“We really paid close attention to, not necessarily creating a whole bunch of new ways to work to support these new targets, but really, again, took a lot of care in each of the applications to make sure that we just beefed up the workflows that already existed to where, hopefully… it just feels like a natural extension of the product,” he said.

Adobe CS5.5 brings updates to Adobe Flash Catalyst, Adobe Flash Builder, Adobe Device Central, Adobe Acrobat X Pro, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash Pro, and HTML5. The company also rolled out a new pricing plan that not only gives customers more options, but it also helps them stay updated on the latest versions of software.

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 is available through the Adobe Store and through Adobe Authorized Resellers and is scheduled to ship within 30 days.

How does Adobe CS5.5 look to you? Were these the updates you were hoping for?

Scott Fegette, Senior Product Manager for Dreamweaver at Adobe, began by telling Abby Johnson that now’s an exciting – but volatile – time.  He believes the industry’s in a sort of 1.0 stage right now, with the best user interface and input methods undecided, even as the landscape is “exploding exponentially.”

Devin Fernandez, Group Product Manager of the Web Segment at Adobe, then added that there’s a fragmentation of browsers and operating systems, not just mobile devices.  And he thinks we can’t arrive at a 2.0 stage of development until everyone’s established design patterns and best practices.

Questions related to limited network access, repurposing content, and the mobile Web versus native applications are posing challenges to people in the industry, as well.

On the bright side, Fegette indicated that HTML5 is a great way to target a variety of devices at a broad level.  He also believes mobile Web applications will reach the same quality as native apps in time.

That should be encouraging news for businesspeople who are looking for fresh ways to promote their sites and reach consumers who are on the move.

“There is tons of innovation going on in the Web and I think Adobe can play a really big part in that,” says Gubbay.

Adobe’s update pack for Dreamweaver adds code hinting for HTML5 and improved code hinting for CSS3. In addition, the update includes multiscreen support. The company believes a lot of rich interactivity can be done in these areas and wants to get feedback from users.

As Gubbay explains, this update will allow users to build traditional websites that work across mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. But with this particular update, users can see the output as they are working. It allows users to take advantage of HTML5 code hinting and CSS3 code hinting. Gubbay says this is just the first step that illustrates how people can be productive as they build for multiple screens simultaneously.

With all this talk about HTML5, what happens to Flash? According to Gubbay, Flash and HTML5 have always coincided with each other. Although HTML5 is beginning to appear in areas that previously contained Flash, Gubbay says this creates great opportunities produce tools and services. He goes on to say that there are still innovations taking place in Flash and that there are some things that still cannot be done in HTML5.

In regards to the future, he says, “I absolutely see a world where both [Flash and HTML5] play, and I think it’s Adobe’s job to show how that works and to bring value to folks where we need to.”

For starters, some online retailers are beginning efforts with behavioral targeting and personalization. Dahlgren herself has witnessed this happening first hand. As she browsed and added items to her cart on Overstock.com, she was given personalized suggestions for other products.

As personalization tactics become more popular, retailers must be careful to make their suggestions relevant. If not, they could end up turning the customer away.

A second area that we can expect to see more efforts moving forward is in mobile. Retailers in the U.S. are currently using mobile for driving both online and offline sales and are having great success with it.

The customer ultimately determines the success of the merchant whether he is based online, offline, or both. When you look ahead at how the e-commerce industry will evolve in the years to come, the goal of building the best online customer experience possible is still the most important factor.

In addition to these areas, Dahlgren also predicts further developments in consumer empowerment and the social aspect of commerce.

How do you expect the e-commerce industry to change in the future?