Quantifying appeal: How brands are measuring ROI on designs

As brands move beyond aesthetics, design is increasingly being evaluated through measurable business outcomes, aligning it closer to performance marketing and product strategy than traditional brand building.

Unlike traditional brand-led evaluations, design is now being assessed through hard metrics and measurable impact.

From sidekick to superhero

Industry stakeholders say design today is no longer just about how a product looks or feels, but how it performs across the consumer journey. From packaging and product interfaces to website layouts and app UX, design decisions are being linked to key metrics such as conversion rates, sell-through, returns and repeat purchases.

This shift is being driven by the rise of digital-first businesses and e-commerce, where every consumer interaction is trackable and optimisable. Brands now have access to real-time data, allowing them to test and refine design elements based on what drives action, rather than relying solely on creative instinct.

Against this backdrop, companies are increasingly adopting a more structured approach to measuring design ROI through both quantitative and qualitative indicators.

“We evaluate the ROI of design through a balanced mix of qualitative and quantitative metrics, rather than relying on a single measure. On the brand front, we closely track shifts in consumer perception, especially around modernity, ease of use, and trust through regular studies and feedback. Stronger brand recall and higher consideration often reflect the impact of thoughtful design,” said Anil Gurnani, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer- TTK Prestige.

He added that from a business standpoint, the company tracks product adoption and category growth, noting that rising demand for induction and infrared cooktops reflects how well-designed products can drive consumer uptake. He said digital engagement and conversion trends across retail and online channels also serve as key indicators, adding that repeat usage and long-term adoption remain the strongest measures of design ROI.

This growing focus on measurable outcomes is also visible across high-impact consumer categories.

Marketers note that in categories such as fashion and beauty, design plays a direct role in influencing purchase behaviour as well as post-purchase outcomes. For instance, more accurate product visuals and better interface design can reduce return rates, while intuitive navigation and clearer communication can improve conversions and basket sizes.

At the same time, design is becoming more closely integrated with performance marketing functions. Teams are increasingly collaborating across design, growth and product to ensure that creative outputs are aligned with business goals. A/B testing, rapid iterations and data-led decision-making are now becoming standard practice, particularly in digital environments.At the same time, design is becoming more closely integrated with performance marketing functions. Teams are increasingly collaborating across design, growth and product to ensure that creative outputs are aligned with business goals. A/B testing, rapid iterations and data-led decision-making are now becoming standard practice, particularly in digital environments.

In durable and appliance categories, too, design is being evaluated through tangible performance indicators.

Tushar Gupta, Director of Operations at Thermocool Home Appliances Ltd, explained that design has evolved into a core business strategy beyond aesthetics, improving usability, efficiency and overall customer experience. He noted that products are developed in line with modern household needs, while stronger collaboration across design, engineering and production teams is enabling innovation and scale.

He said, “In assessing the effectiveness of designs, Thermocool uses performance-oriented and consumer-oriented key performance indicators (KPIs) that show tangible results in the marketplace.” Gupta noted that key KPIs to assess design success include sell-through ratios, which indicate consumer appeal, and low return and defect rates, which reflect product efficiency and reliability, all critical factors in the appliance category.

Even in furniture and interior design, design has moved beyond aesthetics to become a key driver of consumer choice, influencing functionality, space utilisation and overall living experience.

Lokendra Ranawat, CEO & Co-Founder, Wooden Street said, “While aesthetics remain important, our briefs today are deeply rooted in functionality, space optimization, and user behaviour.” He added, “In a category like furniture, where purchases are high-consideration, performance-driven design directly impacts trust, usability, and long-term satisfaction.”

Ranawat noted that design is closely tied to business outcomes, with metrics such as conversion rates, sell-through, returns and complaints, repeat purchases, and digital engagement used to assess impact. He added that the focus is on creating designs that not only appeal visually but also work effectively in Indian homes, driving both brand affinity and growth.

This reinforces how design is increasingly being evaluated through measurable outcomes across categories.

Experts add that design is also influencing customer retention and lifetime value, with consistent and seamless user experiences contributing to repeat engagement. In high-frequency categories, even small design improvements can significantly impact metrics such as click-through rates and customer acquisition costs.

This dual focus on performance and experience is also reflected in emerging and niche categories.

Ajinkya Mishra, Co-Founder at Svastika, said design has evolved beyond aesthetics to become a core driver of value, shaping product intent, narrative and emotional appeal. He added that design is now embedded across ideation and manufacturing, while also bringing together functions such as sourcing, merchandising and marketing. 

In the case of Svastika, he said design success is measured through both performance and customer experience metrics, with sell-through rates indicating consumer appeal and return rates reflecting how well designs meet expectations. “This measure reflects product usability, quality, and, most importantly, whether the product meets consumer expectations, particularly when it comes to vulnerable products such as home decor. Lastly, repeat purchases become a metric for long-term success as an indicator of consumer trust and satisfaction,” Mishra added.

This further underscores how design is increasingly being assessed through performance-linked metrics.

However, industry players caution that while measurement is becoming more sophisticated, the challenge lies in balancing data with creativity.

Over-optimisation can risk making design formulaic, underscoring the need to retain originality while delivering on performance. 

From an ecosystem perspective, this shift is also expanding the role of agencies. Hiren Joshi, Founder & CEO, Bee Online Communication Pvt. Ltd. also shed light on how the role of agencies are getting expanded beyond marketing to even design related activities which further highlights how closely marketers are now evaluating design in terms of ROI.

“The agencies are currently working on projects that exceed their standard marketing activities. The design process requires designers to work closely with product teams and user experience teams and data teams because conversion and return and lifetime value metrics have become essential for design evaluation,” Joshi said. 

He explained that creative decisions today go beyond aesthetics and storytelling, focusing on improving user experience, reducing friction and driving business outcomes. He added that this shift is pushing agencies to build cross-functional teams across product, design and analytics, enabling them to use data to test and refine design approaches while balancing creativity with performance.

As brands increasingly seek accountability across functions, design is no longer insulated within the creative domain but is being held to the same standards as performance and product. With clearer links to conversion, retention and long-term adoption, design is emerging as a measurable growth lever. Design is no longer a creative output alone but a measurable input into growth, with brands increasingly expecting clear returns on every design decision.