Do visitors go wow when they see your website? If they do then they'll be back. However, how do you make that memorable first impression? Is it compelling content, great graphics or an extremely easy user experience? It is all this but most importantly it is how a creative web design integrates all these important factors in a unifying manner.
Look and feel
The colours you use, the type and size of the fonts in headlines and body copy, the kind of images, the tone of voice and how the content addresses the customer-all these contribute to creating that crucial first impression that has the potential to leave a positive influence on a visitor. When it comes to colours, it's best to create a palette to choose from so you have a dominant colour theme or combination that runs throughout the website. Backgrounds should also be chosen with care. Dark backgrounds with white text may look cool but are often not practical because they tend to bleed and are not easy to read. When it comes to visual and verbal content, you should be able to establish a synergy between these so that they complement each other. Your visitor's time is important, so don't just show and tell but get to the point as quickly and succinctly as possible.
Style
This is often a subjective area. Some website designs use animations and impressive graphics while others sport a clean and uncluttered layout. Which way to go? There are no hard and fast rules but your choice of design should not compromise the main objective of an e-commerce website which is to showcase the products or services to their best advantage. If you go to a shopping mall, you will observe that some shops attract a lot of people but that's the not the measure of success. What you have to watch for is how many people walk out of these shops with a shopping bag? Similarly, your website style should impress but it should also encourage the visitor to make a purchase.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Creative-Web-Design-Can-Help-Your-Ecommerce-Business-Soar&id=7601272