Australia – Around 65% of consumers think ease of navigation is the most important factor in website user experience, but only 28% of businesses cite improving website design as a priority. This is according to the latest research conducted by content management system (CMS) company Storyblok.
According to the research, amidst a difference in percentage, consumers and businesses still both agree that fast loading speeds are critical. 42% of consumers said they decide whether to stay on or leave a website within 10 seconds – with 20% within half that time, or 5 seconds. In terms of loading time, 47% of businesses stated it a top priority within improving the website.
On the business side, 43% said they would add more features to their site, whilst 52% said they would add more payment options, but this was less of an issue for consumers with only 37% citing limited payment options as a reason to abandon a purchase.
Dominik Angerer, CEO and Co-Founder of Storyblok, said, “There’s a lot of enthusiasm from businesses for more website features, but this is not shared by consumers – at least not yet. It’s important for businesses to continually ask themselves if the features they add to their websites really do enhance the customer experience. More is not always better, and what our research clearly shows is that businesses cannot lose sight of the fundamentals of good design, clear navigation, and fast loading speeds.”
Previous research by Storyblok underlines the importance of businesses understanding the priorities of their customers. Said study revealed that 60% of consumers regularly abandon purchases due to poor website user experience, with businesses estimating it costs, on average, USD$72,000 in lost sales per year.
Looking ahead, 28% of business leaders said they believe AR/VR experiences are the most important trend in marketing, followed by AI-generated content (22%), personalisation (20%), and automation (11%). Consumers are slightly more sceptical about the impact of AR/VR with 42% stating it would encourage them to make a purchase and 21% saying they simply don’t know.
