Good UX Promises Craft Producers a Great First Impression

Your winery, brewery, or distillery is so much more than a business. It's an experience—a combination of connections and memories made. When a customer commits to your product, it’s not just a one-time purchase, it's the start of a relationship. But that relationship starts with first impressions. And many first impressions begin with how a visitor experiences your website. Which makes a positive user experience (UX) critical.

What is Good UX?

Good UX hides the complexity of what’s going on under the hood. Technology can be complicated, but your customer doesn’t have to know that. It’s easy to overwhelm customers visiting your site. In order to keep people there and ensure that they buy your product, things have to be simple and intuitive.

The Nielsen Group’s research shows that users often leave web pages within 10 to 20 seconds of arriving. A purchase can be derailed by things as small as an extra required field in a form, an additional page in the process, or a site that looks terrible on mobile devices. Requiring your customer to work or problem solve, when all they want to do is buy your wine, beer or spirit, degrades the experience and puts a sale at risk.

What are the Benefits of Good UX?

A good UX, sets you apart from the competition and creates an experience akin to what your customers would experience in your tasting room or taproom.

IMPROVED POSITION TO COMPETE AGAINST YOUR COMPETITORS

Today’s expectations for websites leave little room for error. Not only are consumers leaving websites at high rates (according to Adobe, 39 percent of folks leave sites if the photos take too long to load) but a bad experience with a website can lead to future losses for the business. In fact, 88 percent of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. The reality is, if your site can’t doesn't cut it, they’ll go to the competition.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GOOD UX SPECIFIC TO THE WINE BUSINESS

Software in the BevAlc industry is often out-of-date. According to Mckinsey, it’s typical for products in the ‘luxury’ business to be a few years behind other industries. But consumers expectations aren’t out-of-date, and people who buy luxury goods expect the best of the best.

Consider your website and your online storefront as an extension of your tasting room and take the same careful, intentional approach to the experience you provide online as you do offline. That experience is what sets you apart and keeps your customers coming back.

Learn More: Best Practices for Boosting Product Page Success.

VineSpring’s focus is on simplicity, and our clients often come to us because they are looking for an easier-to-use eCommerce and POS system. We love helping them grow their business through a great user experience.

Creating a stellar UX is the best way to make a first impression that lasts a lifetime. Your first impression is the last impression. The last thing you want to do is leave your customers with a bad experience after just a couple of seconds on your website.