When was the last time you stayed on a slow, clunky website? Exactly.
Today’s shoppers are ruthless with their attention—and rightfully so. If your e-commerce experience isn’t fast, frictionless, and personalized, customers will leave before you can say “add to cart.” That’s why user experience (UX) is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s the engine of revenue growth.
We recently hosted a webinar that tackled UX head-on: From First Click to Checkout: Building an Exceptional E-commerce User Experience. The session was moderated by Jason Ferrara of Maropost and featured insights from Sacha Dent of Wall Tools and Laurie Caldwell of Boundless Digital. Together, we broke down what it really takes to create e-commerce experiences that not only delight but convert.
Here’s a recap of the conversation and the strategies every brand should be thinking about now
Let’s start with the harsh reality:
We’re living in a mobile-first world — 73% of all e-commerce sales now happen on mobile. Yet 12% of consumers say mobile shopping still feels inconvenient. That gap isn’t just annoying; it’s costing businesses billions.
Here’s the kicker: every $1 invested in UX can return up to $100 in sales. Think about that. UX isn’t a cost center — it’s one of the highest-ROI growth levers you have.
Before you worry about color palettes, banner designs, or flashy animations, you need to master the basics. Great UX is built on:
Your site isn’t a treasure hunt. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for in seconds, they’re gone. Headlines, CTAs, and product categories should guide users seamlessly from curiosity to checkout.
2. Consistent, intuitive navigation
Your navigation should feel invisible — in the best way possible. Shoppers shouldn’t have to think twice about how to get to “New Arrivals” or back to their cart.
3. Responsive, mobile-first design
If your site doesn’t shine on mobile, you’re missing most of your market. Every theme should be optimized out-of-the-box: accessible, ADA-ready, and built for every device. Admins need to preview pages by device before hitting publish—because what works on desktop doesn’t always fly on a tiny screen.
4. Fast load times and performance stability
No one likes waiting. Slow load times kill conversions and your brand credibility. The fix?
It’s not rocket science, but it’s the difference between abandoned carts and completed checkouts.
5. Agility without developers
The era of waiting on a dev team to make simple updates is over. Using drag-and-drop editors, marketers can build landing pages, add banners, and launch flash sales in minutes—not weeks. The guardrails should be built-in, so even non-technical users create pages that look great and convert.
The e-commerce landscape is unforgiving. Shoppers won’t tolerate friction, and your competitors are just one tap away. But here’s the good news: every gap in UX is also an opportunity.
The brands that embrace mobile-first, speed, and agility will pull ahead—not because they shout louder, but because they make shopping seamless.
Watch the full webinar to learn how UX isn’t everything—it’s the only thing.
Need the tech to make it happen? Book a demo to speak with our team about Marketing Cloud, Merchandising Cloud, and Commerce Cloud.