Top 10 Vertical And Local Web Trends For The Decade

I have long been a fan of the verticalization trend on the Web. It led me to define one of the most referenced frameworks for Web 3.0.

It has become increasingly possible to reach people in faraway places using the Web. And it has also become possible to hyper-target, and access and offer highly localized, specialized, and verticalized services. Both trends will continue, but to make money, the verticalization and localization trends look more promising to me, although cases like Facebook and Groupon speak to the contrary. Let’s put it this way: there will be a few large, global players. But there will be millions of smaller, niche, localized and/or verticalized businesses that will continue to open up entrepreneurial opportunities around the world. The latter is directly in line with our One Million by One Million work, and a trend that powers our mission for the next decade. Also relevant is my Web 3.0 = (4C + P + VS) formula. In particular, niche e-commerce is a vibrant trend that will continue to grow. Sub-trends like group-buying and daily deals will be layered on top of any niche to create more traction. Let’s take a look at the top 10 trends driving the vertical and local Web. >>>

Blue Nile, WebMD Seeing Success With Mobile Apps

According to Forrester, online retail sales in the United States will increase 16% over the year to $52 billion this holiday season. In a survey of 4,700 U.S. online consumers surveyed for the report, 37%said they expect to make holiday purchases on the Web this year, compared with 30% in 2009. Mobile phones are also expected to play a bigger role this season, with 18% of U.S. online adults planning to use their mobile devices to compare prices and 16% to use their phones to locate a nearby store. >>>

Top 10 Tech Trends For The Decade

2010 is drawing to a close. Mark Zuckerberg has just been named Time’s Person of the Year. We’ve been covering various tech companies and entrepreneurs since 2005, and this year, here is a quick synthesis of what look like the major trends from where I sit: >>>

1Mby1M Incubation Radar 2010: Ecomowers

By guest author Hema Kalsha

While a lot of the discussion about how to reduce fuel emission centers on cars – either trading them for public transportation, car pooling, or more fuel-efficient cars – another common gas guzzler may be overlooked: the lawnmower. There are about 30 million acres (~121,400 square kilometers) of lawn in the United States alone. Caring for these lawns causes a lot of pollution; running a lawnmover for one hour may pollute as much as driving a car for four. Compounding the problem is that traditional manual mowers have the reputation of being heavy and awkward, and their blades need frequent sharpening. Ecomowers is an e-commerce store trying to change the way people think about environment friendly lawn mowers. >>>

Accelerating Global E-Commerce: Adyen Cofounder Peter Caparso (Part 7)

Sramana: What does your team want to do with this company? Are you ultimately looking to sell it or build it into a larger company?

Peter Caparso: We honestly think we have something here. The market has responded favorably. In the short term we will remain focused on building the business. I will never say ‘never,’ but for now we are going to focus on growing revenue and adding sales people. >>>

Accelerating Global E-Commerce: Adyen Cofounder Peter Caparso (Part 6)

Sramana: What type of impact do your sticky payment pages provide your customers? How big of a selling point is that feature?

Peter Caparso: The one-click payment really helps our customers to increase revenue. It has taken their conversion rates from 72% to 95%. >>>

Accelerating Global E-Commerce: Adyen Cofounder Peter Caparso (Part 5)

Sramana: Aside from gaming, what other verticals have you been able to penetrate?

Peter Caparso: We have worked very successfully with software and music downloading, retail, and we are just starting to get into the airline sector. We are negotiating right now with a large airline. We look for global sectors with good reach. >>>

Accelerating Global E-Commerce: Adyen Cofounder Peter Caparso (Part 4)

Sramana: How did your first customer find you?

Peter Caparso: I cold-called them. I find most of my customers by reading trade magazines, crawling the Internet, and cold-calling. I have built the business the old-fashioned way. >>>