Pre-owned watch specialist, Watchfinder.co.uk, is leading the way on digital customer experience according to the latest Digital Retail Index.

The firm achieved the highest digital experience score, coming out ahead of more than 700 of the largest online retailers, based on analysis of performance metrics such as accessibility, search engine optimisation (SEO), user experience and site speed.

The Digital Retail Index is compiled by digital retail specialist Remarkable, using Google’s Lighthouse tool to track web performance and set a benchmark for ecommerce businesses across the UK.

Watchfinder accrued an impressive score of 491 out of a possible 500, having secured ratings of 92.3% for speed and 91.5% for performance. Second place was taken by Victoria Plum, which climbed from eighth place in 2022 thanks to a score of 488 this time around, while snow sport specialist Absolute Snow (479 points) climbed 28 places to complete the top three.

Last year’s winner, The Body Shop, dropped to fourth place with a score of 478, though it continued to dominate the health, beauty and well-being category, sitting 24 points ahead of second placed Holland & Barrett.

Meanwhile, aside from Victoria Plum and The Body Shop, only two other retailers from the 2022 top ten retained their places at the ‘top table’ - Jollyes and Dunelm.

According to the UK Digital Retail Index 2023, the top 10 best-performing ecommerce sites are:

Watchfinder

VictoriaPlum.com

Absolute Snow

The Body Shop

Down

Jollyes

Down

Dunelm

Down

SoleTrader

Mandm Direct

Jaeger

10.

Shein

Notable names once again failed to make an impression. Zara came in at 690th place, Amazon fell 365 places to languish in 618th place overall, and John Lewis again failed to trouble the top ten - despite climbing 23 places, the department store came 41st.

Commenting on the findings, Brad Houldsworth, head of product at Remarkable, said: “This year’s Digital Retail Index demonstrates the sheer pace of change in online retail. Six of last year’s top ten dropped out of the top spots altogether, while Watchfinder made huge gains to climb 110 places to top spot.

“This once again demonstrates that, even for the biggest brands, standing still is simply not an option when it comes to the digital retail experience. Consumers are more willing than ever to vote with their wallets when ecommerce sites fail to live up to expectations.

“The results this year also show us once again that size is no barrier to success. What matters more is having the right platform in place, regular performance checks and a commitment to constant improvement.”

To browse the full Digital Retail Index, visit 2023 Digital Retail Index | Remarkable Commerce

WATCHFINDER TAKES TOP SPOT IN THE DIGITAL RETAIL INDEX 2023