According to Statistica, over 227 million purchases will be made online in 2020. With e-commerce continuing to grow and change the way consumers shop, web design has never been more important.
People are attracted to things that flow and look enticing. This means that there needs to be a balance of Form and Function. A page cannot be too cramped and overwhelming because the attention ratio will be too high and people will be unable to follow every CTA the page is trying to accomplish. As a result, they will be less likely to make a purchase.
On the other hand, people cannot be left without imagery and esthetic, so a page with no design elements, only the barest bones of a web page can be equally detrimental to the chances of purchase because there is nothing but the information about the product to encourage the consumer. Because of this conflict, the designers and marketers must carefully consider how much flair should be put with the information to achieve equilibrium.
While consumers should prefer form since it gives all of the information without distraction, there is an inherent desire for things that are beautiful to the eye, so the form can make or break a transaction.