Can Effective Web Design Help Small Businesses Survive The Pandemic

Photo by Ivan Samkov

Originally Posted On: https://oddballcreative.agency/can-effective-web-design-help-small-businesses-survive-the-pandemic

With the government imposing quarantine and lockdown procedures to curb the spread of COVID-19, many small businesses have had to either suspend operations or close shop completely. According to a survey commissioned by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2,494 of 5,800 participating small businesses had to temporarily close their doors due to reduced demand and employee safety concerns.

Curiously enough, even as the pandemic brought a lot of industries to their knees, one sector in particular achieved growth: the eCommerce industry. According to Forbes, in the US and Canadian markets alone, eCommerce orders saw an increase of 129% year-over-year growth as of April 21. This means that to survive the pandemic, small businesses need to pivot to an online operation, primarily with getting an effective website design.

When community transmission of COVID-19 became a reality in the United States in February 2020, customers also had to change their shopping and consumption habits. The closure of many establishments, as well as the dangers of contracting the virus in public, meant that getting items from eCommerce stores was the safest way to shop for goods.

In the span of a few months, an already digital world became even more interconnected. With more time spent online than ever before, customers have become even more adept at using the internet to find and buy what they need online.

For this reason, businesses that had the foresight to develop an online presence before the pandemic struck had less trouble continuing their operations once quarantine procedures were implemented. Considerable challenges, such as managing inventory at home and figuring out a delivery system, were still present—but were surmountable, nonetheless. Such businesses enjoyed at least a few months of sustained businesses, as many of their competition struggled to adapt to the situation.

However, after almost 11 months into the pandemic, most businesses are finding increased competition as more people realized the power of the internet marketplace. As the eCommerce space achieves saturation, businesses need to find ways to stand out and remain competitive.

There’s no easy answer to this question. A website redesign isn’t always the answer, but it is still worth pondering. The best way to determine whether you need to redesign your website is to look at the data. This can mean looking at your website’s analytics and revisiting your sales figures! If the trend is going down and your only source of revenue is your eCommerce website, then the matter is worth a deeper look.

One of the telltale signs that your website needs a redesign is an inordinately high bounce rate, as this means customers are leaving your website without clicking on anything else. This is especially true for eCommerce websites, as normally, customers will at least browse through your website’s offerings even if they don’t end up purchasing anything.

What constitutes a bad bounce rate differs among websites. However, if you’re running an eCommerce website with a bounce rate of 45% or higher, then you probably need a redesign to fix it up.

A website redesign, especially for eCommerce websites, is a major task. Besides looking good, it also has to be functional and should have an intuitive design that encourages customers to continue their purchase.

For this reason, make sure to work with an agency that specializes in website design. Besides being knowledgeable in their field, they will be able to minimize any downtime that transitioning to a new website design can entail for eCommerce websites. The shorter the downtime, the better it will be for you and your customers!

Are you looking for a reputable web design service to help your business out amidst this pandemic? Oddball Creative is a website design company in Owensboro, KY. Besides our website design services, our fully-managed creative services include digital marketing, graphic design, and video production. Contact us today to learn more!