Seventy-six percent of e-commerce decision makers believe customers’ perceptions of their brand are directly impacted by the website experience, according to a new survey out from Web infrastructure and cloud hosting provider Peer 1.

The survey, which asked participants about the impact of key e-commerce investments during the 2013 holiday season, revealed several interesting highlights. Thirty-three percent of respondents plan to invest significantly in the design of e-commerce sites, and 29 percent plan on improving the overall user experience to achieve higher conversion rates. So what will they be working on?

When asked what attributes and elements led to their success in the 2013 holiday season, online retailers indicated shopping cart and checkout functionality (36 percent), mobile device compatibility (35 percent), security (23 percent), and load time improvements (21 percent).

“eCommerce brands around the world are realizing the impact of delivering a truly personalized experience for their customers and are investing in making their websites more user-centric,” said Robert Miggins, senior vice president of business development, Peer 1. “Not only does a high quality eCommerce experience boost a brand’s reputation, but as our research shows, it has a huge impact on website conversions and, ultimately, the bottom line. With more and more transactions happening online, e-retailers are likely to continue investing heavily in making every online interaction matter.”