First impressions do matter. From securing brand loyalty and providing a seamless shopping experience, organizations have less time than they think to secure consumer attention. The age-old question of aesthetics over usability is a constant battle for website development and marketing teams. This concept of usability, coupled with the ever-changing preferences of consumers, can make it difficult to gauge preferences – sometimes a simple graphic website is needed and other times, more instruction is needed. But when it comes down to it, a strong website understands the user’s needs.

According to our recent report, Coming in Hot, 64% of consumers only need a few seconds to decide whether or not a website has the information they need. For their online presence to stand out, they have to avoid poor design elements and instead, design with elements for a customer-first experience.

The most common designs that lead to customer frustration

Every detail is crucial in the overall design of websites. Often, consumers are bogged down with elements that could be more distracting to their end goal of browsing a website. Ultimately, this can result in them turning away and a loss in profits for a company. Below are three common elements that should be avoided and how these can be a distraction to consumers.

Overlapping elements

Ad space, website banners, and pop-ups for newsletters can be overwhelming when there isn’t a focal point or easy-to-use navigation. Fitting everything on one page can be a deterrent. It’s better to have more navigation that’s effective rather than more design elements which can confusion.

Auto-playing videos

If there is anything more distracting than auto-playing music, it’s auto-playing videos. When organizations play something on a loop, without the consumer expressing interest in it, it can be bothersome.

However, it is important to cater video content to the correct audience. Digital natives such as Gen Z, are 214% more likely than average to say they’ve left a website because they couldn’t locate video content. Remember who your end user and audience are so you can adjust your design based on their personal needs.

Absence of expected elements

In the same vein of designing for aesthetics, when consumers can’t locate elements like a search bar, navigation menu, or contact info, they’ll leave a website altogether. Every website should have these elements so consumers can refer to them during their visit. According to Hotjar data, 76% of consumers noted difficulty navigating a website would stop them from pursuing business with a brand.

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Consequences of Bad Design

Based on the findings, 93% of consumers would rather switch to another website than deal with slow loading times.

Pricing information is a crucial element for e-commerce websites and hidden costs for shipping or taxes can be off-putting. Additionally, issues within the site, such as coupon codes not working properly, broken navigation, or confusion about how to add an item to a cart can cause immediate consequences of bad design. Especially during the peak holiday season, good design and navigation is more important than ever to retain and delight customers.

Another consequence of bad design is losing brand trust. Companies only have a few moments to garner their attention. Brand trust is closely tied to loyalty and the presence of a website. When a website is designed with a clear and functional aesthetic and understands where to find what they are looking for, they can trust a brand.

So, what’s the solution? Designing with empathy is a good starting point. Holding website, product, and marketing teams accountable for cohesively creating a website with the customer in mind first benefits every team. Especially during the peak holiday season, it is more important than ever to retain and delight customers, and that starts with good design and brand trust.

We’ve learned about what consumers don’t like, now here are a few ways for organizations to improve design functionality, improve brand credibility, and streamline purchasing decisions for better customer experiences.  

Better design equals better experiences

A functional design is essential for creating lifetime value with customers and retaining them. In fact, 71% of customers said that the first impression they get from a company’s website influences their brand loyalty and it only takes 3 clicks to make a purchasing decision.

Better Readability

Increasing the readability of a website with clear and concise headlines is proven (85% of consumers agree) to interact with more. When it comes to pricing information  (93% of consumers agree) e-commerce websites have to ensure those details are upfront and easily understood.

Combat Choice Paralysis

The paradox of choice can be at play when there are too many options available. To help combat choice paralysis, organizations can choose which deals are the most relevant to consumers and target certain segments they are looking to sell, providing personalized recommendations. Often when there are longer sale times or when everything is on sale, consumers take their time and it decreases the urgency of making a sales decision.

Embrace Window Shopping

Providing details to consumers about what they will be buying in terms of pricing, user reviews, shipping and return policies, and product tool information is important because these are what they will use to compare your products with your competitors. To make a confident purchasing decision, consumers need to have all of this information available to them.

Consumer Loyalty Coming In Hot

From distracting website elements to designing for better experiences, organizations only have a few seconds to capture brand loyalty. First impressions matter and when consumers feel like the design elements of a website understand their needs, they are more likely to be more loyal, create more trust, and make quick purchasing decisions. Marketers have to work more closely with web developers to better cater to evolving consumer preferences for design. For brands wanting to remain competitive in the digital marketplace, an accessible and attention-grabbing website is a must-have.

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