On the web, perception is everything – statistics show that within five seconds of arriving at your website a user will make a choice about your company, instantly making assumptions about the quality of your products and services depending on the design aesthetics of your website.

Your website needs to be friendly, informative, and easy to communicate with in order to convert potential customers into loyal customers in these five short seconds.  Factors such as promo design, overall layout and background colour of your website will all play a huge part in attracting the right customers into your site.

For more information on the services Visualsoft offer, including eCommerce website redesign, contact one of the team today for an informal chat, or take a look at our online portfolio at www.visualsoft.co.uk.

The nebusiness supplement, which is part of the Evening Gazette, published this article on Wednesday 19th January 2012 about Visualsoft:

A Stockton company has announced that it will be expanding for the second time in 12 months.

Ecommerce agency, Visualsoft, has announced it will create a number of new positions after a surge of continued growth in recent months. The company is looking to recruit for new roles, including positions in its development and online marketing teams.

Visualsoft offers various services including web design, development and online marketing to online retailers. The award-winning company has established itself as an ecommerce expert, developing features to enhance the online shopping experience and ultimately leading to increased conversions for its clients.

Since the company was established in 1998, its industry experience and expertise have helped it to gain more than 500 ecommerce clients from across the UK, ranging from high street footwear giants such as Charles Clinkards to sector-acclaimed independent fashion boutiques including Triads, Have to Love and Jules B.

Since 2009, the company has grown at an average rate of 110% year on year, with employee numbers rocketing from 22 in 2009 to 86 at the present day, with experts in fields ranging from online marketing and communications to web development and programming.

Just last month, Visualsoft announced that it would also be expanding its office space, and has recently secured a contract for offices in London, as well as occupying its two offices on Portrack Lane.

All retailers could benefit from an improved sales outlook for the end of this year, as over a quarter of the 1000 respondents said that they are planning to spend money on bigger items before the end of 2012.

He also pointed out that the retailers would need to take into account the rise of the tablet when developing their mCommerce strategies this year, because the increased screen size and variety of different inputs means that people will be using them in a different way when they shop online, when you compare them to the current crop of smartphone technology.

It was reported last week that Boxing Day attracted the most number of online shoppers in the UK, with visitor numbers reaching a whopping 96m.

This figure is up 19.5% compared with 26th December 2010, when 80.5m visits were recorded online. Experian Hitwise, who conducted the research, said that these figured indicate that Boxing Day 2011 was the single biggest recorded shopping day in the UK to date, which could be

The Boxing Day success for online retailers  follows the increased level of traffic recorded on Christmas Day, with December 25th 2011 seeing 62.8 million UK Internet visits arriving on retail websites to browse the seasonal sales and make purchases. It seems consumers carried on the trend through to Boxing Day which fell on a Monday this year and could further explain the sharp rise in online shopping this festive period. The extended holidays and limited store opening hours over the festive season could also be a factor which influenced consumers choice to shop online.

The research also highlighted trends in online shopping throughout the Christmas period, which showed that multichannel retailers accounted for the majority of visits online during December, in particular on Boxing Day when there were almost twice as many visits to multichannel brands than those to pure-play online retailers. With many seasonal sales starting earlier than usual this year, the need to visit the high street is becoming less important to consumers, who can pick up the same bargains online with fast delivery.

James Murray, Marketing and Research Analyst at Experian Hitwise, attributes the success in part to the increased interest in shopping on Christmas Day.  He said: “The gathering momentum since Christmas Eve has led to the biggest online shopping day ever witnessed in the UK. Another contributing factor to the record-breaking figures was that Boxing Day fell on a Monday this year”.

To find out more about getting your business started online, or if you’re looking to update your existing eCommerce website, contact Visualsoft today.

In celebration of Online Fashion Week, VOGUE.COM teamed up with the Online Fashion 100 to exclusively unveil the 2012 list today, which documents the 100 most influential names and faces from the digital fashion world.

The Visualsoft duo appeared in the list alongside big names such as David Worby, Director at Harrods Direct, founder of ASOS.com Nick Robertson and Theo Paphitis, who owns lingerie retailer Boux Avenue as well as appearing on the popular TV show Dragon’s Den.

Tim Johnson, Visualsoft’s Sales Director spoke out about appearing on the list, saying: ‘It’s a great honour to be recognised by any publication for the work we do, but to be recognised by Leon Bailey Green and Vogue is an amazing achievement for myself, Matt and Visualsoft as a company.  It’s testament to a significant contribution in the field which Visualsoft has achieved with over 500 clients, and of these 35% are fashion clients.”

Visualsoft offers a wide range of services to online retailers, including eCommerce website design, development and online marketing services for online retailers. The company recently secured a number of big name fashion clients including Hervia, Cricket Fashion and single brand retailer Ash Footwear.

One of Visualsoft’s longstanding clients Tic Watches also featured in the list. Owner Danny Richmond wasn’t content with just appearing in the list, he also scooped the Best Dressed Male award in the Online Fashion 100 2012 public poll.

To download the full top 100, visit Leon Bailey Green’s Blog at www.leonbaileygreen.com, or to learn more about Visualsoft and our range of eCommerce services, feel free to contact us for an informal and friendly chat.