Custom Software Development Trends In 2021

By Author: olivia cuthbert
Total Articles: 12
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If you have been wondering what the next ten years in software development will bring, you’re not alone. Software developers, CEOs, and CTOs have been looking at the current trends and wondering what will be trending in the future as well. In this article, we’ll look at several likely software development trends that will emerge in the next ten years and how they will affect businesses of all sizes going forward.

| Key software development trends by industry

Depending on what industry you’re targeting, there may be some key trends that stand out as most relevant. For example, if you’re building software for a retail client, it’s smart to know that point-of-sale (POS) systems will likely grow more mobile and use Bluetooth and/or Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to improve connectivity with shoppers and retailers. If you’re creating an eCommerce platform, then increased mobile payments from apps like Venmo will have a major impact on how users pay for goods online—likely lowering overall shopping cart abandonment rates as well. Many of these changes are already happening right now so keep up ...
... with all things related to your industry as new products come out and evolve over time.

| Cloud Technology

The use of cloud technology will continue to grow as more companies are running their software-as-service applications on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other marketplaces. By 2022, at least 20% of new application development will be done using cloud technology. The growing support for multi-cloud strategies among these marketplaces should also lead to even greater adoption. Mobile first: More companies are realizing that mobile first is not just a fad—and it’s becoming an increasingly viable option for businesses of all sizes. As more employees want or need to access company information via smartphones or tablets instead of desktops, it makes sense to design software for smaller screens first. That said, custom software development trends may shift again by 2022 as augmented reality continues to grow in popularity.

| Blockchain

In 2017, almost every startup worth its VC dollars had a blockchain strategy. In 2020, most of those companies will have realized they don’t actually need one. Blockchain is now widely accepted as a practical way to decentralize applications, with practical use cases that can be implemented with a minimum amount of fuss. The next five years will see more serious research into how it can improve existing processes and create entirely new ones—and which platforms are best suited for these tasks. While some might still think of blockchain as primarily useful for cryptocurrency transactions, we predict that thinking will change by 2021—as will blockchain itself, as new frameworks and networks evolve around increasingly complex interactions between smart devices and online services.

| E-commerce app development

How will e-commerce application development trends change by 2021? The answer to that question depends on how you’re defining e-commerce applications. If you think of it as simply using an app to do some or all of your shopping, then there may not be much change between today and five years from now. (Disclosure: I work for Shopify, a leading e-commerce provider.) However, if we consider e-commerce applications to mean business software that is integral to a company’s product or service delivery—so much so that it might be branded with a logo and not necessarily perceived as an app—then we can expect big changes.

| The Internet of Things

When software meets hardware, a new paradigm is created, and that’s what we’re experiencing now with IoT (the Internet of Things). It could be said that IoT is an evolution of software-defined networking (SDN), which enables programmability of network resources. The result? The ability to redefine business processes that use network resources; for example, every door lock on your manufacturing plant floor will automatically open for employees at certain times during work hours (reducing manual labor, security issues), but not during off-hours. This could reduce costs related to human resources or payroll. Because IoT technology connects devices directly to each other, it presents many possibilities for companies looking to utilize these advancements.

| Big Data

It's almost impossible to talk about software development trends in 2021 without addressing Big Data. As organizations figure out new ways to gather and interpret data, IT is often brought into play. We'll start to see more business intelligence (BI) tools make their way into homes and phones, like they did with tablets and laptops before them. But it's not just Big Data--it's also predictive analytics, machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing (NLP), which is gaining popularity for voice-activated apps, workflow automation/digital work management systems, robot process automation (RPA), virtual agents/bots which are being used by real estate agents to interface between buyers and sellers at a much quicker pace than other methods previously used.

| Progressive Web Apps

In 2021, more and more small businesses will be utilizing Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as a way to gain an edge on their competition. These apps are essentially a standard website that can utilize certain functionalities of a mobile app through a downloadable client. This makes it easier for businesses to create a competitive advantage over others who haven’t yet jumped on board with these new technologies. In addition, technology advancements mean that PWAs will experience incredibly fast load times, resulting in even better user experiences. This progressive technology trend is one you should pay attention to as you design your custom software development plan for 2021!

| Low-code/no-code platform

The recent introduction of low-code and no-code platforms has enabled people without any programming background to create applications with relative ease. This means it’s possible for organizations to build custom apps without hiring developers, which helps them cut costs. These new technologies make it easier than ever for businesses to develop custom software, which has resulted in an increase in software-development use cases for custom software. The popularity of low-code/no-code development will continue to rise over the next five years as businesses realize its benefits. However, there are also some limitations that may eventually stifle its growth; like any platform or tool, what seems simple today may change dramatically over time.

| Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is one of, if not THE most impactful software development trends that will change how we live, work and play. To say that AI has made a difference in software development would be an understatement. Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence was a novelty that was reserved for sci-fi movies. Today, it’s impacting every industry from automotive to healthcare to finance and everything in between. In 2021, artificial intelligence will have pushed further into mainstream society and continue to upend how organizations operate across industries. While implementation is still key, AI technology won’t be limited by budgets or implementation constraints as much as it is today—leveraging cost-effective toolsets will enable businesses across all sectors to realize AI implementation without breaking their IT budget.

| Proptech

The worldwide population is growing. As it grows, so does its need for housing. This means there’s a massive opportunity in real estate tech. Airbnb has become so popular that it’s now making major waves—and big bucks—in major cities. Also known as proptech, or property technology, companies are using tools like computer vision to take photos of houses and identify any existing issues, allowing homebuyers to see exactly what they're getting into before they purchase their next house. Plus, AI-powered chatbots can search properties based on your specific criteria—including price range and number of bedrooms.

| Conclusion

Custom software development will play a major role as a technology trend as we head towards 2021. The market will grow from its current 1 trillion to 2 trillion by 2021. In addition, CSPs have been reported to have spent more than $33 billion on custom software development services from 2016 to 2017, and those numbers are expected to climb throughout 2018 and into 2019 and 2020. That’s an increase of over 22% growth since 2017 and there’s no end in sight for that number or growth curve. As long as web and mobile devices continue their meteoric rise over desktop based computing power; we can expect custom software development services to continue growing at a relatively steady rate for years to come.If you are looking for software developer there are many custom software development companies that can help in developing software.