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Unlocking consumers’ industry-specific design expectations

Hotjar’s Coming in Hot Report revealed consumers have different needs, challenges, and expectations for website design based on a brand’s specific industry. Let’s dig into how their preferences vary between ecommerce, healthcare, and financial sites to reveal how these brands can improve their online presence.

Last updated

13 Dec 2023

Reading time

2 min

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Ecommerce 

Consumers have high standards for ecommerce websites, with an overwhelming majority of site visitors (96%) telling us they expect rapid access to product details and pricing, and a seamless checkout experience. Visitors also listed reviews and testimonials as the most important element an ecommerce site can feature. 

Eighty-eight percent of ecommerce shoppers stated that slow loading times on websites are unacceptable. But despite these lofty expectations, many sites are coming up short: nearly half (48%) of users who have interacted with an ecommerce website in the past 12 months told us they’ve experienced trouble finding the information they needed on the site. When visitors can’t find what they’re looking for, like product details, most (86%) will go so far as to abandon a purchase altogether. 

Healthcare 

More than half (54%) of users who have interacted with a healthcare website in the past 12 months noted they’ve had trouble tracking down information on the site. But the report revealed consumers have a higher tolerance for design hiccups on healthcare sites, with 57% of visitors agreeing they’re willing to tolerate slower loading times on healthcare sites in comparison to other types of websites. 

The driving force behind this disparity in tolerance? Seventy-one percent of those who noted they’re happy to wait attributed their increased patience to the fact that healthcare sites include significant information. Another 70% of these said they’re willing to wait longer to get precise and trustworthy content because their health is a priority. 

Finance 

As for financial website visitors, transparency is their top priority. Ninety-nine percent of those who have interacted with a finance website in the past 12 months prioritize platforms with clear information, and 98% agreed that financial websites are responsible for being transparent because the information they contain is sensitive. 

A lack of transparency will send users packing, with 51% of finance site visitors stating they’ve left a site entirely when privacy information isn’t readily available. Despite the weight placed on such information, 38% have struggled to locate it, highlighting an urgent need for financial brands to ensure their sites are both comprehensive and easily accessible. 

Healthcare and financial website visitors alike listed customer account dashboards as the most important element these sites can include. Brands serving these industries and beyond—what are you doing to ensure your sites exceed consumer expectations? 

Book a demo with Hotjar today to make your site stand out from the crowd.