Our latest research survey results are here. 3000 customers, including business owners and consumers, where we dig deep into their thoughts on marketing, business, advertising, UX, social media, graphic design and more. 

And as they’re customers of stickers, labels and banners, there’s an added bonus: We can put questions to a remarkably wide range of business decision-makers and consumers. Nearly everyone can find a use for this type of printing, so it makes for a wonderfully varied mix of perspectives. 

Below you’ll find 25 of the most interesting statistics from our latest survey.

Consumer statistics

77% have researched a product or service on their smartphone first, but moved to a desktop to make the purchase

Even websites with desktop-focused audiences should still make sure their site is mobile optimised. If the sale doesn’t happen on a smartphone, the initial search just might.

36% said that something on social media has influenced at least one of their buying decisions over the last 6 months

Yet more evidence that well-run social media marketing can have a positive impact on sales with a worthwhile ROI.

58% like video content and want more of it…

…But 81% admit to skimming through some videos they watch

Consumers like video content - that much is clear. But don’t think any old video will do. It needs to grab and retain attention, otherwise consumers won’t hesitate in tapping the progress slider to hurry things along.

76% consider a website’s design important when choosing a supplier

Products, services, descriptions, prices, reviews – there are lots of highly influential factors in making a purchasing decision. But don’t neglect your website design, as nearly three in every four buyers consider that important too.

This is of particular significance in highly competitive markets, because if you’re neck-and-neck with your competitors in most areas, the level of trust a good website design brings could be the deciding factor that helps you win the sale.

In the last 12 months, 39% said they have closed a website out of frustration when trying to use it

Reasons included slow loading speeds, errors, confusing navigation, login problems and unusual behaviour in general. It’s vital to make sure that any website doesn’t just look pretty, but also works smoothly to avoid the dreaded rage quit.

40% say they have decided against buying a product or service due to a lack of information

These days the rule of thumb for site content seems to be brief, snappy messages that appeal to shorter attention spans. However, go too far in slimming down copy, and critical customer questions can be left unanswered.

52% are more likely to buy from a business if it responds to their enquiry first

People don’t like to wait, particularly in a fast-paced digital world. Responding to a customer first may not guarantee the sale, but it certainly puts you in the prime position to win it.

64% consider the quality of a website’s design to be the most important indicator of product/service quality

Bad site? Bad product. Good site? Good product. With a website being crucial in pre-purchase first impressions, a great design can be a worthwhile investment.

84% agree that websites positioned further up the search engine rankings are likely to be more trustworthy

Boosting rankings isn’t just about more clicks. Being in the top positions is also considered a mark of trust. That means better rankings could increase traffic and conversion rates too.

In the past 12 months, 70% have bought a product online from a store despite it being available for a lower price elsewhere

Reasons included:

• They found the more expensive store more trustworthy/credible
• They received better pre-sale assistance
• Delivery terms, warranties or guarantees were better
• They expected after-sale support to be superior

This shows that price isn’t the only factor when it comes to the success of an e-commerce business. Customers value trust and the overall quality of the shopping experience too, so it’s possible for businesses to win more sales without having to squeeze their margins.

63% have learned about a new product or service from printed marketing in the past 12 months

The world might be gripped by online marketing fever, but don’t underestimate traditional forms such as print. Businesses and consumers alike still pay attention.

Design statistics

46% are more likely to share a website with impressive visuals

Impressing a visitor with a beautiful website can be beneficial in more ways than one. It’ll make them more likely to engage with your site, but also more likely to share it with others, such as through social media.

72% agree that most websites look the same

The use of commonly shared tools, themes and principles, combined with the instinct to seek inspiration from others, means that consumers find most websites to be similar in terms of design and layout.

This makes it harder to stand out with a website design, but on the flip side, it does standardise the user experience, meaning that websites are more predictable and therefore easier to use.

The key, it seems, is to seek the optimal balance between the two.

48% think that modern-day design is too minimalist

Reasons included that it can be repetitive and unmemorable. While minimalist design can help with a cleaner layout, almost half of people want to see a bit more oomph in the designs that surround them.

88% have found it frustrating when design aesthetics are prioritised over function

Common complaints included:

• Text that’s too hard to read due to size or contrast
• Layouts that make information harder to find
• Visuals that are a distraction from what the viewer wants to do
• Images that have nothing to do with the topic or purpose

In graphic design, there’s always the temptation to make something look as pretty as possible. However, a huge 88% of people have been frustrated when designs look good at the expense of something they consider more important.

This statistic shows that it’s vital to keep in mind the purpose of the design, and to strike a balance between aesthetics and performance, as they aren’t always the same thing.

75% find it difficult to articulate their ideas to professional designers

For people who have worked with a graphic designer, 3 in every 4 have experienced difficulties in clearly explaining what they want the result to be.

This highlights that designers have a responsibility to extract the client’s thoughts, feelings and ideas if they wish to create something that ticks all the boxes, as a design brief could be limited by the client’s ability to turn their imaginings into words.

69% think design from five years ago looks old fashioned

Much like technology, design seems to become dated fast. It’s therefore essential to keep on top of the latest design trends, and give all forms of design an occasional facelift, to avoid appearing behind the times.

Business statistics

For businesses, 89% state that they have tried to increase the conversion rate of their website…

…But only 20% have carried out on-site split testing

Almost everyone tries to increase their website sales? That’s no great surprise. But out of those, only a fifth have used arguably the most effective method – split testing – to help with this.

What’s the big deal? Well, with an A/B split test, you can compare two sets of content, funnelling 50% of traffic to each page, and then measure which performs best. It removes the guesswork to allow for faster conversion rate improvements.

81% of businesses feel that their industry has become more competitive in the past two years

Four fifths of business owners feel that it’s becoming harder to grow their business due to increased competition. This shows that it’s more important than ever to innovative and improve to stay one step ahead of the pack.

For businesses that have tried improving their website’s product images, 74% say it increased their sales

Methods of improvement included:

• The use of professional photography
• Larger, higher quality pictures
• A wider range of angles
• The ability to zoom
• 360 rotation functionality

This shows that investment in a better set of product images isn’t just a vanity project. It can also provide an improvement in sales that pays you back.

81% of businesses feel confident they could survive a recession…

…But this means 19% do not

Confidence amongst businesses is high when it comes to whether they could survive an economic recession. However, this means almost 20%, or 1 in every 5 businesses, aren’t so confident, which is a concerning statistic in itself.

63% of businesses have spent money on marketing or advertising that didn’t work

Business is often about taking risks, but sometimes they don’t pay off. With 63% investing in a marketing activity that failed to provide a return, most businesses have at least one expensive lesson under their belt.

35% of businesses expect to hire more staff in the next 12 months

While many businesses are expecting to remain static in the coming year, over one third have growth plans which include the expansion of their workforce. This bodes well for those companies, and the labour market as a whole, too.