Billups Design

We’re constantly trying to take the temperature of this industry we operate within. Like other industries in this economy, web design and development has been changed by the frozen credit markets and the effects that has on some of our clients. We also as an industry see changes in the categories of professionals that now are involved in web design and development both inside their organizations and as free-range consultants – people who just 2 years ago were not. It’s difficult to know what all this means for our industry and our respective companies. The latest industry trends reports posit that web design and development is still, in 2009, a bright spot in the application development vertical, but it will not grow at as healthy a rate as in years past.

Here’s a fragment of the latest IDC 2009 Web Site Design and Development Report published online by MarketResearch.com:

This IDC study presents a five-year forecast of the Web site design and development (WDD) market along with the vendor shares of 2007. The historical numbers tell a story of strong growth even in a market, which is increasingly being invaded with open source technology. A key example of this is the improved ability of browsers to handle rich Internet applications natively (with Ajax techniques), most of which are available for free or as part of broad platforms (e.g., IE and Safari). Yet, we expect the current economic downturn to hit its trough in 2009, and our forecast for the WDD market takes the broader economic forecast and the events of the past two months largely into account. The financial situation is fluid, and expenditure on tools, while never excessive, is one that can take a backseat in downtimes, especially as overall project volume contracts.

“The global credit crisis and the ensuing global downturn is now expected to deepen and take its toll on IT spend overall. The Web site design and development market remains one of the few bright spots in the application development space, though its growth will be significantly affected.” says Al Hilwa, program director of Application Development Software at IDC.

Which agencies will survive and which will not? What will the nature of the shake-up be from giant ad houses to one-man shops? It’s hard to say. But around here, we’re focusing on customer relations, research and development of new online marketing strategies and adopting new technologies, instituting measurement tools, advancing our interactive design capabilities, social marketing management, and reinvesting in the advanced training of our employees. Agencies that are playing the game like it’s 2008 – even standing pat on their current client base – may be far behind when the economy and the ‘new-rules’ industry heats up again – if they’re even around by then.

Last 5 posts by charles

• WNBA's Chicago Sky signs with BD for ad creative - February 2nd, 2010
• BD Wins 2009 Outstanding Achievement in Website Development from Interactive Media Awards! - December 9th, 2009
• David Garrison - An American in Paris - December 7th, 2009
• Nike 'Delicious Is...' Contest launches today! - November 18th, 2009
• Haystack is here! Our initial thoughts... - November 17th, 2009