You’ve probably heard of the saying “Never judge a book by its cover.” While it is indeed a strong life philosophy, it may not apply to all things—particularly the ones you see online.
The truth is, first impressions are a fact of life, and in the digital landscape, they can make or break your leads or conversions. Studies have shown that it takes no more than 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your website or product. That means you only have all those milliseconds to make a good impression—to urge them whether to stay or leave your site, to hit that add-to-cart button or not.
Like how brick and mortar organize their spaces to attract prospective customers through the glass window, online stores should also do the same with their websites by utilizing graphic design. Below are the reasons why you should invest in a professionally designed website.
Establishes Business Credibility
Website credibility is about making your site appear credible and trustworthy. After all, your website or product page is the virtual front door of your online store. When visitors arrive, you want them to know that you’re the real deal, that your brand, as well as your products, are reliable.
In a study by the University of Melbourne, it shows that visually appealing websites gain trust. Meanwhile, a survey by One Poll found that 70% of people claim they would not purchase from a business with a poorly designed site. B.J. Fogg, a leading researcher on website credibility, listed four types of credibility:
- Presumed credibility refers to a general assumption, where a brand one has heard is considered more credible than an unknown brand;
- Reputed credibility is a third-party reference, which refers to what other people have to say about a brand;
- Surface credibility pertains to one’s snap judgment or observation, like when a website may “look” high quality or “seem” confusing at first glance;
- Lastly, earned credibility, which is based on a customer’s personal experience with the brand.
Yes, a professionally designed website isn’t the only factor needed to cross off those four types in your list. However, it remains a massive influence in gaining credibility from your website visitors and prospective customers.
Influence Consumer Behavior
Have you ever wondered why most fast food brands have red and yellow in their branding? According to color psychology, yellow is associated with happiness and comfort, while red illustrates desire and love. When combined, they subconsciously influence people to feel a sudden pang of hunger and grab a bite to eat. Marketing experts refer to this yellow-red combination as the Ketchup and Mustard Theory.
Color psychology doesn’t only apply to fast food brands. Your brand color can influence consumer behavior and elicit an emotional response that you can use for better sales and brand recognition. An excellent graphic design considers this, ensuring that your color choices are aligned with your brand values as well as your target audience.
Optimizes the User Experience (UX)
With eCommerce websites being rich in elements, it is easy for users to get lost through the jungle of content offered to them. This is where a well-designed, user-friendly information architecture (IA) comes in.
According to IA and UX pioneer Peter Morville, IA helps users understand “where they are, what they’ve found, what’s around, and what to expect” in your website. In simple terms, it makes it easy for customers to look for what they want. After all, if people can’t find the product they’re after on your website, they can’t purchase it; and if they can’t buy it, they’ll search for other stores to complete their objective.
When you have a good IA in place, you can easily help your customers intuitively accomplish their goals from the moment they visit your homepage to when they place the order and complete the purchase. This also makes their journey throughout your page more convenient and time-efficient.
Ensures Marketable Visual Content
In a 2017 study by Retail Dive, 62% of consumers prefer brick and mortar to online stores because they can personally see, touch, feel, and try out items. This now presents a problem for eCommerce stores: how do they provide the same value and experience as touching and feeling the products through a virtual setting?
The answer lies in the photos of your items, and not simply images, but high-quality product images. Just think about this: would you be willing to buy from a listing that features a picture so blurry you can’t actually see the quality of the product? Most likely, the answer is no. So, why would you make the same move for your eCommerce site?
Humans are visual creatures, and having quality photos can attract prospective customers to your product. Product images should capture valuable information your target market wants and needs to know about the item, from its color to its shape, design, and dimensions.
However, you cannot simply take a photo of your product, put it up on your listing, and call it a day. It would be best to consider the marketability of your product images—the proper lighting, size, filters, resolution, and more. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then those words should be enough to convince your audience to purchase your product.
Investing in a well-designed eCommerce website may seem daunting, especially if you’re a starting company faced with cost challenges or limited technical skills. However, your website’s overall design and product images heavily influence your business credibility, customer experience, and lead generation—all the more reasons to take graphic design into high consideration when putting up your online business.
Now, you may ask, “what if I don’t have the skills in design?” While you can use free platforms to create a professional-looking website, hiring a professional who knows the ins and outs of graphic design to do the job will still be a wise choice. Omni Channel Solutions has Creative Specialists in the field whom you can turn to for that. With our design expertise and knowledge of today’s and tomorrow’s trends, rest assured your eCommerce website design will be an asset to your business.
Ready to take on the next steps to business success? Reach out to Omni Channel Solutions today.
