e-commerce

Agile is a methodology in software development and project management that produces a flexible and adaptable on-going approach to product development.

Here at Byte9 we practice SCRUM and Extreme Programing (XP) which are well known and increasingly widely used variants of Agile process, other methodologies include Lean and Kanban, for example. 

Here are 10 key benefits you will derive from following an Agile approach to development:

Google announced the launch of their Nexus One phone on Tuesday, garnering the expected amount of geek love.

But, arguably the real revelation comes from the ecommerce site built to sell the phone, the only place you're going to pick one up in the near future.

Heralded by Business Week as an ecommerce revelation, Google have combined a pared down purchasing process with simple animations which demo the phone using a 3D feel rendered on the 2D computer screen. A nice touch.

Complicated charges, long contracts, complex fees and bundles are being ushered out in favour of simply buying the device, then finding the service. Unusually, the first option available is an unlocked version of the phone, although operator deals are available in the US with t-mobile with more on the way, and a European roll-out schedule (through Vodafone) for Spring 2010.

Move over Black Friday, Cyber Monday is where the action happens. Consumer spending is heading to the virtual high street as Christmas shoppers favour etailers over their bricks and mortar counterparts.

In the US, Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, has been traditionally known as the busiest shopping day of the year. Accounting folklore suggests it's the day each year when retailers make it out of the red.

Official comScore figures reported a spend of $595 billion in online spend on this day, an 11% increase on the same day last year.

This series of posts about Ecommerce is brought to you in conjunction with Vodafone, who are currently recruiting a Head of Ecommerce, see Chinwag Jobs for more information.

Working in e-commerce is both challenging and stimulating. From a career that was an almost unheard of niche a decade ago, it has evolved into an expanding universe of work possibilities. There are almost as many different types of role as there are jobs around, each has its own challenges and skills requirements. Today's seasoned e-commerce professional is part geek, part business person, part designer and more besides.

With the move from mortar to clicks and the emergence of mobile e-commerce (Nokia has also just invested $70M in Obopay), it is clear that there are increasing job opportunities in the space, despite the challenges in the economy faces. The skills required to stay ahead in the e-commerce space are broad, and still rapidly evolving. Hoping the skills that got you this far are going to enable you move on, or even stay where you are, is a risky strategy. Continual personal development is the name of the game.