Uncertain Times: Client Shuffle Within Web Design and Development

As the world watched the economic meltdown brought about by the novel coronavirus pandemic of 2020, some industries and sectors seemed to be thriving while the great majority lagged behind. In the case of web design and development professionals, some are seeing established clients abandon their services while others are getting inquiries from prospect who are trying to adjust their operations.

Online forums where web designers and developers discuss their line of business have been very active since the middle of March. If we were to take an informal tally of the numbers cited on forum posts, we could say that about 80% of regular business orders, meaning new projects, have dried up. What this tells us about the web development sector is how dependent it is on new clients; we can assume that some full-service agencies providing website management and administration will be able to retain many clients, but we all know that new clients are the bulk of business for development professionals.

As can be expected, many new clients are owners of restaurants, cafes, delis, and retail stores that wish to pivot from the brick-and-mortar model to delivery. Some agencies are trying to make their value proposition more enticing by taking care of business factors beyond the website and the ordering system. Offering progressive web apps, linking with third-party delivery services, setting up mobile payments, synchronizing point-of-sale systems with databases, and taking care of online marketing campaigns could go a long way in getting clients during these trying times.

Hyper-focused agencies such as the ones that only cater to the vacation travel industry are facing a very uncertain future. The best advice would be to pivot into something else such as retail, healthcare, and logistics, but this is always easier said than done.

A few independent developers whose life situations allow them to hunker down for a couple of months plan on sharpening their design skills; conversely, some designers may look into learning development, but these will be in the minority. Like in previous economic crises, many professionals will do whatever they can to pay the bills, and not all of them will return to their previous jobs when things improve. For more information click here https://www.reddit.com/r/web_design/comments/fr8zeg/how_is_the_web_design_and_it_consulting_industry/.