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2021 Digital Experience Benchmark
Scroll down to access all-industry findings for 15 digital KPIs. For even more analysis and industry-specific data, access your complimentary copy of the full PDF report here.
Introduction
Today’s consumers aren’t loyal to brands, they’re loyal to brand experiences. As the pandemic rages on and users continue to depend on digital, brands must continue to build digital experiences that are both seamless and innovative to catch customers’ attention and inspire loyalty.
For this report, we used Contentsquare’s database of over 900 global websites to collect over 20+ billion individual user sessions from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. We collected and analyzed data from desktop, mobile, tablet, and mobile app interactions and sessions across 10 industries to learn more about the evolution of online experience and quantify the impact COVID-19 had on businesses last year.
SITE TRAFFIC
2020 was a year of new digital behaviors and adoption.
2020 was also a wild year for digital traffic. When the pandemic hit the West in March, online traffic soared. Users flocked online to socialize with friends and family, shop for necessities, and find entertainment. While traffic growth slowed during the summer months as lockdown restrictions eased, traffic spiked at the end of the year as winter set in and customers headed online for their holiday shopping.
Mobile continues to dominate.
Last year, mobile drove the bulk of online traffic, with 64% of online visits coming from smartphones, a +16% increase from 2019.
But, even with increased mobile use, the device’s conversion rate continues to underperform. At just 1.5%, it has the lowest CVR out of any device.
Make new customers, but keep the old.
Across all industries, only 44% of traffic was made up of new users, meaning every one in two visitors was an existing customer.
Even when consumers were trying new online digital experiences in 2020, many remained loyal to brands they know and love. After all, without the ability to walk around a mall and discover new brands in-person, many consumers decided to stick to their tried and true favorites online.
First impressions matter.
Especially when 47% of users bounce after seeing just one page. That means almost 1 in 2 visitors would rather leave than spend time on your site.
Brands need to understand why their potential customers are leaving after they land and what factors could be turning off potential customers.
| THE TAKEAWAY As mobile continues to grow its share of internet traffic, brands need to continue to make mobile experience a top priority. With almost 50% of mobile users bouncing after viewing just one page, there’s clearly still some work that needs to be done to create a mobile-first world. |
45% of all website content goes unseen.
To calculate the percentage of content that goes unseen by site visitors, we compare the total number of pages on a site to the number of pages not viewed by 95% or more of traffic. This year, we discovered that 45% of all content goes unseen by visitors across all industries, or 95% of page views occur on 55% of website pages.
THE TAKEAWAY Creating new content to engage your customers isn't always necessary. Something as simple as moving key content higher on a page to increase visibility or swapping creative can improve performance. |
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals measure loading time, interactivity, and visual stability via these three signals:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): The time it takes for a page’s primary piece of content to load
- First Input Delay (FID): The time it takes for a page to become interactive for a user
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): The amount of time it takes for a page layout to shift as content loads
| THE TAKEAWAY Don’t let your SEO efforts go to waste – prioritize your page load times in the coming months to ensure your site doesn’t get penalized after the Google Core Web Vitals update. |
CONVERSION
Are your customers converting?
At last, the metric that is the most influential in driving bottom-line business results: conversion rate.
What is a conversion? It’s key to remember that conversions are different for every industry. One industry might count a conversion as a customer purchasing a shirt, while another might define it as when a user requests a demo, applies for a loan, or schedules a meeting.
Today’s customers are more intentional with their visits.
Last year, our data showed that the average customer was visiting a site 3 times before making a purchase or converting. This year, we saw that number drop to just 2 visits, which suggests buyers are more informed and intentional with their purchases and conversions online.
How many sessions before users convert?
The industry with customers that take the least convincing to convert was the B2B industry, with customers ready to convert after just 0.33 sessions. This is most likely due to the fact that requesting a demo or a quote is an easy ask of visitors. Alternatively, the luxury industry saw customers make 2.13 visits before converting, which makes sense, as customers might want to mull over purchasing more expensive products.
How many pageviews before users convert?
The number of pageviews a customer sees during a buying session ranges by industry. For example, grocery and apparel have the highest number of pageviews per shopping session, as users have to sift through products to find the item, brand, color, flavor, etc. they need. Whereas the B2B industry has a much simpler customer journey and as such, converting users only view an average of 7 pages before requesting a demo or downloading a whitepaper.
THE TAKEAWAY Small site errors - like failed discount codes, unclear CTAs, or lengthy forms - could be keeping your customers from converting. Troubleshoot your site to remove friction and ensure you're providing users with a seamless, error-free experience. |
