5 Web Design Blunders That Can Hurt Your Holiday Season Sales
The holiday season is a busy time for businesses, with customers going above and beyond with shopping sprees. Besides increased foot traffic in your store, you can expect a surge for your website. If you sell only online, this might be the best time of the year to churn revenues. You may also gain many customers willing to stay for the long haul.
According to Deloitte forecasts, e-commerce sales are expected to increase by 10.3%-12.8% during the 2023-2024 holiday seasons. The value of seasonal sales in the UK was nearly 82 billion British pounds in 2022. The numbers show the significance of preparing your website for the season to make the most of the opportunity.
Is your website ready for the traffic surge? Are you sure its user experience is good enough to meet customer expectations? You cannot get complacent with the tiniest details because a small mistake can lead to lost opportunities. Awareness of potential pitfalls gives you a head start as it enables you to avoid them in the first place.
Here are a few critical web design blunders that may affect your sales and revenues this holiday season.
Blunder #1: Complicated Navigation
HubSpot notes that 38% of consumers visiting a website for the first time check a page’s layout or navigational links. After all, no one wants to struggle through a tricky maze to find a product they want to buy. Complicated navigation is a major turn-off for visitors, even more so during the holiday season, as they are short of time.
If you notice complexities in your website’s navigation, address this issue sooner rather than later. London-based businesses should do it well before the holidays because the city is a consumer hub. A complex website means potential buyers leaving your site and moving to a competitor as they are spoiled for choices. Your best bet is to hire a web design agency in London for a design revamp well before the holidays.
According to Telsa Media, intuitive navigation is crucial to hooking visitors and converting them into customers. Additionally, it wins a business extra points for SEO-friendliness, translating into better visibility, more conversions, and higher revenues.
Blunder #2: Slow Loading Speed
Online shoppers expect instant gratification, and a few seconds of delay in page loading can drive them away. Did you know that the average page load speed for top-ranking sites on Google is 1.65 seconds? Anything less than a couple of seconds can lower your rankings and increase the bounce rate of your website. These are the last things you want to encounter in the holiday season.
Remember that every second counts and a sluggish site could result in a significant sales drop. Combating this silent conversion killer is about working on a few factors, such as optimizing the website’s images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing HTTP requests. Keep an eye on speed throughout the busiest days, and optimize quickly when you notice a slowdown.
Blunder #3: Unresponsive Design
Lack of responsiveness is something you should avoid throughout the year, but the mistake can be even more severe in the holidays. Most buyers shop on the go because they are busy doing other things. A website that fails to load on mobile devices can lose massive revenues by not being available on mobile devices.
A survey states that 73.1% of web designers consider non-responsive design a top culprit for visitors leaving a website. If your website is not responsive, get it on track right away. Ensure it adapts seamlessly to diverse screen sizes and offers an optimal user experience regardless of the users’ devices. Neglecting mobile responsiveness can hurt SEO rankings, which is another good reason to pay attention.
Blunder #4: Inefficient Content
Content is a cornerstone of effective website design because it offers visitors the information they need to make the buying decision. Not refreshing it to match the expectations of holiday shoppers is a mistake you should avoid. You cannot expect people to stick around if your site does not highlight the festive deals and offers.
A festive banner and pop-up are a good start to hold the attention of visitors. Also, showcase the special deals, opening times, and featured products at prominent places. Adding product videos, user stories, and customer reviews is a great idea.
Blunder #5: Poor Checkout Experience
A sub-par checkout experience is the worst pitfall for business owners during the festive season. No one wants to deal with lengthy and complicated forms, unexpected shipping costs, and a lack of popular payment options. Additionally, security concerns can lead to abandoned carts. A sudden crash is another factor that can harm the checkout experience and send the buyers away for good.
Here are a few steps you can implement to streamline the checkout process:
- Provide a guest checkout option
- Display progress indicators
- Integrate various payment methods
- Ensure transparency regarding delivery times and shipping costs
- Strengthen security with SSL certificates and secure payment gateways
Conclusion
Your website’s design can be a true game-changer when it comes to holiday season sales and revenues. Keep an eye on these blunders and avoid them in the first place. Also, go the extra mile to create a positive shopping experience for your customers to boost your website’s conversions during the sales season.
Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
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