ECommerce Website Design: Five Seconds to Impress [2021 update]

In a world where attitudes continuously change and customer expectations are high, do brands struggle to get to grips with digital?

[2021 update] A lot has happened since we wrote this in 2015, with the Coronavirus pandemic completely changing the face of online retail and making it more important than ever, we’ve written about some key things that will support your online efforts. Take a look at how to boost your eCommerce sales, and ensuring that your website is robust enough to deal with high traffic demands.

2014 was a record year for online sales as people turned to their mobiles and tablet devices to complete their purchases.  Profits struck an all-time high in 2014, with online sales in the UK exceeding £100bn. Despite this success, for many retailers 2014 was a technically challenging and costly year. 

[Update] In 2021, 72.9% of all retail e-commerce is expected to be generated via m-commerce, up from 58.9 percent in 2017

The Black Friday weekend is still relatively new to the UK but it is has already been labelled as the biggest shopping day of the year, as one in three families do their shopping on this weekend. So, you’d have thought the UK’s most prominent online retailers would be prepared for the influx of online visitors. Wrong.

[Update] In 2019, total retail spending during Black Friday equalled £8.6 billion, one of the highest across all of Europe. 

Instead, the Black Friday weekend exposed brands’ weak digital infrastructures, with many of them experiencing online outages, as websites struggled to cope with a surge in demand. Customers waited up to an hour for websites to respond. This was a great cost for these leading online retailers; not only were their tails between their legs but they had also lost two of the most important things - revenue and customer loyalty. Frustrating for the customers who were there ready to splash their festive millions but I would think even more frustrating for the brands. Hours and hours of their work are distilled into five seconds, when a customer decides whether the website is worth their time. So, with visitors judging the value of your website in a matter of seconds, it’s essential to get it right.

Five Seconds to Impress

Both technology and customer attitudes are changing fast. Blink and you’ll miss them. An article in The Guardian had F5 Networks survey 2,000 UK consumers. Over a fifth of respondents stated that they would switch to an alternative brand if a website or service didn’t work within five seconds. Now just take a moment to think about how long five seconds is. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. That’s it. That’s all the time a brand has to make a good impression on a potential customer.

Similarly, a huge 82% reported that a quick website or mobile app is incredibly important to them when interacting with brands online. This is so important to them that 31% of respondents said they would abandon their basket if the online experience was not up to scratch.

First impressions last

Website visitors make instant decisions about the quality of a website and these first impressions can have a lasting impact on their opinions and brand perceptions. Yes, we all know that first impressions count, but this study shows that the brain can make a decision about your brand just as quick as the eye takes in the information.

One third of web users claimed that irrelevant content, sluggish website speeds and security fears can affect the way they view a brand. If a customer has negative experiences like these, almost a quarter of them would talk to others about it, which can further impact loyalty and future custom.

For e-commerce brands, the overall message is more severe. If the first impression is not a favourable one, visitors will opt out of your site before they have a chance to see what you can offer compared to competitors. Although appearance is important, the key is to consider the customer’s perspective- what kind of information are they looking for, why are they looking for it, and what will make it easier for them to find this information on your site?

Adapting to the Digital Environment

Today, our perceptions of brands are often defined by our experiences online. With technology being readily available at everyone’s fingertips, customers expect a consistent experience across every digital channel. A brand only has to get it wrong once before the relationship between customer and brand is tarnished. To avoid negative online experiences, brands must deliver the right type of content whilst optimising it for different audiences and devices. 32% of shoppers use their smartphone for online shopping, proving that it is essential for brands to make their website mobile friendly.

No longer will customers wait for the right service and with all the choices consumers have, why should they? So my last question to you is: Would your website pass the 5 second test?

9 Ways to Ensure your Website Passes the 5 Second Test

1. Ensure you build pages that load quickly
2. Have an attractive design
3. Informative headline that conveys your value proposition
4. Provide easy navigation
5. Prove your site is safe and credible
6. Reliable hosting
7. Content that is easy for a user to digest
8. Clear calls to action
9. Ensure the site is optimised for mobile and tablet

It may seem like a daunting task to bring it all together, but we’re here to help. If you need any support with your e-commerce website then we have expert strategists at SilverDisc who can help you to grow your business.

Contact us for more information.