stuff of the SaaS product and promote the same webinar on different social media platforms.

SEO: An obvious advice to do so. You should cover the basics and optimize the SaaS landing (website) page.

Warping up

There you have it! Now you have everything you need to create a successful pre-launch marketing campaign. Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Hope you enjoyed reading this and already have some tactical tips for your SaaS launching road map!

Planning to launch your SaaS Product? Let’s Discuss!