The 2023 Digital Experience Benchmark Report, by Contentsquare, underscores the importance of engagement and dynamic experiences online, highlighting the areas brands must improve in order to bolster conversion and customer satisfaction.
Consumer trend data shows that brands are losing customers when it matters most: when they’re trying to convert, particularly on mobile devices. On the contrary, brands that offer seamless cross-device customer experience (CX), particularly on the top three high-trafficked website areas – product detail pages, category pages, and the checkout page – are experiencing the most significant digital outcomes: lasting customer interaction, a boost in online conversions, a significant reduction in bounce rates, and better overall website performance across both desktop and mobile devices.
Key Benchmark Highlights
- Poor website performance is a real problem, with 36% of users reportedly having frustrating experiences on most websites–mostly attributed to slow page loads– leading to a sharp decline in engagement and retention.
- Another leading cause of frustration, rage clicks (when users repeatedly click on the same area of a website), affect 6% of browsing sessions
- However, high activity sites are driving better outcomes for businesses — including major boosts in conversions (+19%) and session depth (+47%), and a decrease in bounce rates (-20%)
- With activity tied to higher conversions, businesses should focus on improving engagement across the three most trafficked page types — product, category and checkout
- Sustained engagement is key to digital success, as buyers consume on average more than 20 pages of content before conversion. But data shows a concerning trend that overall consumer patience and consumption is waning: session depth per visit has dipped -2.3%, and overall time per session dropped -7.5% year-over-year.
- Many brands are losing customers at the checkout page, especially on mobile devices: 19.7% of mobile visits include time spent on a checkout page, but mobile conversions overall have dropped more than -4% year-over-year. In contrast, 18% of desktop visits include a checkout page and overall conversions on the device have jumped nearly +3% year-over-year.
“Data shows that engaging experiences have better outcomes: deeper journeys, higher conversions and fewer bounces. But our data also shows that today, one in three customers is still having a frustrating experience online — often because of poor site performance,” said Jonathan Cherki, CEO & Founder of Contentsquare. “People today expect more out of the interactions they have online. They want to be seen, heard, and responded to in meaningful ways. Optimizing digital content and creating seamless customer journeys is where you should focus to drive growth and retention.”
