Since the early days of Macromedia Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, developers sought solutions to create animated user interactions on the web to rival those found within native software.

While the eventual move away from these proprietary tooling towards open-source browser technologies (as advocated by the Web Standards movement) should be celebrated, developers were provided with very little native tooling for animation.

Initial attempts at animation mostly relied on JavaScript. However, due to its single-threaded nature (and the rise mobile devices, with less computing power) the results were often subpar.

Fortunately, over the last decade the W3C has slowly been iterating over the built-in browser CSS tooling for animation.

In this talk we will explore the next evolution in CSS animation, being shipped right now, called “CSS View Transitions”. We’ll look at how this new API provides the means to not only author the types of animations users have come to expect from native software – but in some cases even surpass it.

Making the transition from a stable corporate job to the dynamic world of freelancing can be both exciting and daunting. In this keynote, I will share my journey of leaving the corporate world to become a freelancer and eventually building a thriving business. We’ll explore actionable strategies for a smooth transition, securing timely payments, and pricing your services correctly to reflect your value. This session is designed to empower aspiring freelancers with the knowledge and confidence to take control of their careers and achieve sustainable success.

I intend to talk about my entire WordPress journey, from starting a famous video blog (From the Couch) with David, through to our experience building Obox Themes, pivoting to oue site builder Layers, moving into my career as a freelancer after selling Layers to Elementor (as well as the story behind that) and finally into my new life with a company of 10 people, 3 of whom work for Elementor building their plugin which powers almost 20m websites and 10% of the internet.

I think the story is inspiring as it shows people never to give up, and also just because you are where you are now, it doesn’t mean that’s where you’re going or where you’ve come from.

We dive into the recently released World Wide Worx report on the state of ecommerce in retail in South Africa, sponsored by Peach Payments. The information we pull out is information specifically interesting to SMEs, including:
– The overall growth of ecommerce retail over the last few years, projections for the future, and what they mean
– The devices most used for online shopping – and what that tells SMEs about configuring their website
– Top reasons for cart abandonment and how to avoid them.
– The most critical factors for success in online retail
– Top factors considered when choosing a payment gateway, and what that means

Many of these points will lead into a deeper discussion into ecommerce best practices and the best ways to ensure your website is set up for the future of ecommerce. Supplementing this information will be knowledge and stats that we have learned at Peach Payments, as a result of processing payments for thousands of companies.

Join your host Marc Perel and guests Collen Harrison, Matty Cohen, Batsirai Muchareva, and Andrew Lima for a panel discussion about working for international WordPress companies.

The Future of Payments: Beyond Transactions – Crafting Seamless Customer Experiences
As we venture into a new era of e-commerce, the way we handle payments is undergoing a profound transformation. This session will focus on:

Emerging Payment Methods: I’ll discuss upcoming payment types like mobile wallets, cryptocurrencies, and bank-to-bank payments, and their impact on the market.

E-commerce Integration: Learn what to prioritize when integrating payment systems, including seamless user experience, multi-currency support, and AI-driven fraud prevention.

Innovative Technologies: I’ll uncover the potential of integrating AI and machine learning to create hyper-personalized payment experiences that go beyond mere transactions to redefine the entire customer journey.

Ethical Implications: Delve into the balance of privacy and personalization. How can we ensure data security in a world where our payment preferences are constantly monitored and analyzed?

Case Studies: I will share insights from companies already pioneering these futuristic payment landscapes.

I’ll also share critical factors in selecting a payment provider, such as reliability, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and customer support, to prepare your business for the evolving digital payments landscape and drive e-commerce success.

As the digital marketplace evolves, pop-up eCommerce has emerged as a flexible and innovative solution for businesses to reach their customers. In this talk, we will explore the critical aspects of setting up and managing a successful pop-up online store, addressing key challenges and providing actionable strategies for optimization.

Key Topics:

Stock Challenges and Accounting Integration: Effective inventory management to meet customer demands without overstocking or understocking. Accounting integration through effective and appropriate systems.
Plugin Integrations: Essential plugins for enhancing functionality, user experience, and overall efficiency of the eCommerce platform.
Marketing Budget: Strategic allocation of marketing resources to drive traffic, increase conversions, and maximize ROI and SEO.
Delivery Challenges: Best practices for ensuring timely, reliable, and cost-effective shipping solutions for local and international market.
Payment Methods: Offering diverse and secure payment options to cater to various customer preferences and enhance user experience.
Scam Sites: Identifying and mitigating risks associated with scam sites to protect the business and customers from fraud.
Local challenges: In the SA Market

By addressing these topics, attendees will gain valuable insights into overcoming common hurdles in pop-up eCommerce and learn practical techniques to optimize their online stores for success. Join us to explore the dynamic world of pop-up eCommerce and discover how to make your temporary online venture a lasting success.gration

We have been doing more and more WordPress headless development over the past few years and would like to share this approach and projects with the WordPress development community. We typically use a WordPress backend with some custom blocks and a Next JS frontend. This approach although it takes longer, has a lot of benefits including lightning fast performance, security and improved workflow. The most recent project was a site for Mr Beast’s Charity which came out really nicely.

I have spoken to over 50 000 entrepreneurs at the Real Success Summit during COVID, and 95% of them have stated that their websites do not bring them significant business. As a result of this, I teach people how to get visitors to convert into customers on websites, which is what 99% of my audience does not know. I specialise in Conversion Optimisation.