How many times do you click on a link and give up after a while because the page takes too long to load? In the 21st century, time is a scarce commodity, so the loading speed of a page plays a crucial role for both the search engine and the user. However, it is not the only factor that matters, and it cannot be perceived only through raw numbers.
Read how UX and speed influence customer experience and how bodiless frontend helps to improve Core Web Vitals.
UX, page speed – the key elements of web performance
Page speed is increasingly important for websites. It is undeniable, and data proves it: users expect pages to load in two seconds. After three seconds, up to 40% of users will abandon your site. In mobile users, given their "always in a hurry" mode - the bar is set even higher.
Google is perfectly aware of it, so performance became a ranking factor a long time ago. However, the recent Core Web Vitals update put it in a slightly different light. It was aimed to simplify the performance evaluation and identify its most essential elements – the so-called Core Web Vitals. Each of them represents a separate aspect: loading, interactivity, and visual stability.
So it's not just about the speed on which the full page content is loaded. Instead, it is about how UX and speed are influenced by each other.
Mobile-friendliness is not enough
The concept of "mobile-first" has been emphasized for several years as the only correct one for designing digital solutions. Google has put its money where its mouth is, consistently forcing website owners to tailor their sites to the specifics of mobile devices. With so-called “Mobillegeddon” and later Mobile-First updates, the message was clear: sites that don’t display correctly on a smartphone screen will gradually drop down the index.
Today, it is or (it should be) a no-brainer, but the stake is getting higher. Being just optimized for mobile is undoubtedly a crucial aspect of UX, but customers’ demands for a holistic experience no matter the device they choose are more and more visible. It is mainly related to the content, but - to deliver it - the technology plays a crucial role.
Users must navigate the site freely and comfortably when visiting a smartphone and a computer or smart TV. The size of the screen cannot interfere with their experience and break the UX. It is what we call the omnichannel presence.
Consistency is the key to omnichannel success
In short, omnichannel represents the practice of providing a consistent customer experience across all communication channels. What is important is the collaboration between channels - rather than their parallel work - that provides consumers with a more engaging brand experience.
In a properly designed omnichannel strategy, it doesn't matter if potential customers engage with your brand in a physical store, mobile app, website, or Instagram profile - they have access to the same content and interaction opportunities regardless of where they are. What's more, channels can be combined to support each other. This approach solves the problem of the constant fragmentation of the customer base.
As many demographics are spread across different platforms and services, no brand can afford to cherry-pick. Worse, in the case of Millennials, we won't find two people alike - sure, many of them still use Facebook, but more and more of them are abandoning that platform in favor of Twitter, spent time on Instagram, or even dive into Gen Z-owned TikTok.
Merchants need to target their offers into each group to reach out to the clients in their target group.
What makes omnichannel work?
A good brand image and online sales depend on many factors: technical, strategic, marketing, but also the appearance and functionality of the shop. Transparency, correct arrangement of shop elements and navigation are the fundamental factors that lead to success.
Research shows that most users only stay on the website for 10-20 seconds. If you manage to grab their attention at this time, you have a chance that they will stay on your store's website and complete the purchase. Probably everyone will agree that it is really little time to make an excellent first impression on the customer.
That's why the User Experience (UX) is vital from the e-commerce owner's point of view. It should be as positive as possible so that he stays on the website as long as possible.
Even the best advertising campaign will not bring the expected increase in sales if users are put off by an unfriendly interface or an overly long and complicated shopping path. So if your website has a high bounce rate and abandoned shopping carts, it's worth checking whether a weak UX isn't responsible for the lack of sales results.
From the user's point of view, the buying process rarely begins on the e-shop website. As a rule, searching for a product starts with price comparison websites, following reviews in forums, or looking for expert information about the product in blogs or thematic websites.
As an online store owner, you need to be aware that the user who comes to your website has already spent some time searching for the perfect deal. That is why it is so important that the shopping path itself in your shop is as intuitive as possible.
Common mistakes include a buying process that is too long and complicated, too little information about the product, a lack of contact details and transparent details on returns and complaints, or too little choice of payment and delivery methods.
Some of these mistakes can be fixed quickly, even without hiring a UX specialist: Simply add the missing information in a prominent place on the page. Remember that users like to have a wide range of choices, both regarding what the store offers and the payment or delivery methods.
Therefore, it is a big mistake to leave, for example, products currently unavailable on the site, without the possibility to add them to the shopping cart and without informing the customer when they will reappear in the offer. Categories with only one or two products are also badly received, as they give the impression that the shop's offer is insufficient.
How can a seamless UX be implemented?
To make UX as convenient as possible, the right tech stack is crucial as UX is not just about design stuff.
Flexibility
First thing first, technology needs to be flexible. It is crucial to grasp the complex online customer journey and implement solutions that push the user toward finalizing transactions, such as Headless CMSs enabling merchants to deliver omnichannel content, adding extra payments, implementing advanced search engines, optimizing tools, and loyalty programs.
With modern Headless Commerce , all of this is possible as its primary assumption is to enable users to freely compose their system from best-of-breed, API-first, and cloud-native solutions. Thus, it is not even about decoupling the frontend layer from the backend. Instead, it is about selecting the right tools to make the job done. Furthermore, thanks to the Headless Commerce flexibility, none of the services are blocked by the other, and their maintenance is not taken by the providers.
Bodiless Frontend
For UX improvement, the crucial role is played by the bodiless frontend. The bodiless front-end platform focuses on delivering the best possible performance and opening customization possibilities for merchants.
It is the layer where UX gets the ultimate shape. With a frontend that's architecture is focused on API, there are no limitations, and UX can be shaped freely according to individual business needs. As a result, merchants can compose UX freely with no worries about performance, respond to consumer needs and behavior changes and quickly adapt your website to them through seamlessly added building blocks.
