NYTimes:

… it turns out that lots and lots of stuff piled onto shelves or stacked in the middle of store aisles can coax a shopper to buy more.

After the recessionary years of shedding inventory and clearing store lanes for a cleaner, appealing look, retailers are reversing course and redesigning their spaces to add clutter.

This finding surprises me. Before this article, I assumed less clutter + more organization = always better for sales. Apparently, a cleaner look signals higher prices.

Retailers are putting their money where their mouths are by “adding items — and a little bit of mess — back to shelves.”

Does this retail insight hold for web design? Which site would you assume has higher prices based on the design/look?

[caption id=“attachment_968” align=“alignnone” width=“501” caption=“Furniture Site A screenshot, logo redacted”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_969” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Furniture Site B screenshot, logo redacted”][/caption]

The two websites shown above were picked for their state of web design (and not for the brand/company).

Looking past the world of retail furniture, does a website with clean design signal higher prices to you?

[caption id=“attachment_970” align=“alignnone” width=“503” caption=“eBay homepage screenshot”][/caption]

eBay has a relatively modern design (whether it is clutter-free is up for debate). Does the homepage signal high or low prices to you?

[caption id=“attachment_971” align=“alignnone” width=“516” caption=“GoDaddy homepage screenshot”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_972” align=“alignnone” width=“530” caption=“Media Temple homepage screenshot”][/caption]

GoDaddy’s design is arguably more cluttered, and their prices are much lower for hosting than mt.

In a physical retail environment, clutter signals lower prices to consumers. On the internet, this may or may not hold true. Perhaps websites with cheaper prices skimp on the design bill? A website can offer affordable/cheap service and have great, clutter free design.

As a person interested in great user experiences, I’d like to believe that great design is a competitive advantage and not a trait that subconsciously signals higher prices.