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?
![biz](http://www.rexfeng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/biz.png)
Furniture Site A screenshot, logo redacted
![modern](http://www.rexfeng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/modern-540x456.png)
Furniture Site B screenshot, logo redacted
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?
![ebay](http://www.rexfeng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ebay.png)
eBay homepage screenshot
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?
![godaddy](http://www.rexfeng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/godaddy.png)
GoDaddy homepage screenshot
![mt](http://www.rexfeng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/mt.png)
Media Temple homepage screenshot
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.